Keeping it Simple With Asian Decor

Ready to spice up your space with an East-Meets-West theme, but don't want to overpower your house with Asian decor, conspicuous colors, and a jumble of Asian trinkets?

It's not an impossible feat, I swear.

Why?

Think about the Japanese style of adorning their houses. Before I got "into" interior decorating, My friend stopped by with her British nanny (how cliche!) who said that my bedroom was "practically Japanese". I had to ask her what she meant. The comment wasn't directed at any Asian figurines I had (or didn't have), but the reality that my house was so.....bare. But, hey, I had practically just moved in!

But voila!....the secret to a simple Asian home decor. The Japanese don't over-decorate, so you can just take a hintclue from them.

First thing's first: to get on your way is go get a big box and get rid of all of your clutter. Pack away everything you don't need, focusing on items that won't fit into an Asian design.

When you choose to leave an item, make certain that everything has its own "space". Unless the items are part of a set meant to be displayed together, each item should have breathing room distant from other items to keep the area feeling open and spacious.

After clearing your space, you should find some Asian items to decorate with. My prescription for Asian decor:

* Houseplants - If you don't have time to take care of a plant, or don't have the best conditions for houseplants (like your vegetarian roommate keeps trying to eat them.....I kid! I kid!), you can always get fake plants. Of course, more often than not when someone thinks of "houseplant" and "Asian" is to scream "bonsai!", but you aren't obligated to go that route. Why not try an Asian money tree or if you like fresh flowers, an oriental lily? Remember to count the plant as a decoration and thus give it its own "space" as mentioned above.

* Water fountains - Water fountains are a very classic feng shui application. Not only are they beautiful, their trickling noise calms the most savage beast. A few drops of bleach in the water will kill the bacteria and algae that can turn a water green and stinky.

* Japanese Tea Sets/Sake Sets - Absolutely perfect for adorning a kitchen or dining area, even if you never use them. (Clean them off before company arrives to fool guests!) They can be found in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and patterns, anything from nice earthy tones to a bold blacks and reds.

* Chinese Gongs - You don't have to have a huge one! These gongs come in small sizes too, perfect for a desk, end table, or even at that perfect mantle centerpiece.

* Figurines - Buddha figurines are very classic, but if you're wanting something more secular, Asian figurines come in all shapes and sizes.

Remember the infamous KISS saying: Keep It Simple, Stupid!; you only really need four or five items to bring an Asian feel to any home, and the simpler you keep it, the more each of those items will stand out.

It really is that simple....you too can bring exotic luxury to any space

By Sara Scott

 

 

Modern Day Bedding - Decorative Pillows

In a room the bed is always the main focal point and attracts most of the attention than any other bedroom furniture. The way you decorate your bed reflects on your personal taste and thus the bedding you select also reflects your unique decorative style. Everyone likes to define their personal space as an extension of ones personality. To achieve it with relative ease and to have a lot of choices at hand, try different accessories. Bedding gives your room the finishing touches. Decorative bed pillows, linens, bolsters, and bed skirts are all fantastic ways to accessorize your bed and make your room inviting and fresh.

Gone are the days when pillows were mere rectangular shaped headrest only used for bedrooms. Today they are an important part of your bedding decorative. With time even pillows have transformed into an important bedding accessory and changed in terms of usage, shape and sizes. Today bedding decorative pillows are available in sets of as many as two to seven pillow set including pillowcase, small pillows and throw pillows, for all kinds of beds. You can also accessorize your living room with these as it looks chic, complimenting well with the sofa set. They are not meant just for comfort, but also to enhance the look of your room.

Pillows are needed by all for various reasons; to sleep, for support, to lie on or for just creating a style statement. There is no strict rule to how many pillows you can use for your bedroom. Generally for bedding you have two pillows to sleep along with smaller set of decorative bed pillows. You may also like to use a third set of decorative bed pillow, which is throw pillow, the smallest in size.

Bedding decorative pillows come in various designs, patterns and colors. You can buy them as a set along with main bedding and quilts or if you already have them and just need the pillow set, you can still find huge varieties of decorative pillows which can match your existing bedroom interior. Online shopping is by far the most convenient and easiest way to buy anything of your choice. You get so many choices from the gigantic selection which might even exhaust you of discovering better and better.

Selecting the right decorative bed pillows depends on many factors. It is always safe to start with the colors. The color you choose should compliment the interior of the bedroom. Couple of the most popular colors are blue decorative pillows and black decorative pillows. Like color the fabric of the pillow also should match or go well with the rest of the bedding. For example you cannot expect a micro fabric pillow to match your silk bed covers. Styles and designs can be found in abundance as well. Embroidered pillow cases are selling like real hot cakes in the market. They are very versatile, suitable for any theme of your bedroom.

Dress up your bed with attractive pillowcase, decorative pillows and also throw pillows. But make sure that they do no clutter your bed making it look more like a pillow holder rather than a bed.

By Ginny Sandhu

 

 

modern day bidding

 

Tips to Decorate your Home

Many individuals love the approach of the holidays. There are many different reasons for this, but one of the most popular reasons are the decorations! If you want todecorate your home for the holidays, there are many different ways that you can do so. The whole point of holiday home decoration is to spread the pure and simple joy associated with the holidays and to make your home look and feel great! Here, you will learn some simple steps on easy home decorating methods for the holidays.

Style leads to the third factor, your home. For some, how art 'matches' means little, but for others, art is an accent and a part of the home. If your walls are covered in Victorian, floral wallpaper, perhaps that abstract might not look right. There's nothing wrong with purchasing a piece for color or style alone, just make sure that you like it too.
First, price. Set a price level for yourself.

Some will argue that such stringent values shouldn't be put on art, but reality begs to differ. For less expensive options, try purchasing a print or reproduction, rather than an original or buying pieces from young, new artists. By setting a price limit for yourself before you begin your search, you'll also be able to narrow down where you'll be looking - from high-end galleries to print warehouses.

Kitchen options include insertions of stained glass into cabinet doors for a very appealing improvement to an otherwise possible boring typical array of cabinetry. If considering this option, one would best be advised to realize that an electric light source inside that cabinet will greatly increase the effect.

An additional kitchen option could be a custom sized stained glass window panel hung in front of the window, allowing the light behind it to vividly show the colors within. Sometimes an entire window panel may be too much. If that's the case, consider smaller sun catchers or simply stained glass window corners. Stained glass wall panels aren't limited to be hung in front of the window. They make beautiful wall art additions as well.

In case you have a love for color and authenticity in decorating home interior, several designs are at your disposal. Primitive interior decorating of home interests some people as it uses handmade old items. This way you can display your collections of handed down treasures to a great advantage. This style lays emphasis on furniture and accessories which look ancient, stained, worn or antique. Primitive interior decoration might suit you perfectly if you have a passion for antiques. This design stands out if painted with warm and dark shades. Red brick or deep grey would also go well in this style.

Home decorating takes a great start if you focus on the flooring first, making a beautiful checkerboard pattern using white and black vinyl tiles alternatively laid. It really looks fantastic and elegant. Another wonderful idea is to use black marble flooring and accentuate it with wide white baseboards. Or you could paint the floor white or black and decorate it with stencils of the opposite color, or use black bordered white ceramic tiles to create a great effect.

by: clickforhowto3