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Archive for June, 2010

When I think of decorating a child’s room tropically, I immediately think decorating with palm trees, sand, and mischievous monkeys. A good way to begin this transformation is to go to a local craft store and look at the wall adhesives. Most of the wall-paper like pictures easily stick to the wall, are movable, and leave little or no residue when your child decides he or she wants a change.

If wall adhesives aren’t your style, or you want to make the wall a little more three dimensional, then you can take simple acrylic paint and create the palm trees (which are very easy to create for a child).

After the walls are done, find either green bedding or bedding with pictures on it that will mesh well with those that you have chosen for the walls. If you cannot find bedding that you and your child think will work, go to the fabric section and look for the children’s fabrics. Usually there will be several tropically themed fabrics to choose from. If you don’t want to make the sheets you can always find a solid sheet set that will match well with the fabric you choose for the comforter and then either make the comforter yourself or ask a local seamstress to create the blanket for you. If you have two made one heavy and one light, then you can keep the tropical themed bedding throughout the year.

A good idea for wall art to compliment these decorations, you can either use the previously mentioned wall adhesives or have your child create their own pictures to frame and hang on the walls. If you use one wall as a mural and paint the rest with a solid tropical color your child’s wall art will look impressive. Or, you can create a blackboard wall with blackboard paint and your child can continuously draw new wall art.

A tropical vacation wouldn’t be complete without watching a sunset or the stars. To create this for your child you can paint a scene on the ceiling, or find star and moon wall adhesives to attach to the ceiling (that way the ceiling scene can be changed out quickly and easily).

There are several periodicals on decorating your child’s room. You can also visit local furniture stores or view online furniture stores. When designing your child’s room, it is important that you keep in mind that eventually your child will out grow his/her room. Try sticking with neutral colors.

Always remember that to make your child happiest with the room, allow them to help in the process. If their shorter, let them help you place art at their height or even, to an extent, paint the mural (there are several easy things that they can do, like paint sand or grass). Take them with you to choose the fabrics and wall art and let them help you decide where things go. They will feel a great sense of pride in the room that they helped create.

Living Chairs Terms:

Changing your old sofa is the same as removing the old plastic covering that has been hanging on your living room lamp for say, 5 years. Oh…the only design you are seeing now is the newest stain your son has added to the pile. And have you thought of how hard it is for you to get out from your couch? That’s too bad. These only mean one thing- its time to change your sofa.

It might have taken you some time before choosing the sofa from the furniture shop the last time you bought your couch. Only to find out that everything were all in vain. Your sofa was not as nice as you first thought of it to be. To ease out the trouble of choosing your sofa, here are some guidelines to make the work lighter:

- The size. Before doing anything, decide on what size should you buy. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you use your room size as the basis. The primary reason for this is to avoid the chance that your sofa doesn’t fit the door. Or if you are leaving on the second floor or so, it may be due to the size of the stairs or the elevator. Again, it is not only the length of the sofa that matters, check also on its width and height and maximum size that your room will allow.

- The color. It is not always advisable to pick the color that looks strong. As far as home designing is concerned, neutral colors still remain to be the ideal choice. Then if you want to capture those hot and striking colors then take advantage of the sofa accessories. Throw pillows are much less expensive and they may be great additions to your home décors. Plus, you can always change the looks of your living room by rearranging your pillows or by changing their pillow case colors.

- Assess your lifestyle. Consider your lifestyle and start from there when choosing the upholstery of your sofa. Also think about which part of the house will your sofa be placed. Will it be placed in the family room or in the formal living room? Having kids may also add to your reconsiderations. For the longevity of the furniture, avoid delicate upholstery like that of satin.

- The pattern. If you prefer plain design then it is best to narrow down your choices to more toned down colors. However, choosing patterned upholstery is another thing. Choose a pattern that may conceal “add-on” designs (those that are patented by your son). With this in mind, you may choose multi-colored pattern. This will help you hide the dirt and stains that your children have created.

- Examine the furniture. While you’re on-site, allow yourself ample time to examine the furniture itself. The underlying construction and the over-all sofa make up. Ensure yourself that you have tried the feel of the sofa. Sit on it like you are at you own home. This will give you a better idea of what the sofa may feel like. If possible, invite others to try the sofa as well. This will make you see the comfortability level of the furniture.

- Check other things. Inspect the accents of the sofa. Check the trimmings, the wood used in construction, the paddings, and the over-all design.

The question of- “will it match my room?” may arise. It is best to address this question and other issues as well. If you see some defaults, then look for another sofa. After all, choosing a defaulted sofa is not suggested in the guidelines.