Monday, October 26, 2009

Paper Clutter

Clutter is a major problem faced by almost all the households. It is like a never-ending task but like everything else in the world this too has a solution. If you do the cleaning thing on a regular basis, clutter will never become a cumbersome duty. Here, we are referring to paper clutter. It could be newspapers, magazines, notebooks, bills, art paper and several other such things. Basically the list is endless. Families with relatively large number of children, face this problem of clutter on a major scale.

Daily newspaper is the biggest source of clutter. What you should do is to avoid piling up newspapers. Once you are done with reading or collecting your favorite article, keep it aside the same day. Don’t procrastinate it. The same goes for magazines.

Children often create paper clutter whether it’s just playing or because of some painting or drawing work, kids bring along lots of clutter. So what you should do in such condition is to provide them space to display or store their stuffs and once in a while weed out unnecessary stuff. Mail is another object that causes clutter. The right way is to throw away junk mail in a dustbin and store all the necessary mails neatly in a shelf near your workspace. You can further use labels and files for better order. Other probable causes of paper clutter are message boards, school bag, polythenes and shopping stuffs. Now, make these tips as permanent feature of your life and keep your home clutter free.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

How to Clean Porcelain Floor Tiles

Porcelain tiles are definitely one of the most favored choices of flooring for kitchens and bathrooms. The strong point of porcelain tiles is durability and easiness to clean. In fact, one can clean these floors in a better fashion that any other types of floors. The reason is, these tiles are moisture and staining resistant. If you maintain cleanliness on a regular basis by doing just mopping and sweeping, then you are guaranteed to have shiny floors for a long duration. But if in case, you are missing out on regular cleaning because of hectic schedule then we will tell you how to clean porcelain tiles.

While you begin the process it would be prudent to gather some materials required for cleaning tiles. Hot water, vinegar, broom, dish soap, mop or sponge and soft damp cloth are primary housekeeping requirements. Start by sweeping the floor tiles. Instead of a vacuum cleaner, use broom because cleaner might cause some scratch on the tiles. Focus on grout lines because of dirt factor. Once you are done with sweeping, use a sponge or damp mop and sweep away the dirt. Vinegar will come into use for scrubbing purpose. Mix distilled vinegar with dish soap in hot water and you have a very effective water solution. Lastly, use clean water and damp cloth and remove all the residue and here you get; completely clean porcelain tiles.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Decorating Your Kitchen

One of the most important parts of your house is kitchen. However, when it comes to interior decoration, kitchen is often ignored. But that is definitely not a very wise idea considering usage and relevance of modular kitchen in our day to day lives. Imagine, the lady of the house making some real delicious and tasty items in a kitchen that has poor lighting, far from satisfactory paint and awkwardly decorated wall. Well, you are not going to like it. Even while cooking, lady needs a motivating and bright ambience. That’s why it is always recommended to have kitchen that has invigorating and stimulating colors. One can always make innovations in the kitchen. The basic premise while decorating kitchen should be involvement of uplifting colors so that ambience could be created. Good ambience will obviously lead to fun in eating and cooking.

Interior designers use lighter colors if your kitchen in small. Lighter colors normally create the illusions of larger space. You can choose colors like lemon, warm hues of yellow, butter and sunshine yellow. Apart from these colors, one can use options like chestnut, orange, alizarin, peach, terracotta, pumpkin, rust and red shades of ochre, puce, and dusty rose. In case your kitchen is large enough, then you should go for colors that can make your kitchen appear small and cozy. For that purpose you can go for dark colors.

Many people prefer to use monochromatic color schemes because they are easy on the eyes. To make your kitchen look sober, you can experiment with white, taupe, brown or beige. If you are going whole hog then stenciling would not be a bad idea. Sponge painting is another interesting idea.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Designing Bathrooms


Bathroom is often one ignored area while we think of renovating our house or indulge in some sort of home décor. But this article will talk about how to design bathrooms. While you think of designing your bathroom, first thing you need to consider is color. The thing is bathrooms are often small in size so if color combination is good, often the effect is great. By color, we refer to colors of wall and ceiling. Proper usage of color often opens up the space. You can use several color combinations like white or pale shades like blue, green or blue grey.

Many people love to install a large vanity in the bathroom so that they can use the huge space under the sink. But problem with large sinks is they can make the bathroom appear smaller so always go for wall mounted sink or pedestal. It creates space and will be easy on your wallet as well. One can use baskets if more space is required for storage. Lighting must be given proper consideration in the grand scheme of bathroom design. One can add extra lighting at places like corner that will help in opening up of more space. Additionally, one can use recessed can lighting or wall sconces or even a countertop lamp. Those with deep pockets can add solatubes or skylights.

Try using mirrors for creating the illusion of more space. Choose light colors for flooring in the bathroom. Use minimum accessories for better effect. Finally, get rid of any clutter present in the bathroom.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Arranging Furniture

Arranging furniture in the house is no easy deal. While you plan to arrange the furniture make sure to focus upon clearing out the space where furniture will be placed. A cluttered room is very unpleasant to eyes and gives a feeling of restlessness. One must get rid of objects that make room cluttered like boxes, books and other similar things. Once the room is devoid of any objects and is appearing bare to you, it will be easy to know the exact shape and size of it. Now, move on to next step of measuring the dimensions of the concerned area with the help of a tape. This will also require checking out the placement of doors and windows

One wonderful idea is to choose a focal point, around which furniture will be arranged. Keep separate parts for heavy and light furniture. Don’t put them together. Don’t keep all the furniture against the walls. Tables must be placed near the couches. Room must not be overloaded with furniture. One method is to keep experimenting and you will soon find one style that first the bill perfectly.

Make note of height of furniture. Color and pattern setting must be used in accordance. The arrangement of furniture also depends upon your mood. A modern attitude will require you to place brightly colored furniture in the room. But if you want to have a cozy feel then opt for few pieces of furniture in subtle colors. You can also look for some online help and seek guidance from experts.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Buying Bed Pillow

Most of the people take great efforts in purchasing suitable beds. If the bed design is attractive and comfortable, it definitely gives immense pleasure. But have you ever wondered how many people spend good enough time while choosing pillows? Not many. The point is it is very essential for people to choose right kind of pillows for health reason. Knowing the fact that we spend almost 8-10 hours per day on the bed, it becomes absolutely essential to choose right pillows. Pillows are not only responsible for neck but also for peaceful sleep.

There are few factors you should consider while buying pillows. One of them is size. Size of the pillow will be very much determined by bed size. Bed size could be single bed or queen bed or king bed. Then, you also need to think about how you prefer to sleep. Those looking for big pillow can always opt for one. Budget is also a crucial aspect in deciding pillow. Top quality or feather pillow are little expensive compared to foam pillow. You can also have a mix of them for sleeping and leaning purposes.

One important factor is how you sleep. Do you sleep on your back or stomach or sideways? Different sleeping postures will require different pillows. You can try your preferred pillow in the store. Check the firmness of the pillow. Try washing pillow cover on a regular basis for hygienic reasons.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Door Interior

Interior décor is culmination of several factors. One of the small but important elements of home décor is door. A door can be wooden, hinged, sliding or simply folding barrier of metal or glass. We all know the importance of first impression and considering that door plays a major part in defining the overall look of your home. Front entry gates must be appealing to eyes. A door can be your statement about the house. A well planned door can have wonderful impact on your living space. It is crucial in several aspects like ventilation, warmth, protection and light. One can find amazing designs of doors. From being a utilitarian architectural object, it has become an aesthetic tool.

A door has several elements. For example, knob is very important. Similarly, a designer is bound to take care of all the parts of door. If one is willing to decorate entry door, then surrounding effect is very important. One can use gothic style door to arched, modern glass and multi paneled door. Interior doors are used as connecting points between different parts of your house. For that, one can use glass door or flush door.

Talking about particular designs, one can use stained, beveled, etched, mirrored, painted or sand blasted glass doors. Ideal finishing material for metal doors are copper, bronze, brass and pewter etc. you can also use carved decorations doors. Those seeking special doors can use French or sliding doors for wonderful effects.