So why should home design be important to you? Well, think about what its like to live in a badly designed home. Every day you get up, and the position of your bed annoys you. You have to walk through a little obstacle course to get to your ugly kitchen, where things are stacked up because there isnt enough storage space. Then you go to your badly-painted bathroom to brush your teeth. Sounds bad, doesnt it? Or even worse perhaps it sounds familiar.

The average person spends at least half their life in their home it is a more familiar environment to you than almost any other. In this situation, any little annoyances that you might have will be magnified a thousand times over until they start driving you up the wall. What you want is for your home to be perfect, and as long as you have the time and the money, its well worth going to some trouble and expense to get it just right.

If you want to be happy, then the design of your home should be just as important to you as your job or your family. Its about putting your personal stamp on your home and making it your own. And you cant just do it once and leave it either change is healthy, and helps to keep your life feeling fresh. When you have visitors over, you can be really proud of your home, and feel like it reflects who you are.

Apart from anything else, good home design can add a surprising amount of value to your home for very little cost. Improving the design of your home doesnt have to be expensive, and even if you do spend quite a lot, itll certainly be cheaper than moving house.

With the number of domestic burglaries on the rise, investing in home security is becoming a priority for more and more British home-owners. Here are five top reasons to invest in a monitored alarm system for your home.

Burglars Avoid Home Security Systems

Anyone who is considering breaking into a house and stealing the owner’s property is likely to take all precautions to ensure that he or she doesn’t get caught. While some criminals “case” a property for several weeks, others may be opportunists, who see the chance and grab it.

Typically, thieves will avoid any property which has visible home security equipment, and homes which are obviously occupied. Additional things you can do to reduce the risk of burglary include being vigilant for odd behaviour from people you don’t recognise as living in the neighbourhood, and keeping doors and windows closed to prevent access to your home.

Some Items Are Irreplaceable

I once heard a sad story about a family who returned after a holiday to find that their house had been broken into, and the thieves had removed not just valuables, but every item in the home, including personal photographs. It is those items which can’t be replaced that cause the most grief and stress to the victims of a burglary. According to police statistics, it is very unlikely that stolen goods will be returned to you, which means those special personal items are lost forever.

By fitting a quality home security system such as a burglar alarm and window locks, you are protecting not only the expensive items like TVs and laptops, which you worked hard to earn the money to pay for, but also ensuring that someone doesn’t make off with your precious memorabilia.

Reduce your house insurance quote

Investing in a home security system does involve initial expenses for installation and equipment, as well as an ongoing subscription fee, however these costs are offset by possible reduction in your house insurance. Whether you will get a discount on your insurance quote for fitting home security will depend on the broker you use. Remember, to get a discount you will need to buy a quality system and follow the advice according to the individual insurance policy. 

Peace of Mind

Having a quality home security system fitted in your home will immediately give you peace of mind. If you have ever gone out on holiday, and found yourself worried about the security of your home, you’ll find having a system like this invaluable.

Police Assistance When Required

Although the number of burglary incidents which take place while someone is in the home are fairly low, this is a concern particularly for women and elderly people who live alone. A quality monitored home security system will include a feature which will assist you to contact the police in case of a breach, as well as a panic button which can be used if an intruder enters the house.

Before you do anything to change your home decor – whether it’s just one room or the entire house, ask yourself (and others in your family, if it’s a group decision), what do you want to accomplish. Is it just to get a fresh look with a new color on the walls, or is it to really throw out the old and start all over again?

If it’s a new wall color you’re considering, make sure the paint you purchase will compliment your existing furnishings. Don’t rush out to your nearest home supply store and purchase a can of paint because it’s on sale or your think the color will do. Get several paint swatches and bring them home.

In fact, many stores now have sample jars of paint that enable you to actually paint a small portion of you wall to see how that particular color works with your scheme. Get several and paint them on the wall, let them dry and view these colors in different light; i.e., daylight and artificial light to determine which color really does enhance your room’s furnishings.

A color that looks really great during the daylight hours can look entirely different in artificial light. So, do your homework and you’ll be pleased with the new look. Even if it is just a new paint job!

There’s really no one ideal way to start a home decorating project. You can get the bug by looking at a magazine and imagining some home decorating ideas, or seeing a beautiful fabric in a store and suddenly feeling that yours just doesn’t match up.

Go online to get some really great home decorating ideas and cost saving tips. Also, the many online merchants allow you the luxury of cost comparisons without leaving your home. You’ll be able to find casual and formal furniture as well as creative decorating ideas for any room in your home.There’s a wealth of information available to you, including books on decorating, accessoriesfrom lamps to rugs and from throw pillows to wallpaper. You’ll find some extraordinary ideas for children’s rooms, bathrooms, living rooms and even outdoor rooms.

Homework applies as well to major jobs. Consider what each room is used for and get furniture that’s appropriate. Chairs and couches for a family fun room would not necessarily be right for a formal living room.

Make sure you have proper measurements and diagrams of where windows and doors are located and, above all, have a decorating plan so that all items coordinatedfrom carpets to wall covering.

Whatever your reason is to tackle a decorating job, it is very important that you set your goals first. At the same time, you must establish your budget. It’s all well and good to have very lofty home decorating ideas and goals when doing home decorating; however, your goals may have to be tempered by your budget. Develop your budget and establish a plan.

So, before you start pounding the pavement, going from one retail store to another, go online to see what’s available, determine pricing and see if your plan is a reasonable one. You may be pleasantly surprised at the cost savings ideas that are presented that will enable you to add just the right touch to make your home decorating dreams come true and to make your home one that is truly unique, functional and beautiful.

Just follow good principles of decorating and use your imagination and good sense to achieve your desired look. The online resources are numerous, so check them out before you do any impulse buying.

Good luck on your decorating.

Most people know venetian blinds as the slatted plastic strips with cords that are always tangled. These are quite difficult to clean and can make a room appear messy and shabby just by being tangled or crooked.

Blinds with plastic slats are out in modern interior design. Decorators often choose anodized aluminum and silver blinds for a modern window with minimalist effect. Nowadays, the variety of available venetian blinds includes a range of different designs, textures, and colors. Presently, manufacturers are producing blinds in fresh colors and interesting textures either by anodizing, painting, or coating the slats. The black blinds that were the rage in the 90s’modern trend and the neutral beiges of industrial looks are now considered boring and outdated. Plus, expert designers agree that these colors only make a room drab and impersonal. However, these blinds are still worth keeping if you would invest in special lighting treatments, bulbs, and dimmers. The light treatments can soften the starkness of the blinds.

But why waste money on lights when you can update your rooms by just choosing the right blinds for your rooms? The new, brighter neons will look perfectly retro paired with 60s’ and 70s’ memorabilias and designs. Colors like metallic bronze, gold and silver blinds are hot and will add instant glow and glam in any room. Rather than putting black or white venetian blinds for a wood paneled office, richer and more luxurious colors like deep wine or burgundy are advised. Brown and olive blinds are deemed best for earth toned rooms. Industrial spaces like offices look sleeker and more updated with blinds of celadon or cherry red.

If the more adventurous and bolder colors are not your style, you can still update your blinds by choosing different textures. Wooden slats are good for Asian-inspired or bohemian-themed rooms. Leather covered slats look sleek and collected for offices. Plastics are still okay for uplifting the retro vibes. If your rooms still look dated, the problem might not be the color or texture of your blinds. If you’re still using vertical blinds, especially those that are floor-length, then you’ve found the culprit. These venetian blinds look unfashionable and outdated. Aside from being mostly same in color, they look impersonal. They also interfere with other decorative accents like statues or sculptures. If you’re still saving up to replace vertical blinds, putting sheer curtains or drapes will do the trick. Another outdated blind is the mini-blind though they still function as shades for small windows. Minimize old-fashioned vibes by buying vibrantly colored mini-blinds.

Hand-painted decors are the ultimate fashion statements in terms of window treatment and venetian blinds use this technique. The slats on these blinds form part of a bigger picture when shut. These are more popular in Chinatowns and indie shops. As a result, most of the themes these blinds are of Asian or boho flair. These make for great accent pieces or as a surprise element in any room. Try any one of these tricks and watch your rooms come to life with new window personalities.

It’s not a new concept to cover our floors with carpets.  For centuries rugs have adorned our interiors adding colour and texture to a room.

Rugs have offered a complete luxury finish to a room.  Historically the halls in the great houses of this country had little furnishings.  Floor treatment for practicality, you can imagine, would be hard floors swept by the general traffic of daily life.  As they were  often frequented by horses and livestock passing through, it is little wonder that the furnishings were kept for the wealthy and general court life.  Rugs were made and hung as wallhangings, being too decorative for the floor.

Today our perspective has completely changed.  Through the ages the world has opened up and the influences from abroad bring back the trappings of other cultures and with that our creativity has  taken us into fascinating interiors to match our lifestyle choices.  The beauty of a rug is that it is transportable and so the possibility of introducing the styles of other cultures permeates our little island.

We don’t use rugs just on hard flooring but add rugs into a well furnished room and invariably over fully fitted carpets.  The colours dictating interesting perspectives.  As a designer I love using a rug as a focal point within a room to base and pick up on accent colours.  Teamed with a well chosen colour scheme this will certainly attract the eye.

Many companies have introduced  designer rugs into their choices inviting designers from both the fashion and interior worlds to design a rug for their collection.  This benefits the end user by creating an instant designer feel without trying too hard.  The colours, design and texture are guaranteed to be in vogue.

Is this what has been missing from your interiors?  Why not try it and see!

We all remember our grandmother’s house. It was either warm and welcoming or smelly and stark. Her couch was either the kind you sink into and never want to leave or the kind that when you sit on it your behind actually bounces off, as if the inanimate piece of furniture was trying to catapult you across the room.

A piece of furniture can look nice but not feel nice, which is why everyone ends up gathered in your kitchen when you have parties. That couch you thought would bring the room together so nicely did such a good job that you feel guilty breaking the monotony by entering the room. Unless your house is a wing in the Louvre, your furniture shouldn’t be museum pieces-or else you’re destined to be the type of grandparent with the “smelly” and “stark” house. And no one wants that. So, put away the Scotch guard and protective covers. New furniture is in order.

The good news is that you don’t have to choose form over function. Barbara Barry, whose line of classic, yet modern, highly functional furniture is now being carried at Robb & Stucky Interiors, who claim the largest staff of licensed interior designers in Florida and Arizona and recently earned a spot in House Beautiful’s “Top Five Furniture Stores” in addition to their five-year stint as recipients of the ARTS Award.

A likely partnership, given that Barry’s own achievements include being named to the Interior Design Hall of Fame by Interior Design magazine, and Architectural Digest’s “AD100″ for three consecutive years, received the “Star of Design” award for lifetime achievement, won “Designer of the Year” from Traditional Home magazine and “Best in Residential Design” from Interiors magazine. Despite all those fancy awards Barry’s furnishings create warmth and continuity with a distinct form that is pleasing to the eye and inviting to the body. Homes outfitted with her furniture are as comfortable as they are beautiful, simply stated, yet refined. So, you’ll never have to choose form over function (or vice versa) ever again.

Types of fireplaces such as masonry, gas, electric, pre fabricated and woodstoves are available today. Fireplace design ideas depend on factors such as the area to be covered and the purpose that it needs to serve.

While masonry fireplaces in which natural wood is burnt might be a common sight in old, large houses, gas fireplaces are the most common these days because they are easy to install and use. Although masonry fire places may have an old world charm of their own, they are not the most effective means of heating the house as a large amount of heat escapes through the chimney.

A wide range of gas fireplaces are available and out those the top vent gas fireplace is the one that can be installed to replace an existing wood burning fireplace. These fireplaces design ideas do not require wood or matches and can be turned on at the flip of a switch!

An electric fireplace is also convenient for warming smaller sitting areas and there is no facility to install a chimney. An added advantage of these types of fireplaces is that they reduce heating cost significantly.

A prefabricated fireplace is also known as a zero-clearance fireplace design ideas as they are highly insulated and can be installed in the proximity of combustible materials. They are often a good choice in new construction as they are lighter in weight and faster and easier to install than standard masonry fireplaces.

A wood stove is made from cast iron or brick line welded plate steel and is essentially a metal container for fire. Since most modern woodstoves are airtight and allow the amount of air feeding the flame to be controlled in some manner, they tend to be highly efficient.

Glass is an amorphous solid material made up of sand, silica and soda. Glass is also referred as Super cooled liquid”. Glass can be made transparent and flat or into other shapes and colors.

During manufacturing of glass metals and metal oxides are added to change the color of glass. For example, for decolorization a small amount of selenium is added and or added in excess to impart reddish color. Small amount of cobalt is added to yield blue glass. Adding titanium produces yellowish-brown glass. Based on the concentration, nickel produces blue or violet or even black color. On adding 0.1 to 2% of uranium produce fluorescent yellow or green color. Small concentrations of cobalt (0.025 to 0.1%) yield blue glass.

The most familiar form of glass is the silica-based material used for windows, containers and decorative objects. The basic ingredients of glass include silica, ash and lime. From these basic ingredients, a variety of glass can be formed. Float or annealed glass, molten glass, plate glass, tempered glass, laminated glass, self cleaning glass are some varieties of glass.

At an early age, natural glass (obsidian glass) created from volcanic magma is used. To early man, obsidian glass was very rare and valuable commodity. Obsidian glass is used as a glaze for pottery until the method of glass blowing was developed in the first century.

Glass and glass made products are used for many things. Glass can be tuned into high works of art. Many household objects are made of glass. For example, drinking glasses, bowls and bottles are often made of glasses as are light bulbs, mirrors the picture tubes of televisions and windows. Most of the laboratory equipments are made of glass.

Glass made objects attract the attention of others. It gives luxurious look to your home or office. Glass and glass articles are affordable and at the same time they have much functional value. Decorative mirrors give majestic look to place. The glass is a strong unreactive object, because of this property it is used in Kitchen, gym, bathroom, bedroom, bars, and doors. A gorgeous glass of object of art symbolizes the beauty of love.

Mosaic tiles can be used to create some truly spectacular effects in the home, but many people don’t know where to start. Because they are so versatile, it can be challenging deciding what to do with them, but mosaic tiles are a great way of adding colour, form and texture to almost any part of your house. Whatever atmosphere you want to create, mosaic tiles can help you achieve it.

The most important considerations are the size and colour of the tiles. Get this wrong, and they won’t complement the space you’re working with. Be guided by the purpose of the room and the mood you want to produce, but also be prepared to be a little bit daring and make a statement.

Shower rooms and cubicles are the ideal place to start experimenting with mosaic tiles – this is a natural space for mosaics, where the interplay of water and tiles echoes the natural world (think of a waterfall surrounded by mineral-rich rocks). For this reason, natural, earthy colours tend to work best. A well-chosen shower curtain and a few other accessories can really help bring everything together.

Bathrooms in general can really be transformed with mosaic tiles. Whether you simply use them around the bath itself, on the floor, or to create a statement wall, you can create an indulgent space – perfect for leaving behind the stresses and strains of the day and emerging with body and mind both cleansed.

The kitchen is also a natural space for decorating with mosaic tiles. They provide an excellent mix of functionality and style, and you can be as understated or as bold as you choose.

Whichever space you want to transform, don’t be intimidated by mosaic tiles – embrace them and marvel at the results.