2 Ways to Wake Up a Room that Snores

Does the decor of your room bring to mind one word: Boring? If it does, there are a two easy ways to bring life to a decor that has a big snore-factor.

Color:
Add a splash of color to your room. It can be a smidgen of bright red in a French Country Decor or a sky blue in a Shabby Chic room, either one will breathe new life into a boring room. Adding a spot of color in all 4 sides of your room will invite the viewer's eye to bounce from wall to wall, taking in your whole room. Using contrasting colors is also a great way to bring a room to life. Just glance over your room and figure out what the major color is and go for the opposite! You can use either a decorator's color wheel or a painter's color wheel so see the contrasting colors to the major color scheme of your individual room.

Impact Pieces:
This is another great way to liven up an otherwise seemingly drab room. An outstanding impact piece is the broken up sculpture look. An actual historical relic is cast in lightweight resin and then hand finished to give it the look of ancient stone. Displayed with the pieces close together to give the overview of the entire piece, yet showing the breakage will make a real eye-catcher in any room.

And that's just two easy ways to liven up any room you feel needs a little something.
posted by Home Decor Experts - Accent Architecturals   

Make the Most of Your Small Space!

If you have a small space, don't fret; there are a number of tricks you can pull in your decorating to make your small room feel larger.

First of all, look up! Look at all the space between your windows and your ceiling. You can use this space to your advantage in a small room. Hang your draperies and other window treatments such as cornice boards at the highest point possible just below crown molding if you have it and it will draw the eye upward to the free flowing draperies that will appear long and lush and give the illusion of much larger window areas than you actually have in the room.

The furnishings in a room should be able to do dual duties. Have a large ottoman that can double as a table. When choosing cabinets or other items for your small room, make sure they have lots of interior storage space, that way you can get maximum usage from a piece of furniture that takes up little floor space. A cleverly used bookshelf can not only hold books but can work as a bar area as well as holding glasses and other items necessary to make martinis for an impromptu gathering of your friends.

Make your walls work for you. Add long mirrors on at least two connected walls. The mirrors will trick the viewer's eye into seeing more space in the room from the reflection of the mirrors and extending the room in the mind's eye.

Go for light colors. Lighter shades of color advance and make rooms seem larger. Darker colors recede and make rooms feel smaller. You can further expand on this idea by using lightly colored woods in your furnishings.
posted by Home Decor Experts - Accent Architecturals   

More Small Room Decorating Tips

If you have a small space, there are a number of things you can do to make the most of your room.

Less is More:

In a small space less really is more. It may seem logical to put small pieces in a small room; but what you wind up with is a cluttered looking mess if you use small delicate chairs; small tables with tiny knick-knacks and other little items. The best plan of action is to go for one or two big pieces and items with lots of functional storage space.

Go for a large overstuffed sofa with an ottoman that can do double duty as a coffee table. A handy tray placed on top makes it very functional in that fashion. Another item that you can use in a living room area is a hutch, sideboard or other type of cabinet with doors to hold CDs, DVDs and other items you use frequently but don't want to leave out to help with the goal to keep the clutter factor out of the room.

Keep the Patterns Easy on the Eyes:

Don't go for a lot of busy patterns, while they can bring the walls in when used in a larger room, busy patterns create an aura of clutter when used in a small room in abundance. Use patterned fabrics to highlight and bright colors together but use sparingly. Above all use lighter colors to keep the room "open" as lighter colors expand a room.

Use Your Fifth Wall:

Your ceiling is your fifth wall. You can use paint treatments on your ceiling such as add texture with a roller or using something as simple as wadded up cellophane plastic to give your ceiling an individualized look. Keep the colors bright and light. Also ceiling tiles bring an air of whimsy into your room and will keep the eye of the viewer looking up which makes your room seem larger.

As you can see, there are a number of easy-to-do decorating tips to help your small room look fabulous!
posted by Home Decor Experts - Accent Architecturals   

Making Your Living Room Livable

It doesn't matter if you live in a large house with wide open spaces or a small one bedroom bungalow, your living room is the room that will create an impression on all your guests. When you are decorating your living room consider the vibe you want everyone to feel. Do you want minimalistic furnishings with clean lines or would you rather have the cozy, comfort of a French Country look? Should you go formal or Shabby Chic?

Your living room is one of the most versatile rooms in your home and it should be a reflection of you. If you're fun loving or laid back, let that shine through in your decorating style. If you opt for a formal living room, these are historically referred to as drawing rooms or parlors and generally are used only to greet guests. Often if you have a collection of something like china, crystal or fine art - it is often showcased in this setting. However if you plan to use your living room for gathering around the television with the family and spending quality time with family and friends, a more casual décor style will probably be in order.

For elements that make a living room that is cozy and welcoming, go for warm colors and all who enter will appreciate a touch of whimsy in your decorating style such as with the use of a metal sign. The Palm Reader sign is made from reclaimed metal and looks like it came off Madame Zarba's home and is sure to bring a smile to your family and guests.

Remember, your living room is for just that: living. Put your personal touch on your living room and make it an extension of your personality.
posted by Home Decor Experts - Accent Architecturals   

Living Room Decor for Him and Her

When you happily say, "I do" and then you go about the process of merging two households, you may find you and your new spouse have slightly different decorating styles. In order for this situation to not turn decorating the living room into a battle of the sexes, architecture and interior decorating can be as happily married as you two when you merge the clean lines of architecture with fine design pieces.

Another way to compromise and make you both happy is to make a list of both of your ideal pieces in the room and compare your ideas. Many times you will find you have many of the same pieces in mind. This will eliminate a lot of arguments over what sofa, chair and ottoman to have in your living room. Talk about storage space. Decide where you will put your now enormous DVD and CD collection that are now merged. An entertainment center with storage space might be the ticket for that dilemma.

You may have to give up your dream of a mauve and peach living room in favor of something your man will be comfortable sitting in. A good color scheme for a larger room you can both appreciate is to use deep, earthy colors such as brown, navy, burgundy and forest green. If you have a small room - go for lighter colors to keep the room from feeling closed in.

Go for something that is neither too feminine nor too masculine. Clean lines and classic styles that translate not only from your choices in furniture but also to your wall décor and even draperies with low-key cornice boards will make your living a cozy, yet not overwhelmingly feminine and not too manly.

Keep it simple with function in mind and you can have a comfortable living room you will both enjoy.
posted by Home Decor Experts - Accent Architecturals