For Winter - Go Tropical in Your Home

Sometimes just making a few changes in a room can make it feel warmer. With the colder days of winter fast approaching, make your living room a warm place to gather and add a tropical touch to make the room a relaxing island escape all year round. If you think "tropical decor" and it brings horrifying images of a room that has gone garishly loud with the colors of the local tiki bar, relax. The look you're going for is elegant, relaxing and laid back - nothing overly bright or garish.

Think Natural
First of all, think natural. Plants of course are an outstanding addition. Anywhere you have natural light in your room, add a plant. You can use either a plant stand - something with a bamboo look melds great with a tropical theme or hang plants near your windows. Woven mats in front of doorways and a natural Japanese jute mat in front of the fireplace with a selection of big fluffy pillows in greens and earthy browns sets a relaxing tone to your room.

On Your Walls
If your vacations frequently take you to warm and sandy locales, make a grouping of photographs on your wall to showcase your adventures. A set of three resin made tropical panels that look like leaf and tropical flower pressings set in stone add a decidedly island touch.

Window Treatments

Make your choice in window treatments light and breezy. Go for light cotton panels that are either solid colors or a print that reflects a tropical feel such as a palm tree or exotic flowers. Use matching sheers to keep the decor feel light and breezy.

Those are just a few changes you can make to keep that warm, tropical feel around your home all through the year.
posted by Home Decor Experts - Accent Architecturals   

Elements for Modern Home Decor

When you look around your living room do you see lots of clutter, knick-knacks and other items out on tables, counter tops, and other places around your room; it may be time to change your interior to something a little more modern.

If the term "modern decor" makes you think chrome, glass and metal - those are modern elements but are not absolute parts of a modern decor. Instead the goal of a modern decor are sleek lines, minimal "stuff" on tables and multi-tasking pieces that can do a service for the room and then be put away when not in use to keep the feel of the room uncluttered are best.

Modern doesn't have to mean boring, museum-like or austere. There are fun pieces you can add to your decor that have a decidedly modern touch. If you don't already have one, add an entertainment center to hold your CD player, CDs, DVDs, and television. Go for a bold black or white for your finish. Another fun, yet modern look is in the form of a wooden and metal patchboard table. These unusual pieces are made from original wooden pieces of barns, classic wooden siding, bead board, teak and more and all the pieces are planed down to be perfectly level and then inlaid creatively into a patchwork design. The clean lines of a patchwork piece fit perfectly into any modern themed decor.

Your walls should have minimalist art and cubism pieces too. A good example of Cubism lies in the works Picasso did. They weren't really abstracts, the natures of Picasso's work was to take one element such as a chair and take it apart in a painting by randomly examining each piece. A good Picasso print or other stylish piece will look fantastic in a modern themed interior.

Gadgets are other fun elements that usually go well in a modern decor. Chrome lighters, kinetic items that once touched continue to move are other great little items to add. Sleek floor lamps and bright pillows on sofas with smooth lines will make for a great look for the room.

It doesn't take a lot to go modern. If you're ready for a change, look to the future and put your living room ahead of the times.
posted by Home Decor Experts - Accent Architecturals   

Great Interior Decorating Ideas for Your Living Room

The living room in many of our homes has become the exhaustion room. The family comes in collectively after work, school, soccer practice, choir and after work meetings and plops down in front of the television and decompresses from the day. Make this gathering spot a room where you live once more by making it a cozy and comfortable place to relax and enjoy each other's company instead of a place to sit in silence and stare at a television.

Nix the Television
That doesn't mean take it out of the room, that means make it television is among your choices in the room. An entertainment armoire will do a good job of hiding a television when it is not in use; additionally the drawers and shelves within will do their duty and keep clutter in the room to a minimum.

Make a Central Point
If you have a fireplace, make that your central spot. If not any place in your room will do. Look at the placement of your sofa and chairs and arrange them to face each other instead of in a line facing the wall where the television is. Make a conversation corner and in between the chairs and sofa, place a coffee table for sharing snacks or playing games. This is a great way to have the family reconnect and spend time together.

Make one night a week a family night. You'll find that one night a week will soon translate into more as your family reclaims the enjoyment of spending time together. One family would gather and have each member bring a CD and play one song from it. Everyone would comment on whatever was played by writing down what they thought and then reading the critiques out loud. This would usually lead to some expansions of musical horizons for everyone along with some funny comments.

Making a few simple furniture arrangements and a couple of additions can turn your living room into a room that the entire family will enjoy gathering in and spending time together after work and school.
posted by Home Decor Experts - Accent Architecturals   

Places to Get Home Decor Ideas

One of the very hardest things to do when you're ready to change the look of a room in your home is to find the inspiration for the changes. It's easy to say that you want to look more cozy, or more modern or perhaps something a little more child friendly now that you've added little ones to your family. Finding the ideas for the changes you want to make can seem daunting.

Print
Magazines are a great place to start. Look in such periodicals as Better Homes and Gardens or one of the number of design magazines out there that profile all makes and manners of decors. Make yourself a little scrap book of pieces you like. It doesn't have to be anything formal, a spiral notebook with the title "Living Room" or "Kitchen" on the page is sufficient. Then as your find pieces you like add them the page of the room you want to put the piece in and you'll soon see a lot of great ideas coming together.

Television
With the number of home decorating shows as well two major networks, Style and HGTV dedicated to better interior design; you can get some fabulous ideas for changing the look of any room in your house and in most cases, save money by learning to do certain things yourself, like make your own draperies and pillows.

Stores
Visit furniture stores and home design stores. Pick up a few of those free paint color samples. You can use those to make sure you get the colors you want to use right for your room. It's also a good idea for comparing how different colors look together.

Online
When you're looking online at home furnishings, look at the way the item is displayed. If you love that little delicate little table and you like the area rug and lamp it is displayed with, check out if the items are available in colors that will coordinate with your own home decor.

And those are just a few of the places you can get good ideas for making changes to your home decor and loving the results!
posted by Home Decor Experts - Accent Architecturals   

Use Feng Shui in Your Decor to Turn Up the Heat

If you're ready to redo your bedroom and you feel your personal life could use a little heating up, consider using some of the principles of Feng Shui to make the feeling in the room flow in a positive way.

There are two main schools of thought in Feng Shui design, one is called the Compass School and the other is called the Black Hat School. Both have their own interpretations of Feng Shui elements; as long as you feel positive about the changes - it's the right way to go.

Finding Your Wealth of Life Area in Your Home

The Compass School dictates the area where personal relationships will grow strongest is in the southwest part of your home. The Black Hat School conveys that the left side of your home or bedroom is where the relationships will grow strongest.

The traditional Feng Shui colors to use throughout the room are beige and pink. The number two should figure prominently. If you put a decorative item in the room make sure to put them in pairs. A pair of candlesticks, lamps, and diptych pictures - where two paintings or photos make one large piece on the wall are also said to bring harmony into the room; all of these are fabulous Feng Shui accents. Move your bed to the left side of your room and decorate outward. Your goal is to have balance in your room.

Curing Hurt Feelings and Negative Attitudes in a Relationship

Another part of Feng Shui decor is called "cures". If your personal relationship is suffering from illness such as fighting, negativity or lack of communication; there are a number of "cures" you can apply in the decor of your room. It is believed bad feelings, fights and negativity go into fabrics and furnishings. If you have had a number of fights in your bedroom, get new bed sheets. A fresh coat of paint in beige on your walls will also neutralize bad feelings. Place fresh flowers in your bedroom, pink tulips or roses are especially good. Use a small table in front of a window and place two bamboo plants in an attractive vase there - the bamboo represents your harmony and unity as a couple. Move your bed an inch to the left or right at least twice a year. The smallest movement of objects can change the flow of energy through the room. When you light candles in your bedroom, light two - one for each of you.

If you're ready to make some positive changes in your love life - add a little Feng Shui magic to the mix.
posted by Home Decor Experts - Accent Architecturals