Archive for January, 2012

Feng Shui refers to the ancient Chinese art that focuses primarily on how to attain the perfect balance between the good & evil forces. As per the oriental philosophy, the very arrangement of your interior decoration plays a major part in achieving that desired equilibrium in home and life. Here are some top Feng Shui home décor tips.

First, your front door must always open to a clear pathway and hence never put objects on the route as this would otherwise hamper the easy flow of positive energy (Chi). In case, the front door has been positioned towards window, make sure to place a barrier in between to prevent the Chi flowing out through the opposite way.

Always keep your home spick and span and every accessory should be stored in proper place and order as any disturbance or turbulence inside might block the smooth flow of Chi. Besides, never place any thorny plants inside the home; rather decorate with wind chimes, round leafy plants and crystals. Lastly, have an aquarium or small fountain in home since water invites positive Chi.

Oriental rugs are truly classy and they are always one of the most prized heirlooms to be passed on to your children and grandchildren. The authentic oriental rugs are usually hand knitted with intricate designs that bring on an unmatched beauty and richness for your rooms.

Thus, an oriental rug would a perfect accessory when you are about to do up your living room. The most popular option for placement is the wall-wall carpeting. They are available in a wide variety of colors but the most popular are brown, red and orange. A bright colored oriental carpet placed wall to wall in your living room is apt to break the monotony of the chamber making it more inviting.

Apart from a wonderful decoration, the classy oriental rugs in your living room would also provide the desired warmth underfoot which is really appealing when you have guests at home. However, just make sure to vacuum them regularly to maintain the original richness.

Amish furniture has always been regarded highly given its distinct style and durability. The Amish people are known to be seriously committed towards their work and craftsmanship that result in a fine collection of furniture pieces.

It’s good to mention that the Amish furniture would always guarantee 100% of original wood quality. Besides, the Amish people focus a great attention on meticulous details for each piece. Purity of wood and intricate design is the two basic reasons behind the popularity of Amish furniture worldwide.

According to the historians, the Amish type furniture became popular since 1920s. It’s said that Amish woodworking styles are pretty distinct and even though the Amish people believe in simple manufacturing procedures, prohibiting the electrical and mechanical uses there’s no compromise regarding elegance or style. You will find the Amish styled furnishing for every room in your house whether it is the bedroom, living, dining or the kitchen.

If you are staying with a toddler, it’s necessary to baby-proof your apartment since millions of kids are admitted in emergency units owing to home accidents. Here are some valuable tips on how to baby proof your apartment.

Firstly, when you have a child in your home, it’s mandatory to keep your apartment spick and span always. Your floor should be clean and dry and free of any toys and other particles since otherwise the child can trip over anytime. Then, don’t forget to cover up all the electrical outlets, old exposed cables and the power strips. Your push plugs must be installed in the less accessible rooms only.

Besides, you have to fix all your armories, dressers, shelving units or other appliances to the floor which otherwise might topple onto the kid if pulled or climbed. Finally make sure to get a strong latch for the doors and windows and keep all the chemical content beyond the sight of the child.

Space saving furniture is ideal if you are staying in a small or a one bedroom apartment. Availability of space is the major problem in these apartments and therefore space saving furniture is the best option available. For example you can buy a bed that comes with a chest beneath it. You can store your clothes, shoes and other accessories in this chest. That way you wouldn’t need a separate wardrobe or a shoe rack.

You can opt for a sofa or a couch that will also double as your bed. That way you can actually do away with the need for a separate bed. This will allow you to get extra space in your apartment. As for chairs and tables you can prefer to buy folding chairs and writing tables. When you do not need to use them you can simply fold and keep them aside. These tips will allow you to use space saving furniture effectively.

While you decorate your child’s room you must keep in mind about the creative and thinking prowess of children and design their room accordingly. The easiest way to decorate their rooms is to opt for creative painting. You must let your imagination wonder. For example you can create a whole new Disneyland by getting the characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck painted on the walls of the room. You can also decorate the rooms with their soft toys.

You can create a whole new magical world with some special paints. For example you can transform the whole room with a space inspired décor by getting the walls painted with rockets, planets, stars, spaceships and aliens. If you want you can also bring the entire night sky within the four walls of the room. Special glow paints will allow the stars to actually glow at night. Likewise you can also create a wonderful water kingdom. Your kids will definitely love the way you decorate their rooms.

A traditional way to protect your walls is to cover them with wall papers. Usually the wallpapers are vinyl based and that is why they are easy to be maintained and can be easily taken care of. Usually the rolls in which the wallpapers come wrapped contain detailed instruction about their caring. Washable wallpapers can be cleaned easily with the help of soap, sponge, brush and water. But make sure you start washing them at least 6 weeks after you have fitted them.

Always use a mild detergent. Avoid using strong cleaning agents like bleach as that may leave a white mark on the wallpaper. Make sure to be very gentle while cleaning the wallpapers. If you are not gentle then you might as well scrub off the paints on the wall. For those wallpapers that are not washable, dry cleaning is the only option. Plain white bread can be used as a method of wallpaper cleaning.

Decorating the fireplace mantle increases the beauty of the room and draws a lot of attention to the fireplace. Usually decorators use the decorating tip known as “three plus one”. According to this tip, you can select three similar objects according to your interest. Place these three objects on one side of the mantle facing towards the center of the mantle. These three objects may be pictures, candle stands, plants or decorative plates.

You can take a larger object and place it on the other side of the mantle. You can try some creative tips like hang a large picture just above the mantle, light some candles and place them on the mantle. Make sure you do not clutter the space above the mantle. That is why it is essential to keep some gap in between the objects that you plan to decorate the mantle with. Also make sure to maintain the symmetry between the left hand side and the right hand side.

So are you thinking about giving a facelift to your kitchen? You should definitely try to get new granite counter tops for your kitchen. Granite counter tops are shiny and they look majestic in their appearance. At the same time they are smooth. Once you install these counter tops in your kitchen your guests would definitely appreciate the facelift of the kitchen. At the same time the granite counter tops are extremely durable.

Other than keeping the granite counter tops clean and dry, there are simply no maintenance costs for these counter tops. The good thing about these granite counter tops is that these will not develop any cracks and therefore are perfect for everyday use. These granite counter tops come in various colors and shades and would help to transform your kitchen readily. Once you contact the professionals for installing granite counter tops they will take the measurements and will install the perfect granite slab according to the measurements.

First of all you should not start with the cleaning process unless all the ashes have cooled down. You can also use a vacuum cleaner to get rid of the ashes from even the most inaccessible corners. Make sure to wear a mask before starting the process of cleaning the fireplace. First take a broom or a shovel and get rid of the ashes in the fireplace. Then take a brush with hard bristles and rub over the entire fireplace to remove the soot and the creosote.

Now add a cup of bleach in one gallon water. Make sure the water is warm. This mixture will make it easy for you to scrub off the soot and creosote. After the soot is gone, you can apply this very solution to clean the fireplace using a piece of old cloth. Some fire places come with metal fittings. You can use vinegar to clean them and later use a dry cloth to polish them dry. Always remember never to leave a single drop of water in the fire place.