Interior Design and Decorating

Zebra Print Decor Options

Posted in Interior Design and Decorating on July 15th, 2010 by Jim – Comments Off

Zebra print is cool.  There is just nothing like it to perk up a room and add a dash of contemporary style and primitive zing. Designers world wide, seek the perfect black and white zebra print when they want to add a splash of understated vigor to their client’s home.  There is room for a fabulous zebra print within nearly any decorating budget.

Solid colors in a room ache for a zebra print to make them interesting.  Throw down a lime green scarf with a couple of pink pillows on top of it to really make your modern “retro” vibrate.  If the zebra print you have found turns out to be too bold, then it can be toned down with layers of neutrals, like a tan afghan coverlet and navy pillows to bring the room back to a comfortable reality.

Who can resist a zebra print rug? This is no ordinary rug. It is not the floral rug that grandma would choose. You won’t be tiptoeing through an English garden, you’ll be trekking through a nomadic safari grassland of decorating. Be brave and keep your visual perspective by going for the exotic that you love.

The true rug devotee will own numerous chic zebra rugs to accentuate different areas and continue this decorative grassland theme through the whole house. One will have very wide short strips in a vibrant black and white, reminiscent of a chevron, but another will have narrow stripes with a slightly muted tonal quality. It does not matter, the more variation, the more interesting the motif.

Since these are faux prints and not animal pelts your home will remain animal friendly. You will only be borrowing their fantastic color and pattern as a way to pay homage to these natural wonders of creation.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and even the kids will want small playful zebra print rugs to spice up their rooms. A few small zebra print rugs might be attached to the wall with hook and loop tape to create an overlapping backdrop of fantastic and fascinating pattern, almost like a gigantic abstract puzzle.

Remember when choosing these fabulous zebra print pieces for your home that “less is more,” especially when it comes to a pattern as bold as this one is. Do not overpower the entire house by making everything from the bathroom scales to the bedding zebra print. Choose one major piece per room and if it can handle one more in a distant area of the same large room, then fine, but if you go overboard it will no longer be stylish, it will be quite garish, and no one wants that.

Go ahead and indulge in elegance with a wonderful zebra print couch, but don’t put a zebra print rug in front of it, and zebra print pillows on it, and zebra print curtains behind it. You will have transformed your utterly unique and fabulous couch into an unremarkable and indistinguishable bit of clutter.  That wonderful couch might fit in the living room, or your daughter’s bedroom, but only if the zebra print is kept to an absolute minimum — in which case, you will be the envy of the neighborhood.

Curtain Rod Basics

Posted in Interior Design and Decorating on July 1st, 2010 by Jim – Comments Off

Over the years, evolution of curtain rods has come a long way. Wide range of curtain rods is available to be chosen from. You can try hanging the types of curtains you want on the type of rod you prefer. Different types of rods are used by shears, draperies and café curtains.

It is very easy to use tensions rods and they work very well with recessed windows. A spring is present inside the rod which enables the rod to be pushed forward. Rubber caps can be used to cover the ends of the rod that push against the windowsill. Spring eradicates the need for any hardware thus providing you an ease for installation. Sheers or light weight curtains can be hung from these rods.

Sash rods and café sash rods are available in round or flat designs. Because these rods are designed to lie flat against the window or door, they make a great hanger for hanging door panels. Curtains hanging from these rods should be starting a little above the window and should be ending a little below it. These rods become a perfect combination for French doors and casement windows. The hardware of these rods includes shallow mounting brackets so that the silk curtains lie flat to the door. The circumference of café sash rods is a little bigger than sash rods.

The perfect choice for kitchen curtains is café rods. These rods are available in many different sizes and they are just perfect for café curtains. While some café rods are available with the rings to which you will attach the curtains, you can also buy these rods without the rings. These rods also make a good combination for tab tie curtains or curtains which can be pulled easily to one side or the other.

Traverse rods are used mainly for dining room or living room draperies. These rods provide hooks to which the curtains are hung and they also permit drapers to be opened and closed with the use of a pull cord. These rods are highly attractive and decorative.

The type of material used in making a curtain rod can be wood, metal or wrought iron. The type of the material used in the making of these rods decides the cost and the many designs also decide the cost.

What are Temporary Window Blinds Used For?

Posted in Interior Design and Decorating, Uncategorized on June 29th, 2010 by Jim – Comments Off

Temporary blinds are the best method that you can use if you want more privacy or if you want to block the access of natural light. In this article I will provide some useful information about temporary blinds, how you can install them and, if you are interested, how you can create your own temporary blinds.

But first, let me tell you some interesting details about temporary blinds. Maybe you are wondering why people choose to purchase this type of blinds. The answer to this question is very simple. There are so many people who choose to purchase this type of blinds, because temporary blinds are very useful in times when people don’t have enough money to spend on curtains, drapes or permanent blinds.

As their name says, this type of blinds is used by people who want to use something in order to cover their windows for a short time. So, if you are renovating your house, if you don’t have the necessary amount of money to purchase something permanent, if you don’t have enough free time to go and search through different stores after something permanent or if you only want to see how your room would with blinds on the windows, you can choose to buy temporary blinds.

Where you can find this type of blinds? Well, if you think that it will be difficult to find them, you will change your opinion right immediately after you finish reading this paragraph. People who want to purchase temporary blinds for their windows have 2 available options. The first option is represented by the fact that they can choose to order temporary blinds from the internet. There are many manufacturers which sell their products on different websites and there are also many which sell their products on their own websites. Using a connection to the internet to purchase these accessories, you will not save time, but also money. The latter option is represented by home supply stores. I’m sure that you already know that in this type of stores you can find all the accessories that you can use inside your home. However, I personally recommend you to order temporary blinds from the internet. In this way it will not be necessary to go and waste your time in different stores. All you need is a connection to the internet and a comfortable chair!

There are also people who don’t have money to spend on temporary blinds. Even if they are not expensive at all (the cheapest type of temporary blinds in only $5), there are people who can’t afford to purchase them. Well, these people have to know that they can create their own temporary blinds. If you want to make your own temporary window blinds you simply have to make a small research on the internet and there you will find more details about this activity.

Now, if you want to purchase some quality blinds for your windows, you can choose to purchase ones from Blinds in a Box. I’m sure that you already saw the team that formed Blinds in a Box on Dragons Den. They appeared on that show, because they wanted to gain more clients.