The Mediterranean, one of the oldest areas of civilization, is a culturally exciting region dominated by the blue hues of the sea, the dazzling, white light of the sun, the very old colors of the stones and the remains of past civilizations. Life is peaceful and you can enjoy life’s simple pleasures. The Mediterranean house incorporates influences from Europe, Africa and the Orient, which uses shining, soft colors and warm textures, giving off a feeling of vitality and energy. Mediterranean interior design aims for comfort. Walls are painted in bright matte white presenting a cool, clean and uncluttered feeling. Floors are made of simple, hard surfaces.
Chinese colors are bright and heavily ornate, and inherited from the Manchu-ruled Qing dynasty. The elaborate, yet warm style uses rich and vibrant colors. Influences from the Ming era are seen as a high point for furniture and home decoration. The Ming style is the direct opposite of the Qing style. It is clean and simple, spare and elegant, uncluttered and exactly symmetrical, with the smallest decorative details thoroughly considered in relation to the whole design. Color symbolism is significant in Chinese décor: black symbolizes the female and rejuvenation; red, the male, for self-expression and also good luck. The Ming look is more controlled.
As technology progresses, home design software are now available to help you improve your talent in making beautiful home designs. These software are effective tools to guide you in adding personal touches to your design without restraining your budget. By using home design software, you can customize. You can change dimensions, floor plans among others without any restrictions. Not like the conventional blue prints, home design software can provide you a virtual viewing option. Now, electrical plumbing, HVAC planners and even landscaping can be done in just a click. That is why, home design software is getting popular because it is simple to use and fun too.
Source: http://www.escobarshighlandfarm.com/christmas_tree_06.jpg
Christmas is the probably the most festive season of the year. So here are some do’s and don’ts in designing your homes this season.
Choose the right Christmas tree. You have the option to have an artificial or a natural tree. After putting up the tree, lights should be next. You can hide some lights in the tree to add depth. Last to be placed are the ornaments. Spread your ornaments evenly and alternate their sizes.
Christmas decorations are a family activity, so make sure to have your husband and kids help you out. Have Fun and Merry Christmas Everyone!
Want to combine aesthetic appeal and balance? Feng Shui is a Chinese philosophy about balancing the good and bad (yin & Yang). Here are some ways to achieve balance and beautiful rooms.
Plants gives life to the space, it adds aesthetic appeal to the house. Choose plants that don’t have thorns. Use round leafed plants, add chimes to your doors and decorate with crystals to bring you positive chi.
Clutter is a bug no-no in terms of interior design. Do not put any objects that would block your front door / positive Chi from entering your house.
Add water elements inside your house. Water fountains or aquarium is good for beautifying your house. It will also attract good chi.
Source of picture: http://fengshui.happyhomezone.com/document/pics/doorway300x400.jpg
Placing furniture at different heights influences our perceptions of space. Keeping the furniture at the same height level will make the room look more spacious. We could put a few breakers to avoid monotony. A small apartment or home would seem larger if the same palette of colors is used in different variations. A long corridor may be designed to look shorter by painting the far side using a deep, warm color. If you have a high ceiling, painting it in a darker color than walls would make it seem lower even if there is minimal variation of colors between the wall and ceiling.
High ceilings tend to have a dulling effect of lighting for the ones you have on the ceiling rarely have the power to illuminate the whole space. For these types of spaces, it may be necessary to light from both above and below to create ample lighting that can easily be achieved by mood lights on the floor or at mid-level then from the ceiling to give ample light to illuminate the whole space. Mood lighting on the roof can also be applied for effect, crisscrossing on the rafters if they show, accented by hanging chandeliers to illuminate and take full advantage of the high ceiling space where they fit with almost any ceiling type.
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High and flat walls are often a pain if you don’t have the slightest clue on what to do to make the space look a bit more homey as they say. Leave them bare and you have a lot of plain colored walls that works best for minimalistic home styles but can be rather bland for lively people with a necessary style to match. Dressing them up may be easier if you could get a stylist to give you an idea and I’ll assure you, you get you’re money’s worth when the finished product is seen and for you to behold.
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Lighting is one of the ways where wisdom and artistry can be applied for a home and they basically come in three types according to decorators, ambient, task and general lighting. General lighting illuminates the area for you and everybody else who enters a space. Ambient lighting gives focus to the elements of a space that may need emphasis such as art or antiques giving them their own light. Task lighting may be the most misunderstood for most of us generally adopt a technique known as “glare lighting”, where we have one central lighting fixture that is to provide all the light you need for a particular space. task lighting is the best way to improve safety for everybody knows what a nasty shadow is cast by you on the under-cabinet
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There are now a growing number of furniture makers who are opting to go the sustainable way by using reclaimed wood and other materials for their work. Such green recycling takes away millions of tons of waste wood from the land fill as well as other materials that may other wise go to waste. From metals, plastics, cardboard and many other recyclables, they are being reclaimed for use on many unique furniture that are being sold all over the globe as awareness in helping the earth goes center stage.
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