Some Great Bedroom Decoration Ideas

Many bedrooms tend to get neglected. Get your minds out of the gutter, I'm talking about through decoration. My first apartment bedroom was so boring that it would put you to sleep...no pun intended....

Many people honestly think that all you need is a bed, a bed stand, an alarm clock, and a dresser for your bedroom to be good to go. That's awesome if you want your bedroom being as boring a hospital room.

We spend countless hours decorating our living areas, so why forget about the bedroom? And I will not accept the excuse that you don't spend money or time with the bedroom because no one sees it but you. You know that's not true or at least you know that you hope that's not true.

There are a number of ideas out there for decorating your bedroom in many different ways. A contemporary bedroom looks clean, smooth, and is easy to obtain. Check out these ideas for contemporizing your apartment bedroom:

Black and White- This is common, but it looks really awesome. Do everything in black and white. It says sophistication, while creating a fun energy. A white bedspread with black pillows or black and white throws is the way to go. Plus, its hard to see drool on a black pillow. You might also decorate the wall with black and white photos of your friends in black frames. This is my favorite and a very sleek look.

Combine Some Styles- You might try decorating your room in a combination of contemporary and traditional. Add a flare of traditional with a floral printed pair of throw pillows or throw blanket on a bed with otherwise solid color. This leaves some flexibility with your wall decoration and table pieces. You could go contemporary with styled art, or you could go traditional with flowers and patterns. Remember...traditional is full of color and patterns and modern is a smooth solid color feel.

Be Bold- You like to make statements? Well be bold in your design with vibrant color and many patterns. Have fun with all your decorating. Try bold, matching black and white patterns for the bedspread, wall paper, etc and off set these with vibrant colorful accessories. It will definitely make a statement.

Class and a Wooden Bed Frame- Add some class to your wood toned bed frame. Get a tan bedspread to offset the dark wood. Use dark throw pillow covers. Make sure to have a good combination of light and dark varying shades of brown and tan. Don't go with black or white...these will not match your wooden bed frame.

The important thing to remember is that you should decorate how YOU want to. In the end this is your bedroom and you are the one who has to live in it, so you may as well love it. Good luck!

Know any good bedroom decorating tips? Leave them as a comment below and let me know!

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Different Curtain Styles for Different Home Designs

The basic role of curtains has shifted over the years. They are still used in part for their original purposes, privacy, insulation, soundproofing and light control. However, with the advances made in glazing technology, these functions are no longer so important and all window coverings have taken on a more decorative role.

Although the words are often used interchangeably, there is a distinct difference between curtains and drapes. Drapes tend to be more formal, floor length affairs, with a heavy lining, that can be opened and closed with a pull cord. Curtains are their less formal relatives, often made from a lighter fabric, with or without lining. They are generally suspended by hooks, rings or even tab tops from a pole, and are opened and closed by hand. While drapes are usually stand alone, curtains can be used with blinds or shades, and in this case are sometimes tied back permanently to the window edge and never closed at all.

If you are choosing curtains as part of your home design project, you should consider three basic types. Panels are the simplest and most often used, being basic panels of material, hemmed top and bottom, gathered at the top to produce soft folds, and hung by hooks or rings from a pole.

Café curtains are an alternative style, hung from the centre of the window on a wire or cord, leaving the upper part of the window exposed. As well as decoration, this style provides privacy for people sitting near the window, whilst letting in light at the same time. These can generally be found in kitchens and breakfast rooms.

Tiered curtains are the third option. These are hung in such a way that a base panel covers the bottom half of a window, and a top panel, protruding further from the wall, covers the top half and overlaps the base panel. This is a decorative feature, rather than having a practical use, although you could tie back the upper panels to let in light, while maintaining some privacy.

You should consider the most appropriate length for your curtains. Some can sit just above the window sill, giving the impression of fitting neatly into the window space. These are ideal when you have a radiator under the window, so you don't lose all the heat up through the window behind the curtain. If you want your curtains to rest just below the window ledge, be sure your curtain pole is mounted far enough from the wall to ensure that curtain can hang freely and does not touch the window sill. Floor length curtains should finish just before the floor so they don't drag. If they touch the floor they will become dirty very quickly and may be stood on and ripped.

Finally you should determine if you need your curtains lined or not. Lining can add considerable expense you your curtains, but it is worthwhile if you need the extra privacy, insulation or soundproofing that lined curtains can provide. You can also buy interlined curtains, with a third panel of insulation fabric between the curtain itself and the main lining. Lining can also make your curtains hang better if they are made from a lightweight material.

Being very excited about blinds and window coverings, Kenneth Morris was authoring quite a few detailed papers on the subject. His observations on blinds and curtains [http://www.curtains-drapes-coverings.com/curtains.html] are published on his web publications .

Zebra Rugs: The Truth in Black and White

If you've lived long enough, or just have a slightly underdeveloped sense of humor, you may be familiar with zebra jokes.

To wit: "What's black, and white, and red all over?"

Answer: "A sunburned zebra."

Here, for the purposes of this article, is a more updated version.

"What's black and white, and tread all over?" (Excuse my liberties with tense, but it works better than "trod".)

"A zebra rug."

Now that we have the zebra wisecracking out of the way, let's consider zebra rugs as highly noticeable home accessories. First, we'll address the most common zebra rug myth: all zebras, and the rugs produced from their hides, have similar stripes of black and white.

Well, no, not really.

Every zebra belongs to one of the three branches of the zebra species. The hide of the regally-named "imperial zebra" has about eighty narrow stripes; that of the mountain zebra has about fifty-five narrow vertical stripes and three wider horizontal bands along the outside of its hindquarters; and the most common hide of all, that of the Burchelli zebra, the huge herds of which are regularly culled by wildlife management, has twenty-six wide stripes, vertical along its shoulders and transitioning to horizontal along its ribcage and hindquarters. Most natural zebra rugs are made from the hides of Burchelli zebras.

As to coloration, truly back and white zebras do not exist. Dark zebra stripes range from a golden chestnut to a warm chocolate, while their light stripes are a white to creamy off-white.

And, while it's possible, it isn't likely that you'll find natural zebra rugs taken from zebras left unscarred by their life on plains of Africa. If you do, expect to pay a premium for them. Zebra rug vendors grade the zebra rugs they sell according to the number of blemishes and battle scars each one carries, with the least-damaged zebra rugs commanding the highest prices.

Natural zebra rugs, which are normally backed with heavy grade black felt, are truly eye-catching pieces of floor covering, and will be stunning additions to modern, African, or tropically-themed rooms.

If you love the look of natural zebra rugs, but are concerned about their expense or worried about maintaining the wild zebra population, you can still have the fun of decorating with synthetic, or faux, zebra rugs.

Synthetic zebra rugs are not limited to the hide shapes of their natural counterparts; you can find them in rectangles, and runners, of various sizes. Made of inexpensive washable carved propylene fibers, they offer the texture of genuine zebra rugs. And they will give you the true black-and-white color scheme that you can't find in natural zebra rugs.

Or, for those who are willing to pay a little more for zebra rugs which look like, without being, natural zebra hide, there are cowhide rugs with white to beige backgrounds which have been printed with a zebra-like pattern of black striping and cut to resemble natural zebra skin.

And for those who are just not into black and white, there are faux-fur throw rugs which have zebra stripes ranging in colors from pink and black to royal blue and white; while no one is going to confuse them with natural zebra rugs, they do offer a certain flexibility to decorating.

And there you have it--zebra rugs, in black and white. Or not.

Author: Matt Garrett

Got the rug blues? Get "Rugucated"! Check out our top tips for rug care to make sure your favorite rug remains your pride and joy for years to come. 1st Rugs.Com

Choosing Bathroom Paint Colors

Need bathroom paint colors? It's understandable. It is a common fact that many do not pay as much attention to the bathroom decorations as they do for the other rooms in the home. But just with few tricks and right techniques, you can make your bathrooms as attractive as the rest of your home. It goes without saying that blue is considered as the top favorite bathroom paint colors due to its ties to water and the calming effects. The choices are not limited as there innumerable shades of blue which can give completely different look for your bathrooms. Some of the dominant shades of blue as per the surveys are: "cinder blue" which is a silver or gray-type blue, "deep arctic" - a shade of dusty navy, "ocean cruise" which is a tropical pastel blue, and "blue aire" which is a turquoise blue of retro '60s.

Apart from these shades of blue, warm colors such as peach, yellows, apricots, and cream provide the warm and cozy feeling. Peach is preferred by many for the bathrooms as it goes well with the skin color and bathrooms are a regular place for shaving or applying make-up. Neutral colors are also being widely chosen for the family bathrooms as they are great at providing a peaceful atmosphere.

Few Bathroom Paint Color Tips and Tricks

* It will be ideal to go for a minimum of 3 shades and a maximum of 6 shades while painting your bathrooms. You can choose a light shade, a medium color, and the bright accent colors to finish with. The accent colors should be the darkest and can be used at least in three places within your bathroom. Though combining more number of colors can give a dramatic look, you should be careful while choosing those colors as too many cooks may spoil the food.

* The floors can be chosen a shade darker than the walls and ceilings while the countertops look great in lighter shades. The cabinet colors must be determined based on the amount of light your bathroom receives. The textures and colors in which faucets are available is endless and rich in variety; starting from the simple shades of blues, purples, greens, or black-white combination, you can come across even animal print (Safari), blue glass (Chinois), floral patterns (Watercolor and Hawaii), and so on.

* If you have chosen a bolder shade for one of the walls of your bathroom, make sure that you do not place the mirrors facing that wall as it will make the room appear darker than intended. It will be prudent to try the samples of the colors before you paint the entire wall because in certain cases like Acadia White there is a hidden tint of darker shades such as Mayflower Red which may elude the eyes if you do not try it for yourself. You can go for the semi-gloss finish bathroom paints which will reduce the effects of mildew or mold.

You can broaden your decoration for the bathrooms by concentrating even on the colors and textures for rugs, shower curtains, sink skirts, towels, window treatments, and many more.

For more information visit Home Decorating Tips where you can learn more about turning your house into a dream home and get ideas on colors for decorating the bathroom.

Zebra Rug - Exotic and Stylish

A zebra rug is a very popular trend right now. They are cropping up in living rooms, bedrooms, dens and sitting areas. They are usually synthetic and made to look like the pelt from a zebra.

They are very distinct looking and are usually made to look exactly the pelt of a zebra. This is not a new trend but more of a revitalization of an older trend. This rugs were very popular during the early nineteen seventies and the late nineteen sixties.

Where To Use Them

They can be used as an accent carpet in most any room. They can be either very large or very small, it is entirely up to the consumer as to which type they prefer for their room. They are mostly used in rooms that have a somewhat modern flair to them. They are often used in front of fireplaces or under coffee tables. Very rarely are they used as room sized rugs although they can be.

A nice zebra rug is also a nice touch in a modern bedroom. They are great in basically any room in the house. They are great as accent pieces and can really tie a room together. This unusual items really add some interest to a room.

Costs

These type of rugs are not much more expensive than any good area rug, when they are made from the familiar synthetic materials however an actual zebra pelt that is made into a rug would easily run up into the higher thousands of dollars some even well over ten thousand dollars.

Cost is not the only consideration there may be some other things to consider when purchasing a real zebra rug. There may be some restrictions due to wildlife conservation that might also be in place. Obviously the only way to purchase a real zebra rug is to purchase it from a company oversees so there is also the shipping costs and the taxes for shipping such an item from an oversees location. A real zebra rug no matter how you twist and turn it will be very expensive.

The synthetic models are readily available through a host of vendors and can easily be found thorough many online vendors. The cost is reasonable and the product is a fun product to display and use.

A zebra rug can be a nice addition to any home. They are unusual conversation starters and give a room a feeling of the exotic.

Zebra rug styles vary more than one would think; they come in all sorts of patterns and some stray from the usual black and white color. Zebra rugs are a popular and contemporary style for living rooms and bedrooms.