Archive for January, 2010
Decorating Panels Are Very Much In
For those on the look out for new and different wall treatments the iconic panels from B&N industries could be just the thing they are looking for. These decorative panels with textured surfaces provide a unique look to the wall surfaces.
These panels are basically formed laminates over a carved wood core. The panels are durable and can be easily sawn, screwed, nailed or glued the way you want them. But if you like their pristine beauty you can just as easily mount them. The suggested mounting accessories are the special panel cleats.
You may even get one specifically designed for a particular wall in your home or office. These can also be painted to suit your décor. The iconic panels can be easily out fitted with shelves and other hardware accessories from B&N. The panels are also available with water resistant, fire rated or LEED qualified cores.
Some of these elegant wood panels are available as Barcelona, Helsinki, Palm Springs, Chinoiserie, Versailles, Seapod, Wright, Broadcast, Carnaby, Albert, LineCountry, FleurLineCity, Louse Helvetica and others.
Making Food Measure Up To Taste
Food tastes better when it is properly prepared, so the right measurement for each ingredient in the recipe is a must.
Accuracy is also required in following a strict diet, such as one given to a diabetic or someone trying to lose weight.
For this, one wood need a good kitchen scale – a scale that’s accurate and has a large capacity, and is easy to use and keep.
The OXO Good Grips Food Scale with Pull-Out Display (around $50) is one scale that’s accurate and can hold up to 11 pounds.
Its bright readout display can be pulled out so it won’t be hidden by a large container. However, the readout comes only in fractions instead of decimals; it would have been perfect if there was a choice.
Another favorable scale is the Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale (around $25). Its accuracy, large capacity (11 pounds) and automatic shut-off feature come in a lower price than many digital kitchen scales.
It comes in various colors, so it could easily blend in with the kitchen’s color scheme. The readout is in decimals instead of fractions; again, it would be better if there was a choice.
Patterns…White…Patterns…Style
Kitchens are warm, homely, aromatic everything but sensual. That’s what I thought till I set my eyes on these designer kitchens by Karim Rashid. This maverick designer brings us some really sensual kitchens in collaboration with Scavolini, the Italian Kitchen Company.
A part of the Crystal kitchen range, these pop kitchens bring in plenty of texture and color to the kitchen. The kitchen looks as tasty as the dishes that may be cooking here. The unique way in which color has been combined with white really makes one sit up to take notice of the wild play of color.
Patterned cabinets and overheads have been sexily interspersed with solid white surfaces. The white is set off by the colorful patterns and the myriad colors are complimented beautifully with the whites. The use of bold colors has been successfully underplayed by the use of stark white surfaces.
It’s not just the color or the design but also the functionality of this kitchen which make it a great addition to the home. The kitchen is durable and very easy to maintain. It is also fitted with high end mechanisms to make life in the kitchen easier. This modular kitchen can be easily adapted to the shape and size of your existing kitchen.
Did You Know That Simple And Minor Updates And Changes To Your Kitchen Can Make A Big Difference?
The kitchen is undoubtedly where we spend the majority of our time.
Whether we are cooking or talking or hanging out we as families and even as individuals spend most of our time in our kitchens.
That being said wouldn’t you assume we would also spend the most time and energy into making sure the kitchen looks and feels like we want it to?
With the recession in full spring and unemployment at over 10% we all don’t have the extra money lying around to remodel kitchens, replace sinks and buy new stove tops. You can, however through minor and simple changes and updates, give your kitchen a completely different feel.
Paint your cupboards. This is the single easiest way to completely change the look and feel of a kitchen. White is a great color to go with if your cupboards aren’t already white.
Painting your cupboards white will give your kitchen a light, airy and bigger feel than it already is. Or you could consider painting your kitchen cupboards yellow or really any color you wish.
Plaything As A Room Decoration Piece
Wish I was a kid all over again and throw a tantrum for my very own hopscotch rug! This realistic rug from A/R Studio, an Italian design time, takes one right back to their childhood. It harks back to a time when kids playing hopscotch in their driveway or even on the sidewalk was a common sight.
The color and the design on the rug are so realistic that it looks just like the uneven chalk lines one drew on asphalt. It’s the perfect rug for your child’s bedroom or better still for your own bedroom. The rug sure does tug at the strings of the child within you.
The rug is made of pure Argentinean wool pile and treated to recreate the asphalt look. It is available in grey and brown colors. The chalk marks have been recreated in cream using the same fine wool. The look is created with the help of hard twist wool. It uses the gahbe dyeing techniques. It has a pure cotton backing and requires spot cleaning in case of stains. The designers recommend the use of a rug saver.
The Fashionable Rugs Of A 1000 Tales
When the way we think an interior decoration makes us choose a beige rug for a splendid living room the new trends may for sure save us a lot of trouble. Normally after the rules of decoration the rug must be spot of color and the beige does not frame into the range of strong colors with personality.
The modern designs state that the rug will not be something common but it will become the center piece of a room by the texture used and the patterns present on the design.
The modern trend of the rugs in neutral colors is complimenting the introduction of new elements of interior design, a more spectacular texture and the presence of surprising color spots.
On the neutral areas the color is creating a very interesting surface. The strong colors next to beige, grey, straw yellow and cream are able to frame the exact message a room with personality may want to share with the viewer.
Recently the new trends in rugs bring color stratification in combination with fine and smooth textures. Since this combination seems to focus on the peoples need to avoid the fuss, the excessive care in avoiding the dust, the new stylish rugs promise to stay one for a while.
Paint Your Wall With The Nature’s Beautiful Face
How ever urbane or sophisticated a person may become, it is quite difficult to cut their umbilical cord to nature. Man is always attempting at ways to bring nature closer. Sometimes nature herself and when that is not possible some imitation of her that brings her into the homes.
Wall tattoos or decals were in vogue a few years ago and then the interest waned in them. Now they are back! These beautiful decals bring nature with all her elegance right into the living spaces. The delicate and intricate designs are very urbane and chic.
Available in a wide range, one gets to choose decals in different colors, motifs and sizes. May be you prefer a single wine creeping down from the kitchen ceiling or may be something to set off the bed headboard how about a full wall mural depicting a distant sunset.
Do remember to choose a color scheme that goes well with the décor or better still choose a decal you love and then set up the color scheme of the room accordingly. The decals are available not just in motifs depicting nature, but also in various themes like pop, sports, animals, people, kids and others.
What Is This Retro Trend And Where Did It Originate?
The other day my husband and I were shopping for a new couch.
I saw many couches I wanted that were the typical kind of couch you would see at a furniture store; one was taupe with olive accents and was shallow but classic looking and the other was a light brown and deep enough for two to lie down and just looked so comfortable and perfect for a living room.
My husband however noticed something in the corner of his eye and shot across the furniture store. I found him standing in front of what I thought had come straight out of my grandparents’ house.
Needless to say this retro styled couch is now in our living room and I absolutely love it but I had to find out where this retro trend originated and what exactly it entails.
The term retro means outdated and aged. Everything can be retro from furniture to fashion to hair and makeup. Retro has become increasingly popular as of lately because it has been welcomed by post-modern art and advertising and been made a present-day trend through that.
Garden Statues For An Indoor Outstanding Effect
Outdoor décor no longer needs to remain always outdoors. You can use them creatively inside the homes too. Bird baths, busts, statues, urns all of them can be easily adapted to add a new dimension to your interiors when the outdoors is too cold to enjoy them.
They can easily be turned into focal points with a little creativity. The bird baths offer a lot of scope to improve on them. Place them in the center of a table. Use the short ones on coffee tables or other center tables. The long stemmed ones can be used effectively on dining tables.
Just placing them is not enough, a few interesting touches are still needed. Add seasonal fruits or greens to the short ones or place a few interesting knick knacks around them. How about a gazing glass surrounded by a wreath in one of the basins?
Garden urns can also be used to add a twist. Fill them with a random setting of dry branches juxtaposed with birch or fir branches. Throw in a few ornaments or colorful confetti and the new piece de resistance is ready. Smaller urns filled with colored glass pieces or pebbles can form interesting conversation pieces. Use candles or just interesting candle stands around them to give them company.
Lines And Geometrics For A Straight Up Home
Beginning with the shape of the space we call home, office or shop, a three-dimensional geometric shape can be complimented by a fluent interior design that must complete the exterior’s shape in order for everything to be in harmony.
It is not hard to create an original and trendy space by simply following the smart modern trends in decoration.
Walking home from work we see many tastes reflected by architects in the buildings they built and when we are at home we must have the perfect comfort and a pleasant presence of our own ideas. Regardless if the building was built with our ideas or we are constrained in a standard shaped building, an interior design that uses geometry can only bring pleasure in our life.
Using the existing angles (between walls, doorways, the windows) the furniture can be easily adapted and integrated. Don’t mind the mathematical sound of all this, the simplicity is only in words as the designs can vary from a room to another. In the living room low furniture amplifies the height of the room, combined with the placement of small furniture in angles that are repeated.
