Dealing with Oversized Rooms

Most of the newer homes of today have large rooms, particularly the great room area, which takes the place of a separate kitchen, eating area, family room, and den. In dealing with oversize rooms you need to consider the purpose intended for them.

Do you want to have a large formal dining area? Is a game table or pool table part of your plan? Perhaps you just want a large media center with casual dining scattered around the room. A large room can easily be visually split into two by having your media center on one wall with a U-shaped sectional facing it, placed in the center of the room.

The dining table and chairs can sit on an area rug, which, along with the sofa back will outline your dining area. If you want even more definition, place a 4- panel screen between the dining area and the sofa.

If dining isn’t part of the plan, you can arrange several conversation groupings….a sofa and love seat, three or four chairs around a low table, or a game table and chairs. Define each with its own area rug and adequate lighting. Soften and further define it by placing plants of various heights and varieties in small groups.

Use your wall hangings to help clarify the groupings you have placed. Large and colorful graphics are fun for game and play areas. Photos or still life paintings of vegetables, fruits and herbs for the wall in your dining area, and something related to media for around your entertainments center, will add the finishing touches to your décor.

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Temporary for the Nursery

There are very few items required to have a functional nursery. You need a crib, a dressing table, a place to store clothing, a closed container for used diapers, and a night light. A rocker is nice, too, if you have room for one. Anything else you add to the room is for viewing pleasure alone. I suggest that it makes sense to decorate using temporary accessories and easily upgraded themes.

 

Wall appliques or decals are perfect for your nursery. Think about it! The baby may notice something large and brightly colored, so large cartoon characters in primary colors placed near the crib will give them something to look at.

 

After a very short time with your newborn, he or she will begin to identify objects. You can peel off the large attention getters and roll on something with a theme. You know…fluffy bunnies or kitties for your little princess, or big sloppy dogs and horses for your son.

 

Now your toddler has ideas of his own. She wants to be tinkerbell, and live in a world of make believe. He wants to be a fireman, or a cowboy, or spiderman. Get the picture? For a few dollars and a little effort, you can keep changing the room. If you have plastic window shades in the kids’ rooms, appliques can be put right on them. If you have used cornices above them, they can be stuck on there.

 

As they grown up, the only thing you had to do that cost some bucks is to replace the crib with a bed (a bed rail is cheaper than buying a toddler bed), add a play table and little chairs, and fix up a play corner with a toy box and a small bookcase!

Resource:

Decorating On A Budget

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Time to Start Thinking of Spring

It has been a tough winter, in all respects. And it looks like there is more to come! So why not pull yourself out of the doldrums and think about what you can do this spring to improve your patio, deck, balcony, terrace or porch?

 

This is a good time to shop around online and find out what is out there, how much it costs, and whether or not you can do the work yourself or have to hire a subcontractor. There may not be much to pick from in the stores until March or April, but you can be prepared…and if you’re lucky, you might even find something at a bargain price right now.

 

If you have a neighbor whose house is too close to your patio, giving you no feelings of privacy, why not consider putting tall trellises up on that side and planting quick growing vines? You could also hang some flowering plants from them to add instant color and some density to your trellis “wall.”

 

If your patio is covered, but without walls, you can always hang bamboo or other natural shades that can be raised when you want the view, and lowered for privacy. Sliding panels, that run in a track can also be used. If they are louvered, you can open them to let the breeze and sun in, or slide them back completely.

 

Change the look of that terrace by adding a grass, bamboo, or jute area rug under your table, and changing the cushions (or recovering them) in something bright and cheery! Wrought iron and wicker furniture are easily spray painted to make them look brand new!

Resource:

Designing On A Budget

 

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My apartment needs decorating, but we can’t paint the walls?