Archive for April, 2011
Decorating a Small Kitchen – Use More Creativity than Money
Do you have a small kitchen and also a small budget? This shouldn’t stop you from thinking about big changes. There is a lot you could do with little money and a lot of creativity. One of the basic rules to keep in mind is to recycle. You can use the old items, but find them a new place or a new purpose.
Start with making more space for yourself. This is easy to achieve by adding some open shelves to the bare walls. These could also be highlighted with the help of colors.
For example, if you have a colorful background, you might keep the color of the shelves light, close to the natural color of the wood. Naturally when working with shelves you must make sure to fix them on the walls well enough to avoid accidents.
In case you have stairs in the house, you could create a nook under them to fit the refrigerator into. You will have some free space in the corner where the refrigerator used to be, and you can add a new counter or a pantry that you needed so much.
Details Can Make a Difference in Home Design
In case you are going to decorate your home, but you are on a budget, here are few ideas that may help you to change your home design without spending a fortune.
The first and the most important thing to do is to decide about the details in your home. Even one detail can make a difference into your home décor. All you need to do is to find the right detail and accessory.
The spring is near, so you can insert more spring details in your décor. Repainting is an option, only if you repaint your walls with a fresher color. The right colors that really make a difference are the bright colors.
These are the purple, pink, green, white and the yellow colors. The purple color is traditionally considered a noble and majestic one, it is associated with spirituality and spiritual wealth. This means a purple detail in your living room can change the entire décor.
Place a purple wall poster behind the sofa and you will see the difference. If you are going to buy a sofa, choose the one that has a dark purple color and silk upholstery.
Top 3 Bread Making Machines 2011
Nothing says ‘home’ as the smell of the freshly baked bread. In our days there are only a few households that bake their own bread, while the majority of people prefer to buy the bread from the grocery store.
There are numerous bread making machines that you should take into consideration when looking for such a product.
One of the most popular machines is the Sunbeam 5891. This is a 600 watt product that offers different kinds of programs. In case you use this machine you will have the possibility to make 1, 1.5 or 2 pound bread loaves.
There are 12 cooking functions and also 3 shade functions. You will always see what is happening at the moment on the LED screen and you can set the programs through the touch control panel.
Another product that is worth to be taken into consideration is the Panasonic SD-YD250 automatic bread maker. This machine is able to mix, knead and raise the bread and it bakes 3 different sizes of bread loaf.
It comes with different kinds of settings for white, multigrain, whole wheat, quick and French breads. Along with the machine you will also receive a recipe book that contains 40 different kinds of bread.
Revamp Your Patio the Smart Way
Bring your patio alive! In case you have a patio, but you aren’t satisfied with it, for example because it is too small, there are some good ideas through which you might make a change.
The size of the patio shouldn’t be a problem. In order to save some money, you might use what you have, and make some extensions. If you have to deal with sloping surface then you might have to create a retaining wall.
This might cause some problems when raining, so you should place plastic flexible tubing along the wall to drain the water.
Increasing the size of the patio means that you will have to excavate a certain amount of dirt and then to place the new concrete patio surface.
To do a high quality job, it might be a good idea to fill the excavated surface with crushed limestone and with paver base. In order to achieve a smooth finish, you could rent a hamper and run over the new patio.
The next step is to lay down the concrete pavers and it might be a nice idea to fill the crack between the tiles with river rock. In case you have to cut the tiles to a certain size, you might find a stone dealer to do this job for you.
The Ceiling Task and What to Expect
When thinking about a new painting job, the majority of the people focus on the floor tiles and the color of the walls, but they tend to totally ignore the ceilings. This is why these areas remain white, which is more than the absence of color.
In case the right color is used, it might add personality to the room and it might ‘hide’ some of the physical drawbacks of the room.
The white color is usually used because of its neutrality, but in case the room has a low ceiling the white will make it look like its closer than it really is. On the other hand in case of the tall ceilings the white color will make the room feel like it is taller than in reality.
According to professionals the best hue for the ceiling is the one created with one part of the color of the walls and two parts pure white. This way you can be sure that the tones will match.
In case you happen to opt for white walls, you don’t necessarily have to paint the ceiling white as well. You might choose some soft colors, such as sky blue, sunset peach or sunlight yellow, this way offering dimension to the room.
Big Ideas for Small Room Décor
Not all of us can afford to have large homes, and this is why we have to work with what we have. With a little creativity and the use of information people might turn small spaces into larger rooms (naturally this is just an illusion).
Let’s take for example a small living room. Everything starts with the walls. You might have heard that having white walls isn’t the best solution, because it represents the lack of color.
On the other hand, this is exactly what you need in case of small spaces. So, when it comes to choosing the color of the walls, be sure to choose white. The same thing is true for the color of the ceiling.
Regarding the furniture, you should go on with the idea of white. Although at first it might seem a little too much, the sofa and the accessories might be white as well. Nonetheless, you might need some items to break the feeling of winter and coldness.
You might choose a couple of chocolate chairs, and the coffee table can have the same color. Also the frame of some pictures or mirrors could have a warm color. The white window treatments and rug will also create the illusion that the space is bigger.
Blackboard Paint for Crafty Home Décor
Blackboard paint is the latest buzz in home interiors world. It has a very modern and chic look. The matte black looks modern and it is a very functional décor trend.
All one needs is a little primer on the wall or surface chosen and black board paint to paint with… and you have one creative piece of décor ready.
It is a great idea because it fits any space that you may have to spare, as big or as small as you want it to be.
It can be a part of any room in the house and if you have no space for it, use it right behind a door to make yourself a life size notice board.
The black board paint can be used innovatively to create your own personal wall décor or utility item.
One of the best rooms would be the kitchen, as the family spends a lot of time there.
You could paint the place behind your stove or even the back of an open shelf. If you have young kids who love to scribble, the cabinets would be an ideal surface. The kids can enjoy themselves even as you potter around the kitchen.
Making a More Practical Laundry Room
The laundry room is not a mandatory part of every home, but it certainly represents a significant convenience. If you’ve always wanted to have such a room but don’t have enough space, you can opt for a compromise – you can turn any free space into a laundry room.
If you have a free small room, it is a perfect one for a laundry room. You can put a bunch of useful things – a place for ironing the clothes, a place for distribution of clothes, even a small workshop for cleaning and repairing.
All these elements will make easier the unpleasant work around the laundry.
The first thing you should consider as very important is to create a comfortable and functional laundry room. Whether you think that part of the housework is a pleasant one or not, it is an unavoidable element of the household chores.
So if you cannot avoid, at least, make it more enjoyable. Create a laundry room where your organizational skills will be much easier to work, use bright colors that create a positive mood and make sure the workplace is well lit (when possible).
Window Treatment Trends 2011
Window treatments are an integral part of the home décor and need careful planning and execution. A home with the best of décor would look bare without complimenting curtains or shades.
The curtains can be an extension of the décor in your home or they can be the focal points and the topic of discussions.
Though curtains are essential, maintaining them can be a pain for most people who are busy on the treadmill of life.
This year’s trend tends towards the minimalist and elegant designs that require minimum maintenance.
Curtains are a very functional part of the décor as they are required to keep the sunlight and prying eyes outside.
When the two factors are not considered, curtains add to the beauty of the room, even if they are pulled back to enjoy the view.
This year has a lot to offer, right from sheer fabrics with modern patterns to bamboo Roman shades for the organic lovers.
Organic is the choice to go with even if all you use is wood or bamboo for decorative hardware like pulls or finials.
How to Do a DIY Paint Job on the Clock?
Why pay someone to do the job that you could do on your own? In case you would like to change things a little bit around your home, you might be thinking about some new colors that would fit your style.
In this case it is time to get prepared to decorate your home on your own.
Naturally you can’t just start painting in the middle of the wall with all the stuff in the room around you.
On the first day, you will need to make some preparations. It might be wise to move all the furniture from the room. In case you can’t do this, you should move them to the center of the room and cover them with cloth. You could also put plastic foil over the cloth, just to make sure.
Then it is time to remove everything from the walls, including pictures, mirrors, light switch plates, and also outlet covers. You might also want to remove the knobs and this might be the perfect time to get them cleaned.
Tape! One of the most important steps is to cover those areas that you don’t want to get paint on. These include windows and doors, and also those elements that you didn’t manage to get down from the walls.
