Home Decorating Tips Fun with Flooring Ideas
Posted by admin on October 23rd, 2008 filed in HomeDecor
The wide range of flooring options available today probably makes your head buzz every time you contemplate getting a new floor. At the same time, it also means you can find the perfect flooring idea for your home or office/place of work. Thus you can take your pick of wood or wood laminates, ceramic tiles, slate/stone, vinyl flooring, carpets, stone and marble, etc.
And then there are the sub-sections: if you choose wood, what is it to be, maple, oak, pine or teak? Do you like black, white, Connemara, rough finish, or polished marble? Of course, a lot depends on your budget and individual taste, but here’s a ready guide to the broad categories of flooring available on the market:
Tips before you buy your flooring
Now you have your flooring ideas in place, go play!
Tania Penwell is a professional writer who provides information for A1 Wood Flooring on cork flooring and laminate flooring.
Tags: carpets, ceramic, flooring, floors, home, laminate, linoleum, parquet, rugs, tile, tiles, woodComment now »
Update Your Home Decor Using Colorful Rugs
Posted by admin on October 17th, 2008 filed in HomeDecor
Retro, checks, black and white…looks like MOD is back. A color explosion - bright tomato red, tangerine, lime green and even yellow - is what’s hot. In Europe, designers are using opt-art checkerboard patterns. The 60’s mod influence that practically defined fall has gone back in time about 40 years and it’s now very much a 20’s thing. Patterns and prints are back in a big way. Color prevails.
How can we integrate these trends in our design process? There are several ways to liven and update the look of your room. Today, people want something colorful, bright and fresh. Contemporary design is gaining popularity with more & more individuals opting for the clean lines and sleek furniture.
So, where does one without expert design skills and limited budget begin? Here are three simple & inexpensive ways to revive your room decor.
Colorful Accessories
Lets start with a room that has a basic solid color couch or furniture with sparse pattern fabric. Rooms need not be limited to pale colors; color palettes in various combinations can speak volumes. By simply hanging picture frames with abstract art that compile color and geometric shapes, one can change the look of the room instantly. A low-cost approach would be to visit websites selling framed art of impressionist artists such as Mark Rothko, Wassily Kadinsky, David Bailey and others. Once you have selected a painting, choose a rug that complements the painting.
There are a number of modern rugs available in variety of colors and designs. Pick an inexpensive hand tufted rug, which has the look and feel of a hand knotted area rug. To complete the look toss some bright colorful throw pillows on the couch. These bold ingredients distract the eye and give the tired old room a new lease on life. For example, a David Bailey 36″ x 24″ print retailing for $31.99 can be complemented with a solid color rug or minimum pattern area rug.
A blue shaded rug is fresh and appealing and can enliven any living space. A retro rug has clean lines and style in a contemporary look that is today. A vibrant solid red area rug borrows inspiration of Scandinavian contemporary designs.
Paint
This spring put the color back into your interiors. Paint, it’s cheap, you can often do it yourself, and can create a lot of effect with color. Use bold colors. Emphasize with accessories like rugs or by adding a stripy cushion or throw. How about a hand crafted twentieth century decorative arts inspired stripe area rug or 1950’s Abstract expressionism contemporary design rug with circles? If you decide on bold wall paint color and a bright pattern area rug keep furniture pieces and other accessories simple.
Black & White
Another very popular look these days is the monochromatic, black & white look.
This look can be achieved easily. Instead of opting for a solid white or black rug, one can add texture by integrating another trend of 2004, animal prints. A wilton woven, 3.3 x 4.8 rug cost as low as $79.00. In fact, this type of rug is light in weight and can be alternately used as a wall tapestry. This is one economic way to update an otherwise uninteresting room. To restore an old worn out couch use either plain solid white or black slipcovers- a smart alternative to purchasing new sofas.
Incorporate these elements of design to create an updated, modern and comfortable living space. To source these exquisite, colorful high quality rugs visit http://www.exquisiterugs.com.
Tasneem Mirza is the Managing Partner of Exquisite Rugs LLC. and member of AWBA, NJWA and Beta Gamma Alpha- honors society for business students. Under the leadership of Tasneem Mirza, Exquisite Rugs launched in April 2002 has gained increased recognition. Tasneem Mirza has indebt knowledge of the rug industry. For questions related to rugs or Exquisite Rugs products please feel free to contact her: http://ExquisiteRugs.com
Tags: contemporary rugs, Modern area rugs, Modern Rugs, Momeni, momeni rugs, rugs, Shaw rugsComment now »
Area Rugs as a Part of Your Home Decor
Posted by admin on August 30th, 2008 filed in HomeDecor
There was a time, when I still lived in England, that I thought the days of the area rug were over. It seemed everyone had fitted carpets, a wall to wall covering that had replaced the old small carpets and rugs. It was all very different from my childhood, when bare timber or stone floors may have gained some relief from a large rug or carpet; a quality Persian carpet if you were lucky, or even an Axminster carpet, to give you a covered area in the middle of the floor in the main living area.
As with many types of products in the consumer world, like fashion, contemporary changes in decor often draw on past designs, and that is certainly the case of area rugs. Over recent times, people have started to appreciate more that rugs really can have a part to play in modern decor. In fact, rugs can be used effectively in vintage decor themes, too.
Many people have never lost their appreciation for wooden floors, with polished timber being such an attractive flooring material, while thousands of others are rediscovering, or discovering for the first time, that a lot of bare floor can provide a good foil for your furniture, furnishings and other decor. Rather than cover the whole floor wall to wall with a fitted carpet, a well chosen area rug can provide an extra piece in the interior decor puzzle. The floor itself may be tiles or timber, but the rugs can be just as effective if you choose an appropriate design.
There have also been several developments over recent years that have brought area rugs back into fashion. The range of natural materials available to make rugs may not be new, but modern techniques and artistic designs have made some old natural fibers and other materials, such as cowhide leather, that much more versatile and attractive than before. This has come at a time when concerns have been raised by wall to wall carpeting with synthetic carpets, and the possible pollution to the home atmosphere. Mixed, perhaps, with a bit of nostalgia for traditional materials, natural fibers have become increasingly attractive to modern consumers.
While some of the natural fibers can have a rough or course feel to them, they can still find a place in the home, whether in the main living area, dining room, or bathroom. Examples of the rougher or ribbed textured natural fibers that are in vogue, for area rugs, are Sisal, Seagrass, and Jute. These can be useful for heavy use areas of the home, such as a porch.
For those who prefer softer textures, then wool rugs and carpets are widespread, and the shaggier styles can be quite luxurious. Shag area rugs add a warm ambience to your decor, whatever the color or style, and one of the most luxurious of all is the Flokati rug, a type of wool rug traditionally made in Greece.
If you have not considered area rugs as part of your home decor, then it is worth taking another look at the latest designs. You may be pleasantly surprised.
if you have have wall to wall fitted carpets, then there may still be a place for an area rug. If the carpet is plain, a patterned area rug can complement and contrast if well selected. With a patterned carpet, a plain rug may show off the patterns of the carpet better, plus provide some relief if it is a particularly bold pattern.
The important thing to remember, though, is that rugs have not been condemned to the graveyard by wall to wall carpeting. They are very much alive and blossoming.
This article about the use of area rugs in the modern home was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Gardens and Decor website. Gardens and Decor has a section on rugs, where you can read about Sisal rugs,Persian rugs, seagrass rugs, and Flokati rugs, plus many more popular styles and types of contemporary and traditional area rugs.
Tags: area rugs, flokati rug, oriental rug, persian rugs, rug, rug carpet, rugs, seagrass rug, sisal rug, wool rug