Home Decoration

Setting up a gym at home is a very good idea, especially for people who find going to the gym a big chore. It helps you set up your own pace of exercise and most of all; you can adjust your exercise time as per your requirements. You can easily go from exercising in the evening to exercising in the morning, without having to bother about informing anyone about the same. However, setting up a home gym is not a very easy task. You need to keep a number of tips in mind, especially while buying the equipments and decorating your exercise room. To help you out with the latter task, we have provided a number of ideas below. Just follow them and make your exercise room an inviting and inspiring one.

Tips and Ideas for Exercise Room  Décor

• “A picture speaks a thousand words”. Put up a few motivating pictures on the walls, like that of a person with a hot bod. It will help you in tiding over those days when you are not at all in the mood for exercising.
• Exercising in a completely silent room can be boring and tire you out soon. Put up a music system in your home gym, along with some CDs with fast tracks. I would advise you against TV, as it is more likely to distract you than motivate you.
• Go green. Keeping 2-3 live plants in your home gym will not only give it a fresh look, but also help clean and purify the air. In short, you will get aesthetic as well as health benefits.
• Make sure to put up the right type of lighting, at the right place, in your exercise room. Adjust it in such a way that it flatters your figure/physique. If you look good in the mirror, you will be motivated to work out more.
• Rubber mats and cushioned mats are one of the basic items in a gym, especially for doing yoga or floor-based exercises. Be a little creative and get mats of different colors and textures, which contrast with the color of the walls and ceiling.
• The exercise room should look inviting. Putting bright colored wallpaper or painting the walls in a bright color will go a long way towards building up your mood. Pastel shades like cream, beige, etc will make the place look dull and boring and in turn, dampen your spirits.
• While buying machines and other items for your gym, take the size of the exercise room into consideration. Buy only those equipments that you plan to use and please do not overfill the room. It will not only be an eyesore, but also make it hard for you to move around.
• You are bound to get thirsty while exercising. Instead of carrying a bottle around with you everywhere, why don’t you keep a mini fridge stocked with water and your favorite juice, sports drinks, etc.
• Last, but not the least. Decorate the gym in the way you would decorate any other room in your home. Put up things that would make you want to come here. You can place a fish tank, your own pictures or any other item there, as long as it makes you feel welcome.

If decorated and designed imaginatively, a stairway can easily be made the most attractive feature of a house or building. There are two options available for decking up a staircase. First, if you are constructing a new one, you can choose from a number of innovative designs. Second, you can adorn the old staircase in your house in various simple ways. 

Stairway Design Tips

In most homes, you will see the standard stairway which is a simple flight of steps running up to the floor above. But you can dramatize the look by opting for a spiral stairway. Many contemporary homes nowadays have at least one ‘L’ shaped stairway, in which a flight of steps descend into a landing, followed again by another flight of steps further down in some cases. Or you could even choose a ‘U’ shaped staircase in your house.  

Ideas for Decorating a Stairway / Staircase

You can jazz up the appearance of the stairway temporarily or permanently in your house by simple ways.

• Garlands

The most popular way to adorn a staircase around the world is to warp it’s railing with beautiful garlands. Now the garland could be made out of varied materials like flowers, ribbons, tiny metallic berries and bells, etc.

• Door Swags
• 

If you have a staircase that breaks into a landing, then you can use door swags at regular intervals. Swag is an ornamental festoon of flowers or fruit.

• Potted Plants

This idea will work only if the stairway is wide enough to accommodate flower / plant pots and still leaves enough space for one to pass through comfortably. You can use small ornamental flowers for this purpose. But better avoid it if there are small kids in your home.

• Pictures on the Wall  

You can artistically hang sleekly framed old and new pictures of yourself, your family and even ancestors on the walls adjoining the staircase of your home. It could be pictures of your after having won some competition, a wedding party snap, family get-together and so on.

• Staircase as Bookshelf

In some houses, you will find a staircase that concludes right after touching the ceiling. The real purpose here is to use the staircase as bookshelves. One can arrange your books neatly along the stairs alternatively. For the bookworm, this is the perfect place to remains engrossed in his world.

• Use of Handicrafts to Decorate Stairway

There are so many types of handicrafts available that decorating the stairway with these should not be a problem at all. You can hang beautiful masks on the walls here. Arrange baskets at regular intervals. Or position a medium sized statue where the staircase ends.

Kids and children have to have their separate playroom as they grow up. There has to be an extra room in the house, dedicated just for the little bundle of energy. If you don’t, consider turning your store-room into a playroom or covering a part of your verandah or terrace into one. You really don’t want a screaming kid running at full speed across the living room with an airplane in hand, threatening to break that crystal vase into tiny pieces! Kids need their own space for playing and jumping around. Here are some ideas and tips that will help you in deciding the décor of your kid’s play room.

Choose your Color

It is always easy to choose the color first, before going forward with the décor. With a fixed color in mind, you can co-ordinate the designing of the rest of the playroom with it. The traditional choice would be to go for pink if it is a girl and blue if it is a boy. But what if, you have both? Choose patterned wallpapers in colors like light green, yellow, lemon, peach, mauve, etc. You may also paint the room in these colors. The beds, tables, pillows, sheets, curtains etc. can be bought in co-ordination to the color of the walls.

Dream Theme

Choosing a practical theme would be the best choice for decorating the kid’s playroom. You can always ask the children if they have any ideas for the theme. Don’t underestimate kids; you will be amazed by their co-operation and ideas. Either choose popular Disney characters for the theme or keep in mind the special talent of the kid while decorating the playroom.

What does your kid love to do? Paint, sing, build amazing shapes with blocks? Then, make sure you allot a special corner in the playroom or use it as the theme to allow him/her to use and enhance that skill. So the next time, you daughter uses the walls of your living room as her canvas, consider giving her a personal space in the playroom where she can have her own drawing board, colors, etc. to channel her talent.

Spacing and Arrangement

There should be enough space in the room to let the kid move around without any inhibitions. If the room is a small one, don’t place too much furniture and make sure the room is not cluttered. There should be a shelf or a rack where the toys can be arranged properly. If there is enough space, you can arrange rocking chairs, small tables and chairs for the child to sit and relax. Windows should be covered with curtains, which should be coordinated with the color of the room. With these things in mind, you can easily create a special playroom for your children and see them smile wide!

It is kind of tough to decide the décor for a teenage boy! But, when did we say it was impossible? In the growing up years, most boys prefer a tough yet cool look, be it for themselves or their room. Cleaning it up considered no less than a sin and they have to have the posters of their favorite football team or thrash-metal singer adorning the walls! The very sight of a dirty room can make your guts wrench inside you and instinctively you will want to decorate and clean it up. So if you are looking forward to remodel your teenage boys’ bedrooms, you might want to have a look at these decorating ideas given below!

• Firstly, talk it out with your boy as to what kind of a theme he has in mind. Children can be really helpful if you genuinely go and ask them. This way, you will get an idea as to how to go about decorating the room in way that would appeal to the young boy.
• Next, decide on the color scheme. Are you using one solid color or are you going in for wallpapers? Choose colors like blue, mauve, greens, or even browns and oranges. You may also use two shades of the same color. For instance, you may paint the walls in a light blue and line the doors and windows in a darker shade of blue.
• Allot a space for sticking his favorite photographs for a personal touch. You can probably leave one corner of the room for his personal posters and photographs. You may get a board for sticking his pictures so as to make a collage and at the same time not spoil the walls.
• If your boy has a certain interest or hobby like music or painting, you may decorate the room in that theme. You could allot a personal space for his guitar or get a drawing board with a stand to hold pencils and colors. Get a life size poster or a picture of his favorite singer or a famous painting to decorate the main wall.
• Leave enough room to move around. If you plan to have a bed at the center of the room, make sure that rest of the furniture like a study table, chairs, etc, are neatly arranged on one side of the room or arranged in an L shape along the bed.

Space in home and apartment décor is not just about physical dimensions. It is about the visual impression too. So, use these wonderful tips to transform your small apartment or home into a luxurious, lavish, airy and spacious home:

• Arrange the largest piece of furniture on the longest wall of the room and keep the focal point easily visible from the place.
• Buy small pieces of furniture that have open designs and can be rearranged easily such as a love seat with exposed legs instead of big bulky sofa sets, two small side chairs and a small glass top coffee table.
• Ceiling lightings should be avoided as it cuts off the height of the room.
• Ceilings lighter than the walls and furniture of the room make room look brighter.
• Mark out a conversation area in the living room by placing the loveseat on the longest wall, coffee table in front of it and the side chairs facing the table on both its sides.
• Place your furniture in the room in such a manner that people don’t stumble into it while coming in or going out of the room or to reach cabinets and closets.
• Soft incandescent lights placed evenly throughout the room that eliminate shadows make room look larger.
• Soft monochromatic color schemes make rooms look bigger.
• Stick to simplistic minimalist lifestyle and keep your home clean and well organized.
• Use accessories sparingly and use mirrors and shiny reflective surfaces abundantly so that it reflects more light and makes the room look bigger and more spacious.
• Use smaller patterns on walls and big pieces of furniture. If you do use large patterns, stick to small accessories, pillows and small areas.

Dorm rooms serve as home away from home for college students who need a place to study and relax, watch movies on weekends or just read a good novel. However, it has to be inexpensive as it is a temporary abode and college students usually cannot afford huge expenses. Roommates may or may not like your room décor ideas. If you cannot coordinate well, it is wonderful, otherwise respect their territorial rights and stick to your space for decoration, creating comfort zone and special personal touch. Here are some cheap dorm décor ideas that you can use:

• In a dorm, the bed serves many purposes such as study area, couch and even a coffee table. It is also the largest piece of furniture that you may own in a dorm room, so choose a comforter that does not get dirty easily and can be cleaned easily too. Reversible comforters in solid colors that match the color scheme of your dorm room are good options.
• You may dress up your bed using fluffy throw pillows in funky patterns.
• Since mostly dorm rooms have long beds to accommodate tall students, you may need to buy extra long twin sheets.
• Maximize your storage space by opting for high beds or raise the bed using bricks or cement blocks and you may push your boxes and luggage under the bed.
• Plastic crates or wire storage systems that can be rearranged, decorative hat boxes and closet organizers can be a great help to keep your things well organized.
• Cheap plastic hooks and metal towel hangers attached to your closet door and back of the room door will provide you space to hang your clothes.
• Buy a table that can accommodate your computer or TV too. Place it where there is adequate lighting.
• You can use walls to put up posters or other wall decoration to customize your area and use special poster adhesive to avoid chipping paint.
• If you are artistic types, use colored chalk or butcher paper and colored pencils to draw new murals for your wall, every time you feel inspired as they can easily be washed off or removed.
• Buy frames or make some from cardboard matte and decorate them using decorative items such as glitter, buttons, feathers and beads, some funky memo holders and French memo boards to display photos of your new friends and love interests or may be some good quotes.
• Another way to display your photos is to string them up and hang them from your laundry line across the room.
• To decorate metallic surfaces such as refrigerators, use magnets.
• Use dry erase boards on your door and room to leave notes for your friends and roommates to coordinate with then.
• To lend a romantic touch to your dorm room, you can drape sheer fabric across the window or over a bed.
• A colorful beautiful shower curtain can be used to mask the messy open closet.
• Fashionable and functional lights can change the look of your room too. A lamp of the study table and mini-lights for the moody atmosphere across the room is quite relaxing. While white lights are bright and good for eyes you can use funky colored lights in shape of stars or hearts for special occasions.

For budget home décor and ‘Do-it-yourself’ home décor projects, it is essential to have a toolbox that stores all the necessary items that you will need while finishing the job. Here is the checklist that you can use to arrange for tools that you will need for decorating your home:

• A step stool,
• A toolbox or caddy to store your things,
• Adhesives such as glue guns and sticks, spray adhesive can, staple gun with extra staple boxes, rubber bands, plastic twist ties, fusible interfacings, sewing needles and thread and may be starch for fabric wallpapering,
• Gardening tools (if you have a garden or lawn attached) such as lawn mower,
• Miscellaneous items such as iron and ironing board may also be needed,
• Things and Accessories to decorate home such as gold and silver touch-up pens, black and white spray paints, paint brushes and colors, sandpaper and may be buttons, ribbons, laces and fringes too,
• Things needed to hang pictures, messages and other such things such as cup hooks, thumb tacks, push pins, plastic anchors and picture wire,
  Tools to cut such as box cutter, utility scissors and good pair of scissors for fabric,
• Tools to measure such as measuring tape, yardstick, T-Square or level, and
• Woodworking tools such as a lightweight handsaw, screwdrivers of all sizes, C-clamps, nails and hammer.

It’s Time to Get Outside
Summer is here in the United States, and everyone is thinking about getting outdoors. The season may be short if you live in the east or Midwest or mountain states, or it may extend almost year ‘round if you’re in southern states or California. But wherever you may find yourself, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the wonderful weather and beauty of nature.

Vacations are a wonderful time to get outdoors, enjoy hiking, do some outdoor cooking, or just lie around reading a good book. But you don’t have to reserve those wonderful activities for those too-short times. Read here for information on some wonderful new products and suggestions on how to make the most of your outdoor time.

One of the wonderful things about summer weather is that it lets you expand your living space without a costly home renovation or addition. In many cases, you don’t have to do much decorating at all. All you really have to do is sweep off the front porch and move a comfortable chair outside. Others of you may want to create a ‘room’ outside, and the newest products for outdoor living can help you do that at a minimal cost.

Comfortable outdoor furniture is a must, but doesn’t have to be expensive. Two lounging chairs and a table with four chairs for eating will really make your outdoor space comfortable.

Many products are available in a wide range of prices and come ready-to-assemble. You can go to your local discount store and find very inexpensive pieces that will last a year or two and give you good wear. Or you can make a modest investment in cast aluminum or wrought iron pieces that will last longer. Any of these needs to be brought inside in the winter to give you the longest life, but they’re made to stay outside for the summer months.

More substantial furniture pieces made of teak, redwood, or the new, less-expensive eucalyptus will give you many years of service if treated properly.

If you’re looking to save on the pocketbook but not the quality, you can put some models together yourself with glue and a dowel system.

No matter what kind of wood you select, you should have a place indoors to store it through the winter.
Wicker furniture looks wonderful and classic outdoors, but does not wear well in the elements. Cushions must be brought in from the rain and the wicker will deteriorate in the hot sun and humidity if not cared for properly. New all-weather wicker furniture may be the answer and is made by a number of companies.

A glass- or porcelain-topped table will hold up well throughout the season.
Top it with an umbrella to keep the sun off. You may want to look at a fade-proof umbrella. Some new umbrellas are enhanced with solar-powered LED lights strung up the inside on the spine. They give a wonderful light for 8 hours after dark and are easy to maintain.

More Outdoor Necessities
To enhance your outdoor space, flowers and plants are a must! Classic terra cotta pots can be put anywhere to create a border around your outdoor space. New materials are being used to make pots lighter and easier to move around. Lightweight metal, PVC and plastic can be made in any size and shape, are lighter than terra cotta, and can be moved more easily. If you don’t like the exterior finish you find, try rag painting or spray painting them to the color and finish of your choice.

Some new planters have an integrated watering system or a bottom water reservoir.
They’re the answer if you are going to be away from home a lot and you don’t have any neighbors to water your plants.
What are you waiting for? The season is short, and if you don’t get outside, you’ll regret it later. Enjoy the outdoors in your new-found outdoor living space.

The bottom line when decorating a nursery is safety and comfort for the baby, but beyond that the sky’s the limit. There’s now an absolutely vast selection of not just the usual wallpaper and bed linens aimed at the little people, but serious furniture–club chairs and ottomans, sofas–scaled down to kid sizes; things that they used to have to grow into are now being made just for them.

In recent years as the economy has boomed, a certain sector of the retail industry has enjoyed a remarkable explosion: products for babies and kids. In days of old, the prevailing attitude most people had toward clothing and furniture for their kids was one of economy–after all, kids outgrow everything in a just a couple of years. But nowadays it’s more common for parents to go all out for everything. All the very latest fashions for their little one, right down to the label on their jeans, and the indulgence doesn’t stop with outfits. The home decorating sector for kids has had a boom as well. For many families, hand-me-downs are a thing of the past.

There’s now an absolutely vast selection of not just the usual wallpaper and bed linens aimed at the little people, but serious furniture–club chairs and ottomans, sofas–scaled down to kid sizes; things that they used to have to grow into are now being made just for them. Some say it’s great: kids are finally being catered to on their own terms, even in the furniture world. Some others say the trend only encourages people to spend more money on things they don’t need.

Who’s to say who is right? Certainly not us here at Sheffield. Truth is, the stuff is most likely here to stay, like it or not; so we’re here to help you figure out how to wade through all that’s out there to create a place that’s just right for your child or for the child’s room of a client. We’ll tackle it in three sections: this month we’ll give tips on getting together a baby’s room, or nursery; then next month we’ll get into rooms for bigger kids. Then last but not least, we’ll share some insights on decorating for teens.

Let’s Start With Lighting: Before you go out looking at wallpaper and fabrics and paint, the best place to start when planning a nursery is by going into the room you’ve chosen and spending some time there. See what it’s like at different times of the day, find out if a particular window is more drafty in the winter than another. A spot with too much sun in the very early morning may have junior waking you up earlier than he would in a shadier spot. Or a corner that’s constantly lit by the street light outside may keep the baby up all night. Many people get attached to the picture they have in mind of the perfect nursery and determine to make it happen come hell or high water, but that mental image isn’t always in line with the needs of a real baby. It’s important to keep practicality in mind first and foremost. To get a feel for the child’s room–spend some time there. In Unit One, Sheffield students learn how to “have a conversation” with a room. When you have a “conversation” with a child’s room, think like a kid.

And having said that, let’s now move on to furniture. What items will you put in the room? What’s essential, and what’s essentially for show? (Well, if you want to get really practical, the truth is that most babies would be just as content to sleep in a plastic laundry basket lined with a soft blanket as in the finest Queen Anne–style antique cradle. And a matching changing table and chest of drawers are cute, but a deep, waist-height bookshelf might serve both purposes just as well. But we’ll assume you want to make the place look nice, too.)

The basic list of furniture essentials for a basic nursery are as follows:

a bassinet or cradle
a crib
a changing table
a chest of drawers
a rocking chair or glider
a mobile to hang over the crib or bassinet, and another to hang over the changing table

Some safety precautions for the crib: Make sure that the slats or posts are no more than 2-3/8″ apart. Any wider than that, and a newborn’s body might slip through. Also make sure that the corner posts don’t extend much more than 1/16″ above the railings, as the baby’s clothing can get caught on taller ones. You shouldn’t be able to fit more than two fingers between the mattress and the sides of the crib, and avoid decorative cutouts that can trap the baby’s head or limbs. And if the crib is secondhand and has been painted by its previous owner, make sure the paint isn’t lead-based, as babies do tend to chew on whatever’s handy.

Pads for the changing table should have straps to keep the baby from wriggling off onto the floor.. And remember that all furniture that can possibly be tipped over by a little one’s tugging should be bolted to the wall. For the same reason, avoid floor lamps when choosing lighting, especially halogen torchieres as they tend to burn hot.

Once you’ve chosen furniture for the room, considering the overall look and color scheme of the room can be an overwhelming experience. There are gazillions of wallpaper patterns out there just for babies’ rooms, and even entire lines of paint for them that are formulated to be as nontoxic as possible. And the current craze for “theme” rooms, with wallpaper, borders, paint and even carpets to match add to the frenzy. There is a tendency to get excited and go all-out when it comes to decorating a nursery, wanting everything to match and work together just so, for we all want everything to be just perfect for the new arrival.

But many experienced parents will tell you that as much fun as it is to create a whole new world in that little room, the baby will be just fine and just as happy without such a big production. Truth is, by the time the baby is old enough to appreciate a decorating scheme at all, the child will want to have a say in the matter. And they quickly reach the age when they find all the bunnies and chickadees to be too babyish, and then it’s time to redecorate all over again. All in just three or four years. If you’re working for a client, it can be a wise idea to check in every few years regarding children’s rooms. Maybe there’s a recurring job every few years.

Here’s a do it yourself tip: A practical way to indulge your decorating urges without creating unnecessary work for yourself down the line is to choose furniture and wall treatments that are appropriate for any age, then use accessories to create babyland. Painting the walls a solid color instead of using wallpaper, then using a removable wallpaper border for interest is a good idea, as is avoiding wall-to-wall carpeting and using inexpensive area rugs on a wood or cork floor. Hard floors are easier to clean up, they don’t harbor allergy-aggravating dust, and you can easily replace the area rugs as the child’s taste changes. Use lamps, mobiles and framed pictures to bring in the baby duckies and teddies, then simply switch them out when the child gets into the Powerpuff Girls or Elmo.

And a word about window treatments: There are a number of window coverings that are suitable for any room in a home except the baby’s room. Among these are floor-length curtains or drapes of any style, for once the crawling stage begins, it will be easy for the baby to grab these, pull them down on top of himself and possibly suffocate. Blinds with long pull-cords are also a no-no, especially looped cords, as a baby can easily get these wrapped around her neck. Curtains that end at the windowsill are perhaps the safest option.

The bottom line when decorating a nursery is safety and comfort for the baby, but beyond that the sky’s the limit. It’s worth bearing in mind that since the baby won’t really care, the decorating is mostly for the client’s benefit. If you’re planning your own child’s room, who says there’s anything wrong with decorating to suit yourself? Just like with any other room in the house, start by taking some time to think about how the space will be used, not just now but also in the future. Then decorate your little heart out.

Room Décor for children is a booming industry and customized furniture and furnishings are available in all conceivable sizes of colors, patterns and styles are available in the market. Parents often have fun shopping for their kids and indulge in their childhood fantasies while making them a reality for their little ones. While hand-me-downs is a downright insult for those pouting cuties, here are some tips on not to go overboard and yet make the room for children special for them:

• A wide range of bed linens and pillows featuring all the popular cartoon characters, action figures, alphabets and interesting animals, flowers and toys are available in the market in bold primary colors that can make any child beam up in a second.
• Wallpapers with above patterns and patterns can also be used to cover the walls of the room for children but most children would love blank walls with easy-to-wash finish that allows them to scrawl on them with their crayons and pencils and draw mom and dead with them in between.
• Kid-size club chairs and sofas, ottomans shapes like dices and beds like little castles for your princess are only a few of furniture pieces that people use to decorate their children’s room.
• Theme-based furniture is also available such as those with nautical themes for little sailors and pirates and jungle themes for those who love Tarzan and his animal friends.
• Adventurous and active kids love to occupy the topmost bunk of their loft beds while twins or siblings of almost same age will want identical set of beds, tables and chairs.
• Baby monitor for smaller kids will wake you up in case your baby needs you while some children might need soft nightlights as an additional protection against the demons under their bed.
• Avoid any pointed or sharp ends and always opt for furniture and accessories that have smooth edges and are unbreakable and cover the floor with soft carpet to keep the child from any accident.