he timing could not be better. We’re entering our annual season of entertaining and visiting one another’s homes. We’re preoccupied with our work life, home life, the season’s responsibilities, and perhaps at the same time, you’re contemplating a winter or spring kitchen renovation. I’m exhausted just writing this! But, let’s pause a moment and revisit your kitchen renovation. You’re considering a kitchen/great room as part of the master plan. While thinking about the kitchen design is sometimes tabled for a little while, I’d like to urge you to keep on top of a few design issues as you go through this festive season. You will surely be enlightened!

Are you hosting an event? You Will Want To Consider:

Traffic Flow – Observe the traffic flow of your kitchen when family members are present and when guests are visiting. Of course, few of our homes can adequately handle large crowds, but the question becomes: how many people do you wish to comfortably accommodate in your kitchen/great room? Think this through carefully. Many of my clients can often attach a number of guests to the typical “group” they entertain. This is useful information to remember and, perhaps, plan for your renovation. Look carefully at the traffic flow from one task/activity center to another and you will soon see where the bottle necks are and where the process flows more freely.

Activities – What types of activities do you envision that will take place in, near, or surrounding the kitchen? Will you need a seating area in the kitchen to double as a comfortable lounging area perhaps for children or young adults? Do you need space for homework or other projects? Visualize these lifestyle scenarios. Walk through sequences of events and note the impact these activities have on your current walkways and doorways. Take careful note of the space surrounding your dining table. Is it adequate or is it confining? The dining space is often an after thought…adequate space encourages conversation and lingering. A confining space does the opposite!

Kitchen Workflow – We must pay critical attention to the kitchen workflow. Are you a family of foodies, perhaps with visiting grown children? Does a spouse wish for a grilling spot, a featured wine environment, a coffee preparation nook? Are you social cooks – will you cook with visiting family members and friends? Or, would you love to have a baking center to bake with your younger children? Visualize, in your dream kitchen, what is the best distribution of countertop space that will meet your needs. Consider your guests – would it be best to “direct” your guests away from the main work center, by design?

These types of questions will help determine the size, the boundaries of the kitchen work area which are important pieces to your great room design.

Of course, many of these questions will be asked by your Professional Kitchen Designer, and they are but a start to the process, but it is important, and interesting, during this season of entertaining to observe your current habits and, most importantly, to make notes of those observations. Awareness is a fantastic first step in the process!

How “Open” Is “Open”?

Often a difficult answer to determine, it can be somewhat confusing to predict how you will feel once you are on the “other side” of the renovation…if you are truly satisfied with an open design, especially if you have not experienced it before. This fear can also prevent one from moving toward opening up the space even more, for example, to consider a “loft” type of feeling, where, perhaps, several rooms are combined. A great advantage to this design concept, especially in a smaller home, is the ability of the eye to travel longer distances, often allowing more light into the room as well. A more open concept is fantastic for entertaining, for casual living, for being together with family and friends, and to allow for multiple activities to happen at once for some, while others congregate nearby in an adjacent space. Visualize various lifestyle scenarios and the answers will reveal themselves to you in time.

One disadvantage to an open space floorplan is the ever classic dilemma – the guests see the unkempt kitchen. Frankly, I’m not so sure there remain other disadvantages to an open kitchen floorplan. Mid height cabinetry can serve as a room divider, a very wide, deep, sink can hide dishes, two dishwashers accommodate ample dish and serveware, portable room dividers can be highly decorative and functional, pocket doors are an elegant solution to privacy…these are just a few ways to conceal the newly emptied pots, pans, and more, as food moves from kitchen to serving areas. Again, visualize these barriers. Take care that snap assumptions are not made that an open kitchen cannot be flexible to your needs.

Practice visualizing, have an open mind, think about lifestyle. Enjoy (and work by observing) this festive season!

Choosing bathroom colors is crucial. Your bathroom must be a cozy nook where you can be distracted from everyday problems. With the help of color secrets you can visually make your bathroom larger or smaller.

When choosing colors for your bathroom consider its space. Light colors will make your bathroom appear larger, while warm and dark colors smaller. The next thing to bear in mind is to match the colors of the bathroom flooring, walls and ceilings with bathroom furnishings.

In the recent years blue enjoyed rather a great popularity in bathroom colors. People prefer blue to the other colors as it is associated with sea and sky thus conveys a spa feeling. However, too much blue may result in depressive and melancholic moods. The use of green in bathroom colors is common as well. It’s the color of nature and harmony. As for the color purple it is rather a contradictory color as it may convey both tranquility and melancholy. It is considered the most individual and original color of all the colors due to which your bathroom is sure to get an extra elegant and exotic look. If you are a futuristic style lover then you will definitely appreciate the use of silver in your bathroom.

Red, orange and yellow are the colors of energy and enthusiasm. Pink is the color of gentle feelings. Apply pink in your bathroom if you want to relax to the fullest.

There was a time when the combination of contrasting colors was not allowed in the fashion world. But now it is very actual to mix the colors, like blue and green, pink and red, grey and brown. Modern bathrooms love this tendency of mixing colors.

If you want your bathroom to gain luxurious and elite-like look, give your preference to beige, gold and black colors. It’s not a secret that black is a very fashionable color–it is the color of stability, formality, elegance and power. For a glamorous and chic look choose flower-pattern bathroom wallpapers or tiles and art pieces which, by the way, will help your big bathroom appear smaller.

Of course, every year has its color. But if you are not used to changing the colors of your bathroom frequently, it’s preferable to choose more neutral and calm colors to serve you a long time. To break the monotony of your bathroom interior refresh it with colorful accessories from time to time.

Don’t make your eyes get bored!

If you’re not sure how high to hang art on your walls, these tips offer helpful ideas and designer secrets for getting the best look when hanging artwork.

You may have heard that you should hang artwork so the center of the picture is at eye level.

Right away you may be confused, especially if you’re 5 feet tall and others in the house are over 6 feet tall. Also, does this eye level rule apply to all sizes of art or just large sizes? What about a grouping of several pieces of framed art? What if you are hanging a painting over a sofa – should it be hung at the same level as when the picture is used in a hallway?

Ok, so here’s the deal. Approximately 60 to 65 inches from the floor to the center of the art is a place to start. It may be the perfect place to hang your particular piece of artwork, or it could look terrible. How do you know?

Begin to think of the artwork you are hanging as it relates to everything around it. Whether you hang a framed picture over a sofa, on a stairway wall, or in the hall, each of these spaces will have elements to consider

Make A Style Statement With Blinds

Windows are not just the  opening through our homes but are windows to our lifestyle.  And Blinds are one of the best ways  to express that lifestyle. The word blind may be a misnomer, as blinds not only cut on the light but adds elegance to the room Blinds are an excellent idea for window coverings that will just look great in any house. Blinds add luxurious look and softness to our homes.

Choosing the right type of blind can change the entire decor of the room. It is just important to mix and match the color of the blinds with the color of the room. Blinds come in different form and sizes and some of the most famous types of blinds are Hillarys blindsweb blinds, venetian blinds and made to measure blinds. They can be fully sized and customized to go alongside other furniture in our rooms.

Blinds are gaining huge popularity with the masses who are opting them over the traditional window treatment. The traditional window treatment is very difficult to maintain as compared to the modern blinds. The modern blinds come in different budget to suit every pocket making them popular with the buyers.

Summary: Blinds are one of the best ways to decorate any home. They serve the purpose of cutting down on the light at the same time providing elegance to the room.

We all need a space of our own, no matter our age. Children can thrive when there is a place in their home that nurtures their imaginations and their sense of belonging.

But the children’s furniture and home décor industry is a multi-billion dollar business with such a staggering variety of choices that parents may feel overwhelmed. You may be tempted to let your child live with white walls and beige carpet until he is old enough to tackle the redecorating on his own. But a few of the same principals and techniques designers use can help you create a room your child will love.

Consider how the room will be used - Children’s bedrooms have become multipurpose, like most spaces in our homes. It’s likely your child not only sleeps in her room, but plays and does homework there as well. While a bed is the essential focus of any bedroom, keep in mind that you may need to incorporate play space, a study area and maybe even a seating area into the room as well.

* Get your child involved - By the time they’ve mastered speech, most kids are able to tell you what they like and don’t like. How involved your child can be in the decorating process will depend on his age and level of development. A toddler may be able to tell you he likes blue but purple is “yucky.” An elementary school child may be able to express a preference for a theme or style of bed. A high school student can be fully involved in the planning and execution of her room remodel.

* When it comes to a theme, keep compromise in mind - Maybe your child wants an underwater theme like the one he saw on a home improvement show, complete with the prow of a pirate’s ship mounted on one wall. You, however, want something that will grow with him and not break the bank – or your back – to accomplish. Compromise is needed and can be as easy as placing a wallpaper mural of a sailing ship on one wall of your child’s room.

* Adapt current design trends – Wallpaper murals are a hot design trend, with many home improvement shows using them to create focal points or accents in nearly every room of the house. They’re a great option for a children’s room because they’re easy to install and offer thousands of images that will fit virtually any design theme you choose. Lowes home improvement stores across the nation sell kid-friendly wallpaper murals by Environmental Graphics for under $100. Designs range from the sports themed like the stands of a baseball stadium as seen from the field, to jungle animals and underwater seascapes. To learn more and view kid-friendly mural options, visit a Lowe’s store near you.

Designing a child’s room can be fun for the whole family, and a great way to spend some quality time with your child. Following these basic principles can help ensure the experience will be rewarding, and the room something your child will love for years to come.

Redecorating Your Bedroom From Top to Bottom
If your bedroom doesn’t offer you a respite from the hustle and bustle of the day, then now’s the time to transform it. The time and money you invest now will definitely pay off in big dividends in your future. Your bedroom redecorating project might just mean that you’ll find yourself a little happier, a bit more joyful and most importantly, at peace with yourself and your surroundings.

Decorating your master bedroom is probably more fun than decorating any other room in your home. Why? Because it’s the one room in your home where you can truly allow your personality to shine.

Begin with three easy steps.

1: Start by visualizing and listing all the types of activities you’ll want to conduct in your “get-away” haven. Perhaps it’s writing in your journal, reading, knitting, watching movies or contemplating your plans for tomorrow — whatever the activity, it’s important to think through the specific things that will make you the happiest.

2: Look at your bedroom space with a critical eye. Can your bedroom accommodate all the activities you listed?

3: As with most all decorating projects, one of your first priorities is locking in a color scheme. Color sets the stage and is truly the backdrop for all your furnishings, fabrics, accessories and lighting.

Make Color Considerations

* Use color unequally for better proportion and balance. While this sounds like a complete contradiction, it truly works. Consider a deeper, more dramatic hue to create an accent wall behind your bed. Then, by coloring your adjoining walls in a lighter shade of the same color, you’ve created a more visually interesting space.

* Use lighter colors to create a feeling of spaciousness. Paler shades naturally reflect light rays instead of absorbing them. A lighter color palette would be particularly important if your bedroom isn’t quite as large as you’d like.

* Use bright, strong colors to create a warm, cozy feeling. If your bedroom is large and spacious and has very high ceilings, warmer colors will help “humanize” your space, making if feel more livable and welcoming.

* Pay attention to your room’s architectural features. If you wish to emphasize interesting architectural features, enhance them with stronger contrasting colors. And, conversely, if your desire is to camouflage architectural defects, then a more neutral paint color of the same tonal value will help blend your walls, ceiling and floors and hide those unhappy features.

Light Up Your New Room

Now that you’ve got some great color ideas for your new bedroom retreat, the amount of artificial and natural light in your room will be the defining factor in your ultimate color choice.

“Lighting plays such an important role in any redecorating project,” says Sue Pelley, national spokesperson for INTERIORS by Decorating Den. “I recommend that my clients take stock of how much natural light is entering the room, and for how long a period of time. If their room is bathed in sunny natural light, I recommend working with a cooler color scheme. And conversely, if a room doesn’t enjoy a lot of natural light, a warmer color palette will help eliminate a feeling of coldness.”

Bring in Fabulous Furnishings

Bedding ensembles come in a variety of sizes and designs. From the uniquely custom-designed, outline-quilted bedspreads, to the sophisticated and luxurious duvet covers, your bedding ensemble should definitely take center stage. No bedding ensemble is complete without multiple pillow shams and decorative accent pillows.

Incorporating a custom-designed window treatment, will help your windows take center stage. Once you’ve determined privacy and room darkening needs, the design possibilities are only limited by a decorator’s creativity.

Uncover the Possibilities

Uncovering the possibilities as you begin redecorating your master bedroom is an exciting undertaking, when you plan ahead, and focus on making wise choices along the way. Remember, you spend more time in your home than anyone else. So be sure your ultimate decorating choices reflect your personality and your unique sense of style. Sweet dreams.