Home Décor

Kitchen Design

A kitchen is a place where memories are made. Eying a child’s first drawing, opening a perfect report card, or making an engagement announcement often occur to the tune of a whistling kettle. It’s not surprising that a workable, pleasing kitchen is one of a home’s top-selling attractions and a pleasure for all who frequent it.

To accommodate the ebb and flow of family and friends, a good layout is essential. While you might like having company, you don’t want them underfoot. Instead, there should be well-defined traffic routes and a zone where the chef functions undisturbed.

How many people cook at one time (experts advise 48 to 54 inches of space for one person to pass safely behind another), children’s ages, and any special needs family members have should all be taken into consideration.

Adding an island is a great way to expand kitchen workspace.

There are four basic kitchen layouts:

* The galley shape with two walls of appliances squaring off opposite each other
* The L-shape that locates the three main elements (sink, stove, and refrigerator) along two perpendicular walls forming a natural triangle
* The U-shape that puts the elements on three walls
* The G-shape, which is essentially a U-shape with a fourth wall (which could be a handy peninsula) to provide room for more counter space, cabinetry, and appliances.

For efficiency, consider the classic work triangle formula according to how it coincides with the configuration you choose. Two work areas — one for cooking, the other for serving and clearing, each with a sink — is also a popular strategy.

For appliances, consult the experts at Appliance.net.

Bathroom Decor

In general, all baths — from the luxurious spa to the cheerful, kid-friendly bath down the hall — require adequate light, good ventilation, plenty of storage, and fittings and fixtures that are as practical as they are attractive.

Traditionally styled fixtures and fittings are featured in a wide range of prices so it’s possible to achieve a high-end look without paying a fortune. Savvy homeowners who might not have the budget for a marble floor, say, can opt for faux-marble ceramic tiles and still get the look.

Simple neutral palettes and straightforward cabinetry are ideal for the bathroom.

• Tasteful Decor: Traditional, appealing and timeless, tasteful bathroom decor pleases home-owners as well as future buyers.
• Safety with Style: Convert a bathroom into a safer place without losing anything to style. Designers, more than ever, know how to mingle form and function to give you eye-catching options for safety.
• Minimalist Decorating Tips: Understatement can often help smaller bathrooms achieve more space. Learn how you can get the most from your minimal space.
• Clean Lines: Define your bathroom space with smooth, clean lines, providing a sense of order. Find out how in this article.
• Traditional Victorian: Add some romance to bath-time, or bring the look of a vintage home into the bath with these tips on decorating with a nod to times gone by.
• Traditional: Traditional styles have withstood the test of time. Add a touch of dignity and grace to your bathroom by using ceramic title, marble, fabric, porcelain and even wood.
• Master Bath: See how custom cherry cabinets can be elegant without being ostentatious. Learn how to use open shelving to show off your most valuable bathroom items while still tucking them away.
• Southwest Ranch: This look relies on ageless materials that are strong with simple good looks. Find out how to create a feeling of free-spiritedness with welcoming comfort.
• Romantic Décor: A small space is perfect for a romantic setting that reflects long-ago times. Learn how to choose accessories to match a royal era and to achieve a literary look.
• French Provincial: Invoke the spirit of Marie Antoinette’s distinctly coquettish aura with the refined elegance of French Provincial styling.
• Contemporary: Cool and clean while still casual and elegant, contemporary decorating balances a “modern” look with traditional styles.
• Glamor Bath: Smooth fixtures and complementing curves make for a glamorous bathroom that doesn’t have to break the bank.
• Cutting-Edge Contemporary: Shapes and edges play an important role in design. Learn how branched quartzite from Brazil can create sophisticated and cutting-edge flooring.
• Color Explosion: Fields of strong color play well against bright white fixtures. See how color coordination can make a world of difference for a contemporary space.
• Drawing from Nature: If privacy isn’t a problem on your property, natural backdrops can create instant ambiance for your bathroom. Find out how to use the outdoors to inspire your indoor space.
• Creating Drama: Dramatic tones can emerge through simple elegance and turn a generously sized bath into a minimalist design by using loft-style design aesthetics.
• Clean Lines: For the true minimalist, the bathroom is an ideal place to start. Find out how a lack of physical clutter can make a room safer and easier to use.
• Fresh and New: Exquisitely engineered down to the smallest detail, this deceptively simple-looking room has a lot more to offer than its squeaky clean appeal.
• Accessible and Stylish: Functionality doesn’t have to lack style. Check out this article on how to create easily accessible showers and sinks that are far from everyday plain.
• Bright White: Even if you commit to a strongly colored wall in a permanent material, white fixtures still give you maximum leeway to change your scheme.
• High Style: Stained glass, cherry millwork, sophisticated black fixtures and other artful elements play starring roles in this richly embellished space.
• Far East: A bath inspired by the timeless Chinese aesthetic is dramatic, restrained, exciting and simple. Learn how to create the Far East aesthetic using Cinnabar, the rich red color of Chinese lacquer.
• Using Patterns: A riot of stripes, triangles and related shapes combine to make a dizzying array that creates an optical illusion in a fearless design.
• Transitional: Transitional styles are just that: transitions between traditional and contemporary styles. Take a look at some transitional styles with eclectic and ethnic tones.
• Simple and Elegant: Rich wood and a neutral palette can make a bathroom into an oasis of tranquility. Get tips to help you make your own bathroom a more relaxing getaway.

Some considerations when starting a bathroom decorating project:

• Spaciousness is a luxury in itself. But small retreats can also be indulgent. Go wholly modern, traditional, or somewhere delightfully in between. Each of the three fundamental areas — the bathing and showering area, the sink and grooming area, and the toilet area — should be planned with your particular habits and tastes in mind.
• Safety measures like grab bars, no-scald faucets, rounded corners on counters, and slip-resistant surfaces benefit all ages and abilities.Thoughtful touches like a shaving mirror mounted above the sink, towel warmers, and hand-held shower heads are always appreciated additions.
• Master baths, guest-room baths, and powder rooms tend to be more opulent than family or children’s baths. With safety in mind, the last kind needs to be planned to grow along with the kids.
• Simple neutral palettes and straightforward cabinetry that can be painted or stained as tastes mature are ideal. Built-in storage that provides drawers as well as cubbies for towels will look adorable now and years down the road.
• To facilitate traffic in a busy family bath, consider installing a separate tub and shower (an angled shower makes use of a corner). Design a countertop that extends the length of the room and uses varying widths to create a useful surface that will leave floor space open. A private enclosure for the toilet will be a boon when kids and parents are rushing, too.
• Choose light-reflective materials such as maple cabinets, stainless-steel sinks, and polished-chrome faucets to keep a contemporary bath looking airy. White wainscoting and white brick tile will have a similar dazzling effect in a traditional room.
• For organization, build in a vented laundry hamper beside the sink. If a child needs a step stool to reach the faucets, find one that folds up and away when not in use. Hang hooks at a level to accommodate each family member’s robe, and allot each member a shelf or a drawer.
• What they lack in size, powder rooms more than make up with usability. Strategically placed beside an office or den, these little rooms — with usually just a sink and toilet — can serve as guest baths.
• If yours is located close to a formal living room, duplicate the living room’s style with faux-finished wall treatments and gold or brass fixtures. Consider paneling or go wild with color and flea-market finds for a basement powder room. An iron shelf to hang above a pedestal sink? A retro plastic chair teamed with colored tiles?
• A sanctuary designed for two should strive to suit both parties. In addition to dual sinks (which could be back to back as well as side by side), plan separate recessed medicine cabinets. Install vanities at comfortable heights, and include twin dressing rooms. Experiment with materials, colors, and textures for a unique look that expresses your style.
• A grand skylight or windows beside the tub and in the shower will allow you to commune with nature and leave your troubles behind.

Home Decor

Home Decor

Seek products to make a world of difference in your home or garden. Before you start tearing down walls and completely remodeling your home, consider the huge difference that small changes can make. Perhaps, to get the results you want, you need only to apply a fresh coat of paint, rearrange the furniture, and display some new home decor. Trust us, changing your decor is much less expensive and less stressful than tearing down walls!

Whether your living room, bathroom, bedroom, or kitchen, etc. needs just a little freshening or an entire revamping, there are items you will need to create the look you want. Go ahead and browse through products, and don’t forget to take a look at tips and articles for helpful ideas.

When deciding on your home decor, do not be afraid to mix and match different items of decor. There is no reason to make you home decor look exactly like a picture you saw in a magazine. Instead, the style of your home should reflect you. It should reflect your likes and desires, dislikes and distastes. You should be able to walk into a room and truly feel at home. Your guests should be able to walk in and feel absolutely comfortable and invited. You can use your home decor to set a particular mood in a room — make your living room welcoming, your bathroom soothing, your bedroom cozy or seductive, your family room bright and cheery, etc. Be sure to have fun with it!