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Bathroom Window Curtains for the Modern Home

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:41:35 +0000

Finding a great curtain for your bathroom window can finish off the look of the room and is an important part of the decor, especially in a small bathroom. Choosing bathroom curtains is a bit trickier than in some other rooms however, because of the need for privacy, the moisture factor and the size of the room. The good news is that you probably just have one window to worry about, maybe two, so you may not be quite as constricted by budget issues as you would be in a large room where you have to multiply everything by six.

Let’s start with the decision on the style of bathroom window curtains to buy. If you want to stay with a traditional look, then regular curtains that hang on a rod would be appropriate. There are many choices of curtains with top and bottom panels, valances and swags to achieve the look you want. For a more modern bathroom, you could consider grommet top or tab top curtains. These choices work best when you don’t plan on opening and closing the curtains often and you’re using blinds or shades for privacy.

As you look for curtains to go with the colors of your bathroom, keep in mind the humidity factor in the bathroom. Many manufacturers offer curtains made from synthetics that will resist mildew and clean more easily than natural fibers. The same goes for blinds and shades. Use vinyl or faux wood blinds instead of wood blinds that will eventually warp in a humid environment.

Privacy is more important in the bathroom than other rooms, unless your house is secluded or the window is obscured from view. While you can get privacy from heavier fabrics, this may also block some natural light and you may prefer lighter curtains in the bathroom. The best option for privacy and optimum light is to pair curtains with a blind or shade.

If you are looking for a sleek, contemporary look for your modern bathroom, you could also consider alternative window treatments such as using a faux wood blind or shutter on their own for a simple, modern look. Find all of these bathroom window treatments in both local stores and online. Although buying bathroom curtains for windows seems complicated, you should be able to find a curtain or other option that you like without too much trouble.

All About Contemporary Window Treatments

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 19:21:00 +0000

Contemporary window treatments are simple, neat and complement the room decor and the windows rather than overpowering them. You can still make use of your favorite types of window treatments such as draperies, curtains, shades and blinds, but you will see that many of the popular window treatments in these categories have taken on a simpler, sleeker and often, more natural look.

Curtains and Draperies

Simplicity is the key to modern window treatments, and this includes contemporary curtains and drapes. Straight, clean lines are in, tassels and fancy embellishments are out. Bold prints will still work, but most will have fewer colors than before. Neutrals and colors that blend into the room are very popular. Straight, full length curtains or drapes hanging on an attractive rod is a great choice for many rooms. Grommets and tab tops as well as more traditional headings are all common these days. Pair drapes with shades or blinds for privacy and control the natural light.

Contemporary kitchen curtains are simple and practical as well. Make sure the curtains you hang in the windows are machine washable, let in enough light and make you happy as well, since most of us spend a lot of time in our kitchen.

Shades and Blinds

Shades and blinds are becoming a stand-alone solution for decorating windows. Many people like the minimalist look of just having an attractive roman shade or a wooden blind on the inside of the window. Since there are now so many choices avialble, you can often find a shade or blind that you like and that will take care of your warmth, privacy and light control needs as well.

Popular blinds include wooden slat blinds such as bamboo blinds, and cellular blinds made with a honeycomb structure that look modern and act as a good insulator of both hot and cold outdoor temperatures. Both of these options come in a variety of colors to go with your room decor. These styles look nice in newer homes but also look wonderful in older homes that have beautiful window frames that many people fell it is a shame to cover up with heavy window treatments. Let the light in and enjoy those lovely moldings!

Popular shades include traditional roller shades and different types of Roman shades. Shades are available at all different price points from inexpensive to custom made from fabrics of your choice. Like blinds, a well made Roman shade can be all that you on a window. many shades and blinds are made from natural, renewable materials that make environmental sense in many ways as they also help control the temperature and reduce energy needs in your home.

Use these tips along with your personal style and preferences to find some great contemporary window treatments for your home.

Shop for Contemporary Window Treatments Now

Wooden Wall Shelves for Every Room

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 15:04:52 +0000

Whether you are in desperate need of storage space or just need a spot for your doll collection, wooden wall shelves can save the day. They can add a classic, elegant look to a living room or den and provide much needed storage space in the bathroom. From fancy, ornate shelves to strong utilitarian shelving, wood shelves can be a good solution for many of our needs in the home.

The kitchen is a great place to make use of wooden wall shelves. Why not find a pretty shelf to hold all of your cookbooks instead of using valuable cabinet space for them? Or add a corner shelf with decorative items to make use of that empty space and add a nice touch to your kitchen decor. If you have an older home, your kitchen may not have been built with that much cabinet space. Wall mounted shelves are a great way to add storage space without spending a lot of money.

Buy wooden wall shelves now

Hanging solid wood shelves in a living room or den is a nice way to add a classic look that is warm and homey. Display your favorite heirlooms or decorate with photos and plants to create an inviting cozy space for you and your family to relax in. If you are the type that collects lots of books, add wood wall shelves along with bookcases to provide plenty of room to store all of your favorite books. You can find wooden wall shelves to go with any type of room decor, from traditional to contemporary.

Kids rooms are another great place to make use of wood wall shelves. Most children end up with a lot of toys, books and games and toy boxes and bookshelves can quickly fill up. You could hang up some shelves for those favorite items that they don’t want to misplace. You can even find wooden shelves that are painted to match different types of kids room decor.

Wall shelves made of wood can be found at local furniture stores, home improvement stores and through online retailers. Take advantage of these classic looking shelves to create a distinctive or casual display in any room in your home.

Buying a Farmhouse Dining Table

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:46:00 +0000

Buy Farmhouse Tables, Chairs, Benches and Accessories
If you are searching for the perfect farmhouse dining table, you have several avenues to pursue. You can find a great antique table from the 1700s, choose a modern day replica complete with a distressed finish, or choose a table made from recycled or reclaimed wood from an old barn or farmhouse. Any of these tables would provide you with a great place to gather and eat with family and friends and would be a nice addition to your home decor.

Sturdy plank-top farmhouse tables have been a popular choice in homes with a country or rustic style. The popularity of the farmhouse dining table has spread to include many other homeowners in the suburbs as well as the urban crowd. There is a something comforting and inviting about gathering around a beautiful hardwood table that has been handcrafted with care.

Dating back to the 1700s, farmhouse dining tables were at the center of home life for the busy family living in the French countryside, rural England or Colonial America. These tables, hand-crafted from oak, maple or pine, were well constructed and durable enough to last for generations. If you are fortunate enough to find a vintage table, you will own a piece of history as well as a beautiful piece of furniture. The best way to find an antique farmhouse table is probably through an authorized antique dealer or through online auctions. Many people decide to pair new chairs with their old table since it is more difficult to find original chairs that are still in good shape.

Another option is to look for a nice reproduction of the farmhouse dining table. Several companies produce beautiful plank-top tables replicating the original farm dining tables of the 1700s. The turned-leg style table was the most common type of farmhouse table during previous centuries, but you can also find trestle style and pedestal tables for your kitchen or dining room. You can purchase farmhouse dining sets that include chairs or a combination of chairs and benches. Sometimes purchasing your table and chairs separately is the best way to get exactly what you are looking for however. There are an abundance of Shaker and Mission style chairs on the market today that would work well with a farmhouse table.

The final option is to look for a table that has been made from reclaimed wood. This is a great way to recycle while ending up with a well constructed table with beautiful aged wood. You can also an artisan to create such a table for you at places like Elmwood Reclaimed Wood. Whatever you decide, you and your family will enjoy your farmhouse table for years to come.

Double Curtain Rods for Decorating

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:43:05 +0000

When redecorating a room, you may be looking for ways to show your own personal style. One way to accomplish this is with choosing a combination of window treatments that fits your taste and personality. Using double curtain rods are a great way to get the window treatments you want, without losing any of the practical benefits of your draperies.

As you probably know, double curtain rods are just two rods that share the same wall bracket with about two inches between them. This allows for the layering of window treatments and means that you have unlimited possibilities for decorating and for controlling the amount of light that comes into the room. You can experiment with different valances, drapes, tiebacks, rods and finials to achieve the look you are going for.

From a practical point of view, you can hang sheers on the inner rod and drapes on the outer rod to let light in during the day, and then close the drapes for privacy or to keep heat in the room, etc. Double curtain rods can also save you time and money. It is both easier and less expensive to install one double rod than it is to try to work woth two separate rods.

Double curtain rods can be found at curtain shops, department stores and through online retailers as well. They come in an assortment of sizes and styles, including black, white, pewter, gold and bronze. Look for antique looking rods for a traditional style or metal rods for a more modern room. Make sure that you measure your windows carefully before you shop for double curtain rods and follow the manufacturers directions when installing them. One other tip is to make sure that the curtains you select will not need more of the two inches or so in width when they are open, otherwise they will rub against the other rod and curtain.

Take advantage of double curtain rods to achieve the look you want with your new window treatments. It is finishing touches such as curtains that can make a space truly your own.

Black and White Wallpaper Designs

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 15:00:07 +0000

A great way to add sophistication and drama to a room you are redoing is to start with black and white wallpaper on the walls. Whether your design style is traditional, modern or retro, starting off with a black and white “background” will give you a timeless, chic, but still neutral beginning to a well designed space.

Dining rooms, living rooms and even kitchens are great places to use black and white wallpaper. Let’s take a look at some of the ways the use of these wallpapers can add to your design ideas. If you are going for elegance and sophistication and have a traditional home you can’t go wrong with a floral black and white wallpaper. In both art and architecture, the combination of black and white is classic and timeless. Think of a stoic museum or gallery with a black and white marble floor. A black and white traditional wallpaper can give a Parisian feel to a room and provide a subtle background for your furniture and accent pieces.

If you prefer more contemporary design, look for a black and white wallpaper with more of a geometric design. This could be a great start for a modern design with a minimalist feel. You could even keep all of your furnishings black and white or use just one other color (such as red) in the room. Another approach is to keep everything else in the room simple and use an artistic black and white wallpaper as the focal point of the room.

Black and white wallpapers are also a perfect choice when creating a retro look in a kitchen or dining room. From black velvet damask papers to polka dot patterns, you can escape back to any decade you want by choosing a retro wallpaper for the background of your room. Because of the popularity of everything retro in recent years, there are plenty of companies where you can browse either in person or online to find the perfect wallpaper for your decorating project.

If you are looking for a different approach for your next home design project, you can’t go wrong with a black and white wallpaper no matter what style of decorating you like. Your room will be timeless and ready for whatever furnishings you want to add to complete the look.

Shaggy Rugs Are Back

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:59:23 +0000

Who would have guessed that the shag rugs that were popular during the 1960s and 1970s would be back in style today? The new “shaggy rugs” are a little different and many are made of high quality materials. But since many people like these rugs for the nostalgic reasons, you can find them in the bright colors that were reminiscent of earlier times.

The best thing about shaggy rugs is that they provide a comfortable floor covering at an affordable price. They have always been popular with the younger generation, who enjoy trendy furnishings and typically do not have a large budget. A shag rug is also a great way to add a pop of color to a room. They are a popular choice for apartment dwellers, college students, and kids of all ages. There are also upscale shag rugs for the hip urban professional looking for a unique or retro rug for a wooden floor.

Colors of the 1970s such as pink, orange and lime green are popular choices for shag rug buyers. Today you can also find an assortment of shaggy rugs in neutral and earth tone colors. In addition to providing comfort and color, the shag rug can also add texture and warmth to your room decor. Because shag rugs are now made with many different materials, you can find one to go with any style of decorating, from traditional to ultra-modern.

Shag rugs are made from cotton, wool, acrylic and even leather. Flokati shag rugs are traditionally hand made in Greece from 100% wool and are naturally an off white or gray color, but they can be dyed other colors as well. Authentic Flokati rugs are made from wool and are measured according to the number of grams of wool per square meter. A rug of at least 2000 grams/meter is recommended for a common area of the home. Cotton shaggy rugs are also popular, especially the soft chenille ones. Leather rugs are more expensive and can also be very soft and luxurious.

You will find shag rugs to go in a living room in front of a fireplace or in a bedroom to provide a soft surface to step on as you get out of bed. Kids love shaggy rugs for their look and feel and there are many choices to match kids room decor for younger children as well as teenagers. Once you add a shag rug to your home you may want to find some more!

Nesting Tables for Your Home

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 13:07:14 +0000

Whether you are living in a small apartment in the city or a sprawling home in the suburbs, there are usually times when you wish you had more table space for things such as serving guests or perhaps for displaying holiday decorations. Nesting tables can be the perfect solution when there is a temporary need for additional side tables or a coffee table, but a permanent piece of furniture is not necessary and would make the room overcrowded.

Nesting tables are a set of two or three tables that can store inside each other when not in use. They are very handy for entertaining guests or just using as accent tables in your home. They could be pulled out to eat on when watching the big football game, or when the kids are working on a project for school. Seasonal decorations could be displayed on nesting tables, and then the tables could be tucked away until the next time they are needed.

Crate& Barrel Moreno Nesting Table Set

There are different types of nesting tables to go with various decorating styles. Furniture stores will carry beautiful wood nesting tables made from cherry or mahogany that would fit in with traditional décor. Mission style tables, natural oak versions and rustic country sets are easy to find as well. For a more modern, there are also many contemporary nesting tables available. Choose from glass nesting tables made with clear glass and chrome or even a set of modern nesting tables made from black leather at designerseating.com.

For a selection of nesting tables in different styles and price ranges Target is a good place look. They carry inexpensive wooden sets and interesting styles such as slate top nesting tables for a Mediterranean look. Once you do a little research, you should be able to find a set of nesting tables that will be an attractive addition to your home as well as a handy group of tables that you will use over and over again.

Choosing Bunk Beds for Kids

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:32:41 +0000

Most kids love bunk beds almost as much as they love ice cream. Even if they have their own room, there is just something about the possibilities of climbing, jumping and sleepovers that bunk beds seem to invoke from their very presence in a room. Choosing the right bunk beds when you are planing a child’s room is important, since you want your kids to be happy and safe and it would be nice if the beds lasted for a few years too.

There are many decisions to be made when shopping for bunk beds for kids, including the size of the beds, the look of the bunk beds and the preferences of your children. There are many bed configurations available in addition to the traditional twin over twin bunk beds. Some of these options include twin over full, full over full, futon bunk beds, trundle bunk beds and loft bunk beds. The twin over full configuration works well if you have one younger child and an older child who likes a larger bed. Trundle beds are a great way to include another child in the sleepover if you have friends over often. A loft bed is great for a small room since you can put a desk and/or dresser underneath.

Buy bunk beds now

For younger children there are many themed bunk bed sets, including princess, doll house and castle themes for girls and space ship, army tent and race car bunks for boys. If you are thinking of a themed bunk bed set, it is a good idea to plan ahead and consider how long your child might like the theme before growing out of it. It might be a good idea to get a neutral set of bunk beds that will last awhile and then purchase tent kits separately.

Another way to have your bunk beds grow with your children is to buy a futon bunk bed. These sets have a bottom bed that will fold up to make a couch. These bunk beds work well is you start off with two kids sharing a room and then split them into their own rooms later on. Older kids enjoy having the couch in their room and it doesn’t take up extra floor space.

For kids that need a lot of space to store all of their important stuff, the bunk beds that include storage drawers underneath come in handy. The space under a bed often goes unused or is a place to lose things indefinitely. Having storage drawers maximizes this space and help keep your kids organized. justkidsbeds.com is one place to find such items as futon bunk beds for kids and wooden bunk beds for kids.

You can find some pretty cheap bunk beds for kids at unfinished furniture stores and discount stores. Some of the least expensive ones are metal bunk beds for kids. Many people prefer the look of wooden furniture, but if you are looking for a really low price, metal is one way to go. If you have the space triple bunk beds for kids are also available. These are usually configured with two beds on top in an L shape and a third bed underneath.

Finding the right set of bunk beds for kids will pay off, since your children will be happy and bedtime will be just a little bit easier for Mom and Dad.

Lap Trays for Everyone

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:14:20 +0000

Lap trays prove to be very useful tools when we feel like sitting back and relaxing with a nice table top for our food or work. There are a great number of varieties of lap trays available for all sorts of different uses. Dinner trays are perhaps the most popular type of lap tray.. They work as personal tables to hold food in place while we sit back comfy, and relax. They are great when we have to eat dinner, but our favorite show happens to be on at the same time. However not all dinner trays are used solely for our lazy pleasure. They are also great for barbecues or large dinners when you don’t have quite enough table space for everyone.

Another different type of lap tray is the breakfast tray. It’s mini legs stand up nicely over your body, perfect for a great breakfast in bed. What mother doesn’t want to be woken up to a wonderful breakfast-in-bed on Mothers Day, served on her breakfast lap tray. Some trays are even equipped with a place for a cup and silverware so there will be no spills while you enjoy.

The trays can be used for work purposes as well. They’re great for kid’s to do their homework on without having to buy them a whole desk. For younger ones they can use them as the perfect, flat surface for coloring. And you can use them as well. Does your laptop ever heat up to an uncomfortable warmth against your body? A lap tray can be just the thing to absorb the heat, and give you a flatter surface to work off of. This is all while working at the place in the house where you prefer because a lap tray can be brought anywhere.

Lap trays are available all over the internet as well as in most home stores. Levenger is one online store that has some nice lap trays for personal computers and writing desks. Trays come in a variety of styles, color, even materials. Plastic and wooden are the materials that are most popular these days. For kids, plastic lap trays are great to wipe up any mess easily. They even come in fun colors or with cartoons designed on them! Legs are an option as well as pockets, and small storage compartments for pens, etc. The prices range from around $5 all the way up to $25+ depending on the type. A few lap trays are great buys for a family and will never go unused!