Until sub zero (or sweltering) weather, a three-digit utility bill or chilly drafts start to come, and you start thinking about it a lot!

At home, you ponder whether it’s worth the time and expense to add it to your ceilings, walls and basement.

At the store, you ponder which type, thickness, width and density to buy. And when you install it, you wonder just how good is “good enough.”

Careful installation increases the insulation’s R-Value by over 20 Percent. Leaving 5 percent of a wall uninsulated will reduce the entire wall’s R-value (resistance to heat flow) by 20 percent. It doesn’t take much more time to install fiberglass insulation properly.

Install wall insulation so it completely fills each cavity side to side and top to bottom. But remember, packing and compressing insulation reduces its effectiveness.

Insulation is rated according to its R-value, or resistance to heat loss: the higher the R-value, the higher the insulating value. Standard fiberglass insulation has an R-value of about 3.5 per inch of thickness; this provides an insulating value of R-11 for 2×4 walls and R-19 for 2×6 walls.

But if you’re serious about energy savings, you can buy better-performing products. High-density types of fiber-glass insulation, with more fibers and air spaces per square inch, offer R-values of up to 4.25 per inch. Some provide R-15 for 2×4 walls and R-21 for 2×6 walls.

There’s also high-density insulation for ceilings and attics. You’ll wind up paying more and in many cases you’ll need to special-order it, but high-density insulation delivers up to 35 percent more insulating value per inch.

The first 3 in. of insulation you add to a bare ceiling or wall will yield huge savings. Adding another 3 in. will increase energy savings, but not to as great a degree. For charts showing the Department of Energy’s optimal amounts of insulation to install, go to www.certainteed.com or www.owenscorning.com. Their recommendations are based on climate, fuel costs and other factors. Adding more will give you a diminishing return on your investment.

The payback period for retro-fitting insulation varies greatly, but studies show that added insulation usually pays for itself in saved energy costs within 5 to 10 years. One typical two-story Minnesota home was fitted with blown-in wall insulation, additional ceiling insulation and rim joist insulation at a cost of $1,890. The result was a $325 savings in yearly heating costs, which represents a payback period of slightly less than six years.

Pay back in more temperate areas takes longer, but remember that insulation reduces air conditioning costs too.

When You Insulate Attics and Crawlspaces, You’ve Got to Vent Them Too! Since insulation changes the way attics and crawl spaces “breathe,” it’s critical that you maintain or install proper ventilation.

At first, it seems odd to add insulation for warmth and then purposely create ventilation “holes” for cold air to enter. But if you don’t do this, you’re setting yourself up for moisture problems.

Make sure to follow these steps in installing your attic insulation:

• Lay plywood across the joists and hang a temporary work light. You should leave insulation in its wrapper until you're ready to use it. Insulation is packaged in a compressed state and expands greatly when the wrapper is opened.
• Begin laying batts or blankets at the outer edge of the attic space and work towards the center (this will allow more headroom in the center of the attic for whatever cutting and fitting there is to be done). Lay in long runs first and use the leftovers for shorter spaces. Insulation should be installed around wiring taking care not to disturb it. Be sure to butt insulation tightly at joints for a complete barrier to heat flow.
• Insulation should extend far enough out to cover the top plate of the walls but should not block the flow or air from the eave vents. For best results, install ventilation baffles at the inside of the eaves.
• Insulation must be kept three inches away from recessed light fixtures unless the fixture is marked 'I.C.' (insulated ceiling) – a fixture designed for direct insulation contact. Insulation placed over an unrated fixture, like a recessed light, may cause it to overheat and start a fire. Fill the space between a masonry chimney and wood framing with noncombustible material such as unfaced Fiberglas insulation. If you are insulating around a metal flue, do not place the insulation flush to the flue. Always leave at least a three-inch space.
• Ends of batts should be cut to fit snugly around cross bracing. If a second layer of insulation is needed and the cavity has been completely filled, the additional layer should be placed at right angles to the joists.
• When adding to existing insulation, unfaced Fiberglass blanket is recommended. If the unfaced type is not available, use the faced type but remove the vapor barrier or slash it freely with a knife (then install the insulation with the slashed facing down). Do not leave faced insulation exposed. The facings on standard kraft- and foil-faced insulations will burn.

While some of these ideas require a little up front investment, many are easy to follow without spending a dime.

Here are the top 10 energy saving tips you should consider:

1. It is time to switch your old light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs. Compared to their conventional counterparts, these energy-efficient light bulbs utilize 75 percent less energy. In addition to this, they last longer too. Replacing incandescent lamps with energy inefficient bulbs is a simple way to take part in environmental conservation. Even though they cost higher than traditional light bulbs, thinking about their advantages such as lasting ten times longer than other bulbs and being energy efficient makes them worth the extra money you have to shed.
2. Breaks and fissures at doors and window seams let the heating and cooling pass through them. Cutesy gap blockers are used to stuff these cracks. These blockers are chiefly long, cylindrical tubes filled with stuffing and are available in the market. However, you can create your own gap blockers by sewing a matching home décor fabric to go with your room’s theme. If you don’t have the skill nor the time to make one, you may use a tube sock then stuff it with rice and fasten the ends. In addition to this, energy efficiency can be achieved by replacing old, worn-out caulk and weather stripping with fresh ones.
3. Purchase new drapes. Buy insulated curtains because they not only help you during summer but also during winter. Your abode soaks up more heat when you keep the drapes open when the sun is shining on one part of the house. However, by closing the curtains, you prevent the heat from escaping. During summer, leave your drapes closed during the day to make your house cooler. The curtain will obstruct much of the heat from coming in.
4. Do not leave your appliances plugged in when not in use for extended periods. An appliance, even when it is turned off, makes use of electricity as long as it is plugged in. So don’t leave anything plugged. See to it that you don’t forget to unplug your gadgets such as TVs, toaster and even cell phone chargers. Unplugging will conserve a lot of energy and at the same time save you some bucks.
5. Make use of appliances tagged with the Energy Star label. Do you know that the older models of appliances can consume twice as much energy as the newer ones So change now your old refrigerator with a new energy star model to conserve more energy. Iceboxes are not the sole appliances that are Energy Star certified. Other appliances such as washers, dryers, dishwashers, even water heaters are now carrying this kind of certification.
6. Take note of your air conditioning’s thermostat. To save on energy and trim down your air conditioning bills, reduce heat in your house, especially during summer months. You can conserve around 7 to 10 percent of your cooling expenses for each degree above 78 when you turn the temperature a bit higher. When you go out of the house, be sure to switch off the air conditioning or turn the thermostat up a few degrees.
7. Support your air conditioning by adding a ceiling or a handy fan to supplement it. It only takes half a cent per hour to operate a fan and yet it can lift the temperature of the room three to four degrees cooler, thus allowing you to set your thermostat a few degrees. Supporting air conditioners with fans will definitely increase your savings. This method is ideal for occupied rooms because fans cool people, not rooms.
8. Instead of installing single-pane windows, use double panes. Switching from single-pane windows to double-pane ones will aid in heat gain in summer and heat loss reduction in winter. Another advantage of double-pane windows is that it blocks noises from the street, thus making your home peaceful.
9. Reduce water consumption and water heating cost by as much as 50 percent. How? Set up low-flow toilets and faucets.
10. Save water and energy by taking a shower! Yes, you can! Replacing baths with showers can conserve 4 to 5 gallons of water. Also, increase your heater thermostat to 120 degrees; 140 degrees if your dishwasher does not have a booster. In this way, you not only saved water, you also saved energy by needing your water heater less.

The air we breathe inside our homes need to be fresh and clean. The quality of your air indoors however depends if you have clean air ducts. These air passages convey cooled or heated air inside your homes. As air comes from outside, dust, mites and other microscopic dirt can find their way inside air ducts.  Filters though prevent these from getting indoors.

These materials however get stuck and accumulate inside air ducts. Over time, removing them becomes necessary. Otherwise, you’d be breathing unclean air inside your home where you spend most of your time. Who would have thought that unclean air ducts can bring peril to your family? That’s clear and present danger right in your very own home.

As materials accumulate inside air ducts, they may react with other elements in the air particularly moisture, bringing about harmful results adversely affecting air quality. Resulting fumes which may be harmful exposes you to danger. If such are odorless and colorless, you won’t even know that you are already at risk. Moisture inside air ducts may even cause the growth of harmful micro-organisms.

Why Regular Air Duct Cleaning Matters

Accumulated materials act as the medium. These organisms may then release toxic elements that go inside your home. Your air becomes deteriorated. It may cause various respiratory sicknesses and allergic reactions. Your health is a perfect reason why you must have clean air ducts.

Another issue you should also consider is how materials could possibly block air from flowing inside your home. Keeping your air ducts clean makes your heating and air conditioning system as efficient as possible, reducing energy costs.

It may seem that it can take forever before these minute materials totally block air passage. But accumulated materials inside won’t immediately stop air ducts from functioning. So much material must first accumulate before they clog your air ducts. Even so, air may not be totally blocked as it can still force its way to your home. In this case, the amount of energy needed increases in forcing air through clogged air ducts. The efficiency of these ducts goes down when these are obstructed.

Heating and Air Conditioning Efficiency

More power is needed for an air conditioning or heating system to force air through blocked air ducts.  In many cases, cooling or heating takes time before desired temperatures are attained.

What could be worse is that your desired temperature may not be attained at all even if maximum power is used. Your air conditioning or heating system may even bog down completely. This happens when compressors are forced to work at maximum capacities. You can just imagine how much it would cost you if you don’t have your air ducts cleaned.

So how often must you have your air ducts cleaned? Some make it a point to have theirs cleaned on a periodic basis. This is one sure way to have clean air ducts all the time. It may be costly however to have it based on schedule. To save on maintenance cost, you may have your air ducts cleaned based on necessity. But you should consider certain factors to ensure that the quality of your air always remains in good condition.

One factor is the location of your house. If you’re located in a place where dusts abound, your air ducts should be cleaned more frequently.

Moisture and Other Accumulation in Air Ducts

A location having frequent rainfall will also necessitate a more frequent cleaning of air ducts. More rainfall means more chances of moisture finding their way inside your air ducts. Another factor is the presence of animals or household pets near or inside your home. These are sources of mites and loose fur which may find their way inside air ducts. More animals could mean more frequent air duct cleaning.

Another important factor is the age of your air ducts. Older air conditioning or heating systems generally require more frequent cleaning. The number of occupants of your home is also a factor. The more family members there are, the more frequent air ducts should be cleaned.

You can see that air duct cleaning must become part of your home maintenance program. If health considerations take priority, air duct cleaning should take priority as well. It may be costly. But its returns in terms of health benefits will far outweigh the costs.

Some shady contractors wishing to cut corners in order to keep the bottom line low for their clients will leave out these options often, but pipe insulation is essential for the performance and long service-life of piping systems.

So it is often these kinds of additions that homeowners will want to consider doing themselves. Pipes and ductwork need insulation just as much as your exterior walls do.

Poorly insulated ductwork can lose heat, reduce air conditioning effectiveness and cost you money in heating and cooling bills. Not to mention the fact that if they freeze and burst, those repair bills are often astronomically high. Un-insulated pipes usually sweat, leave watermarks and make your water heater work overtime.

Naturally, pipe insulation is most important in areas where there is the potential for pipes to freeze and burst. But even in the southeast, where I live, we have days and nights below freezing and people’s pipes burst.

The cost of both piping and insulation is small relative to the damages when a pipe breaks. While it is obvious that outdoor pipes (under the porch, etc) need to be insulated, other pipes can still freeze even if they run in a temperature-regulated part of the house.

If the electricity goes out for several hours, or you go on vacation and don't expect the temperature to drop as much as it does, you may return to a huge mess. Proper pipe insulation can reduce, if not eliminate, the chance of your pipes freezing.

Insulation has a tremendous impact on your home's energy use. With rising energy prices, as well as environmental concerns, it is becoming even more important to pay attention to how you consume energy.

Proper insulation improves the thermal efficiency of your home, limiting heat transfer and providing a vapor barrier against moisture. Proper piping and insulation materials also eliminate condensation formation, which accelerates pipe deterioration.

Fortunately, insulating your pipes is a simple home improvement job that even someone like me can do.

To insulate your pipes, you will need:

• Pipe insulation
• Duct tape
• Rag
• Mild cleanser
• Scissors
• Utility knife
• Mask
• Gloves
• Safety goggles

Pipe Insulation Steps:

1. Begin by removing any dirt or grease from the pipes with a rag and mild cleanser. Make sure you allow the pipes to dry thoroughly before continuing with the installation.
2. Choose the insulation. Foam, foil or fiberglass insulation can be wrapped around the pipe with a 1/2" overlap. Secure each end of the insulation with duct tape. If you are working with Fiberglass insulation be sure to wear safety goggles and gloves.
3. Make sure to cover the entire pipe when wrapping around corners and bends and wrap with duct tape. When working with fiberglass insulation, wrap the fiberglass in plastic to keep the pipes from dripping condensation.
   The easiest pipe insulation to install is tubular sleeve insulation. It comes in a variety of sizes and is the easiest to install. Simply cut the sleeve to length and wrap it around the pipe. Be sure to duct tape the seam where the pipes meet.
4. When insulating around corners or T-joints, cut slits or make miter angles where necessary, and secure these areas with duct tape.

Insulating cold-water pipes will prevent them from dripping condensation, and insulating hot-water pipes will prevent costly heat loss and save on energy bills.

Caulking and weather-stripping prevents air from entering or escaping the home, and also prevents the spread of moisture around pipes, drains, and faucets.

Replacement weather-stripping is usually available at most building supply and hardware stores.

The most popular types of weather stripping include foam rubber, EPDM rubber, felt, bent metal, and plastic.

When selecting weatherstripping, you need to consider the durability of the material as well as what would work best for what you are weather stripping. For example: bent brass and aluminum is found on many older doors and are durable, but they conduct heat easily, don't usually seal that well, and are easily damaged by being bent the wrong way or through poor installation.

Bent metal weather-stripping is also one of the most expensive weather-stripping materials.

Bent plastics are similar to the bent metals, but are less expensive. They are also less durable.

Most rubber and foam materials stay flexible for years, are inexpensive, easily replaced and effectively seal air leaks. Don’t forget to choose the appropriate door sweeps and thresholds for the bottom of the doors as well.

For the best possible results from your investment, you should make certain that the weather-stripping material will stay flexible under extreme weather conditions. Also be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions.
In general, you should: 1) weatherstrip the entire door jamb; 2) apply one continuous strip along each side; 3) make sure the stripping meets tightly at the corners; and 4) use a thickness that, when the door closes, the stripping tightly presses between the door and the door jamb without making the door too hard to close.

Before you begin the installation of the weather-stripping you need to conduct a visual inspection to locate caulk that is cracked or deteriorated and weather-stripping that has gaps in the seal.

You may also be able to tell if a window or door needs better weather stripping by trying to rattle the door or window, or by looking around the edges to see if any light penetrates through the cracks.

In order to install your weather-stripping you will need to purchase caulk. Caulk comes in cartridges that will be inserted into half barrel caulking guns.

For small caulking jobs, you can find it in small squeeze tubes or ropes. Expect to use about a half-cartridge per window or door and four cartridges for the foundation sill, and at least one more for around faucets, vents, pipes, and electrical outlets.

Types of caulk generally used on houses include:

• Oil or resin-based caulk – This is the least expensive caulk, but also the least effective. It is readily available and will bond to most surfaces. It tends to harden and crack after 2 to 4 years.
• Latex and butyl-based caulk – A little more expensive, but much more durable than oil-based. It lasts from 6 to 20 years and holds up well to building expansion and contraction caused by changes in temperature.

Before applying caulk or weather stripping, the area should be cleaned thoroughly and any old caulk or weather-stripping should be removed.

Directions for application will be on the tube and should be followed carefully. In general, about a half inch of the caulking cartridge nozzle should be cut off at a 45 degree angle and the tip should be punctured.

Once the caulk is applied, you can finish the surface with a moistened finger or something smooth.

Apply caulking to all fixed joints, including:

• Around windows and doors where frames meet siding
• Between window sills and siding
• Between frame wall plates and the foundation
• Around all holes for pipes, ducts, or electric conduits through outside walls
• Around all holes through walls, separating heated and unheated spaces, such as attached garages, storerooms, or attics
• Between unheated porches and the main body of the house
• Where the chimney or masonry meets the siding
• Around outside water hose faucets

Weatherstripping is similar to caulking, but is used for areas like the bottom of a window or door where the seal will be formed.

Installing weatherstripping is a simple process. All you will need is the contents of the kit you buy at a home improvement store. Keep in mind that this is being applied to a movable surface so you don't want to purchase a flimsy product that can wear easily.

If the kit you purchase does not include the screws, you should have several types and sizes of screws available as well as a utility knife or something to cut the weather stripping with, and screwdrivers, and possibly a hammer.

Installing Weatherstripping:

1. First measure the length of all seams to be weather-stripped, add a couple of inches for each seam and add the numbers together.
2. Next, cut the weather stripping to fit each seam, plus extra. Apply the stripping all the way around a window by using nails, screws or adhesive.
3. Attach the stripping to the jamb or the stop- the placement varies with the type of weather-stripping you selected.
4. Then, apply the stripping to the sides and the tops of doors. Use a weather-tight threshold or door sweep to seal the bottom.

Like a cartoon character you go to open your closet one day and things spill out on top of you. If you’re like me, you have lots of clothes. And belts. And shoes. And coats. And sweaters and tops and … well, you get the idea!

However, when I bought my house I came to the sad realization that my ‘walk in closet’ meant I could step in it, not walk all the way in! This led me on my search for a good closet organizer! Learn from my mistakes!

Fabric Organizers

Fabric closet organizers can be purchased to fir long coats and dresses, shirts, shoes, sweaters, so on and so forth.

The problem with this type of organizer is that on the organizers designed for sweaters and shoes, the ‘cubes’ have a cardboard type bottom that the clothes sit on top of. At some point you just decide to move on!

Closet Organizers

For lightweight items, this may not pose a problem, but for my collections of Irish and Scottish wool sweaters, which weigh as much as a small cat, the cardboard would bend. Not so good. The zippered hanging compartments for hanging clothes worked well, but I found it impractical to unzip and zip every morning- just to get dressed. And imagine putting laundry away…no, it was not fun.

These factors taught me that this was not the type of closet organizer I needed. So, back to the home improvement store I went.

There is literally a whole aisle dedicated to closet organization! Wire racks of every length, and pre-packaged kits promised the worlds most organized closet- all in only minutes. As dazed as I was by all the white-coated wire racks surrounding me, I opted for a pre packaged closet organizer that promised it only took a few minutes to install. This was Sunday.

Deciding How to Organize Your Closet

Come Tuesday, I broke down and called my brother to come and put this infernal thing together. Around midnight, he left and I started to hang up my clothes.

But, even though I was unable to assemble this thing by myself, I must say, I do like it (once I finally got it together)! There is a section for long clothes, a section with two racks, for blouses and slacks to hang beneath, and wire shelving for my heavy sweaters and purses. I kept the fabric organizer for my shoes, since none of my shoes are that heavy!

So when you go to purchase your new closet organizer, think about what you want. Consider the types of clothing you are storing, and how often you want to access them. Also, make sure you measure the length and depth of your closet before hitting the closet organizer aisle!

Closet Space Planning

One thing you have to do is size up your stuff and how to make best use of your closet space. If you are blessed with a walk in closet you may have a little room to spare, but if you’re like most of us, you need every inch you can find.

Thinking strategically and taking time to find the best closet organizing aids for your own closet lets you avoid getting rid of stuff you’d otherwise like to keep or moving stuff around as the seasons change and you find new things on sale!

Where to Start Organizing Your Closet

First thing is to clear away the junk and old clothes you KNOW you’re never going to wear again. Have a yard sale, donate stuff to The Good Will; clear out your closet before you plan, buy and install your closet organizers! It will make your job a whole lot easier and you’ll be much happier with the results.

Next, evaluate the existing shelving, clothing rods, etc. and decide what you will possibly keep and what needs to be replaced. If all you have is the little shelf at the top with the clothes rod underneath, it’s like having a clean slate. But if you already have some shelving, drawers, baskets, etc. that can be ‘recycled’ you should plan how to incorporate them in your new closet storage plan.

Take good measurements and make a drawing or two so that you have a few ideas on what you want to go where. That will make it easier to select the right modular storage pieces, hanging garment organizers, etc.

Closet Organization Products

Time to go shopping! While there are literally thousands of products on the market these days, here are a few popular types of closet organizers to consider:

• Modular, stackable closet organizers are a cheap way to store stuff you can fold such as sweaters, undergarments, etc. The better modular units offer easy gliding drawers or you can choose open shelves for easy access and a cheaper solution. Check sliding mechanisms for durability and a smooth sliding action.
• Hanging storage closet organizers hang on a rod, leaving you open floor space to store other items and are designed to store specific items such as shoes, belts, ties, suits, dresses, etc. These can also be a very cost effective solution. Remember that vertical space is what you want to maximize.
• Wicker baskets make attractive closet organizers to keep less-often used items like off-season clothes, spare towels, etc. Get several baskets that stack neatly and you can make great use of that top shelf in a standard 3×8-foot bedroom closet that always seems so tough to make useful.
• Organizers for belts and neckties range widely, from simple hanging racks to motorized revolving models; decide where you plan to install them and measure before you buy or be sure you can easily exchange the racks if you find they won’t fit your closet.
• If you wear hats and caps, look for a rack that goes on the back of the closet door or look for stackable hat boxes.

Is it Time to Unclutter Your Home?

It strikes me that most of the content on RafterTales.com has been about adding stuff to your home. But lately, I’ve been thinking more about less … uncluttering my own space. After reading Leo Babauta’s excellent post, titled A Guide to Creating a Minimalist Home, on his blog, ZenHabits.com, I decided it was time to offer you all some new ideas on minimalism in home design.

Less Can be More!

Let’s face it; Americans are way too focused on stuff. But as our awareness of ecology and the whole “Green” trend increases, there may be hope for us to grow beyond our material possessions obsession and move toward minimalism!

The whole philosophy that less can be more and is really more a philosophy about how to live your life far more than just how to arrange your home and living space. But, once you begin to embrace this philosophy, you’ll find a whole new paradigm opens up as you consider how to embody minimalism into your own home.

Why a Minimalist Space?

In general, minimalist home design emphasizes clean lines, simple color palettes, and unadorned surfaces, breaking forms and structures down into their most basic elements. Famous designers who pioneered minimalism in interior design include Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and members of the De Stijl Dutch art movement, with open floor plans, removing dimension and intersecting visual planes that connect.

Asian influence is common in many minimalist designs. The initial focus of minimalism in interior design focused on “rediscovering pure forms”, but has evolved toward a “Zen” approach, infusing interior spaces with a sense of calm, harmony, balance and spirituality. Here are some reasons you may wish to follow the minimalist aesthetic in your home:

• Stress Reduction – Because we focus so much on materialism and wealth accumulation, Americans live with too much stress. We obsess over work, money and generally keeping up with the Joneses that we tax our bodies, minds and spirits with a whole lot of stress! Uncluttering your home is one way to help reduce stress and change your whole mind set to working to live instead of living to work!
• A Fresh Look – Simple, clean spaces generally hold more appeal than interior designs that are over-designed. By reaching for simplicity in design, the objects that remain take on more significance. When done correctly, the minimalist space takes on an ethereal, almost dream-like feel.
• Ease-of-Use – Duh, it’s a no-brainer; less stuff means less to clean, maintain and keep up!

The Minimalist Look

Of course minimalism varies by degrees; you might go super-Spartan or you may prefer to compromise a bit. Really, the degree to which you minimalize is entirely personal, but here are a few guidelines you can follow as you decide the right balance for your home and lifestyle:

• Minimalism Emphasizes Simplicity – In the purely minimalist home, simplicity is everything. Surfaces are kept clear and uncluttered; no books or knick knacks on the coffee table, nothing stacked on the floor, etc. You won’t find fancy trim around the windows, multi-layered crown moldings or baseboards, etc.

• Minimalist Furniture – When it comes to furnishings in the minimalist home, two aspects must be considered: 1) Minimalist interiors contain only essential, functional pieces (example: the family room might have a simple entertainment center, one sofa, a coffee table and one additional chair) and 2) The furniture selected will have clean, simple lines and is not adorned with frilly decoration (leather or plain fabrics instead of intricate patterns or prints, straight or curved lines without features such as fluting, hand-carving or other intricate wood working).

• Minimalist Accents and Decorations – Of course, you don’t want to leave your home entirely free of objects; that would be far too boring and could make the living space feel “clinical”. But, instead of hanging a group of photos on a single wall, you might just pick a single photo or piece of art that suits your taste and, hopefully, expresses something about you, your family and your lifestyle. A simple floral arrangement on the coffee table is sufficient; you can store accent pieces and change them out as the seasons change or anytime you feel the need to make subtle changes.

• Emphasize Quality over Quantity – More than anything, the minimalist emphasizes quality. For example, when we got married, my wife and I bought a handmade Quaker dining table and a set of Windsor chairs. It was the first new, expensive furniture we bought together and 20 years later we still use it daily. Time and use have added character to the set, along with a lot of great memories!

10 Steps to a Minimalist Living Space

1. Start with one room first so you won’t be overwhelmed by the task. Once you have simplified and uncluttered one room to taste, move on to the next until you achieve the balance and harmony you want to achieve throughout your entire home.
2. Begin by emptying the room. Try to visualize the look you want to achieve then consider what objects you can reuse and which may need to be replaced. Focus on comfort and function when selecting furniture pieces. Use quiet, subdued colors and select furniture and objects which are plain and unadorned. Remember to utilize only the essentials, asking yourself in each case whether or not you truly need the object in consideration!
3. Keep surfaces clear; furniture only on the floor, selected objects on table and shelf surfaces, sparse wall decorations, etc. Anything you don’t really need should be stored out of sight, donated or thrown out! Start with less, try living with the space for a few days and then, if you feel it is too plain, try adding additional objects one at a time, deliberately and consciously focusing on simplicity, calm and balance.
4. Choose a specific place for everything; once you find the perfect place for something it should remain there; one of the basic tenants of minimalism is the old adage “a place for everything and everything in it’s place”, harkening back to a simpler time when space was limited and only the essentials were evident in a well-kept home.
5. Keep color palettes subdued and plain. Bold color palettes and intricate patterns tend to clutter a space visually and do not lend well to the minimalist aesthetic. Choose a primary color and augment it with one to three complementary colors.
6. Keep stuff hidden from sight unless you really need it readily accessible. For example, RIP all your CDs to disk, putting them on your iPod and connecting the iPod to your home audio system. This way you can box and store you CDs neatly away. Choose in-wall speakers over free standing floor speakers. Follow these concepts as you consider everything that will be visible within the living spaces of your home.
7. Keep window treatments plain; bare windows may be acceptable where privacy and light control are not crucial. Simple wood blinds or cellular shades that stack neatly when opened are better than curtains or draperies. If you do select draperies, go with simple pleated drapes or curtains and don’t select fabrics with heavy patterns, floral prints, etc.
8. Try leaving some walls completely bare; you can always add simple artwork over time if you find the “white space” too boring. By displaying quality artwork on selected walls, you will create harmony and peace without distracting the eye with visual clutter!
9. Keep decorations to a minimum; again you don’t want to clutter spaces. Select quality accents and décor items that have sentimental value or express your personal tastes and reflect thoughtful attention to detail in their selection and placement.
10. Edit, edit, edit! The essence of minimalism is reduction so should be continually editing the objects in a room, whether each object is essential and its placement within the overall space you’re designing!

Please leave your comments, questions and thoughts on designing a minimalist home. If you try some of these ideas please let us know how they work and what you learn in the Zen act of uncluttering your home!

Basics of a Contemporary Kitchen

Start with a minimalist approach, deciding on the basic theme and design elements you will use to create your own unique contemporary kitchen design. Choose the elements you want to incorporate, deciding on geometric patterns that will be repeated, straight lines or curves that carry throughout the space, and the materials you will use for cabinetry, appliances, flooring, etc.

Often an asymmetrical balance will be used in the modern kitchen décor. Cabinets and trim should be understated and not adorned with too many embellishments. While modern designs often make use of manufactured materials and finishes such as steel, plastic, linoleum, chrome, molded plywood, laminate, acrylic, concrete, and glass, you can also soften and warm the modern kitchen design aesthetic with natural materials such as granite, slate, stone, and wood.

The mix of natural and man-made materials is a very personal choice and depends on how “industrial” a look you wish to achieve versus a more natural kitchen space that may be more appropriate in the home.

The Elements of Contemporary Kitchen Design

You have an abundant variety of design elements available when planning a contemporary kitchen. Typical contemporary kitchen design elements include:

• Frameless cabinets with simple hardware and European hinges.
• Translucent or frosted glass panels or cabinet door inserts.
• Bold, geometric angles and lines.
• Man-made surfaces in either monochromatic or vibrant colors.
• Strong overall ambient lighting and adjustable task lighting, such as track or recessed down lights.
• Use of metallic finishes such as stainless steel, copper, or chrome.
• Countertops and cabinetry can incorporate sweeping curves.
• Soften the feel of your modern kitchen with natural, grainy woods with such as maple, cherry, birch, or ash.

Contemporary Kitchen Inspiration

Today’s contemporary kitchen designs often emphasize universal design principles and eco-friendly materials. Universal design focuses on user-friendly function and utility, making for a kitchen that serves the daily needs of the household, while also providing a comfortable, inviting space in which to entertain guests. Universal design principles call for a kitchen space that is flexible, intuitive to use, prevents accidents, and helps ease food preparation and clean up.

Follow these universal design ideas when planning your contemporary kitchen:

• Plan ahead for plenty of storage, using conveniences such as pullout shelves, sliding drawers, or spinning lazy susans to maximize space and keep your kitchen well-organized.
• Select easy-to-clean surfaces such as an electric glass cooktops, smooth countertop surfaces and stainless steel appliances.
• Consider installing two sinks; a large primary sink and a secondary sink for washing vegetables, serving beverages, etc. Select single-lever faucets that make it easy to control flow and water temperature.
• Select functional, modern-style cabinet and drawer pulls such as stainless pulls on cabinet doors and stainless steel bars on drawers.
• Install under-cabinet task lighting to make food preparation easier.

The Eco-Friendly Contemporary Kitchen

The trend in contemporary interior design is toward more ecologically-conscious materials that emphasize energy efficiency and recycled materials. The kitchen space is one of the most energy-dependent spaces in your homes, so you can really make a difference and help alleviate energy use by applying green design principles.

Green design applications in the contemporary kitchen can include:

• Install Energy Star® appliances, induction cooking technology and surfaces that will be easy to clean and maintain.
• Choose cabinet and flooring materials such as reclaimed wood, rapidly renewable sources like bamboo or sustainable hardwoods.
• Use materials and paints that have low-VOC emissions.
• Plan ahead for efficient recycling of paper, plastic, metal, glass and organic kitchen waste materials!

Contemporary Kitchen Themes and Styles

As with modern music, within today’s modern kitchen design realm, you have many “sub-genres” from which to select. Here’s a rundown on some of the more popular contemporary kitchen designs:

• Contemporary Curves – While modern kitchens often incorporate linear design elements, curves can also be used; a curved island, window wall, arches over doorways or other “curvatures” can make excellent design repeats.
• Contemporary Contrast – You can create contrasts by mixing materials; for instance by using a natural stone flooring material and stainless steel appliances, natural wood cabinets with frosted glass inserts or black appliances with granite countertops.
• Chic Contemporary – Modern design often de-emphasizes the space itself, turning the focus instead on art within the space. While we may not think of a refrigerator or kitchen range as art, you can make almost any element in your kitchen a centerpiece; it could be an artful backsplash, a picture window over the sink, a large piece of modern art on the wall in the nook …. really anything you want to make the focal point!
• Casual Contemporary Casual – Many homeowners want a modern kitchen but may be afraid of making it too industrial for the home. You can soften your contemporary kitchen design by adding glass pendant lights over the island, going with natural wood cabinets instead of laminate; basically your contemporary kitchen doesn’t have to follow the pure modern design aesthetic!
• Retro Contemporary Kitchen – Modern is now retro! You can buy bar stools and kitchen appliances inspired by the modern designers such as Eames, Wright and others and give your kitchen the retro contemporary look. Glass, chrome and laminate surfaces will characterize the retro look.
• Contemporary Clean Lines – Contemporary style is best recognized by sleek, uncluttered lines and smooth surfaces. Stainless steel, glass and concrete exemplify the types of materials that modern designs often incorporate, but you can also mix hardwoods and natural stone. If the lines follow modern design principles, your kitchen will still feel contemporary.
• Contemporary and Earthy – You can blend the clean lines of modern design with warmer, softer elements to give you contemporary kitchen a more down-to-earth feeling. Materials such as exotic woods or bamboo, etched copper, natural stone, and stainless steel can be mixed to give you kitchen an earthy contemporary look.
• Black and White and Contemporary – For a bold look, you might want to consider an all black and white color scheme to achieve an ultra-modern looking kitchen. Add small accents of color to draw the eye to specific elements in your back and white design or mix warm wood tones to subtly temper the high contrast.
• Traditional Contemporary – If you have a historic Victorian or other period-style home in need of a kitchen update and want to keep it in the proper style without sacrificing the form and function of a contemporary kitchen, try slate countertops and flooring with wood cabinetry. Keep the lines simple and forego too many embellishments to keep it modern and consider transitions that separate your modern kitchen from adjoining spaces that may follow a more formal, traditional style of design.

Contemporary Kitchen Elements and Materials

Once you have the basic style in mind for your contemporary kitchen, you’ll want to select specific elements and materials to incorporate. Remember that uncluttered and clean is what you want to achieve. Here are a few ideas to consider:

• Contemporary Kitchen Island – An island in your contemporary kitchen is the essence of the modern design rule that “form follows function’. If space allows, incorporating an island will not only add storage and countertop space, but with the addition of bar stools it helps make the kitchen a more inviting place to entertain and will often be the focal point of a modern kitchen.
• Contemporary Backsplash – If you choose an overhead range hood and vent system, the backsplash can make a great focal point. Use something like glass or ceramic tile with a geometric pattern to accent your contemporary kitchen. Many styles of range hood are available these days that look like modern sculptures, with clean modern straight- or curved-lined designs and finishes such as stainless steel or copper.
• Contemporary Cabinets – From white laminate to maple, you can choose almost any material for cabinetry. The lines and absence of embellishments are what will set your contemporary kitchen apart from more traditional designs. Frameless frames and plain pulls, often metal, predominate.
• Contemporary Kitchen Countertops – Choose something different and unique; stainless steel or concrete might give your kitchen a super-contemporary look. Or you can stick with slate or granite for a less industrial look. You could even choose glass for a bar countertop on one side of a kitchen island.
• Contemporary Windows – Translucent glass blocks are one way to bring natural light into a contemporary kitchen space; especially if the window has an undesirable view! Try to select window coverings with clean lines; shades or blinds without curtains for instance. The more natural light you can bring into the kitchen the better.
• Contemporary Stainless Steel – Stainless steel appliances, fixtures, and hardware are always popular in the contemporary kitchen, lending the look of a restaurant kitchen. Stainless steel is easy to maintain and the highly reflective surfaces brighten the space.

Similar to a traditional family room and oftentimes connected to the kitchen and eating areas, the great room in many modern homes is the most popular gathering place in the house. A great room is where the family spends time in the evening and on weekends, when it’s raining outside, where we get together to play board games, watch television and movies on DVD and entertain friends.

The great room should be a comfortable space to spend time. It is not generally a formal room, so the décor will often be casual and inviting. A fireplace or entertainment center makes the focal point in most great room layouts. Arrange seating to take best advantage of your focal point, with a large coffee table and small end tables with table lamps to set down drinks, books and other items.

Perhaps no room gets more regular use than the modern Great Room, which typically combines family room, eating area and kitchen into a single living space.

Great Room Design Elements and Themes

You need to pick a theme for your great Room. You wouldn’t write a story without a plot, and basically, when we decorate, we are telling a story about who lives there. Are you a nature lover, does your family love sports, are you very traditional, or do you like a very minimal room?

Once you have a theme, it’s a lot easier to pick and choose the elements in the room to create that feeling, and can save you a lot of money in mistakes when things don’t quite go together. An area for board games or cards is easily accommodated by adding a game table several chairs and some task lighting. Place a floor lamp to add ambient lighting.

Some great rooms will incorporate a window seat to take advantage of the natural light provided by large windows. You can place a bench, loveseat or settee beside the window if your great room does not have a built in window seat. Add a soft cushion or pillows to make this a comfortable reading place. An end table with lamp makes a good addition to any reading area.

The large space in your great room makes it an ideal place for tall house plants. Up lighting can add drama and color at night. You might also consider a writing desk to make space for your bill-paying center.

Great Room Color Scheme Considerations

Once you decide how you want to use the space in your great room, its time to pick a color palette. If you can see another room from your great room, its best to pull a color from the adjoining room into your great room décor to help the rooms flow together.

Theme is also an important element in color selection. A natural theme may incorporate earthy tones, while a nautical theme would incorporate blues and yellows. Focus on the largest area, usually the walls first. Painting is a quick way to transform your great room. Try painting several patches with variations of the colors and tones you think you like on just one wall and let it dry to be sure which one you like best before painting the entire room.

Faux finishes like sponge painting and ragging can add texture, giving your great room a rich feeling, and are very easy to learn. Decorative trim such as crown molding, a chair rail and upgraded baseboards will go a long way to making your great room more visually appealing and unique.

Window treatments are a critical piece of your great room decor. One issue to consider in a great room will typically be the sliding glass doors. With kids and dogs running in and out, you may want to forgo expensive vertical blinds. Under all that heavy use, the vanes start falling out and get permanently bent after being shut in the door a few hundred times and the whole treatment needs replacing soon thereafter.

Window Treatments, Furnishings and Accessories

Roll-up imitation wood blinds are an option, or if budget allows, real wood blinds work well. Fabric panels made from twin flat sheets are inexpensive, and if you don’t sew, you could use iron-on hem tape. Inexpensive wood dowels can be used as rods, and you can glue something decorative onto the end of the rod for finials.

Once your walls and windows squared away, its time to select furniture, which can be expensive. There are ways to make the most of your existing pieces, and looking for less expensive alternatives. Slipcovers can give an old, worn-out sofa a new look. Look for sales or check local consignment shops to find your best deals on furniture if your budget is tight.

Blanket throws can be cut from a yard of polar fleece fabric, which doesn’t fray, so no sewing is required; just cut some fringe and it’s ready to throw on the couch. Another budget-minded option is paint. Paint mismatched furniture all the same color or apply a faux finish to make things match, adding wood molding to create a shared theme for the pieces.

Lighting and Accessories for the Great Room

Lighting is always important in the great room since so many different activities go on. Can lights or track lighting in the ceiling help provide overall ambient lighting, while pendant lamps or other hanging lamps add nice accent lighting. Floor and table lamps can be used to provide task lights in appropriate areas of the room.

Lastly, the fun is in accessorizing and really pulling together the theme for your great room. Start by selecting a few key items that you really like and then add items that complement these core accessories. Find inexpensive candles and put them in a nice bowl filled with stones or potpourri.

The great room will serve any family well, providing an inviting place to hang out indoors if you take the time to make it comfortable and inviting with these design and decorating ideas.

Whether you’re looking to give your living room a whole new look with a fresh coat of paint or want to spice things up with some new artwork and accessories, choosing the right color combinations can make or break your living room design.

Read on to learn the latest in color trends, color theory for interior design and how to update your living room or sitting room with the perfect color scheme!

Dramatic Living Room Color Palettes

Choosing a color scheme that truly highlights your living room is all about the unexpected. Color affects how small or large a space feels, whether you want to relax or feel more energetic and much more.

With a nearly unlimited spectrum of interior wall paint colors from which to select, the colors you choose should fit everything from the direction windows face, to the shape, height, width and depth of the space, the style and design aesthetics of your living room design and, most of all, your lifestyle and personal tastes.

Warm Tones Inject Energy

The trend in living room colors these days is definitely toward the warmer end of the spectrum. Warm shades of mocha and gold, paired with sensual tones of red and orange make for a dramatic and energetic living room, well suited to entertaining guests.

Warm gold, tan or taupe are always favorites, a trend that won’t change anytime soon in living room colors. Spicy colors such as an earthy brown, chocolate brown or even a rich, dark purple can add drama and energy.

One reason warmer tones like gold are so popular is that they create a warm glow in the room and reflect this warm light on your skin, which complements people’s faces and is “conversational” in tone. Gold accents work well with these warmer colors; a gilded gold mirror frame on the wall or painted gold drapery rods for example will nicely complement the warmer color palette.

Cool Tones Sooth the Soul

Often the living room is the ‘front room’, located just off the entry where you can greet guests without exposing the more private rooms of your home. It also typically has large windows and if the windows are south-facing it gets a lot of direct sun. If this describes your living room you may want to consider a palette that features the cooler color tones such as blues or greens.

These days you can find many shades of gray with undertones of blue or green if your preference is toward the cooler side of the color spectrum. Silver accents will complement these cooler colors nicely; silver or pewter candlesticks on the mantel, a silver tea set on the coffee table, etc.

Neutral Tones Showcase Other Design Elements

Many people still prefer the neutral white or off-white colors for wall paint in their living room. This is a natural choice if you have artwork to display since a neutral background won’t compete with the colors in your paintings, fine art prints or photographs.

Modern décor often eschews bright colors on the walls, allowing design elements of line, form and geometry to take center stage instead.

Getting Bold with Vibrant Colors

Another color trend gaining popularity is the use of vibrant colors such as gulfstream blue, gold crest, red ablaze or luau green. If you want a living room that really pops go with vibrant, highly saturated colors. Bright colors will certainly add interest and zest to your living room design.

A good way to use these colors without turning your living room into a carnival funhouse will be to paint one wall a bright color and leave the others white. Use white paint on your door trim, window trim, crown molding and baseboard to create a clean, crisp color contrast. Black accents can also work well with these assertive colors and create contrast; a wrought iron coffee table with glass top for instance.

Top 10 Living Room Color Tips

You may not have the budget to redecorate your entire living room but adding color with paint and a few accent items can go a long way to updating the look of your décor. Read on for our top ten ways to add color in the living room:

1. Paint one wall in a bold color – you can add nice color by just painting one wall in your living room; especially if you want that wall to be the primary focal point. Pick up accent colors in your furniture upholstery or choose a color that really creates contrast. Be sure to try painting a few test swatches before you settle on one to pain the entire wall.
2. Add house plants or floral arrangements – Mother Nature always has plenty of color. If you aren’t the green thumb type go for an artificial floral display on the mantel or coffee table. Changing out floral arrangements is also a great way to give your living room a fresh new look with each change in the seasons.
3. Add a new floor or table lamp – lighting can really change the color and tone in a room. Pick a lamp with stained glass lampshade and you’ll be surprise how it can change the feel of the entire room.
4. Buy a new area rug – especially if your living room has a wood, wood laminate or stone tile floor, adding a new area rug will warm the room and add color at the same time.
5. Recover chairs and sofas – if you can’t afford new furniture, you can re-upholster an existing love seat, chair or sofa to give it new life and change the color until budget allows for a replacement.
6. Throws and decorative pillows – one of the most obvious ways to infuse color in your living room is to add pillows on the sofa or love seat or drape a handmade quilt, nubby woven throw or colorful blanket over the back or arm of a neutral-colored chair or sofa. Practical and colorfully stylish!
7. Add a mirror to help reflect light and color – mirrors make a space feel larger and help brighten things by reflecting light and color. Choose a large wall mirror with a decorative gold or silver metallic frame to add even more color and complement the rest color scheme in your living room.
8. Add some new art – paintings or art prints nicely framed can really help add color, especially in a living room with neutral wall colors.
9. Paint book and display shelves – changing the color of a bookshelf unit can give it new life and color. One trick is to paint the face frames one color and the inside/back of the unit a contrasting color.
10. Buy one new piece of furniture – when budget is tight you can still add color and update the look of your living room with a single new piece of furniture. Pick the one item in your room you hate the most and which will impact the color scheme and look the most if you replace it!

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Many smaller homes and apartments will have a combined living/family room living space. Informal styles are typically more practical if you do not have a separate living room, lounge or sitting room since the practical aspects of the interior design must take precedence.

If you are lucky enough to have both a family or ‘great’ room and a separate living room then you probably will want to shift design emphasis in the living room to a more formal interior design style, since it likely won’t see everyday use.

Designing a Comfortable Living Room

Modern or traditional, comfort is important regardless; the living room is meant to be a place to entertain so having plenty of comfortable seating is critical in designing your living room. Choose sitting chairs and sofa that match the style you want to achieve but which are also comfortable.

Living room design tends toward more formal styles, but modern and contemporary styles are the trend, with sleek lines and bold color combinations often creating the most striking contrast. Look at plenty of photos, visit showrooms and talk to your interior designer about your ideas as you plan and select the design elements, furnishings and accents you want to pull together.

Taking your time to select furniture or even starting simple and adding pieces over time are both good ways to be sure you end up with a living room that is both comfortable and matches your design taste and goals. Rush to purchase an entire room full of furniture at once and you may find it doesn’t fit your living room’s style in the long term.

Traditional/Formal Living Room Styles

Often, people use the term ‘theme’ to describe a room. For instance, you might opt to design a ‘period’ room, meant to emulate the look of a certain period or culture, such as French provincial, English Victorian or Elizabethan.

Don’t over-emphasize the use of theme though; you can mix furniture, colors, fabrics and other design elements as long as these elements fit together cohesively to create a formal living room décor.

Rich fabrics, ornate trim such as crown molding and paneling will often be used to give the living room design a formal look. Draperies or interior shutters are more often found in the formal living room than blinds or shades. Patterns such as floral prints, flourishes, etc. often add to these traditional formal design aesthetics.

Modern/Contemporary Living Rooms

Modern and contemporary living rooms typically rely on clean lines and contrasting colors combinations. The look should be uncluttered. Bold geometry is characteristic of the modern living room, with rectangular and circular shapes being the norm.
Modern designs appeal to many people because they feel more relaxed and open.

The contemporary living room will more likely have windows left bare or use window coverings such as Venetian-style blinds or cellular shades that are less obtrusive than draperies; open the blinds or shades to let in light and open the view. When raised, a blind or window shade is almost unnoticeable.

Living Room Furniture Selection

Sofas should not be so tall or deep that people cannot sit comfortably; if you’ve ever sat on a sofa that forces you to sit up because you can’t recline you know what I mean. Throw pillows can help guests get more comfortable but if you have too many they may also just get in the way. Ottomans are always popular in the living room since you can either pull them up to rest your legs or place them strategically to provide extra seating when needed.

Tables should be at the right height to reach from your seating so that guests can easily set drinks down without having to get up and down. I’m not a fan of crowding tables with so many accessories and other objects that people do not feel comfortable actually using them, but this will be a matter of both personal taste as well as how often and how many people you typically entertain in your living room.

Light Up Your Living Room

If budget and time allow, use ceiling light fixtures to give your living room optimal ambient lighting and also to highlight design features such as a fireplace mantel or larger artwork.

The use of lighting cannot be emphasized enough in setting the tone and mood in a living room. Install dimmers or automated lighting controls so that you can easily change the mood as desired. Lighting makes the difference between an interior design that feels comfortable and one that lacks depth.

Remember that color and texture only stand out when properly lit; a living room without attention to lighting often feels flat or dark, especially if you select rich colors and fabrics that absorb light. Lighter colors such as pastels or a more neutral color scheme will tend to work better in a living room if you can not install additional ceiling fixtures.

Use floor and table lamps to add light and interesting accents to your design. These should be supplemental to natural light sources including glass sliding doors or French doors, windows and/or skylights. In a room where ceiling lights can not easily be retrofitted, rely on table and/or floor lamps to augment light levels as needed.

A well-lit interior can take on many looks if adequate lighting and light controls are installed so that light levels can be adjusted properly. A living room without adequate lighting will seem dark, while attention to ambient, task and accent lighting will give you a room design that is flexible enough to suit any occasion.

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Perhaps no room in a modern home deserves more attention to design and aesthetics than the living room. In countries such as the U.K and Australia this room is called a sitting room or lounge and it evolved from the 19th century ‘parlor’, a room which was where a recently deceased person was laid before funeral services.

Today, the living room, sitting or lounge is the room in our home where we tend to entertain guests, curl up by the fireplace with a good book, watch TV or converse with friends and family.

Many larger American homes will have a family room or great room which tends to be a more casual everyday living space while the living room is more formal, away from the bustle and noise of the family room.

Living Room Design: Architectural Focal Points

In terms of its placement within a home’s floor plan, it is commonly in the front of the home, just off the foyer or entry. This makes it a more ‘public’ room to greet guests without revealing the more private living spaces in the home.

A fireplace, entertainment center with large screen television or large picture window(s) with spectacular view will most often serve as the primary focal point in a living room or sitting room. It is critical to situate and arrange the room around your focal point as it becomes the starting point when arranging furnishings and design elements.

If your living room does not feature an architectural focal point you can create one by adding a feature such as custom built-in cabinetry and display shelving, a large screen TV or dramatic artwork. A secondary or supporting focal point can be distinguished by using accent colors or design elements that add interest without overpowering or competing with the primary focal point in your living room design.

Living Room Design Balance

A room with too many points of interest will feel out of balance and visually distracting. If you are lucky enough to have a living room with more than one focal point such as a fireplace and a picture window, the picture window with a spectacular view would be the better choice as your primary focal point.

Framing a picture window with an elaborate window treatment will help emphasize and give prominence to the focal point. Alternatively if you want to keep the view as open as possible you could use a simple Venetian blind or window shade treatment that stacks up neatly out of the way. Decorative casings and trim work can also add style and visual emphasis to your living room’s picture window.

If a fireplace serves as the main focal point, you can add emphasis and character by adding a unique mantel, surround and/or hearth. Use these design features to display interesting artwork or other objects to adorn the mantel. Woodwork, stone or masonry fireplace surrounds will highlight and emphasize a fireplace as the central focal point.

Choosing the Right Design Style for Your Living Room

Setting the tone and mood for your living room begins with selecting a design style. While the living room will often be the most formal space in the home, it should also be in keeping with the overall aesthetics of your home’s architecture and interior design.

While it may be tempting to choose a formal style for your living room décor, it is often a mistake to choose a theme such as baroque or Victorian in a home that is otherwise very modern in style. Remember that any style, modern or traditional, can be made more formal; you don’t have to go with a super-traditional style in order to establish a formal look, but you want the living room to integrate with and enhance the overall look of your home.

A key aspect of design that separates great architecture and interior design from the average will be how everything ‘fits’ together. Using repetition is one way to ensure a cohesive overall look; design elements that repeat or refrain such as arched entryways or windows or some design motif such as a specific pattern or shape help give a home a pleasing, unified look. This doesn’t mean that every room has to look the same, far from it! You just don’t want rooms to feel completely disjointed from each other.

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This morning I ‘Googled’ the phrase ‘Why Should I Hire An Interior Designer?’ and of course the top result led me to about.com, a site I have very little respect for since they don’t offer that much useful content.

After looking at what they had to say and perusing a few other sites that Google holds in high regard to this question, I decided to do a post about the subject in order to see what others think.

Maybe I Just Don’t Have Talent

Now, the first reason you might pay someone else to decorate your home is that you have absolutely no sense of interior design. And while some people have a real knack for homemaking and decorating, for most of us it’s an acquired skill.

Actually, I would have to say that even people with a natural talent have studied design principles such as color coordination, effective use of pattern and repetition, and other concepts.

So, if you simply invest some time to learn these concepts from reading books, watching some of the many home improvement and decorating shows on TV or browsing the Web you too can learn how to make your home look good, even if you think you have little or no talent.

I Have the Money So Why Spend Time Decorating?

For people who have the money, time is always a consideration; why should I spend time making my home look the way I want when I could hire a professional to do it for me?

Now, this is a valid consideration except for one important aspect; if you let somebody else design your living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. will it really reflect your own tastes?

In part, the answer to this question lies in who you hire to decorate your home; a good interior designer must be a great communicator, able to ask the right questions and get to know you personally so that their designs reflect your lifestyle, personality and unique tastes!

Unfortunately, not all designers are able to achieve this goal in my experience; they often put their own goals of creating showcase home interiors they can show off to other designers and clients instead of putting the client’s needs first.
This too often can lead a homeowner to wake up one day weeks or months after the project is completed and realize they don’t feel comfortable in their own home or that the colors their designer selected are all wrong.

So, even if you have a lot of money, be sure you insist that your designer is working for you and not simply using your home to promote her or his own reputation and services! It’s your home so don’t let you designer bully you into making choices you don’t agree or feel comfortable with. You’ll probably be sorry if you let your designer call the shots!

I Won’t Have Access to “Available to the Trade Only” Items

Sure, there are furniture and home decorator items that are available only to professionals, which is nothing more than an age old “snob appeal” scam. If you just have to own these items you could consider hiring a designer on a limited basis to provide access to such shops and help you buy these items.

For the most part though, it’s actually more fun to spend time shopping and looking around for truly unique furniture and home décor products that catch your eye and match your own unique tastes rather than buying things simply because they are only available to interior designers!

What about Finding Painters and Other Professionals Myself?

Another aspect of hiring a professional designer is that he or she will have established relationship with those who provide all the services you may not be able or have time to do yourself, such as faux painting, sewing, etc.

Again, if you are willing to invest a little time you can find these services on your own and save money in some cases, since often times a designer marks up such services. Also, should you rely on your designer’s opinion of someone’s talent versus taking the time to check out their portfolio and talk to their references to be certain they will complete the project to your liking?

Making a Decision Whether to Hire a Designer

In the end only you can decide what’s right for you. If you evaluate all these factors and decide that you need help and you have the budget, then go ahead and hire a professional. Often, they can mange YOU as much as they manage the project; guiding you to make decisions, allocating budget to the right elements to achieve YOUR goals and ensuring everything fits together cohesively.

On the other hand, you’ll feel greater satisfaction and probably end up with a home you really love by doing things yourself. One option is to hire a designer as a consultant rather than letting him or her actually manage the project; this is a good compromise especially if you have limited talent and knowledge in designing home interiors.

Leave us your comments, feedback and personal experiences; do you think hiring a professional designer is the way to go? What experiences, positive or negative, do you have to share?

Do you feel like your bedroom is not sexy enough or lacking romance? Are there clothes heaped on the bed and plain white walls in your bedroom?

Or, have you simply grown bored with the way your bedroom is decorated? Do you find yourself avoiding your bedroom except when asleep?

We’ve put together some tips on how to make your bedroom more romantic, sexy and stylish.

Read on to learn how you can spice things up a little, whether you’re single and just want to be prepared or if you and your partner both seem to agree the bedroom needs a little more romance!

Why Some Bedrooms Just Don’t Feel Sexy

Clutter in the bedroom is a sure way to make your love life less inspired. Get rid of the clutter and make your bedroom as open and inviting as possible. This will surely add spice to your love life.

White or neutral walls can make your bedroom feel less than intimate, unless you carefully infuse color with art, bedding, window fashions or other accessories. There may be no more important aspect to setting a romantic mood in the bedroom than the effective use of color.

If you haven’t updated your bedroom in a while, you could simply be bored with the same old look …. and boredom is a sure way to spoil any romance. So,  if might just be time to consider making a few changes to recharge your bedroom design … and your love life!

How to Add Romance to Your Bedroom Design

The first thing to do when redesigning the bedroom is to talk to your partner and be sure you both agree on the theme, color scheme and overall direction to take. If one partner loves the idea of wine red walls and the other hates it, you’re sure to have trouble.

Choosing a theme is the next thing you will want to do. Perhaps you want a boudoir theme. Maybe classic Victorian, country or modern chic; most any theme can be made to feel romantic with a little creativity and planning. Look in magazines and catalogs for inspiration on sexy and romantic bedroom themes.

Also critical is the color scheme you choose; color greatly affects how we feel, so for a romantic and sexy bedroom, some colors are more conducive to romance than others. And while you may be tempted to try something daring like red walls, you don’t want to overdo it. Instead, you could pick a color like goldenrod for the walls and enhance that with bedding that brings a bolder shade of red into the color scheme.

Selecting Romantic Bedroom Colors

If you really want to make your bedroom feel romantic and sexy, then try using one of these color palettes:

Neutral Tones – Earthy colors and neutral tones like beiges and tans are the trend in bedroom colors these days and lend themselves easily to almost accent colors.

Warm Tones – Nothing says sex like the warmer colors; reds, yellows and oranges add spice to a bedroom decor. If the brighter shades are too much for your taste, try using pastel warm tones.

Cool Tones – Relaxation is an important part of bedroom romance and cool tones like blues, greens and light shades of purple help set a relaxing mood in the bedroom.

Read our Bedroom Colors article for more ideas on bedroom color schemes.

Try Some New Art on the Walls

Art and bedroom accessories present opportunities to create an erotic setting in the bedroom; landscapes, portraits, portrayals of beautiful bodies or nature can help stimulate the subconscious toward intimacy and arousal.

Avoid anything violent or overtly emotionally provocative when it comes to artwork in the bedroom; sensual images are usually best and you don’t want to spend time contemplating the merits of art when romance is the intention.

Design a Unique Window Treatment

Window fashions have evolved significantly; don’t settle for plain old mini blinds or dated draperies in the bedroom. Try getting creative and use window coverings to add romance to your bedroom design.

You can dress your windows for romance and privacy by starting with window blinds or shades for basic privacy, and then layering on draperies, curtains, valances or cornices and unique hardware to give your window treatment a romantic look that matches your bedroom theme.

Get a New Bedroom Set

Treat yourself to something imaginative and out of the ordinary; the bed is quite important in setting a romantic feeling.

You might like something traditional like a four poster with sheer fabric canopy. Or you could try something more exotic like a bamboo screen for the headboard.

Whatever style tickles your fancy and inspires your imagination will make it feel sexier for you and your partner!

Bedding is also a great way to make your bedroom sexier; whether you like silk sheets, animal skin prints or floral patterns, there is no limit to imaginative bedding choices. And bedding also provides an easy means of changing things up so you won’t get bored with your bedroom decor.

Set a Romantic Mood with Bedroom Lighting and Sexy Scents

Lighting also plays a huge part in setting a romantic mood. Change lampshades to give color and light patterns, add track or recessed lighting with dimmers or put candle sconces on the wall.

Scented candles, luminaries and lamps are also great ways to give your bedroom a little more romantic mood. Scent, of course, plays a large part in the art of romance, so be sure to keep massage oils handy.

Following these tips will help make your bedroom sexier and more intimate. You and your partner will find that having a romantic bedroom can make all the difference in your love life and happiness together! You may even find yourself staying home for romantic weekend getaways!

White bedroom furniture can create a heavenly atmosphere. With it, you can reflect your reveries well and think clearly enough because of the clarity of the ambiance. It also creates a warm and relaxing mood that can be compensating enough after coming from a hard day’s work.

White bedroom furniture produces the following effects:

Cleanliness – White bedroom furniture maybe simple to look at, yet no one can deny the fact that it represents cleanliness. Setting them up maybe challenging to a decorator but when matched with other colors, the plain style can be toned down.

Elegance and Class – Although white bedroom furniture can look so much plain; a creative mind, however, can make it look elegant and classy. It holds to be one of the most practical furniture pieces to suit everyone’s personal space. This is because the color is flexible enough to match and compliment other colors.

Illumination – Dark walls and drapes may keep the room from natural light, and they may look too strong to the eyes without the presence of proper color blending. By placing white bedroom furniture such as couches, end tables and others on the darker sides of the room, you will be able to lighten them up.

Such sides can be lit and a warm and inviting atmosphere can be created. If you are only using lampshades to illuminate your room, the white theme can be very helpful. Although not all light from lampshades work well with white bedroom furniture. By careful consideration, one can come up with the appropriate matches.

Dramatic Aura – Lighting the bedroom must do more than just dispel darkness. Most bedrooms benefit from a blend of functional and decorative lighting. White bedroom furniture then helps functional light to give the whole room its purpose, while at the same time maintain the dramatic effect especially when placed in the dark, bold patterns that seek special attention.

Space – The décor of your room produces a major effect on how spacious it looks. Not only that, the color you use will also create a big impact when it comes to this matter. White bedroom furniture can make the room look wider and more spacious. Therefore, it is very much advisable to small-sized bedrooms. With it, such rooms will look much bigger. It can also lessen the feeling of crowdedness. White drawers and cupboards therefore give the available space which you can use for storage, such as books, magazines and collectibles.

Accentuates – White bedroom furniture can accentuate your room. Laminating your floor with a white material will not just create an atmosphere of comfort. It can also bring about functional advantages compared to ordinary floors and other types of floors as well. It is recommended to have floors laminated in white to make the bedroom more spacious than it really is.

Let the Light Into Your Bedroom

White windows can let the natural light in and are the focal point of the bedroom. Window covers add style to the bedroom since they do not trap the light from coming in. Just like the white floor, white windows can make the room look functional during the day. White curtains and draperies may come in bold, lively patterns depicting pizzazz; however, they will still bring a fresh and calming effect as they allow light and fresh air to freely circulate inside the room.

Like the saying goes “You can never go wrong with white”, it’s the same with white bedroom furniture. You do not have to worry about adding white bedroom furniture to your old ones because it blends well with them. The designs of white bedroom furniture, too, lean towards simplicity with elegance. They never contradict the style of your old ones.

If you’re planning to get one but worried that white bedroom furniture will cost you a fortune, you don’t have to be. There are ones available at a bargain price. You just have to be creative on where to look. Flea markets are also a good source of white bedroom furniture.

We all want our home to look like those magazine spread photos or what we see in the designer showcases. And if you can afford a top interior designer and refurnish your home every several years it’s pretty easy; find one you like and you just tell them what you want and start writing out checks!

Yeah, right, like it’s ever that easy … regardless what your budget may be! So we’ve put together our best interior design budget-saving, penny pinching, home decorating tips for you. And in these tough economic times we’re all looking for ways to save money.

Getting Creative: DIY Interior Design

For many Do-it-Yourselfers with limited remodeling and decorating funds and minimal skills and expertise, it’s can be a real grind to make your home’s interior look like a designer showcase. It usually means no professional interior designer, which can be a real set back potentially. But you can learn from others and by doing a little research.

It takes planning and forethought, creativity and bargain hunting and a whole lot of hard work to make your bedroom, kitchen, bathroom or living area come together in style and comfort. One advantage of decorating your home on a budget is that you have fewer choices to make so you can focus on getting each element just right.

Principles of Interior Design on a Budget

It also really helps to know at least a little about interior design principles, space planning, color schemes, etc. and some formulas for successfully pulling off your ideas and creative inspirations.

The Rafter Tales Interior Design on a Budget series gives you tons of great ideas, another of our complete photo galleries, plus examples of how to pull your interior design together without spending your life’s savings.

Affordable Home Decorating Ideas

Looking to decorate your home on a tight budget? We’ve got all kinds of ideas, photos and tips for you on affordable home decorating. You don’t have to spend a lot to give your home’s interior a designer look!

Interior Design Shopping on a Shoestring

If you’ve always wanted your home to look like you hired an Interior Designer but you don’t want to spend a lot, follow these great tips on how to find deals and bargains.

Choosing Interior Design Themes

With any home decorating or interior design project, start by considering the theme you want; you can carry a theme throughout the entire home or choose themes specific to different rooms.

Ultimately, the homes we remember most after seeing the glossy photos or visiting in person are the ones that have an overriding theme throughout, with variations that make each space distinctive while fitting in with the whole.

Color Doesn’t Cost Extra!

If you’re on a budget, then using color can help level the playing field; it costs relatively the same to paint a high end interior as it does on a smaller budget project. Sure, you could pay for a custom faux paint or trompe l’oeil masterpiece, but if you have basic art skills, creating your own unique walls will be a fun do-it-yourself project.

It may not be a Picasso, but the pain costs the same both way, so why not look for a faux painting technique you feel comfortable trying and would enhance your home décor? If worse comes to worse, you can always repaint!

Affordable Artwork for Home Decorating

You probably think you have to be rich to afford artwork to decorate your home. If so, read on to learn how you can find inexpensive art prints, posters, do-it-yourself artwork and fine art to give your home a more sophisticated look, adding color, texture and interest to your home’s decor.

Bedroom Decorating On a Budget

Our bedroom is our own little sanctuary, but many of us tend to neglect it because it is away from the public eye. In fact, our bedroom is probably the only personal space we get in the home and therefore, should be a perfect haven. Instead, it is often cluttered and under-used because, after all, we are usually the only ones to see it.

But why not treat yourself and create a beautiful boudoir, as oppose to having a storage room with a bed. It’s not as expensive to do as it sounds; all it takes is a little creativity, a lick of paint and a few accessories; read these articles for tips to help you design your bedroom on a budget.

Master Bedroom Decorating on a Budget

Even if budget is tight decorating your master bedroom will help make it your own haven away from public view; a place you’ll want to spend time relaxing. If you’re looking for ways to make your master bedroom look better without spending a small fortune, read on for great money saving tips and ideas.

Kids Room Decorating on a Budget

Our series on affordable home decorating ideas continues with these great ideas, examples and photos on inexpensive kids bedroom decorating. Read on to learn how you can make your boy or girl bedroom comfortable and kid-stylish on a tight budget!

Budget Bathroom Decorating

If you are trying to decorate your bathroom on a budget, read these great tips and see pictures of bathroom remodels that don’t cost a fortune to complete!

As always, we’ve tried to make these features as practical and informative as possible, but please let others learn from your own expertise if you have examples or additional ideas to share by posting your comments below.

Our bedroom is our own little sanctuary, but many of us tend to neglect it because it is away from the public eye.

In fact, our bedroom is probably the only personal space we get in the home and therefore, should be a perfect haven.

Instead, it is often cluttered and under-used because, after all, we are usually the only ones to see it. But why not treat yourself and create a beautiful boudoir, as oppose to having a storage room with a bed.

It’s not as expensive to do as it sounds; all it takes is a little creativity, a lick of paint and a few accessories, so here are some tips to help!

The Master Bedroom is Your Haven, Not Your Storage Room!

It’s time to de-clutter. If you want a lovely boudoir then it needs to be organized. We often store all of the things we want to keep, but don’t use, in our bedrooms. This is probably because it is the only place, besides the loft/attic, that is hidden from the public eye and it is a lot easier to put it in the bedroom than to put it in the loft.

So take some storage boxes and start to work through all of the clutter. Anything you don’t need, throw away and anything you do need but don’t use often, put into labeled storage boxes. These can then be stored in storage cupboards or in the loft/attic. Yes, this does mean climbing all the way up those steps but it looks better than having random clutter scattered around. Once you are de-cluttered you can begin to work magic and start to decorate.

Decorating Does Not Mean Renovating the Entire Room

To many of us decorating means a lot of hard work and money. In actual fact, you can change the whole aspect of a room with a bit of paint. Paint is good for any room that needs a little face lift.

You don’t even have to paint every wall in the room you can just touch up on the wall in need of the most attention, usually the wall behind the bed. But whether the whole room needs re-painting or just one wall, it is still easy and cheap to do and will give the room a new feeling.

You could also consider adding borders, or stenciling designs onto the walls. This is only a minor task and is cheap and easy to undergo and it will give life to any dull, lifeless room.

Let Your Creativity Shine

To add even more life to your upcoming boudoir, have a rummage for some old material or buy some inexpensive tablecloths and make use for them in other ways. Choose colors that match with the color scheme/ theme of the room and you can create all sorts of little additions for your room, rather than paying for something someone else has made.

You can change the style of a chest of drawers by simply covering the top with some material or a table cloth or you can cover a canvas board with material and make a new themed picture to put over your bed.

If you are any good at needlecraft, you could also make your own pillows or create a runner for the bottom of the bed. There are so many creative ways of using material to make your own accessories or additions; you just have to think about it.

A Little Light with Big Impact

The best way to change the look and feel of a room is to buy a lamp. They aren’t expensive to buy and are available at many stores, including your local Wal-Mart. They are only a little adjustment but they make a big difference in the look and feel of a room. They come in many styles and colors so you will easily be able to find the right one to compliment the décor in the room.

Flowery Fragrance

Treat yourself and your room to the gift of flowers once a week. By placing them in a vase somewhere in the room, they not only look nice but also give off a lovely fragrance that gives the room atmosphere and freshness.

A Cozy Corner For A Little ‘Me’ Time

A room is not complete without a little cozy corner; a nice area to read a book or simply escape from the stresses of modern life. Just place a nicely defined chair in one corner of the room (you can also use large cushions or beanbags) and add a little table with a table lamp for a perfect little cozy corner that’s great for escaping from the rest of the world.

Top Seven Master Bedroom Decorating Cost Savers

Here are the top seven cost savers for the perfect boudoir (summarized):

1. Use paint! It is great for everything and comes in many colors. Your bedroom is your own personal space so be sure to let your personality shine through. If you want the room to be bright pink with blue spots on then go for it! It is not for anyone else to judge just for you to enjoy so make it personal to you. For more info on choosing colors see our story on Bedroom Colors.
2. Lighting is essential but to save money purchase a lamp(s) and/or candles. They create a perfect and peaceful setting that is inviting and warm, perfect for a boudoir! They can also add extra light for those of us who prefer bright rooms.
3. Purchase an area rug. Not only do they add depth and warmth to a room, they also deflect noise, ideal for a master bedroom as it should be peaceful and quiet. Also good for those with wood flooring as it helps soften and quiet the master bedroom.
4. Use fabric! As mentioned above, fabric has many uses. Shop at online auctions or look for sales to purchase fabric that can be used throughout the room. It is also good to dress a window as it can be draped over a rod easily giving an elegant and fresh new look.
5. Search through yard sales, store sales and online auctions for picture frames then frame photographs and place them around the room where you can see them. They will be comforting and will add personality to the room.
6. Buy fresh bedding. As the bed is usually the focal point of a room, by changing the duvet cover you can give the room a whole new look in whatever style or color you desire.
7. Use pillow shams (highly decorative pillow coverings) to add comfort to the room and the bed. They are both highly affordable and highly decorative. Ideal for those who aim for an inviting, warm room.
8. By following these tips you are sure to be able to create a plush, new, inviting boudoir that is both personal and beneficial to you and your pocket!

The great thing about designing a kid’s bathroom is that there is no limit to what you choose for a theme, and best of all, parents get to join in with the imaginative fun.

However, with some many possibilities it can become very difficult what idea to settle on. These thematic ideas are sorted under boys’ bathroom designs but that doesn’t make them exclusively for males.

There are no rules and with a few small tweaks such as paint color, you can use any of these themes for a both boys and girls.

Boy’s bathroom design ideas evoke thoughts of rough and tumble, and cheeky, energetic fun. Don’t limit yourself to what you think you can do in your little boy’s bathroom, you’d be surprised as to how a few small details can easily, and affordable, bring the bathroom design alive.

Car Racing Bathroom

A theme that never tires for a boy’s bathroom; think vintage signs, antique-car hubcaps, and wallpaper with mini automobiles to drive this theme home. A large working spotlight and motor club sign would be great to balance a small-scale automobile wallpaper. Small one-inch floor tiles would provide great traction for a child that likes to move on wheels. Keep the fixtures white to be clean and shiny, and make the focus the car themes accessories.

Southwestern Bathroom

What kid hasn’t imagined riding horses on a ranch in the Old West? Let your little boy carry this through to the bathroom. You can keep the color scheme simple, a neutral yellow or beige or a simple soft stripe pattern or cowboy motif. Complement this with water-proofed wooden flooring or terracotta tiles and wooden or wicker cabinetry and stools.
Weathered wood details will be nicely accompanied by civilized touches such as a colorful throw rug (ensure it is slip-proof).

Dress the windows with checkered fabric curtains and rope cords or frame it with a couple of brass handmade and painted cactus cut-outs. Of course you can’t forget some cowboy-hats and lassos hung on wooden pegs as real-cowboy deal accessories.

Aquarium Bathroom

So convenient for the bathroom but a theme that never loses its charm. Blue and white are the best colors for this bathroom. Cobalt blue tiles surrounding the lower half of the room give instant under-the-sea effect and are complemented nicely with refreshing white walls and cabinetry.

There is no harm in painting deep-sea scenery on the top half of the wall; it would really envelop your boy in the theme. It’s easy to accessorize with this bathroom as stores have never-ending supplies. Choose accessories with a youthful touch; overload the bath tub with fun shaped starfish sponges, rubber duckies, toy boats and fish. Cute turtle shaped handles would give a fun touch to the fixtures.

Circus Bathroom

It’s a rare child who isn’t delighted by a circus. Boys are attracted to the adventurous spirit, bravery and exotic animals. Anything goes for a circus color scheme as long as its bright and energetic. Bright red and blue with touches of gold are nostalgic circus-wagon colors.

Maybe some colorful ‘paneling’ or fun wallpaper prints. Deck these walls with glass framed circus posters like Babar the elephant. Accent the accessories and prints with stars and circus animal shapes. Easy-to-make but nailing the circus theme: replicate a big-top tent around the window or mirror with valance details. Add flagpoles and scalloped edges to the tent flaps.

Space Bathroom

Don’t think a space themed bathroom has to mean tacky and futuristic, you can use the theme to inspire a creative space that transports him out-of-this-world. Think of dramatic geometric shapes in primary colors as well as lime green, hot orange and purple. On a simple white background, paint shapes in an exaggerated scale.

Maybe even a mural that travels up and over the roof. Think of fittings with an unusual twist, such as a stool that has legs painted as pencils. If there’s room, add a small fish aquarium and hang optical illusion performing mobiles.

Sports Bathroom

Just because it’s sporty doesn’t mean it has to look like a locker room. You will find it easier to narrow this theme down to one or two sports and then work the supportive details around this. The sporty bathroom tends to work with a simple décor, think clean white walls and varnished, water-proofed wooden floors or tiles.

Buy or enlarge a poster to life-size of your boy’s favorite athlete. Attach this (water-proofed) to the wall, and use it as a growth chart. Plenty of sport memorabilia in posters, flags and any collectible accessory are a must. Use a black and white checkerboard rug and curtain or simple single-tone bold colors.

Jungle Bathroom

Jungle boys like the rough, tumble and adventure of the outdoors. Make your boy’s bathroom a jungle refuge with wooden floorboards and fittings. Choose wooden or wicker furniture. On seats and stools, cover it with jungle themed fabric or paint a tribal pattern on. Choose roll down blinds either with a jungle pattern or safari colors and simple painted pictures.

There are heaps of animal printed area rugs to lie down and animal accessories in stores. To really bring the jungle bathroom theme home, perhaps make open wooden shelves look as if they are hung by rope, simply stringing them to the roof but not removing the wall attachments. A safari hat or lantern light will add a convincing final touch.

Nautical Bathroom

The sea, pirates and beach make perfect sense for a fun boy’s bathroom; clean crisp white again royal blue is the color scheme. Either white tiles or a wooden floor, you could paint white or even royal blue stripes on it. Think crisp white walls and crisp white fixtures, and then trim them with neat and tidy thin royal blue stripes.

There are so many wonderful nautical accessories for the bathroom to deck this theme with. A mini model boat, a steering wheel mirror, gold navy stars to deck the walls. If your little boy is a bit more cheeky, perhaps spice up this theme to give a pirate twist. Maybe a telescope or toy cutlass flanking the wall.

Studies show that throughout our lifetime, each of us will spend approximately ten months of our time in the bathroom. Despite this, many of us tend to neglect our bathrooms but it is needless to say that, from time to time, they need some tender loving care (i.e. they need decorating).

The ideal time to decorate the bathroom is during the summer season as it is when many of us undergo a lot of home improving. Unlike many other rooms in the house, the bathroom is fairly inexpensive to redecorate, unless of course you require a whole new bathroom suite.

But first things first; before getting out your paintbrushes, you should check your bathroom appliances i.e. bathtub, shower, toilet and sink, for any leakages or broken pipes. It is essential to do this because if a water leak seeps into wooden floors, or other parts of the home, it can cost thousands of dollars to fix.

So, you’ve decided to give your bathroom a facelift? It’s looking old and dingy and you fancy a change. You’ve checked for leaks and now you’re ready to go… there’s no time like the present! But you have a budget … a tight budget … you want a nice bathroom but want some money left in your wallet afterwards. If this sounds just like you then here are some great tips to getting that fabulous bathroom on a budget.

Work with What You Already Have!

The most expensive thing to replace is the entire bathroom suite … so don’t! Choose a theme that works around your old bathroom suite. You can make the most hideous things look stylish with a few adjustments and accessories here and there. Choose a theme that works well with your current suite and then you won’t break the bank balance; unless, of course, you have a few dollars to spare, in which case, just buy a new bathroom suite if you really can’t stand the look of an old, dingy, green one (or whatever color it may be.)

Refinish or Replace Cabinets

Nothing dates a bathroom like the cabinets. You can find cheap bathroom vanities that look nice and are easy to install for the do-it-yourself homeowner. Or, use a pedestal sink for a clean, modern look and add some wainscoting or bead board to liven things up a bit. You’ll give up a bit of storage, but for a guest bath or powder room this look can be perfect!

Freshen up the Walls

Paint! Paint! Paint! The best thing since sliced bread, painting is easy and affordable and can leave even the most dated room looking modern and stylish. I recommend using light colors, such as; pale blues, lilac, pale greens and yellows because it makes the room look fresh and clean but you can always work with other colors.

Liven up the Floor

If you really hate the flooring or it’s old and dingy then there are a few ways to change it. First is to just buy a rug. It adds color to any floor and makes it look fresh. Secondly, you could buy peel-and-stick tiles. These will you give your floor a whole new look and are easy to lay. And thirdly, you could buy a cut-to-fit bathroom rug, this will also give your floor a whole new look and cover up that hideous floor that you really dislike.

Let In the Light

To make a room appear fresh, clean and airy, you need light. The best way of doing this is by hanging blinds at the windows as they let in natural sunlight. Use window shades that allow you to control privacy and natural light easily; vinyl window coverings are great in a bathroom since they won’t warp and clean easily.

Hooks and Towel Bars

A good bathroom needs to look tidy so a cheap way to keep your new bathroom looking new, clean and fresh is to add hooks and towel bars. These are great because you can add as many as you like. There is no such thing as having too many and they serve many purposes. I bet, more often than not, there is a large pile of used towels sat on the floor, usually in a corner. By using towel bars you can avoid this happening all of the time because you can put up as many as you like and just by the fact they are there, initiates a person to hang the towels there instead of on the floor.

However, if you don’t have the space for several towel rails then use hooks. They take up less space and can go just about anywhere in the room. They serve many purposes, such as hanging towels, hanging bath robes (more or less hanging any garment) and they also help keep things off the floor!

The Key to Bathroom Organization

Now that you have a fresh look, it’s time to organize and de-clutter. Take everything out of the cupboards and make two piles; the necessities and the clutter. Go through all of the things you have taken from the bathroom and organize it all, you have to be tough, get rid of anything that you never use and don’t tell yourself that you should keep it because it may come in handy one day because nine times out of ten it doesn’t. No doubt, also, that you have a few bottles of the same stuff just because it was on sale at your local supermarket but you really do not need six bottles of anti-wrinkle cream.

So now you have given in and thrown away all of the things you really don’t need, now the stuff you have kept needs a new home. The best place is usually cupboard/storage unit because it keeps it hidden away, which means less clutter.

» Go Back to The Complete Bathroom Decorating Guide

Little girls enjoy pretty places, pretty things, and dressing up. Even if they’re only going to brush their teeth or hair in their bathroom, it’s bound to be an occasion of playful elegance.

Your little girl’s bathroom doesn’t have to be classically serious, it is where she will want to pamper herself after all.

A little bit of drama, a touch of romance, and details of the feminine sort can dress up a little girl’s bathroom with spirited atmosphere.

Rub-a-Dub Ducky Bathroom

A classic theme for the bathroom, you can easily give this a girly touch with a splash of paint and some creative personal touches.

A lilac color scheme is feminine and also nicely complements the yellow duckys without overpowering a small space.

Paint the lower half of the wall in white/lilac stripes, then separate a solid lilac top with a yellow border repeating ‘rub a dub dub’ in playful lettering all around the room.

You can easily put some duck stencils on these walls wherever a fun touch could be needed. Pick yellow towels and accessories as well as simple, pale yellow blinds. Fresh flowers and plenty of rubber ducks will bring to life any simple white fixtures.

Rose Bower Princess Bathroom Theme

The rose bower princess lives in luxurious decadence. If you love decorating, you can lavish it on with this ultimate girly theme. This bathroom calls for pink and celadon rose-bedecked wallpaper. Unusually, paint the ceiling pink and keep the floorboards clean but water-sealed. Emit feelings of grandeur by hanging bead accents from a hanging lamp shade, you can find these parts and ribbons at craft shops to affordably recreate the atmosphere.

Find some pretty posters of famous art and double frame it in ornate, gold sprayed frames. Hunt for some antique furniture you can restore by painting, lightly sanding and adding flower stencils. The mirror needs a grand ornate frame that again you can hunt for at a flea market.

Bring an aura of old-fashioned romance with an elegant ceiling fixed water proof drape to encase the bathtub. Choose a clear finish and decorate it with elegant beads or a sheer fabric on the outer.

Elegant Ball Gown Bathroom

Let your little girl pamper herself amongst playful reflections of bygone Cinderella days when details went into elegant ball gowns made of ruffles, sashes and ribbons. Think girly color schemes that are pale pink or peachy. Lavishly deck the windows with long flowing ruffled curtains and tassels.

A glass-topped cabinet would be nicely in this setting, dress it up with perfumes, lotions and ornate photo frames. Choose a large mirror with painted floral accents on it or a decadent border. A floral area rug has a divine nostalgic touch, as would an antique looking hinged folding screen that you can crisscross with ribbon.

Sweet Storybook Bathroom Theme

Especially attractive to younger girls, the airy, sweet feel and minimal use of color is perfect for the bathroom. With a neutral color palette, think to make the bathroom feel cosy and harmonious with classic blue and white checked fabric curtains with sweet netting underlay. Stencil or paint freehand nursery rhyme themed murals from your daughter’s favorite story.

Perhaps a favorite water or bathing inspired line of poetry to border the ceiling. If you can find, choose toweling with nursery themed prints or simple pastel colors.

Simple and classic white wooden furniture goes best, especially any seating that has a country bumpkin feel. A sweet touch could be a small chalkboard attached to the wall that you can write the evening and morning bathroom routine on.

Hello Kitty Theme

You can find everything from area rugs to toothbrush holders in the Hello Kitty world. If your little girl is into Hello Kitty then you’re in luck; these items are easy to find, inexpensive and quickly replaced later when she says good bye to Hello Kitty!

Funky Flower Bathroom

Unique floral stencils are unexpected theme details but so delightfully easy to do. A floral theme is always in fashion for girls. Choose a bright background color like a deep purple to set off the lively floral arrangements. Paint bouquets of flowers trailing around the mirror frame in a charming curve, follow this up around the door and even line the bath. Perhaps add bands of flowers of drawers and countertops, even extend to the roof, a fun detail to observe while in the bath.

Floral goes great with rainbow colored checks, maybe you could use these on the curtains to contrast. There are never ending floral printed area rugs to choose from, just make sure it is slip-resistant. For a cute touch, think ‘garden themed’ furniture, like a homemade child-size picket fence chair accented with floral cutouts.

Girl’s Beach Bathroom Theme

A theme that can be great for both boys and girls bathroom, a beach theme is always popular for the bathroom. A simple square tiled bathroom, with white cabinetry and fixtures can be brought to life with beach themed accents. Deck this bathroom out in blue-sky beach colors or pale peach and sandy hues. Add some creative mirror frames with driftwood border or a collage of shells.

Sand down some cheap outdoor furniture and paint it in a weathered green or red, a fresh and vibrant color. Add little details like linked shells on a chain to hold back a shower curtain or beaded shells to run vertically down the blinds. A sail boat throw rug and plenty of glued on shell accessories finish the look off, a pair of flip-flops waiting at the door will add the finishing touch.

Pastel Quilt Bathroom

Checkerboard tiles are a favorite in bathroom design, they simply and easily bring a small space to life. The pastel quilt twist on this is a classic girl’s theme. Use tiles in pastel pink, cream, green, and some spots of raspberry. Repeat the quilt pattern all over, on countertops, walls, floor, bathtub and surround.

You can make borders on the wall by turning the tiles of the central band on the diagonal to arrange against the tiles outside it. White, washed wicker furniture and simple pastel fabrics and toweling are perfect in this bathroom. Some fresh flowers in a vase and its good for your little girl’s use.

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Adults see the bathroom as a space for retreating and unwinding, but children see the bathroom as a place to play. After all, the bathtub is filled with toys and the mirrors are great for making silly faces.

A spunky bathroom that suits their bright-eyed personalities is another reason they’ll succumb to the necessary brushing of teeth. Splash out in a fun bathroom designed especially for your children and you’ll have less trouble getting them into the bathroom, though some convincing may be required to get them out!

Before you can get to the fun part, designing your kids themed bathroom, it is important to address the necessities of a kid’s bath. Remember that a kid’s bathroom has age-specific needs. Every element needs to be looked at thoughtfully to consider storage, use of space, function and most essentially, safety.

Plan the Space from a Kid’s Point-of-View

A child’s bathroom requires you to look at things from a shorter point of view. You want to consider how to make best use of the space but also how to anticipate your child’s needs may change and be able to cater for these.

No matter whether you have a single or a double bathroom, plan the room to keep the essentials low and easy in reach of little ones. Towel racks, hooks, cabinets, shelves and light switches all need to be made accessible and easy to use. Not only will this encourage independence but also lessen the risk of accidents.

When planning the space out, also try to anticipate the future changes in the family structure. If more than one child will be sharing the bathroom, as they grow the age gap and your children’s needs change and your bathroom needs to be able to work for varying ages, genders and numbers of children using it.

The best design options for this set-up are compartmentalized spaces; one for the toilet, one for the bath, one for the shower and perhaps also storage. If this isn’t feasible, at least consider a separate toilet to de-stress the morning and evening rush.

Kids Bathroom Fittings and Fixtures

You can make small adjustments to your approach for choosing fittings when they will be used exclusively by children. Think low with all the fittings. You can either intentionally design the cabinetry to be low enough for a child, or for a more cost effective option, make sure on a short and steady stool the countertop will be easily in reach.

Single-lever faucets in the basin are a simple and easy touch that children find much easier to navigate. Also consider handheld showerheads and pullout faucets; they’re great for cleaning sinks and bathtubs as well as bodies.

The toilet basin is an area that your child will appreciate if the design is easy to use as possible. You will appreciate this too when it leads to less accidents to clean up! Especially with boys, and of any age, an elongated bowl will be far more hygienic than a standard oval shape.

If your budget allows, you can incorporate fun and imaginative touches to your fixtures, such as setting the bath in a custom surround shaped like a boat. With any added features, make sure they always capitalize on safety and storage as these are the two most essential aspects of a child’s bath. Even the smallest touch like installing door levers instead of knobs, will be far easier to use, especially with wet hands.

Making Storage Handy in Your Kids Bathroom

The focus is a little askew from the regular bathroom but all the same important. You’ll need more room for toy storage and storage solutions that your child can easily access on their own. Providing open shelves will make tidying up easier. Remember again to keep them low.

Towel racks and hooks for robes should be installed within a child’s reach. Big, capacious drawers need to be within reach to store all the essentials, combs, brushes and other grooming aids. Baskets and plastic bins that can be kept out-of-the-way are great options instead of drawers.

To encourage your kids to be neat and tidy consider some alternative methods. Velcro strips, for instance, can be pressed into duty for holding combs, brushes and similar items. In the shower, a vinyl organizer with pierced pockets to drain the water will catch all the shampoos, soaps and so forth.

Safety, Safety, Safety!

As much fun as bathing can be for a child, it must be safe; inspect all the small details that can cause children big trauma. Prevent bruises and falls with grab bars around the bathtub or shower so there is something firm to grip to when getting out. Cabinetry and countertops should also have rounded edges and corners.

Pills, medicines and ointments are a fact of bathrooms so you always want to childproof the medicine cabinet with a lock. Lessen the risk by flushing expired medicines down the toilet today or eliminate the risk by removing medicine entirely from the kids’ bathroom.

Children are fast little wrigglers so choose a flooring surface that will lessen slip risks. Opt for a non-slip and water-resistant surface like textured tile or vinyl. Make sure rugs have non-skid backings and install rubber footpads on step stools and chairs to prevent them from slipping.

Of vital importance, is that you are smart with water. Electrical gadgets are a real risk so keep them far away and equip the electrical outlets with ground fault circuit interrupters. To avoid burns, set the household water temperature to a moderate temperature, keeping in mind that 120F causes scalding.

The National Kids Safe Campaign recommends a maximum hot water setting of 105F, as kids are far more susceptible to burns. You can install a pressure-balanced valve in the shower that will guarantee a consistent water temperature and prevent sudden bursts of heat when the toilet is flushed.

Finally, arrange the bathroom so nothing can block the door. You need to be able to reach your children in an emergency!

Be Smart with Water

Reduce mildew and water-related headaches with these moves:

• Keep a stack of absorbent towels near the bathtub for speedy puddle cleanups.
• Install a vent fan and keep it dust-free with an occasional swipe with a rag.
• Ask your paint supplier to mix a mildewcide into the pain you’ll use.
• Choose easy-clean flooring such as tile, linoleum, or laminate rather than carpet.
• Drain the bathtub as soon as bathers are out.
• Install a childproof latch on the toilet lid.

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As youngsters become teenagers, their time in the bathroom changes. The vanity and sink area becomes a primary focus in the all-time-consuming process of getting ready, especially for girls!

Storage, drawers and organizers become especially important in the teen bathroom to keep the expanding collection of cosmetics and accessories orderly and easily in reach. If you have more than one teenager in the house, well-designed sink and storage areas for function can save you ear aches as your teens battle for mirror time while getting ready for high school.

In this period, teenagers tend to take a real interest in the look of their rooms. With an increased desire for privacy, your teenager may be spending more time in their bathroom. There are plenty of great teen bathroom solutions to match your teen’s lifestyle and special interests, as well as to keep the room functional and attractive.

Planning the Space in the Teen Bathroom

The layout in your teen bathroom will depend on the number of teenagers using it and the ages of them. With one child the design will be easy. You can tailor it to him or her, and easily anticipate his or her changing needs and development.

However, if more than one child will be using to room you need to consider how often they will be using it, their genders and the number of children sharing the space.

With more than one child, you need at least two lavatories. The best designs in a shared bathroom space include compartmentalized spaces for toilet, bathtub, shower and so on. If this isn’t possible, consider setting the toilet apart, which can be a real lifesaver on hectic mornings.

Double vanities are also a good consideration to reinforce the territorial tendencies of teenagers. If this isn’t possible, an extra large mirror will ease the battle when sharing grooming time.

Teen Bathroom Storage Savers

As parents know all too well, teenagers can be a little sloppy at cleaning up after themselves. Considering good storage solutions is invaluable in the teen bathroom. As the grooming supplies go up, so must the space to store them. Make sure you include a large, capacious vanity with deep drawers to house endless bottles of hair products and cosmetics that teens can’t live without.

Encourage your teens to fight the laziness that stops them cleaning up after them by keeping storage close-to-hand. An extra large towel rack in reach of the shower or bath will save piles of towels from sitting on the floor. Small storage niches created between the wall studs make handy spots for shampoo and toiletries.

An innovative compromise is to consider shelving without doors. Towels can be stacked within reach, and having them on display like this is a better motivator to keep them clean and orderly.

Lighting and Ventilation

Besides general lighting, teens require good clear task lighting for grooming. Around the mirror is the most logical area. Most important however, is proper ventilation. Invest in a good exhaust fan. Not only will it make the room’s air quality healthier and surfaces less slick but it will help to maintain materials that can be ruined by water build up and mildew.

Remember you may not spend as much time in your teen’s bathroom so make it as easy as possible for your child to keep it well maintained.

Teen Bathroom Decorating Ideas

As with all decorating, the décor for a teen bathroom is entirely a matter of choice. There are no rules as to what is ‘appropriate’ but at this age trends do tend to emerge. Teens are too old for a cutesy, childlike theme room, but still young enough to want to make a statement with funky colors and accessories.

What’s important is to let your teen take charge and express how they would like to design the room. It’s a great chance for bonding and a great opportunity to let them express themselves in a healthy, encouraging manner. Don’t be nervous! It’s easy to freshen and funk up a teen bathroom with some simple paint tricks and clever accessories. Your teen’s tastes will create a bathroom that is a bold statement rather than a nightmare.

Color and Paint Effects

Adding color to the bathroom space is the quickest and most effective way to modernize the décor. Just like teens, color is bright and exciting. Painting will save you from having to commit to theme wallpapers, and if you choose carefully, you can create a room that can effortlessly be transformed to a more mature look when your teen eventually moves out.

If you want to design a room that is malleable enough to change after your teen leaves, stick with whites, creams or other neutrals for all the fixed components of the room. This palette is always stylish and clean-looking no matter what you pair it up with.

To create a dramatic and impacting statement for your teen, pick a contrasting color like vivid pink or lime green and employ this color to every personal article, soft goods and displays in the bathroom. Imagine the impact in a teen girl’s bathroom that a hot pink shower curtain, towels, toothbrushes, bathmat and water glasses would have against white wainscoting walls. It’s a young and fresh but doesn’t overpower the space and can be transformed to a classic chic in years to come.

If you are willing to let your teen go a little ‘wild’ in their decorating and aren’t worried about painting the walls in bright colors, then some interesting paint effects can add some audacious and unexpected breaks with conventional painting techniques.
Experiment with bold dominant colors in some of these effects:

• Vertical Stripes – Will work to make a room look taller. Lighter colors will expand the room, while darker colors will hem it in. For a subtle and easy effect, try a single horizontal band of paint in a different color from the wall and run it all around the room. Make it as wide or as narrow as you please.
• Blocks – Geometric shapes are so versatile to paint on because they can fit together to create an entirely new effect. You can create a dramatic effect in a bathroom without windows, dividing a wall into four or six blocks and painting each one a different color.
• Lines – You can make a feature of color contrasts using the same principals of the feature wall. A single line of color running vertically or horizontally is very easy to do and has great impact. Perhaps use this device to separate different functions of the bathroom such as a color on two walls for the ‘wet’ bathing area, and a contrasting color on the ‘dry’ pampering side.

Funky Teen Bathroom Flooring Ideas

Let your teen go for something unusual on the floor that you might not want in any ‘classic’ areas of the rest of the house. Why not try one of these unique teen bathroom flooring ideas:

• Rubber – It’s great for the bathroom! Warm and soft underfoot, cleaned easily with a swish of detergent, hard-wearing, stain resistant, anti-bacterial and anti-slip. Rubber is the perfect quirky bathroom floor option. There are plenty of colors to choose from or you could mix them up to create a checkerboard look.
• Metal – Has a sleek, eye-catching finish and is great for the bathroom. With a raised pattern it will protect against slipping while making an easily cleaned, practical, attractive bathroom feature.
• Sanded Wood – A great option in a teen bathroom because it can so effectively be accessorize with personality. Sanded floors are affordable and universally appealing and versatile. Add a jolt of color with a groovy rug or even treat it with a color wash. If your daring, maybe even let your teen paint a shape or pattern directly onto the floor itself.

Teen Bathroom Accessories

After painting walls, and choosing flooring, it is the accessories that will leap into life your teen bathroom and importantly, add the fun and stamp of individuality. There are no permanent commitments to any accessories so it is the best place to allow your teen to really let their imagination run.

Spend some time together considering which items work well together in terms of color and shape. If there are particular things that take pride and place in your teen’s heart, think about the best way to show them to best advantage. Here are some ideas:

• Hang some large pictures, or glassed posters on the wall to form a focal point.
• Laminated photos of friends or football, baseball cards can be pegged onto a thin wire with small clips and hung across a wall.
• It is possible to find translucent plastic shower curtains with pockets that your teen can display photos of family and friends in.
• Customize glass shelving holding a gift-wrap motif underneath and painting over the design with water-based varnish. Spray over with glass etch spray, leaving it opaque apart from the varnish patterned areas,
• Customize a plain lampshade by sticking sheets of music, maps or unusual gift-wrap and varnish it.
• Don’t get obsessed about lining things up in rows or of the same height, take a relaxed approach and jumble things for a funky, random style.

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Our Complete Bathroom Decorating Guide shows you everything from designing a small bathroom space to creating an outdoor home spa. This is our second Photo Gallery on Bathroom Design and Decorating. You can click on any image to view a full-sized image.

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A good friend of mine is a prominent Interior Designer in California and he just loves to shop for deals, often buying things on a whim and keeping them in his own home until he finds just the right place for specific items in a client’s home.

When I asked him why he doesn’t just go shopping when he needs something for a client, he got pretty indignant with me. “We can’t just go find something with character at the drop of a dime, you know”, he said. “And besides; you never get the best deal on something when you really need it!”

Buying Gifts for Your Home?

His point is very well taken; he considers buying collectibles, faux collectibles, vases, mirrors, artwork and other odds and ends to be like buying gifts for your home. And any good gift takes forethought and some diligent shopping; especially when it can’t be too expensive but you still want it to make an impression.

That’s why when he brings something into a client’s home and they like it, the object usually ends up being among the person’s favorites since he bestowed it to them almost like a gift … well, they do pay him handsomely for his creativity, attention to detail and appreciation for what fits into their unique interior.

Your Home Interior Should Tell a Story

I remember once he found a clock from Bavaria. The clock depicted a mountain cabin with a young man who climbed a ladder, a young lady looking out from the second story window and a father with pitchfork in hand, chasing the young man up the ladder. The whole story was choreographed on the hour.

My friend had the clock for a couple of years until one night he was at a client’s house late in the evening having coffee and discussing the project. The client explained that his wife’s father had not wanted them to marry and thought he was absolutely the wrong boy for his daughter. They eloped and had been happily married for 27 years! My friend just know that clock would work in the client’s home and, after bringing it over and leaving it for a few days, got a call from the client saying “We love the clock, its perfect in our home!”

And while that was a $2,000 German Cuckoo clock, the moral is he found something and had to have it because of the great story the clock tells and that the homeowner fell in love with the story and how the artwork and mechanized characters felt familiar.

But How Do I Know Its Right For My Home?

Another thing my friend knows is what furniture, window coverings, flooring, accessories and other accoutrement is right for what type of interior design. In this he has a seemingly innate ability.

But even if you’re not an extremely creative person, you can shop around and find the right furnishings and décor to fit both your personality and how you want to express your interior design sensibilities.

This is what separates the expensive designer home with all the right elements but lacking a sense of “home” that comes only when the homeowner has taken the time and trouble to make it an expression of their own, unique peculiarities and humanness.

As with any gift, it can take time and patience to stumble across just the right thing for the right spot in a home.

Why Would I Want Someone’s Old Junk?

When I have asked my friend where he finds such great items, he again scoffs at me as though I must be an imbecile. “Well, the only way to find stuff is to really look,” he says, as though that is the only answer deserved. “I go to junk yards, antique shops, people I call off Craig’s List; the best stuff is something somebody either is or has basically thrown out at some point.”

“Why would I want someone’s old junk?” I ask.

“Because then there’s a story behind it. Don’t you just love to watch Antiques Road Show and see somebody find out that they have a valuable item they thought was worth little or nothing?”

“I suppose it is somehow fascinating,” I return.

“Well, if they don’t want it anymore, it may be just because they don’t care for that style or have grown tired of it. It could have been a gift they never liked or something that belonged to a deceased family member and they just don’t care for it. Or, they just don’t know what it is and sell it in a yard sale to get rid of old stuff.”

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

The point here is that styles come and go and people’s tastes vary widely. So just because something is cast aside doesn’t mean it has no worth. If you really, really look around you might be surprised how little you can pay and get some unique stuff that doesn’t cost a lot.

If you get the bug to go shopping at consignment stores and looking on eBay for things then soon you’ll find the right things to fit in with your home décor.

Interior Design Shopping Tips

For the best deals, try these simple tips:

• Pick the Right Season – One of the keys to buying a good number of quality items with little money is to make sure that you shop at the right seasons. If you found items that you think might go well with your home look and feel you should check with those stores to find out when they do inventory counts. Often times, the stores will liquidate how a good number of items just prior to having to do an inventory count – to save them time and money.
• Be On the Lookout to Do More than Just Save Money – Don’t be afraid to over buy at times as well. I once was able to purchase an entire showcase of decorative handles and knobs for cabinets. I even this purchased the display case. And then redid a couple of rooms with wonderful decorative knobs and then resold all the other hardware and actually made money on the deal. These types of deals are available a couple of times per year all because they did not want to have to count that entire selection of inventory.
• Look For Overstock Items – Another great way to save a tremendous amount of money on your home décor budget is to check around for overstock items. Many smaller stores may buy larger quantities in order to save money, but then have several items left over that they are willing to sell off at a reduced rate.
• Shop Around for Deals – The most expensive part of re-decorating is buying the furniture. Flea markets, e-bay, yard sales and second hand stores are all great places to find bargains and the best thing is no one will know where you got it from and because it was cheap you can afford to paint it or stencil it or re-design it by taking out draws and things to make it look unique and specific to the theme of the room and the purpose it holds.
• Work With What You Already Have – Usually the problem many people have when decorating is that the furniture doesn’t match the theme they want. So rather than buying furniture to fit a theme, choose a theme to fit the furniture that is already there. This is a cheaper alternative that still leaves you with a lovely looking home.

An infinite array of shapes, sizes, materials, and structures to choose from. Old, new, or repurposed; porcelain, metal, glass, or stone and the list of shapes, sizes and styles goes on and on, making it a challenge to pick the bathroom sink that best fits your bathroom decor.

Any vessel that can be plumbed can function as a bathroom sink and combines with the Bathroom Countertop to create a strong focal point in your bathroom, both visually as well as functionally.

Today’s bathroom sinks can be truly artistic. With beautiful proportions, rich colors and decorative finishes, these sculptural forms can make your bathroom extraordinary.

And whether you like a minimalist look or one that’s infused with tradition, you’re sure to find the perfect fixture and fitting.

Planning the Space for your Bathroom Sink

When choosing a bathroom sink, first consider the height of those who will be using it.

Vintage sinks standing at 31 inches high may be too short for a tall person, while standard porcelain models, at 33 to 36 inches may be too tall for a small child.

You can opt for wall-mounted sinks at any height, or combine a basin with a customized base. If you have space, mount the bowl on the countertop. For the cleanest edge, drop it in flush, or under mount it.

Bathroom Sink Styles

There are six basic sink styles on the market today. The style you choose will depend on your taste, budget and the size of your space:

• Self-Rimming Sinks – The most common and easiest to install. They have a rim that overlays the countertop and makes them easy to retrofit into existing countertops, as long as they are the same size. Adhesive applied to the raised rim or lip, which rests on top of the counter, holds the sink in place and forms a waterproof seal. Debris can collect around the sink rim, but it’s pretty simple to clean.
• Under-Mount Sink Basins – Joined to the vanity surface from below, so there is no raised lip, emphasizing the countertop material and making cleanup easy – debris sweeps directly from the counter into the sink without catching on a rim. Keep in mind, that because under-mount sinks expose the counter substrate, they require expert sink and countertop installation for a precise, clean fit.
• Integral Sinks – Perhaps the most hygienic option. Manufactured from stainless and solid surfacing, they are fused with the countertop to form on seamless, easily maintained unit. They are usually custom designs and require special installations that will spike the cost.
• Vessel Sinks – Appear to sit on top of the vanity counter, allowing their shapes and colors to function almost as a sculpture within the room. In reality most rest in a custom-cut hole in the vanity top. Vessels are made of everything from fireclay, stone or metal to heavy-duty glass.
• Pedestal Sinks – Fit on top of a pedestal-shaped base and are ideal for small sized bathrooms. They have a classic, traditional look. Keep in mind, however, that pedestals offer no storage underneath and little surface area for toiletries.
• Console Sinks – Stand on two or four legs rather than on a central pedestal, provide wide, practical decks that allow a clear space underneath for knee space and wheelchair access. The disadvantage though, like pedestals, is that they offer no storage.

Bathroom Sink Size

When choosing your bathroom sink, always check to make sure both hands fit comfortably in the basin to keep splashing to a minimum.

In a high-traffic bathroom, the bowl should be no less than 19 inches wide, 15 to 16 inches front to back, and 6 inches deep.

In a powder room, the bowl may be narrower, but no shallower from front to back.

Bathroom Sink Materials

When shopping for a sink, you’ll also find a wide range of options in materials, including vitreous china, marble and other stones, solid surfacing and stainless steel.

Composites, or cultured stone, are made of granite particles suspended in a polyester resin. Fireclay, a durable ceramic, offers a hard, glossy finish and is strong enough to sustain larger designs, some of which almost resemble furniture.

Other materials such as glass, hammered metal, concrete, wood and stone have taken vessel sinks to new heights of style. Just keep in mind that these products are most appropriate for a powder room, where they’ll receive less wear and tear.

Here is the lowdown of the advantages and disadvantages of the four main materials you will find your sinks are constructed in:

• Porcelain-Enamel Cast Iron Sinks – Extremely durable and easy to care for, but are heavy and require study support.
• Vitreous China Sinks – Have a lustrous, easy-clean surface and are available in many choices of rich colors. They’re lighter than porcelain-enamel cast-iron sinks and are the most resistant to discoloration and corrosion. Heavy items dropped in or on these sinks will crack or chip them.
• Solid-Surfacing Material – Offers solid colors as well as stone lookalikes. One significant advantage is that one-piece, integrated sinks and countertops are available in solid-surfacing for a seamless look and easy cleaning. Of these materials acrylic-resin is the most durable and requires little maintenance. Polyester and cultured marble scratch and dull more readily.
• Stainless-Steel Sinks – Durable and unaffected by household chemicals. They do tend to show hard water and soap stains more readily than other materials.

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