Walla Walla Open House

There are limitations to living in an apartment or small condo. Since you’re only renting the property, there are certain things you’re not allowed to do. For instance, you may not be able to change the floors, put nail holes in the walls, or change the kitchen countertop. But don’t think this means you must resign yourself to living in a drab or less-than-appealing space.

Typically, all of the apartments in a specific group are going to look exactly the same. All will have boring white walls, neutral floor or carpeting, and bare windows. In the best-case scenario, you may end up with windows that have white mini-blinds. Fortunately, there are ways to make your look original and reflective of your individual style. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Decorate Your Walls
Depending on the apartment building, you may or may not be able to paint, but it doesn’t hurt to ask! Many apartment managers don’t mind you painting, since they can easily paint over your color if you move out. If you are allowed to paint, use a bold, bright color on one wall to add visual impact. If you’re not allowed to paint, then go with a large and intricately patterned tapestry on the wall. You may also want to hang some bold colorful prints with a simple mat edge or without a frame at all.

Special hangers can be purchased for apartment walls. Then you can hang what you like without putting any holes or nails in the walls, which doesn’t always go over well with management.

Add Some Drama to the Floors
Although the carpet and linoleum are in most cases there to stay, you can always incorporate some colorful area rugs into your décor. Use brightly colored botanical patterns for the kitchen. With bright sunflowers, daisies, and poppies, you can add a cheerful look to the room, breaking up the monotony.

For the living room, use one large area rug strategically placed in front of the sofa, or consider a couple of smaller rugs. As long as they complement your color scheme, you can choose bold patterns for this room. Especially if you have solid-colored furniture, intense stripes and plaids make a great addition.

Add Flair to the Windows
You can add color to your windows, even if you have to leave the mini-blinds hanging. Try some sheer curtains that coordinate with your other décor. A boldly colored satin sheet hung above the window that cascades down the sides and onto the floor can provide some much-needed drama.

Stick to Color, Pattern, and Texture
The most important step you can take in dramatically changing the look of your rooms is to incorporate color, pattern, and texture into the mix. P aint, throw rugs, big fluffy throw pillows, and other decorating accessories can really liven up the décor. It’s a great idea to keep several big pillows on hand anyway, as they are great for floor seating when several guests arrive.

Keep Furniture to a Minimum
In order to attain that spacious feel, be sure to keep your furniture to a minimum. Look for low-profile furnishings without arms to add to the open feeling. Items such as coffee or end tables should be kept simple. Stay away from anything that’s too big or bulky.

Don’t forget to add in a few creative accents of your own and you’ll end up with an apartment that looks and feels like home. With a little imagination, you can create a vibrant, appealing space.

About the Author…
Leon Tuberman has been in the home furnishings and interior design industry for four decades. He owns and operates a popular furniture store in Los Angeles. They carry a large selection of American made solid Amish furniture for your home office, dining room and bedroom. It doesn’t matter whether you’re shopping for a coffee table for your family room or a wood dining table for your dining table then they have everything you need.

Believe it or not, you can decorate any room in the house on a budget and a small budget at that. Style, and a new look can be added to any room in many in expensive ways. These are some great tips that will allow you to decorate any room in your home while sticking to your budget.

1. One of the best ways to decorate on a budget is by using paint.
A couple gallons of paint can be bought for under $50 and your room can be given an entirely new look. Adding bright or bold colors will add drama to the room, while neutral colors will help give the room a more natural appearance. You can get really imaginative when using paint. You can paint a wall an accent color, making it the focal point of the room. Stripes or textured painting techniques can add real interest to the walls if you decide to paint more than just one wall.

2. Windows are another place that can be greatly impacted without having to spend too much money.
A variety of window coverings can be chosen for every type of room in the house. Even if you already have simple blinds that you don’t want to get rid of you can add a valance to the top of the window and add more drama to the area.

Try new and creative ways for dressing your windows. By simply taking sheer material and draping it over a decorative curtain rod you can have a really simple and inexpensive way of dressing the windows. Another way to go is by tying back long curtain panels with thick ribbon or velvet.

3. A room can truly be changed by adding simple accessories that tie the room together.
At times, it will be the small things that count when you are decorating a room.

When use correctly, accessories such as candles, photos, flowers and baskets can truly add to a room. A row of candles added to a coffee table will give off a more intimate tone. A kitchen can look more inviting if you simple add a vase of flowers to it. You can make a difference in a room by simply changing something small, like towels in a bathroom.

Getting the most from your budget can be as easy as shopping at flea markets and consignment stores. A little extra shopping will have to be done, but if you have to decorate your whole house this can save you a good amount of money.

4.Rearrange furniture or take items from one room and use them in another.
If your budget is really tight then you might just have to work with what you have. Look for pieces that you can reuse by adding your own style to them.

This can mean using the old vase that had flowers in the family room as a centerpiece for your dining room table by simply spray painting it with a metallic color. Some of the items you currently have in your home can be changed to fit your style.

You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars decorating your home. You’ll be amazed as to how far you can go on a tight budget of only a couple hundred dollars.

About the Writer:
For the past 25 years Avo Barsoumian has helped home owners with their home flooring and interior decorating needs. He is the owner and manager of a popular home flooring company in Pasadena. They have a huge selection of elegant hardwood flooring, beautiful laminate flooring and plush carpeting. Searching for that perfect long beach flooring for your new town house or orange flooring to redecorate your older house? Then give Carpet Wagon a call.

When you need to jump into interior decorating and design but aren’t certain of your own personal style, there are numerous methods for you to do to narrow down the choices.

Online Tests

Several online language resources like ivillage.com or kaboose.com offer decorating style tests made up of ten questions which you’ll probably finish in ten minutes.  When the result is created, the test can ascertain your needs and wants and classify you having a specific interior design style.

Most are astonished with the results of the test, yet because it pertains to your very subjective aspects the outcomes may vary every now and then.  Right now, you may score as “contemporary” but after many days or months you may create a penchant for antiques or for minimalist design schemes.

Print Materials & Other Media 

To assist you further, look over printed resources, for instance magazines and books, or other media such as home design Tv shows not to mention the Internet.  These are ample sources of inspiration.  Pick out the designs that focus on your own personality and if you see a design come up then that would be your primary design style.  For example, you could love black lacquer home furniture from your Orient or perhaps a Mission fittings and furnishings.
You could also discover whether you enjoy country cottage wallpaper or rustic hard-wood floors and huge throw rugs.  You would likely only know these as you go along with the exercise.

Central Theme

One other reap the benefits of executing this is that you will get certain ideas which you’ll combine and add your personal touch.  Use a central piece or focus on a topic inspired by an artwork, food or your favorite scarf.  Get your aspects from nature, travel, or whatever it really is that floats your boat.

Current Trends

Other themes which are “in” are global and modern looks with unusual mix from Russia, Morroco,   India and Latin America.  Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Hollywood Regency are strong, superior luxury themes that never go out of style.  It is often a extensive mixture of these styles that attract modern day homeowners and clients.

Pallettes

Remarkably, perhaps because of the many yuppie bachelors that presently employ the services of internal decorators, “menswear” palette of gray, dark blue and earth tones of brown and black is an emerging trend.  Popular color schemes would of course function as the deep blues, rosy reds and dusty purples which are very pleasing to the eyes and relaxing to the mind as it imitates the hues of the sunset.  Kitchen colors are spiced up by getting cues from fresh fruits and vegetables in shades of orange, lemon yellow, citrus green and apple red.

You are the King

In your interior decorating journey you need to let your emotions point you.  Your true nature should be reflected inside your use of textures, fabrics, colors, woods, lighting and flooring.  These should also provide you with a cozy feeling of affluence.  And everything you include into your design must always possess a purpose and meaning. 

Homeowners will often find that their master bedroom is the most ignored room of the home when it comes to decorating. Now, this could be because they no longer had the means or ideas for decorating the room after they finished with the rest of the house, or they were just never able to get to it.

Don’t wait until you have the time to decorate your master bedroom, instead here are some quick and easy decorating tips that will immediately add style to your master bedroom.

How to Decorate Your Walls

You can easily take your room in a new direction by simply adding a new paint color to it. Painting is a pretty simple and quick task to perform. The options are numerous when it comes to painting your master bedroom.

If you are buying new bedding you can repaint the whole room a new color that matches your bedding or in a color scheme that you for your room. You do not have to paint the whole wall, you can go a little easier; you can choose to only paint an accent wall, like the wall that your bed is against.

You can also hang up a painting on a single wall as another quick decorating idea. Any type of painting, fitting your desired type of décor for the room, would be a perfect fit. Also, arranging a couple of smaller paintings in random patterns can be a good idea. Paintings and even photographs can be found at local department or discount stores.

Choosing Bedding for Redecorating Your Home

The focal point of a bedroom is its bed. The bedding is a good place to start decorating is you don’t know what kind of décor you want for the room. If you don’t know what type of décor you want in the bedroom you can always simply start with the bedding. Getting ideas for the bedding can be as easy as shopping at different places or even browsing online.

It isn’t necessary to spend a large amount of money on you bedding set, you can always choose to add something simple to it. Adding decoration to your bed can be as easy using pillows. Throw pillows can add extra style to a bedding set and aren’t necessarily expensive. If you want to go for a romantic environment consider hanging tulle or silk from the ceiling as a canopy around the bed.

Finding the Right Bedroom Furniture

Clutter on other furniture or nightstands should be removed. Decorating a room is truly easier when there isn’t a mess on top of everything. Use the drawers to put away items you don’t want to get rid of, and throw away other items that are unnecessary.

These pieces can then also help you to accessorize the room. Candles or a vase are can add style to a dresser, while a nightstand can benefit from a nice lamp.

The decoration of a master bedroom does not have to be too complicated. The simple addition of  design touches here and there can have you enjoying a space that has been personally decorated.

About the Author

Avo Barsoumian has been in the interior flooring and interior design industry for over 25 years. He is the owner and manager of a popular carpet installation company in Glendale. The carry the best in elegant hardwood flooring, beautiful laminate flooring and plush carpeting. Searching for lancaster flooring for your new apartment or  ceramic tile los angeles to makeover your older home? Then Carpet Wagon carries everything you need.