Incorporating Plant Stands and Indoor Planters in Your Home Decor

Posted by admin on November 30th, 2008 filed in HomeDecor

If you have a spacious home, the use of plant stands can be a versatile and flexible addition to your home decor. They can, of course, be used in smaller rooms too, but it is in spacious areas of a home that indoor planters and plant stands can be used most strikingly and effectively.

The combination of plants, planters and plant stands can add another dimension to your living space. The living decor, in the form of foliage and flowering plants, or of miniature trees and shrubs, can be as varied as you wish, with such a wide choice of indoor plants available. Once you combine them with both planters and plant stands, the combinations open to you are almost limitless. It can never be an excuse to say: “I can’t find any plants, stands and pots that fit in with my home decor.”

Types of Plant Stands

Once you have made the decision to use plants in the home, displayed on attractive stands and grown in decorative pots, what types of plant stands can you expect to find in the stores, whether local or online? Plant stands tend to come in a variety of materials, the more common being wood, wrought iron and other metals, and wicker. Less common, but very appealing alternative base materials, can be found in porcelain, marble, stone, and acrylic.

As you can see from the materials alone, the choice is wide enough to enable you to find a stand that complements your home decor, both in colour theme and style. From classic to ultra modern, suitable choices are there to be found. You will even find some attractive combinations of these materials in some plant stands, such as a luxuriously carved wooden pedestal stand with a marble top.

The material from which a plant stand is made is only one variable, though. The actual style of stand can vary significantly too, presenting you with many decor and plant display options. It is this great variation in size and styles that enables you to use height and shape so effectively in interior design, especially in wide open areas such as large entrance porches and lobbies, adjacent to sweeping staircases, and in spacious living areas with wide areas of bare boards or tiles.

There are several types of plant stands that can add interesting height variation to your living decor:

1. Pedestal plant stands may be designed as plant stands, or you may utilize indoor pedestals not especially designed for that purpose, but suitable and attractive nonetheless. Marble pedestals, or classic columns, can be especially appealing and luxurious.

2. Multi-tiered plant stands can be effective in adding height to your foliage and floral displays in the home. In this case, you need to be especially careful with the choice of plants, choosing combinations of plants that will best show off the shape of the plant stand. There are some interesting shapes and styles about, including a spiral staircase effect planter.

3. Hanging plant containers are also available for indoors, and these are worth considering where you want the eye to be distracted upwards rather than down.

When deciding on buying plant stands, it is best to consider the full combination of plant, indoor planter, and plant stand. If you have a vision in mind, then your home will look all the more attractive, and as you want it, when it comes to putting the three together.

Also, never forget that a plant or miniature tree can sometimes look more attractive without a stand at all; and furthermore, some planters you can find are attractive decor in their own right, and may be desirable for display with no plant displayed.

This plant stands and home decor article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Gardens and Decor website.

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Exotic Hardwood A Rare and Beautiful Addition for Home Decor

Posted by admin on November 23rd, 2008 filed in HomeDecor

More and more people are looking for exotic hardwoods for their flooring needs, this is because many exotic woods have a rare beauty and durability unlike typical types of wood. Many of them have a richness and warmth that is simply unparalleled, as well as unique markings and lines. If you’re considering buying exotic wood flooring, but don’t know where to begin, here are a few valued exotics on the market

Exotic Hardwoods:

Amboyna Burl - This is the burl that comes from the narra tree - a tree found mainly in the South Pacific. There are over seventy known species of this large tree, which grows as high as over 80 feet, and boasts a diameter of up to six feet. The burls contain red, black, and gold areas, and Amboyna is prized for its beautiful and unique coloring. It is so prized that it often sells for $20.00 a pound, pricing a board foot at over $100.00!

Bocote - The wood from this tree is valued for its different brown hues and its lustrous shine. Like Cocobolo, Bocote is also very dense and durable. This exotic wood is found throughout South America and Mexico. Like many exotics, the Bocote planks are generally available in lengths under six feet.

Brazilian Teak/ Cumaru - This South American wood ranges from tan to reddish brown to brown in color and sometimes offers a black stripe in the wood. It is very dense, making it quite durable.

Cocobolo - This extremely rare tropical rosewood, also known as Dalbergia Retusa, belongs to the Papilionaceae family and comes from sub-canopy mid-sized tree found in the rainforest. The sapwood surrounding the heartwood is just as dense as the heartwood, and it is actually the unique, poorly formed limbs of the Cocobolo that yield the most highly prized wood. Due to its rarity, this wood is very hard to find. It ranges from a gorgeous brick red to a rich, dark brown. Not only is this wood beautiful and rare, but it is so dense that is does not even absorb water, as opposed to many other hardwoods, but it is still valued for its beauty over its durability. And is most often used for parquet floors.

Santos Mahogany - This is rich and dark colored wood ranges from having yellow-orange-brown overtones to dark brown. It grows in South America and Mexico and is superior to genuine mahogany because of its hardness and color fastness.

Tasmanian Eucalyptus Burl - This burl comes from three different Australian Eucalyptus tree varieties. This are sometimes referred to as “Tasmanian Oak,” but it is not an Oak. It got thit title when settlers mistook this strong wood for Oak. Other Tasmanian Species include musk burl, Huon Pine, white top or (Gum vein burl), and leatherwood burl.

Exotic woods offer a unique decorative look, and can be quite pricey, so if you can’t afford to install exotic hardwood in your home, then consider buying an exotic vase or other decorative item so you can enjoy the richness of exotic woods. And if you can afford it, you’ve just made a lasting investment in your home and the beauty therein.

***You are welcome to use this article as long as the three URL’s below are hyperlinked***

Jennifer Hall is a writer and editor for A1 Wood Flooring. Here you’ll find our full guide to exotic hardwoods and information on hardwood flooring.

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How Installing Mini Blinds Can Enhance Your Home Decoration

Posted by admin on October 31st, 2008 filed in HomeDecor

Many people think that installing mini blinds can only help to shield the sunlight from coming in and provide them with privacy. These are its main purposes. However, it can definitely help to enhance the interior look of your house, and to bring out the personality of the rooms and the character of the house owner.

In the market currently, there is a very wide variety of mini window blinds for you to choose from. Manufacturers such as Bali, Duette, Hunter Douglas, Kirsch, Levolor and Comfortex have unique designs, materials and colors for your home. There are many different material types of mini blinds to give you the different interior look and feel you want. One of the best way to get started is to check out on the Internet what are available before you buy.

Mini blinds come in aluminum, wood, vinyl, or faux wood materials, and you can choose either a vertical or a horizontal orientation.

Aluminum blinds are the lowest cost and they are very popular with the shoppers. They are durable and very easy to maintain. They come in many colours and they are the perfect choice for you if you are on a tight budget because they serve the basic needs of mini blinds. You can buy them ready-made from the retail shop or from a hypermart like Wal-Mart.

Wood mini blinds helps to create the warm, cosy and inviting look to the room. Because wood mini blinds come in various models, colors and styles, they give you more choices to pick a set of suitable wood blinds to meet your needs. It creates a natural graceful look and it looks great from the outside.

As wood blinds are often the preferred choice because of its natural and graceful look, it is relatively more expensive than most other mini blinds. Alternatively, you can get faux wood mini blinds which are much less expensive than wood mini blinds. It still offers the natural wood look and it is much easier to maintain as compared to the wood mini blinds. Faux mini wood blinds are made of vinyl and wood that are designed to look like wood mini blinds. Moreover, faux wood blinds can be used in places that are high in moisture like the bathroom and kitchen. They are easily cleaned and they don’t crack or peel.

Vinyl mini blinds are often used in places with a high level of humidity. They can resist the moisture which can cause warping and bending, and can also resist bleaching by the intense sunlight. More importantly, they come in many natural colours, wood tone and prints which gives a more charming look to the house or rooms. Furthermore, it is easy to maintain.

In short, mini blinds can do so much more than to shield your home’s interior from sunlight or to provide privacy. They can also help to create the atmosphere, the style and decor you want for your house or room.

Copyright 2006 Taylor Fox

Taylor Fox is the owner of the “Discounted Mini Blinds” site. Find all the tips and advice for your mini blinds at =>http://www.discountedminiblinds.com

Discounted Mini Blinds is the sister site of Swimming Pool Advisor - http://www.swimmingpooladvisor.com

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