Archive for January, 2009
Color is also a key element in the overall feel of your room, primarily because it is most often linked to an emotion response. Warm colored rooms automatically seem warm, regardless of the contents or accompanying designs or furniture. However, don’t be afraid to use cool colors. Cool colors can be warm and cozy if done in a soft or deep color and accented with a warm neutral tone or warm stain color for wooden accents or furniture.
Balance is the third element of style that is fundamental to creating a cozy space. It entails a point and counterpoint approach to designing a room. For example, if your tastes tend to be modern or transitional, you might consider adding a sleek piece of furniture and contrast it with a textured fabric with a warm color. In spite of how sleek or contemporary you may like your spaces to be, adding enough detail in the right balance can add warmth to the typically sterile feel of modern styles.
Regardless of what elements you decide to incorporate, the most important element is that you feel as if you can retreat to your bedroom at the end of the day. Some designers recommend having lots of down pillows for propping up in the bed. Another suggestion is to have a chair or ottoman in the room (and not for the purpose of throwing laundry on to). Having a chair creates a nice relaxing place to curl up and read or relax. Adding a bright light next to this chair also prevents from having to have bright lights throughout the room. In doing so, you can have various levels of soft lighting in the room, creating a more romantic and intimate feel. If you lack the space for a chair, an alternative suggestion is to have swing arm lamps on each side of the bed, which frees up space on night stands for a book or glass of water.
One way to get home decorating ideas for free is to look around furniture stores. Usually they present their furniture in showcases that arrange the furniture as in a real home setting. Their window displays show the furniture creatively arranged, complete with accessories like paintings, figurines, carpeting and other items from which you can visualize how they would look in your own home.
There are also a lot of Internet sites dedicated to home furnishings, interior and architectural designs from which you can get a host of home decorating ideas. Some of these sites even provide you tips and detailed instructions on how to make the decorations and install the fixtures yourself. The great thing about these ideas is that they were designed by professionals who are experts in the interior design field. So you get the benefit of having their ideas without having to pay high consultation fees if you got a professional interior decorator. By looking through various designs done by professionals, you will acquire familiarity with the principles of design and will be able to come up with your own ideas in decorating your own home.
Having a direct hand in your own home design is guaranteed to bring you immense satisfaction. Just choosing the theme is already an engaging activity. Then there is the challenge of finding the right items to make your plan a reality, and the actual installation. When all of it is finished, there is that great feeling of having accomplished something that you really like. It feels good to have accomplished a challenging task. But is feels even better to be able to sit back and see the fruits of your labor before you.