|
Window Treatments:
Beauty Treatments!
Nothing can add more beauty and drama to your room than beautifully designed window treatments. If you need to create a focal point in your room, a creatively designed window treatment is the answer. Windows are truly a decorating opportunity for setting your room's mood and style!
Whether your chose to make your windows a focal point, or a subtle yet dramatic background, remember that each window in your home serves a functional purpose. Privacy is key to a window treatment's design, as well as providing light and air.
The simplest of treatments, and a very popular trend, are sheer draperies. Sheers give your window a soft glow by filtering light into your room. Today's sheers come in hundreds of designs and patterns...from prints, to tone on tones... even washed silks. You'll be able to add beauty and grace to your home by incorporating them into your window treatment design.
Mattress Shopping?
Read this first!
Today, your bedding options are virtually limitless. Foam mattresses, air mattresses, and a variety of coils, padding, quilting and tufting techniques make your selections difficult. The purchase of a new mattress is truly an investment, since you'll be using it for many, many years.
One of the best ways to begin this selection is to educate yourself on the features and benefits of the mattresses you're considering. Then take stock of your bedroom's size. Are you in need of a twin, full, queen or king size mattress? Where will you place your new bed? How about a headboard? What is your realistic budget range? Have you considered your overall bedroom layout as to scale and furniture arrangement?
Once you've answered these questions, you'll be a well-educated consumer with a specific plan in mind. Visit local bedding companies, and "try out" the mattresses you're interested in. That's right... actually hop up on the bed and stretch out. There's not other way to test out the comfort of your selection!
Using Prints and Patterns:
The More The Merrier!
Well, almost! In years past, using more than one print in a room was considered taboo:but not anymore! In today's free wheeling world of decorating, mixing prints and patterns is more the rule than the exception. In many traditional rooms, a single print is still used lavishly, for upholstery, drapery and even as a wall cover. But today's fashion conscious homeowners want to mix and scramble both patterns and colors with a truly uninhibited hand.
If this approach is a new one for you, start with a very simple pattern:perhaps in a single color, with a white or ecru background. It's easy to add additional patterns by keeping to the same color scheme. Try combining a large scale floral print with a plaid, stripe or check! An instantaneous decorator look will appear. Or how about adding a paisley pattern, which are perennially popular, with a simple geometric pattern.
The thing to remember is that there must be some relationship in color, pattern or theme between your desired prints. Naturally the color relationship is the easiest to establish! A general rule of thumb is to follow the 60-30-10 rule. Your main pattern will be used the most (60); your secondary pattern half as much(30); and your third(10), or splash pattern is used sparingly.
We suggest that if you find a print you absolutely love, you should consider using it on the flattest surface possible. Perhaps as a bedspread, or sofa upholstery. If this print is gather into a window treatment, you'll tend to diffuse the design that attracted you in the first place! By all means, have fun when you play with prints and patterns. Look in magazines:read books:collect swatches. Your new room will be much easier to design than you think!
|
