The Latest in Decor Tips and Advice
- - In the early 1800s, Washington Irving penned a quirky story about a man who lay down on a grassy hill under a tree and, after a pint or two of grog, slept for 70 years. With the right lounge chairs in your backyard, you too could emulate Rip Van Winkle, but without the beard or back pain that could go along with it! Lounge chairs are truly one of life's necessary luxuries. As such, it is probably no surprise that the "chaise longue" was first created by the French, who seem to have the mastered the art of experiencing the finer things of life and finding reasons to take regular breaks from work. What other piece of furniture so entices you to sit back and get that much relaxation? And don't you deserve it just as much as the French? Today's lounge chairs are ergonomically designed so the owner can experience the maximum in comfort. Whether or not your chair has arms, folds back into a multitude of positions, or includes an ottoman, you know when it arrives that you can barely wait to get it out of the box to rest and relax in it.
- - Like Batman and Robin or Ben and Jerry's, sofa and end tables just seem better when they are together. What modern home would be without these functional and stylish necessities in your living room, or to any room that they adorn? Of course, the style you choose and arrangement will reflect your good taste and thoughtfulness in providing family and friends with a convenient resting place for their beverages, or a handy location for books and magazines. Candles will provide an attractive lighting option and enhance the look of the wood's luster. Sofa and end tables make a statement as to your choice of decor, just as they did when they were first designed in Europe in the 1600s. Since there were no BMWs or Mercedes in the driveway to reflect one's wealth, the fashionable home was the ultimate indication of good taste and standing in the community. Back then, sofa and end tables would occupy the coveted area accompanying two other popular pieces of the time, the chesterfield or settee. (These days we would call them a couch or loveseat.) Acting as companion pieces, they were known for extensive carving and intimate details.
- - Stained glass window panels can be used in a variety of applications; whether as a standalone piece hanging in front of a window or in a more permanent setting as a room divider. Whichever way you choose, these colorful works of art are the perfect way to add artistic flair to any space in both homes and work areas. Stained glass window panels are easy to shop for online since the selection is vast and it's easy to narrow your selections based on designs, colors or measurements. The allure of stained glass dates back to its inception in the 10th century. Some of the finest craftsmen were located in Syria, where pieces were made for kings and rulers in Greece and Italy. Popularity caught on quickly, and thus began massive installations in the design of churches and cathedrals. These creations, designed of colored glass artfully arranged to make intricate pictures and patterns, were meticulously crafted by skilled artisans and generally depicted religious or literary figures or referenced historical events. The mystery of stained glass results from the addition of metallic salts during glass blowing.
- - For a place where we spend up to a third of our lives (and some people spend even more time there), bedrooms can be haphazard affairs, often with little central planning. Many homeowners are content to invest in a really great bed, piecing together the rest of the furnishings to fill the available space.You know the drill. A dresser here, a high boy there. Perhaps a chair in the corner and a nightstand by the bed. This is unfortunate, as a well designed bedroom will promote and encourage relaxation and even a deeper sleep.
- - It's funny how people can spend tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of dollars on their home or a remodel, yet give such little thought to the little things that make a home simply amazing. Towel racks definitely come under this category of the little things that can make such a big difference. We've all walked into a bathroom or kitchen and just said, "Wow!" under our breath. For some reason, everything in the room just clicks. It all works together to create beauty, warmth and comfort. You also probably walked into a bathroom or kitchen or two that just didn't seem to work. You couldn't always put a finger on it, but something was amiss. We're not going to pretend that towel racks are the reason a room works or doesn't work. But it definitely is a contributor, as much as any other bathroom fixture or accessory, such as the shower curtain or towels. Each contributes a little something to the room, making it complete.
- - In homes that have both a family room and a more formal living room, the living room often gets left out in the cold. For years, these formal gathering spaces were located near the front of the home, far away from the real entertainment hub - the kitchen. If you have a home that is pre-open space plan, then you know how hard it can be to get people to feel comfortable in your living room. But with the right decor and furnishings - including living room tables - you can turn this once little used space into a beehive of activity, not only for visitors and guests, but the family as well. If you have the advantage of doing a complete revamp of your room, you may want to consider going with a little less formal look. These days, homes are more relaxed in their decor, becoming more inviting to visitors and family. Selecting a different style of furniture or a more colorful pattern of fabric can make the room more user friendly.
- - Sofa tables have an important purpose in the modern home, providing function and style to not just your living room, but to any room in which they are placed. These substantial tables are truly a reflection of your good taste and thoughtfulness in providing family and guests with a convenient place to rest their drinking glass, peruse magazines, or provide the perfect spot for lighting and candles. They also serve as a statement piece to set the tone of your decor in any area, whether they are directly adjacent to a sofa, against a wall or are a focal point of the room. These classically designed pieces first arrived on the scene in the 1600s in Europe. They were a reflection of the wealth of the owner, and a staple of the fashionable home, taking a coveted space next to the settee or chesterfield, the common terms for sofas of the time. This companion piece featured extensive detailing and intricate carving, which you can still get today in a style that reflects this period in history. Through the years, as furniture designs evolved, sofa tables have taken on a different look.
- - Having a well-designed area to work in the kitchen is essential these days. To that end, new kitchen cabinets are available with built in dividers, sliding trays and organizers and many of these innovations are available as add-ons to older cabinets as well. But until recently, accessing these drawers filled with gadgets and gizmos was pretty utilitarian. While cabinet manufacturers began to turn out tons of new designs to match nearly...
- - Cupola. Dropping this Italian-derived word into conversation may entice your friends into making erroneous comments about your misuse of the English language. Assuming they are not building designers or European history buffs, you would explain to them that a cupola is a representation of a dome or turret adorning the top of a building. At this point, your ranking as a savvy, architectural expert will certainly have just gone up a few notches. Actually, this display of intelligence could lead your more enlightened friends to consider that your brilliance somewhat resembles a cupola, which often provides a lookout to amazing vistas and lets in light to the public below. Fortunately, cupolas are not that complicated or esoteric. They are often considered small, individual buildings serving to hold a lighted object such as a lantern, or a large bell (where the term "belfry" originates) and indeed, is a place where bats like to congregate. Back in the Renaissance days, it was helpful to have a belvedere (a larger version of a cupola) from which to view one's grand gardens or amazing territorial view.
- - People who own and use bathrooms can generally be put into one of two categories: those who like to show off their towels, and those who like their towels neatly put away. This decision isn't necessarily a reflection of your good taste, or whether all your towels match, or even the amount of space in your bathroom. Actually, it could be all three. Towel racks are a staple of any home, and it's up to you to decide how extravagant or simple you want the choice to be. Fortunately, online shopping offers an almost unlimited variety of options from which to choose. Talk to any traveling businessman and universally, they will tell you that most hotel chains have the market cornered on towel racks. From a functional one-bar towel rack (a must-have in any bathroom) to the multi-level model, even the most basic hotel room features a towel rack. Most have two racks: a place to store towels, and a place to hang the towel you've already used (assuming you used it to dry your clean body and not your muddy shoes).
- - If you feel your kitchen looks dated, it could be those old ugly knobs that adorn your classic cabinets. You know, the ones that are chipped or worn or have no personality? Cabinet knobs are essential for function and flair. In the past several decades, decorative hardware designs have evolved from round knobs made of wood and glass to highly stylized and intricately designed knobs of every shape and size. If you've noticed that your local store carries a lot more choices in cabinet knobs than they used to, it's probably because they know that selections online reach into the thousands. This doesn't have to make shopping online an intimidating undertaking: websites make it easy to both view and choose your knob, separating styles into categories such as colors, finishes, themes and materials. Things to think about when starting your search include: Basic Rules of Thumb: Conventional wisdom suggests that the more detailed your cabinet, the simpler the style of knobs you should choose. Conversely, if you have classic cabinets with very little detail, you can go crazy with colors, material choice and styles.
- - Once an afterthought, today's exterior spaces are becoming an extension of the interior of the home. Not only does a well-conceived outdoor space increase the comfort of the home, but it can also increase the home's value. One of the keys to creating a superior outdoor escape is lighting. While any deck or patio can serve admirably in the daytime or even twilight, only those with outdoor lighting can truly own the night. If you are thinking about adding lighting outdoors, you'll probably want to do some planning. Lighting is not a haphazard activity - you want to make sure that the lighting is appropriate, covers the spaces you want, and doesn't leave any dark spots, especially near stairs or transitions between different levels of a deck. Installing lights not only increases the usefulness of your property, but also the safety of your home. And, with the low wattage fixtures coming out on the market and the growing number of solar powered lights, installing lighting is also cost effective.
- - Sunny days are too glorious to waste on being in the house, especially when you gaze outside and see your elegant teak patio furniture beckoning you outdoors! Teak is the consummate choice to complement your outdoor space with the style of your existing home. Its reputation as a durable, naturally water-resistant material makes it ideal for outside furniture arrangements. The striking wood grain, which eventually weathers to a handsome silvery gray, lends itself to match nearly every exterior decor and patio space. The durability of teak patio furniture has increased in popularity over other woods because of its natural oil and rubber content which resists rot and insects and provides the unique ability to withstand the outside elements for long periods of time in virtually every weather condition. The diverse styles from which you can choose to decorate your outdoor spaces are virtually limitless. What may immediately come to mind in teak patio furniture sets is a traditional rectangular dining table with chairs. However, there are many other options available, particularly online. which offers the added bonus of saving you from driving around town to multiple furniture stores.
- - Cooking can be a very messy business, as can eating what you cook. While it's wonderful to think that everyone in your family will practice good hygiene and make sure their hands are clean, we know that that's usually not the case. Invariably, someone in the family, whether it's one of the kids or one of the grown ups, will end up with condiments or grease on their hands and want to fetch a knife out of the kitchen drawers. You may not even notice these transgressions at first. But over time, these little faux pas begin to build up, literally, on your cabinet and drawer facings. Before you know it, it's created unsightly rings around the knobs. This is where cabinet knob backplates can be a real godsend. Made specifically to go between your knobs and the facing, cabinet knob backplates protect the finish on your expensive cabinets and drawers while keeping maintenance to a minimum.
- - Even though the average American home has almost doubled in size, 2,700 square feet today vs. 1,400 square feet in 1970, many homeowners still don't have enough space to put their stuff. Fortunately, end tables can help with this quandary. With the right end tables you can add storage and style to your living room, family room or great room. There's an old saw that says that "stuff expands to fill the space available." Remarkably, the home we thought was so spacious when we first moved into it now may feel cramped. This is especially true if you have children, whose toys, hobbies and activities seem to spread like a wildfire through the home. This is where the right end tables can really come in handy. While you can purchase tables that have an open design, usually a top and a lower shelf or even no shelf at all, you can get ones that feature cabinets or have several drawers down the face of them. You can even get end tables that allow you to kennel your dog. But more on that in a moment.
