Home Decor Furnishings and People's Style

Home decor furnishings are a good way for people to set the tone of their home. Furniture may be expensive, but if one looks in the right places, a person can fill their home with beautiful furnishings from a variety of places. Thrift stores can be one of the best places to find that unique piece of furniture that can set the tone of a home.

Home decor furnishings can be most prominent in the dining room. Dining furniture serves as both home decor items and also as a functional purpose. A dining room in most homes is located when you first walk in. This room alone can usually set the tone of the entire home.

If the dining furniture is dark wood, then a person may automatically feel more formal. However, if these furnishings are a lighter wood with floral accents strategically placed in the room, a person may begin to feel more at home.

Another room that is a favorite for them is the living room. This room is one of the most used in the entire home besides the kitchen. With a selection of the right type of furniture a person can ensure that their home is inviting and welcoming to guests.

With furniture house decor a person can use lots of pillows to make a living room more homey. Another way that a person can enhance their home decor furnishings in the living room is to add a rug. If the room is anything but carpet, then it can give off a stiff feeling. Rugs are great decor accessories that can soften any room, but especially the living room.

No matter what a person does to enhance their house decor furnishings, the feel that certain choices of furniture elude will be determined by the style that an individual has. A person's style can be very eclectic, contemporary, or even old fashioned.

They can be found in any furniture store that will fit the style of a person if they only take a moment to find that perfect piece that they are in love with. The decor interior design of a home can be centered around a choice of just one piece of home decor furnishings. From this one choice, a person can go crazy in designing their living space around their style.

Home Decorating Projects - Sprucing Up Your Kitchen On A Budget

We are all the same, as soon as we move into our nice new home we want to 'make it our own' by personalising it. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by doing home decorating projects.

You may well think as soon as you hear the phrase "home decorating projects" that you are going to have to spend masses of cash, use up all your spare time, and worse, run the risk of not being happy with the project when it is finished. This need not be the case, as there are many home decorating projects that can be done for little money, and can also easily be completed within just a few hours - and if this is the case, you haven't really lost all that much if you are unhappy with the end result.

So where do you start? Depending on the time of year and where you live, you can find many great accessories for your home from yard or car boot sales. Although this may sound a little odd, to be talking about yard or car boot sales in the same article as home decorating projects, it really is a great way to buy items that you can use to personalize your space on a tight budget.

If for example, you are trying to make the kitchen more attractive and inviting, you can almost always find items such as bright ceramic pieces, tablecloths, framed art, pitchers, etc. at a yard or boot sale. Place these carefully throughout your kitchen and you will have gone a long way towards personalising the room, and yet not spent very much money at all on this home decorating project.

Staying with the yard and boot sales, you can find many items that will set the style of your home decorating for example; clocks, photo frames, movie posters, ornaments, soft furnishings plus much more. If you keep your eyes open you can find really cool items that can be used in the decorating of your home.

One very popular style in home decorating is Retro. A Retro kitchen can be very easy to accomplish, all you need are a few vintage items, which can be found fairly easily and for great prices, and maybe some bright paint or rugs for the floor, and you are ready to go.

If you are working on your kitchen, it can be difficult to pull off some home decorating projects if you have a rather small kitchen space to work with, and in this instance, you may be forced to accomplish what you are looking for by painting the walls with a bright, spacious color, and then adding some accessories throughout the room. Although painting kitchen walls can be very time consuming, as you have to mask off and be extra careful around all the cabinets and sockets, it can be done - it may just take a little bit of patience and some hard work. If you are feeling really brave and want a much larger change, you may even want to try your home decorating skills on the cabinets as well, repainting or refinishing them as this will make a major difference in the room. You can buy treatments to put onto existing wood or laminate cabinets so that they can take paint or many of the other special finishes you can buy for kitchen cabinets.

Another area which can make a difference to your interior, is the window treatments. These can also add a lot of character in your home decorating theme, so put some thought into this area, and look for clearance items, or have a go at making your own for that truly unique touch.

The appliances in your kitchen are going to be the hardest thing to change, as other than replacing totally, you can only really repaint them, or cover them up. So when you are thinking about your home decorating, try not to spend too much time on this aspect of your kitchen, as there really is not too much you can achieve with existing appliances.

It is surprising how much change can be effected by just adding some new paint to the walls, and it can give your kitchen a whole new identity.

The Basics For Furnishing and Decorating Your New Home

Some people see a new home as a challenge, while others see it as a great project starting in the simplest of ways. If you think about it, starting with a fresh slate is a bit easier than having to remodel, so the new home is the perfect way to start your home decor experience. Starting with a new home, you will need all the basic furniture assortments and decorating basics to make your home a reflection of yourself rather than just a space that is taken up with essential furnishing. There is a lot that will go into your home, starting with your personal touch.

When you start out, you want to get the basic furniture for a new home. Though you will likely have a budget, you can still get the basic home decor without it costing an arm and a leg. There are great outlets available that offer discount furniture as well as many sites online where you can find used furniture for next to nothing. The basic furniture you will need will of course include: bed, dresser, TV stand, couch, coffee table, kitchen table and chairs. Other than that, you are purchasing extras so this can come later, after you have made your imprint on the home. Searching for these basic pieces of furniture, you should be seeking a similar look within each in order to create an overall style of the home decor. Some homeowners prefer to go in for a separate theme for each room. When looking for furniture, you will need to keep in mind the exact dimensions of each room as well as the style you are going for in that particular room.

Once you choose your larger pieces of furniture, selecting the rest of the home decor accessories is easy. This will include basic accessories that every new homeowner needs to buy such as blinds, shades, lamps, curtains, table cloths, shower curtains, etc. There are many accessories that are needed to complete a new home's basic style and impression; however these accessories don't cost much, especially when purchased at discount stores. Don't be in a hurry to buy your smaller decor items. Very often, you may chance upon something that is being sold at a throwaway price.

Spend a day browsing through a few discount shops or go to a few flea markets. You'd be amazed at the treasures you will find here. An antique lamp, a Chinese tea pot, African masks... flea markets are a treasure trove for a new homeowner. Don't forget to look for wall hangings and floor coverings. Interesting wall hangings create points of interest in the room and if you find something unique, it can be a great conversation piece at any social event. Look for something that will go with the theme of your general decor. Same with area rugs; a well chosen area rug that complements the decor theme can tie in all the elements of the room to create a look a look that truly harmonious.

Help For the Handicapped - Choosing Home Furnishings For the Physically-Mentally Challenged

Home furnishing ideas can be found everywhere to fit every taste, budget and need. This includes designing rooms for the physically or mentally challenged. Rooms to fit the physical or mental limitations of those people with unique needs can be both functional as well as pleasing to the senses. Interior decorating is making a space fit a person, in design, needs, and style. Whether the style is bold purple or the needs require grab bars is irrelevant; the right design can make any room functional and attractive. If you keep the needs of the person you are designing for in mind, you will find there are many options you can choose from.

First, when you are considering home furnishing for a person with special needs, it would be smart to to check with other people. It might not be obvious that a grab bar needs to placed in a particular place to you but it could mean a world of difference to someone with balance issues. Hospital and rehab centers are experts in making spaces safe and easy to navigate for those with special needs. Check with some of those places or with specialists who treat and care for people who are physically or mentally challenged.

The bathroom and kitchen are the site of most at-home accidents, regardless of the residents of the home. Pay special attention to these areas. Make certain everything is easily and safely accessible. Do not expect a person who cannot move as easily as you do to be able to reach the lavatory handles or to adjust the shower settings as you would. Make certain everything is either built specifically for someone in a wheelchair, for example, or is modified to accommodate any physical restrictions. Wheelchair ramps should be sturdy, grab bars securely fastened and accessories should fit the needs of the person the space is intended for.

However, never lose sight of the fact that the person the room or spaces are designed for deserves to have an attractive space as well as a safe and usable one. The overall design should be attractive; the color scheme should take into consideration the preferences of the one who will live in the area. In some areas, style may be limited because of function but overall, a space can still have an attractive style that is warm and welcoming to the one who lives there as well as any guests who may come by.

Home Furnishing Styles - A Matter of Personal Taste

Before starting to furnish your house, the very first thing you have to do is decide on an appropriate home furnishing style. In the event that you have actually decided on the style you like, it will be a lot easier to select the accessories and furnishings that will suit the style. In this article, you will be informed of the general overview of some of the styles of home furnishing that you can take into consideration before pursuing a certain style.

Mediterranean Style:

This home furnishing style is correlated with French and Italian styles. You must use:

Warm colors such as yellow and earth colors.

Simple fabric patterns that come in blue with a touch of gold.

Natural furniture that is made out of wood.

A decoration that contains images of flowers, particularly ships and sunflowers.

Cottage Style:

Every time you say or hear the word "cottage", you may imagine or picture out an old-fashioned small house, surrounded by a white painted picket fence, located beneath a lake or countryside. For this type of style, you must:

Use pastel shades in painting the house.

Display antique and traditional kinds of accessories inside the house.

Use white chairs and couches or white furniture, and floral prints for the pillows and cushions.

Use a fine textiles or gauze for the curtains. This may create a cottage atmosphere in the house.

Use patchwork quilts as throws.

Use soft lights and lamps, or use dimmers if needed.

Victorian Style:

This is the style that is used in the grand and prestigious mansions built in England throughout the Victorian period. This may be easily recognized because this style:

Uses elegant and small armchairs and couches furniture.

Uses dried flowers and porcelain as decorations.

Can be complemented with rich brocades and velvet home furnishings.

Uses cushions that are silk in fabric, stripes, and with plain floral patterns.

Traditional Style:

This is an elegant original classic style of home furnishing. If you prefer this style, you must:

Use a textile with floral patterns for cushions, sheets, curtains, couches, etc.

Use furniture like mahogany.

Have a china or crystal decoration.

Make curtains using heavy materials.

Use furniture that are checkered and damasks.

Use landscapes that are framed in decorating the walls.

Oriental Style:

This is the style that involves the use of sleek but simple Oriental patterns. Upon applying this style, you must:

Use only little furniture.

Put in mind and apply the saying "Less is more".

Use Oriental rugs furniture and silk fabric that has Oriental prints.

Use images with dragons, Japanese seascapes and cherry blossoms.

Use coffee tables and main tables that are made by tweak wood, which are beautifully polished.

Tropical Home Decor - A Relaxing Island Breeze

How would you like to give your home the aura of an island breeze and warm inviting climates that make you feel as though you are in the Bahamas? You can with tropical home decor, and it's very simple to accomplish.

There are many different items available today that fit this category, though some are not easy to define. You can find palm tree lamps and candleholders, and even picture frames adorned with tropical and island-themed accents. Coconut themed decor items you may find will also fit right in!

Furniture consisting of rattan or woven type fabrics blend nicely with tropical home decor accents, as do contemporary furnishings. This is a style that blends very easily with many other types of decor. Using light, airy colors such as tan, off-white and even a pastel seafoam green on your walls adds to the tropical atmosphere.

A few other items that are extremely popular now are decorated with pineapple accents. There are wall plaques and even footstools accented with pineapples, and these make a perfect addition to your Bahama's decor! Another idea for decorating your walls is using a Tuscan style mirror grouping with matching wall sconces. This blends a touch of elegance into your tropical decor and looks absolutely stunning.

For your windows, anything light and airy will work, you just don't want to use any heavy or dark colored curtains or drapery. Light colored sheers are perfect, and if you can find some with a faint tropical pattern such as leaves or palm trees on them, that's even better!

As you can see, it is very simple to acquire the tropical look of the Bahama's for your home. Use some of your own ideas and accents along with the hints given here, and you will soon feel the relaxing island breeze blowing through your home!

Furnishing And Decor For Your Expat European Home - Get Style And Save Money

Moving from the UK to a new home overseas is an exciting prospect but with many practical challenges and often some barriers. Purchasing or building a new home is one of the biggest challenges and as a result the question of furnishing and decor is often left as an after thought. But if you think about furniture, curtains, blinds, rugs, bedding and so on as part of your overall plan you can transform your new property into your new home.

It is true that you can wait till you are in residence before you start searching local stores for the necessary furnishings. This undoubtedly will allow you to furnish in a similar manner to other local homes, but you will be less familiar with local sources and it may take time and some style errors before you manage to complete the interior decor of your home to your satisfaction.

We'd always suggest that you should immerse yourself in the local environment and community, but when it comes to furnishing and décor you can get the style you want and save money if you source items in the UK and then export it you your new home.

Saving Money

You'll find that shopping in the UK is now often much cheaper than on the Continent. Particularly with the parlous state of the £ versus the Euro and significant VAT differentials you can find designer fabrics and home accessories considerably cheaper in the UK. If you buy in the UK and export to the EU you will pay UK VAT of 17.5% instead of local VAT which could be as much as 25.5%!

It's often worth making a dedicated trip back to the UK in order to make big savings. Some expats will fill a hired van in the UK with everything needed in their holiday rental property or their own "home from home". Since the UK is part of the EU (unlike the Channel Islands or Gibraltar) you won't have problems with import duty to another EU country. Goods can also be shipped safely with international couriers like FedEx, UPS & DHL.

If your home is outside the UK you'll benefit from VAT free exports - though you need to take care of local import taxes. But the retail price differentials between the UK and, for example, Dubai, the Algarve, the Côte d'Azur, easily outweigh the cost of transportation & importation.

Buying British

Many brands that are available in the UK are just not easily available overseas. So if you are seeking familiarity or exclusivity and an affordable solution then it makes sense to source in the UK. For example many designer curtain fabrics are 50% cheaper in the UK than in Europe.

Choice

Depending on the location of your new home, you find that you may have very limited choice when it comes to furnishings for your new home. In major cosmopolitan cities you should be spoiled for choice but otherwise you'll find that Britain offers some of the widest choice at all levels of budget. So if your new overseas home is in rural Brittany, for example, if you want the best possible choice you could go to Paris or you could source from Britain; which would be easier?

English Spoken Here

Have you tried explaining the subtleties of your favourite fabric or paint colour in the local language? Unlike ordering a meal in a restaurant, it's not a subject covered in many phrase books. Unless you are a linguist, you can avoid misunderstandings by using a British interior designer and supplier.

Peace Of Mind

You can deal with many suppliers in the UK who have experience of supplying goods and services to expats. Look for companies who have experience of making up goods to your specification (e.g. curtains) at a distance. Make sure they can project manage a whole house if you are refurbishing your home or furnishing your home for the first time. And of course check that they can arrange safe delivery. The right company will help you transform your overseas property into a stylish and desirable home whilst saving you time and money.