Decorating Kids Bedrooms

In almost every case, the child is being over stimulated by the bedroom decor, there is a direct correlation between the epidemic of hyperactivity in our children and the way their bedrooms are decorated.

Kids can't relax in a bedroom overflowing with toys and accentuated bright primary color. We need to tuck our children into the tranquil embrace of a cozy, serene bedroom that encourages them to calm down and get the rest they need.

When choosing colors for a child's bedroom, use warm pastels or rich colors such as lavender, peach, butter cream, and cocoa.

Change art and decorative themes that are flying, falling, driving, or running around the room to a motif that is tranquil and calm. Serenity is the keynote here, when you calm the bedroom down, you'll calm your child down, too.



Children's bedrooms can easily become overcrowded with toys, games, equipment, and collections. Every item that speaks of activity contributes to keeping the room "awake". Display a selection of comfort toys, such as stuffed animals and dolls, and store their action-orientated toys out of sight in trunks, closets and cabinets.

Siblings to sleep by: when children share a bedroom, give each child a distinct place within the room to call their own. It may be half of the room, a table and chair, a toy trunk, a closet, or a bureau. This keeps each child's individuality defined and helps them learn how to respect other people's space.

Bunks beds can be used as long as both children are happy with them.

Garden & Outdoor spaces

Patio, decks, balconies, porches and yards are the extension of our living space. From landscaped grounds to the tiniest balcony, nearly any exterior area can be the setting for a comfortable outdoor room. With nice outdoor furniture, your outdoor space can become much more than a backdrop for occasional barbecue; it can be as welcoming as the living room and an integral part of everyday life.

Your outdoor space should be decorated with the same attention to comfort, style, and creativity as any other room. Today you can find new weather-resistant materials and stylish outdoor furniture to create an outdoor space that's truly an extension of the home. Create an outdoor area that truly reflects who you are and the way you live. Outside, a few fruit trees, a flowering pergola, a row of terra-cotta pots, or the curves of a large canvas umbrella set the stage. Your outdoor space has the potential to become your favorite destination for eating, entertaining, relaxing. Select a decorating scheme that celebrates your style, and furnishings and accessories that make you feel at home under the open sky.

Outdoor Funiture
Choose outdoor furniture and fabrics that wear well in sun and take a bit of rain. In a protected space, like a covered porch, bring your favorite old sofa outdoors for the season, or set a new one on casters to use in fine weather. To protect your upholstery from sun damage, adopt the southern tradition of dressing furniture for the summer with waterproof or canvas slipcovers. Lightweight wicker armchairs fitted with removable cushions make ideal seating for a crowd. Take a cue from nature itself when choosing furnishings and find fabrics that wear well in sun and can take a bit of rain or a week of it. Invest in tables and chairs, benches, made of enameled metal or weather-tolerant hardwood, such as teak, redwood or nyatoh.

Teak
Indigenous to the warm, humid climate of Southeast Asia, teak wood is an ideal choice for outdoor furnishings. In fact, its rich luster improves with age and weathering, so teak adds a polished, permanent look to others furnishings in outdoor spaces. The high oil content of teak makes it watertight and resistant to warping and insects damage. Select your dining tables, lounge chaises, seating chairs, Adirondack chairs with comfort and resistance.

Outdoor lighting
A layered lighting plan bathes a nighttime gathering in a flattering, enchanted glow. Enchanted evenings depend upon the magic of lighting, the intimate glow of votive lights interspersed with flowers on a festive table, a sentinel of line hurricane lamps, a vintage chandelier suspended above your outside dining table. Varying the intensity and source of illumination adds drama and depth to your party site, reinforcing a feeling of inclosure around a core of festivity. Glass hurricanes anchored with stones keep candles glowing when the wind picks up. Try solar-powered options to help conserve energy and cut down on maintenance, most turn on automatically in the evening and maintain their glow for up to ten hours. Freestanding lamps can be set on tables, and take-mounted styles can be pressed down into flower spots, allowing rearrangement as needed.

Barbecue
Like the open-air dining, outdoor cooking has an allure all its own. The pleasure of cooking outdoors is often as satisfying as the meal itself. Setting up an outdoor kitchen can take as little preparation as wheeling out the charcoal grill, or as much planning as building a fully outfitted kitchen complete with running water, gas grill, and hearth. If grilling is your favorite culinary pastime, set up a barbecue station.

Water Feature
Water Features is always present in traditional Japanese gardens, the fluidity of water represents timelessness and is thought to unify the garden with the sky through its reflection. A stone basin transforms a trickle of running water into a soothing fountain. Eastern tradition also suggests that the sound of running water connects our thoughts to the present moments and places us in harmony with earth. A planter of succulents provides a low-maintenance garden that will stand up to the most difficult growing conditions: harsh sun and heat by a pool, or wind on a rooftop garden or city balcony. Find creative inspiration with elements that are as beautiful as they are meditative. Fill a planter with water hyacinths and lilies to create a floating garden. Place gazing spheres along a pathway, or a circle of stones near a favorite perch, to soothe your senses and inspire your creativity.

Dining Room

The colors of the china, the shape and size of the table, the tablecloth and napkins, the stemware and flatware, the centerpiece, the dining room lighting, and the greenery all affect the energy and decor. With a few quick variations, you can transform your surroundings into the dining experience you desire.

Dining room colors
The best colors for the dining room are beige, cream, green, blue, and soft pastels such as lavender, pink, peach, and apricot. Add bright yellows, oranges, and warm reds to stimulate the palate. Wallpaper, stencils, sponging, and faux finishes create additional texture.

Dining room table
The dining room table is the main piece of furniture in your dining room, the surface that holds your food, dinnerware, and decorations. The shapes and sizes, and materials you place on and around it create a specific energy. Place your dining room table in the middle of the room to allow people to walk around the table and to get in and out of their chairs with ease. If the size and shape of the table and room allow, try placing a rectangular table across the room. Wood tables are strong and stable. Wood warms the space. If your old wooden table needs a fresh look, stain it with a new finish or paint it an antique white or a muted color such as green, blue, or light red.

Dining chairsA comfortable chair encourages leisurely dining. Sturdy chairs with a solid back will support you; add seat cushions for additional comfort and color. Ensure that the view from each chair is a spectacular one, both inviting and pleasing to the eye.

Art

Focus on enhancing the harmony and vitality of your environment. Surround yourself with things that lift your spirits and deepen your love for life as a primary goal, either you like abstract art, contemporary art, sculptures, photography, watercolors, mosaics, ceramics, art nouveau, tibetan art,... Get inspired when visiting art institutes, now you can buy online, art framed, prints, art reproduction. Visit art galleries in your area. If art is your passion, find art school, art college in your area. Take some art classes...

Pour your individuality into your home, room by room in exactly the way you find most appealing. The colors and images in your art reflect aspects of yourself that can build you up or tear you down. Your artwork elicits positive feelings and acts as an environmental affirmation throughout your home. Your art should be an accurate reflection of your inspired self. Spiritual art that is meaningful to you is also a potent way to attract and uplift energy. This includes images of angels, saints, gods and mystics. Choose symbols that have personal, inspirational meaning for you. Your creativity and artistry should be an integral part of your home. Whether it's watercolors, photographs, ceramics, weavings, or collages, any art that you or your family have made and are proud of is your home as a result.

Original art, touched directly by the artist's hand, also carries a concentrated amount of energy. When you buy local artists' works, you are benefiting from their creativity while supporting your community. Only a few of us can afford the original art of the great masters, most of us can afford the creative works of our local artists

TIPS:
-Take a few moments to look into the art you have collected in the last past years and ask yourself what part of you does each piece represent? Do you like what you see? If not, make it a priority to let it go and replace it with art that you really love.

-Your art, like everything else that surrounds you, is meant to lift and nurture you on a daily basis. Enjoy collecting art that reflects your goals and dreams. Express yourself, and relish the process of creating a home that is, in itself, an "original".

Feng Shui Living Room

In Feng Shui the living room is associated with the fire element. The living room is a room for socializing and relaxation where you can display the art, colors and collections that you love. It’s a place where you read watch TV, listen to music, and talk with friends and family. Today’s living room are multi-functional. Feel your living room with items that make you feel alive.

Living room layouts: a good furniture arrangement creates a relaxing social environment. It is important that the arrangement of furniture and the color scheme make the room inviting.

Feng Shui Tips for living room:
-Round dining tables or round coffee tables are more comfortable to gather around in informal settings than square or rectangular ones. A rectangle is good if not too long. An octagon table is a very auspicious shape. Avoid glass-topped tables especially with no frames, as it’s not possible to relax fully around the sharp edge of glass.

-TV cabinets with doors are recommended. It can dramatically improve the quality of life by promoting a variety of social and family activities, as well as quiet time.

-Ceilings: balance ceiling height.Low ceiling tips The most effective way to balance a room with low ceiling is with lighting that shines up toward the ceiling

-Use light and bright colors throughout the room, mirrors when appropriate, and little dark color as possible. Low furniture keeps the room in scale and makes the ceiling look higher.

Canopy Beds

A canopy bed is a four-poster bed with a canopy of fabric overhead. Alternately, the canopy can be hung from the ceiling.

Historically in Europe canopy beds have been a status symbol and were made using the most expensive fabrics available-silk, damasks and brocades with gold and silver threads. They were very elaborate with heavy curtains completely enclosing the bed to keep the warmth in.

With the advent of modern heating, the canopy became more decorative and less functional, sometimes supported by just two posts at the head of the bed and extending only a few feet. In warmer climates a canopy might be made of mosquito netting.

Canopy beds come in all sizes, from twin to king, and usually have a pretty valance that can be trimmed with fringe. The underside of the canopy and the inside of the curtains are generally lined in different fabric. The underside can be shirred, or gathered, to a center sunburst or it can be pulled taut. If the bed has curtains, tie-backs on the posts allow them to be pulled aside. A shirred or pleated curtain can hang down from the canopy behind the headboard.

A canopy bed is formal and feminine, whether in a little girl's room or a master bedroom. While not a necessity, when budget permits, a canopy bed can be a great addition to a bedroom.

Interior Lighting

Lighting creates ambience and makes a room welcoming. Good lighting enables activity, enhances color, and gives a room a sense of warmth and life. Lighting can fill a dark corner, lift a low ceiling, camouflage a dark angle, or brighten up a gloomy room. We are always seeking balance, so we don't want to over-light or under-light any area.

Light fixtures also bring fun and fashion to a space. One of the keys to creating a comfortable and flexible room is to layer the lighting. There are three kinds of lighting to consider. Use a mix ambient, task, and accent lighting to delineate different zones. Choose light fixtures and lamps that add character to your decor.

Ambient lightingBegin with the ambient lighting or general lighting that just makes the room visible. Ambient light is the basic lighting layer, illuminating walls, open areas, and main pieces of furniture so that you can navigate the space with ease. For instance ambient lighting in a living room is very important because the room is often occupied by more than one person. Hanging ceiling fixtures offers the broad wash of diffused illumination required for soft, general lighting. Ambient light can be direct, bounced off a wall, or diffused through a shade to warm up the quality of the light.

Select your style:
Torchières are uplights that emit a soft, even wash of light, their beam bounces from the ceiling before angling down.
Recessed downlights are built into the ceiling and have a reflective lining.
Pendants hang from the ceiling. They come in different shapes and styles that can add another decorative element to a room.
Suspended uplights are ceiling-mounted fixtures that cast light upward and give an even glow.
Wall-mounted uplights or sconces cast a diffused glow and are wise choices for pale-colored rooms or reflective wall finishes.
Task LightsAfter, consider the task lights you'll need for you and your family to read, work, or play. Task lighting is focused light that illuminates a specific activity. Available in a vast number of styles, task lamps offer both direct illumination and great design flexibility because you can often change their style and the effects of their light with different shades or positioning. Place a wall sconces behind the sofa to facilitate reading, or use a swing-arm table lamp on a side or parson's table. Most bedrooms require effective task lighting next to the bed as well as in reading corners, at vanities, and on work surfaces.

Select your style:
Table lamps with three-way bulbs allow for adjustable levels of light. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and wattages.
Swing-arm lamps have adjustable arms that allow the light to be swung into position, perfect at the bedside.
Sconces attach directly to the wall and can offer useful supplementary lighting.
Floor lamps are freestanding and may be adjustable in height.
Desk lamps focus a bright, downward beam of light with high level of illumination.
Closet lights come in options such as hard-wired, low-voltage, or battery-operated.
Accent lightsAccent lights are specific and attention-grabbing. They are used to set mood, draw focus, or add sparkle. larger accent lights like wall washers impart a soft, colorful glow; spotlights can draw attention to favorite artwork or emphasize a focal wall; candles create a sense of movement and cast dramatic shadows. Often, it can be a beautiful decorative accessory on its own. Use accent lighting to spotlight a photo, collection, or display. Place accent lights in bookcase shelves or on a long mantel for subtle illumination.

Select your style:
Picture lights perch over artwork to illuminate it. They are usually low wattage to minimize glare off reflective surfaces.
Track lights can be aimed to highlight architectural details and favorite objects.
Mini-chandeliers hang from the ceiling and add sparkle.
Candles fill a room with warmth and animation; they can add color and scent as well.
Nightlights are very low wattage and offer illumination by which to navigate or sleep.
Beaded-shade lamps change the quality of light, tinting it with jewel tones.
Lighting every room:Foyers, halls and stairways: size the decorative fixture to the space. If the fixture can be viewed from another room, be sure to select a fixture which look attractive. Stairways and halls must have good general lighting for safety.
Bedroom area: gently filtered and flattering light in a bedroom creates a sense of calm and repose. The placement and intensity of lighting affects a space's atmosphere, making it cozy or cool, dramatic or cheerful. The right level of light in a bedroom is entirely personal, it should be flexible enough to let you read, work and relax comfortably. Consider first the ambient lighting or general lighting, it is the light cast by overhead fixtures, whether recessed and largely invisible (as in most modern houses) or pendant and decorative (as in older homes).
Living area: recessed lighting is one of the best ways to light a general area because the light source is concealed. One of the most immediate ways to bring graciousness to a room is by implementing a well-designed lighting plan. By providing multiple sources, both an inviting wash of ambient light and a variety of task and accent lights, you establish the living room a place where all will feel at home. Individual lamps create an intimate feeling. Commonly used as sources for task-specific lighting, floor, table, and wall lamps and their shades can transform the mood of the room. Think of lamp shades as fashion accessories. translucent shades, such as those made of natural parchment, silk, handmade paper, or linen, softly diffuse light; opaque and semi-opaque shades alter the direction of light and focus the beam up or down. Candles are infinitely useful for adding drama, warmth, and sparkle to a space. Aromatic candles infuse a space with long-lasting scent.
Dining area: a chandelier or pendant can be a general lighting element, as well as a focal point of your home. A chandelier should be 6" to 12" smaller than the narrowest side of the table and the bottom of a pendant or chandelier should be approximately 30" above a table. Recessed wall washers can provide additional light while helping to create an illusion of a larger room space.
Kitchen area: decorative fluorescent fixture mounted in the center of a work space is a common choice but as energy efficient as they are, fluorescent bulbs cast a cold white light that makes people look ghostly. Cooking and food preparation require good lighting, you'll make the kitchen a much more attractive place to be by replacing fluorescent lights with incandescent or halogen lighting. Down lights mounted 18'' off the edge of the cabinets, and spaced 3'' or 4'' on centers is an excellent way to create additional general lighting.
Bathroom area and vanity lighting: a good lighting plan begins at the vanity, and proceed from there. Use both side and top lighting, surround the mirror with clear, soft light to avoid shadows and glare on your face. For a nice, ambient radiance, think about indirect lighting, which usually recesses the light source in an over-head cove. Areas over 100 square feet require several recessed down lights or decorative surface mounted fixtures. It's important to understand what qualities of light will work best, both with your skin tone and the materials in the bath. The goal is to provide the room with a background of flattering, even light. To change the mood of installed lighting or to add flourish, use accent lighting, floor lamps, table lamps or chandeliers can all function as accent lights. Bring in pillars, votives, and scented candles to create a true sense of private refuge.
Outdoor lighting: Select a design and size to complement your house while providing sufficient lighting for safety. When installing a wall lantern, size the fixture to the door and surrounding space. Wall lanterns should be mounted slightly above eye level from the center of the fixture to the floor. Post top lanterns are an excellent way to light a walkway, while complimenting wall lanterns. Large post top lanterns make a better impression when used in large open spaces