Caring for your Carpet October 31, 2011
Posted by creatingyourspace in : Care and Maintenance, Carpet , add a commentYou’ve just installed beautiful, thick new carpeting in your home. You’ve sworn the kids will never eat on it, you’ve sworn off red wine because we all know the odds of spilling 
that and everyone is expected to take their shoes off at the front door. While you can keep up on some of these rules and regulations sooner or later you are going to let your guard down. You’ll open that bottle of Malbec, the kids will get crumbs everywhere and your Aunt Lala will track in mud.
Keeping that “brand new” carpet feeling is not impossible. You just need to know how to maintain your carpet as you live your life. Naturally, one of the best things you can do for your new carpet is to make sure you have a quality vacuum cleaner on hand. More importantly, use it as often as possible.
There have been significant improvements to vacuum cleaners in the past few years, making them easier to use, and better at doing their job. They’ve gotten lighter in weight, stronger in suction, and loaded with convenience features. There are even unattended robotic vacuums that can do the work while you’re sleeping!
Thorough vacuuming removes loose dirt and dust from the fibers. Over time these particles dull your carpet’s appearance; frequent vacuuming maintains the beauty of your
floor covering and extends its life.
Remember that high traffic areas will need more vacuuming. You can’t expect your carpeted hallway to stay clean when the kids, Fido and everyone else troops through it several times a day. Use a machine with a good beater bar and maximum suction. Use the cleaner’s attachments, they’re not just there for decoration. They are designed to make cleaning along walls and up and down the stairs as easy as possible.
If your vacuum uses bags, be sure to change them frequently for maximum cleaning efficiency. Some newer model vacuums have been designed without bags, making the chore of vacuuming even simpler, and more time saving.
Be Adventurous! October 24, 2011
Posted by creatingyourspace in : Design and Decorating, Hints and Tips , add a comment
The best designers, whether home or fashion, are always ready to be adventurous. One way to bring new ideas into a field is to look outside the normal scope of the industry.
Are you trying to make unique and daring home design decisions while limiting yourself to photos from home and interior design magazines? How about looking outside that box to discover new realms for inspiration? Let’s start by looking at how one designer took an unrelated image and turned it into a beautiful bedroom design.
Both colors and textures from this rustic gate are represented in the bedroom. Notice how the flooring pulls its colors from the wood of the gate. The texture for the floor is smooth, but that just civilizes the power of the weathered gate colors without losing any of the definition or appeal.
If you’re looking for a modern sophisticated design, don’t be hesitant to look beyond the traditional flooring choices to some that stretch your imagination and the room’s capabilities as this flooring does.
To represent the bolt and lock, look to the furniture. The stitched leather and natural cherry wood frame shows the darker shades of the bolt and the rusty red tones. The soft silver lock comes in with the bedcover, and even the gold shams pick up highlights from the photo.
Finally, the art on the back wall mirrors both color and texture from the gate. This stunning decision to stretch the art across the wall to the ceiling pulls everything together with a feeling that the wall was constructed to echo the boards of the gate. The end result is powerful and perfect.
Inspiring Painting for Bedroom October 17, 2011
Posted by creatingyourspace in : Design and Decorating, Hints and Tips , add a comment
When you’re looking for inspiration for your bedroom, or a room for your daughter, you can find ideas almost anywhere. This painting provides a good example of some possibilities if you want something old fashioned and feminine.
The peach, lavender and green color palette creates an inviting look in a combination daring enough to keep this room from looking boring. You could paint the walls any of these colors or find wallpaper that combines two or more with some texture.
The arch over the window can be recreated with curved molding and paint. Stencils can produce flowers if your painting skills aren’t where you want them.
The wing chair and ottoman don’t have to match as long as the same wide striped fabric is used on both. For the dresser, look for one in honey pine and add an oval mirror to match. To carry the replication further, use a soft sage green glaze on the drawer fronts.
You may not have a window seat to match the one in this room, but a bench with cushions and pillows placed just in front can serve the same purpose.
This painting leaves the flooring to your imagination. Carpeting would look nice in cream, sage green or even lavender. Light wood flooring with a few rugs in floral designs or even simple plain colors would also suit this room. Whatever you choose, the space will be just as pleasing and pretty as this painting.
Decorating a Vaulted Room October 10, 2011
Posted by creatingyourspace in : Design and Decorating, Design Perspectives, Hints and Tips , add a comment
It can be challenging to decorate a room with a vaulted ceiling. Often, people choose to simply ignore the extra height. Let’s take a look at a few techniques this photo demonstrates for making an entire room feel cohesive.
One tactic is color connections. The tone of the small diagonal tiles added to this stone floor match the feature wall on the upper right. The same tone comes through on the stair banister. These elements pull the flooring together with the rest of the room.
The tall narrow windows and extra-wide crown molding provide architectural touches that make the entire space feel integrated from top to bottom. If architectural elements don’t support the high ceiling, it’s hard to compensate with decorating.
Using large-scale art is another effective approach. The three-piece canvas between the windows covers the need for art reaching down to eye-level while still reaching up almost to the ceiling. The soft tones of this piece keep it from distracting visitors while establishing the height connection.
One final touch comes from the long lean plant toward the back. This accessory carries the tall theme onto the living area of the room. Altogether almost every element in this room is designed to ensure that everything works to create a space that has elements of grandeur while still remaining inviting.
Pool adds to Home’s Charm October 3, 2011
Posted by creatingyourspace in : Stone , 1 comment so far
When you add a feature such as a pool to your yard, your design planning makes the difference. A pool needs to be more than a source for fun and exercise; it should enhance the look and feel of your entire backyard.
This pool provides a good example of an integrated effort. Starting with the size and shape of the available area, the choice of a narrow rectangle provided plenty of space for anyone stepping out to the patio area. Even without swimming, the simple clean design of this pool makes it as much a water feature as a play area.
Using one material – a rich varied stone – for the raised pool surround, the patio tile and the columns keeps everything appealingly integrated. The clean lines set a modern tone that works particularly well with the home, while the personality of the stone keeps the yard from feeling bland.
One daring design decision – using thatch as a patio cover – adds an adventurous touch to the scene. The lounge chairs in teak coordinate with the tropical mood while staying simple enough to maintain the modern feel.
There is quite a bit of hard surface to this yard, and the plants at the far side join the thatch in helping to soften the space. A few plants in pots would also add a softening influence.
