Window Blinds or Curtains

How To Make The Decision Between Blinds And Curtains For Your Windows
Author: Gregg Hall

When it comes to choosing a window covering that will meet the various needs of your rooms, there is no one formula to use or refer to. Both selections possess their own set of advantages, as well as disadvantages. Final decisions should be based upon your personal preference. After all, you are the one who is going to look at them every day.

Throughout the years, curtains have been a popular choice. You probably grew up as a child with curtains shielding your living room activities from the sun, as well as delivering a certain level of privacy. Curtains have always been known to provide a satisfying addition to room decor through the many available colors and designs. The setback with choosing to use curtains throughout your entire home is that there is no way of acquiring one pair to match up every window throughout your household.
Sometimes, curtains deliver the best option for the particular look you wish to accomplish throughout your home.

Choosing the right curtains is a must or you will be left with undesirable results. For instance, if you are dead set on putting up sheer curtains, you should know that your privacy levels have gone down a considerable amount of notches. If privacy is important to you, shades that allow you to shield yourself from outsiders may be an option for when you don't want others to be able to see into your house.

For extra privacy, select curtains that are thick. Also, when it is dark outside and you have the lights on in the house, curtains will allow others from the outside to see what is going on inside. You will also have to remove your curtains from their position, so that they may be cleaned. This helps to retain their appearance, but is often a bothersome task.

As for choosing blinds for your home, you should know that you will most likely receive a versatility look that offers a nice level of privacy. With blinds, you will also be able to enjoy the luxury of added control. For example, you can determine how much light you wish to let into your home by adjusting the length of your blinds. If it is a variety or style that you seek in your blinds, you will be disappointed. The farthest you will get in terms of style are a wide range of colors.

Maintenance of your blinds is rather easy. All that is needed is soapy water and a cloth. In minutes, a simple rubdown has them looking like new. For added style, pair blinds with attractive fabric draping or valances. This allows you to tie in the style or color scheme of a room. Often, you will find that blinds by themselves are quite unappealing. This tends to reflect a look of not being completed or poor design taste.

Sometimes, the two worlds are blended and both curtains and blinds are used for each and every window in a home. This means that you can have your privacy, as well as be able to experiment with a variety of design concepts. You will also be able to enjoy the freedom of adjusting the light within a room while matching the fabrics of your home decor. Alone, each selection has its ups and downs. Together, you may be dealing with a match made in heaven.

Article Source: http://www.content4reprint.com


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Moroccan Interior Design Ideas

If you are looking to decorate your home in bold and vibrant colors, consider Moroccan Interior Design ideas. We have been turned to Spanish, Mediterranean, Tuscan inspirations for unique home interior design ideas. But the Moroccan interior design is fast gaining popularity in interior design. Please scroll down to view Moroccan Interior Design ideas and see why this is so.

Moroccan interior design makes use of vibrant oranges and reds paired with refreshing cool colors such as deep blues and sparkling greens of the sea. It is not uncommon to see deep blue painted walls in Morocco.


A Typical House in Morocco
Brilliant Blue Walls

Moroccan Home Decorating Ideas

Tired of looking at the same bedroom, same dining room and same living room again and again? Then it’s time for a change. This time to not just change the furniture or the color of your home, rather go for a completely different look. Decorating your home in Moroccan style is the latest trend these days. Morocco is like a melting pot of different cultures and styles and so the Moroccan style décor will have some of the features of every culture and style. One can even see hints of Arabic style in it.

Moroccan home décor can be classified into two types – urban Moroccan decor and rural Moroccan decor. The urban décor involves the use of ceramics, metal, wood and leather. On the other hand, the rural décor has more of the Middle Eastern influence, with an emphasis on the use of rugs, fabrics and embroideries. The best feature of having a Moroccan style decoration is that the objects used in it are usually those that have use in practical life too. Given below are some tips that will help you in decorating your home in the Moroccan style.

Moroccan Style Decorating Ideas

Use of Bright Colors

When decorating your home Moroccan style, make sure to use bright natural colors. The colors like green and blue, found in the sea of the area, and the ones like gold and yellow, found in the surrounding desert, should be used as much as possible. You can combine other colors like vibrant red, orange or purple with blue or gold to create an effervescent ambience. Feel free to use of vibrant colors such as pink fuchsia, lavender, and orange while keeping the aesthetics in mind.

Bring Nature Home

For creating the tropical atmosphere seen in Morocco, you can make extensive use of plants. The more exotic the plants, the better look they will bring to your house. At the same time, they will also provide you with some greenery in the ‘concrete-jungle’ world of today. If it is feasible, you can also get textured walls.

Lighting

Lighting plays a very important role in adding that perfect Moroccan flavor look to your home décor. Moroccan light fixtures are totally different from those used in the other parts of the world. Moroccan light fixtures include Moroccan sconces, Moroccan chandeliers, Moroccan lanterns, Moroccan hanging pendants, and Moroccan lamps. A great source for quality handmade Moroccan light fixtures as well as Moorish lighting is a California company called Saint Tropez Boutique that design and handcrafts Moroccan light fixtures in Casablanca, Morocco and exclusively distributes them in the U.S.A. The reason why I like Saint Tropez Boutique because they are unique Moroccan light fixtures designs, plus they handcrafted from top quality Moroccan solid brass that has been carved into refined and intricate patterns. Addition to that Saint Tropez Boutique is the exclusive dealer in the U.S.A that has Moroccan light fixtures pre-wired for the UL-Standard (pre-wired for the U.S Standard wiring). To learn more about Moroccan lighting by Saint Tropez Boutique, please visit them online at: http://www.sainttropezboutique.us

Extensive Use of Textures

Moroccans love extensive use of textures in their home. So, if you want to have a Moroccan style look, rule out too much use of smooth and sleek materials. In fact, the fusion of multiple textures and shapes will be best. You can have darkened wood plank floors, which can be covered with natural fiber rugs of sand-ish color. This will not only add texture to the room, but also provide you with some comfort under the feet. You can also try draping fabric from the ceiling.

Some Other Tips

* Colorful mosaic tables not only give a Moroccan feel to your place, but also help to brighten up a dull room.
* Use of handmade Moroccan tiles will go a long way in creating a Moroccan décor.
* Use of Moroccan tent as a Moroccan lounge getaway in your own backyard.
* Use of Moroccan wood lattice screens also known as Jali Screens in your windows doors, kitchen and bath cabinet doors, or even as a room divider wall
* Last but not the least, you can buy silk bedcovers or cushion covers, in jewel tones, to create that perfect Moroccan look.

To learn more about Moroccan home decorating, please contact :

Saint Tropez Boutique
25 Evelyn way, San Francisco
California 94127
Phone: (415) 513-5920
Email: sales@sainttropezboutique.us
Web: http://www.sainttropezboutique.us


Moroccan Interior Design Inspirations

A Typical Moroccan Living Room Interior Design


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Blue Moroccan Interior Design Living Room

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Marrakesh, Morocco

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Tuscan Bathroom Design Ideas

A great interior design idea for the master bathroom is the Tuscan Bathroom Design. Tuscan interior design uses warm color schemes with luxurious styled accessories such as wrought iron decorative pieces, and marble tiles. Adding potted green plants also creates a very Tuscan feel in your master bathroom interior design.



Tuscan Bathroom Design
By Patrice D. Walker

Tuscan bathroom design is said to be a perfect combination of sheer indulgence and timeless beauty. When designing a bathroom, it is important to keep the style consistent with the rest of your house. It is a fabulous idea to decorate your bathroom in a luxurious Tuscan design with scrolled ironwork, ceramic tiles and marble if you have Mediterranean or Tuscan elements as your home decor. A Tuscan master bath would be beautiful, to accent your Tuscan style bedroom.

For a Tuscan bathroom design, choosing the right wall color will set the feel for your Tuscan bath. Just as with standard Tuscan decor , warm colors are ideal. Selecting colors with a yellow base will give you a solid platform to work with. Terracotta and gold colors are common in Tuscan design. A useful tip to remember is choose the light color as the base, and think of adding a darker shade on top with sponge or stucco texture. Consider color washing and applying faux wall techniques. This adds a rustic, Old World charm to your space.

An easy way to put together a color palette that makes sense with your Tuscan bathroom design is by looking for an Italian piece that catches your eye. Often a beautiful painting or piece of Italian tile will have a great combination of color. Pull out the colors to accent around your space. Integrating darker colors such as burgundy, olive green or deep blue are perfect choice for creating a Tuscany spa.

Again, look for these types of colors in your tile piece when selecting your palette. More than likely, they will be there. A beautiful picture from your trip to Tuscany is a wonderful addition of Tuscan Art to your bath. Have a couple blown up in a copy shop to canvas. This can also assist you greatly in choosing your color palette.

The key to a beautiful Tuscan bath is how you accessorize. Keep in mind the Old World style when choosing your Tuscan decor accessories and you will achieve the look and feel you are after. Your bathroom vanity, sink and accessories will set the tone of your Tuscan space.

Choose items like Metal urns, lots of greenery, Terracotta pots, wrought iron sconces and candle holders, and glass apothecary jars. You can just imagine how much you will be able to find. Consider hanging a wrought iron shelf as well. Open bathroom shelving is consistent with Tuscan design. Carefully select your Tuscany faucet. There's so much that can work in this type of bathroom. You want the style you prefer, and the price you can afford. Keep that in mind.

You can get creative by placing a baroque towel stand next to your bathtub, or a wrought iron vanity if you have space. There are stores that you can shop online that carry Tuscan decor, where you can find terrific things like a beautiful Tuscan fabric shower curtain. Products like these are great if you have only a shower in your bathroom.

If you have a budget to work with, choose some marble or tile for flooring. A beautiful rich color on the floor with take your Tuscany spa to a much higher level! If marble or stone flooring is too pricey, you definitely can bring out stone by adding stone details like a travertine soap dish and dispensers. Even marble candlesticks will introduce rustic materials appropriately.

Patrice D. Walker is an Architect student who specializes in Tuscan Decorating. Visit: http://www.Tuscan-Home-101.com/tuscan_decor.html for more Tuscan interior design tips and information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patrice_D._Walker

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Tuscan Style Iron Bathroom Sink

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Italy PROVASI furniture has been hailed as the Rolls-Royce, in the past 100 years, it conquered numerous European monarchs from the harsh and critical eye. PROVASI each bed, tables, chairs, cabinets, and accessories have condensed the non-replicating “Days of Glory”.

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In the current executive head of Italy and Rome, the Pope’s office, where yachts and seven-star restaurants, PROVASI are everywhere.

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About “PROVASI”, Cabiate near the city of Milan is the center of the Italian furniture industry. Eighteenth century to the early nineteenth century, the first generation of grandparents PROVASI, when operating hand-made furniture shop to create bedsidecabinets, chest of drawers-based. Second-generation parent Generation name, are engaged in antique furniture restoration and reproduction.
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Up to now, “PROVASI” Classical Italian bedroom furniture industry has developed into the leading brand.

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It is manufactured according to a specified part of the specification chosen by hand to produce still use the natural beeswax color, hand on the wax after 14 steps, to present the perfect noble luster.
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Each piece of bedroom furniture craftsmen are required to have completed 12-25 bits, producing a piece of furniture by the time period to 60-120 days. Therefore, each PROVASI known as the “modern classical art, the future of the antique collectibles.

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Source: http://www.locoav.com/

Contemporary Kitchen Islands

Contemporary islands in new kitchens add storage, style and space. At it you can choose to prepare food, wash-up, eat, talk or just write out your shopping list.

White kitchen island
Make sure the design is suitable for your flow of traffic and leave room for chairs or stools, if you use it as a breakfast bar.

A cantilevered island will give the illusion of more space as you can see through a benchtop the other side.

Consider molded corner posts and trim down to add more coverage of your project.

Make your island sleek and minimalist with all appliances, hidden behind cupboards in the integrated design

Kitchen Cabinets Design - AID kitchen islands

Aesthetics are extremely careful, because it's working space.

Use the highest quality end materials, such as granite for durability and to add to his pleasure in the kitchen.

Modern minimalistic kitchen island
Design of curved island of stunning contrast and appearance! You can use the solid surface countertop. Look for more advanced materials for solid surface benchtops.

Place taste pendant lighting and other fixtures over the island for a task and ambient lighting. This allows you to have an eyecatching feature during the day and a glorious, glossy, light at night.
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classic kitchen island
Make ergonomics (ease of movement and use) one of the main elements of your project.

Use all of your current island to showcase special ornaments, cookbooks or a house or a wine rack. They all will add a decorative element.

Finish island off the decorative edge that will give a sense of luxury to your project.

Kitchen Island Designs

Add a beautiful and functional stools or chairs that complement your cabinets and fixtures. There are many projects without back or half-and high-backed forms.

Add mirror as your toekicks person to add a touch of extra sparkle. Or wrap material used in your island cabinets to the floor long seamless look.

Your current island can be made of contrasting color to that of other cabinets, but if you do this, preferably the same material.
White kitchen cabinets

Kitchen islands are among the most popular products in the kitchen remodeling project. They are so versatile and you can suit any decor. Would like additional space for work area that will give the island and if you think all points of the design will have a great contemporary addition to your kitchen.

Picture Source: http://freshome.com
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Kitchen Backsplash Tiles Ideas

There are areas of the kitchen that are more frequently used than other areas. This would be the kitchen sink area and the stove area. Water, heat and moisture are things that causes stains and grease-build ups. One way to solce the problem would be to install a kitchen tile backsplash. Kitchen backsplah tiles make clean-ups easier; they are also long-lasting, and come in many decorative options. One cool idea in kitchen interior design, is to use kitchen tile backsplah as a decorative and stand-out piece in the kitchen, by showcasing special accent tiles. You can use hand-painted tiles, textured tiles for the kitchen backsplah tiles.

An expert provides 8 great kitchen backsplash ideas. Scroll down to view the kitchen tile backsplash ideas picture (image) inspiration.

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8 Kitchen Backsplash Ideas
By Mike Boysen

A kitchen backsplash is a wall cover that you install to keep the wall dry, make it easy to clean, and add a touch of decor to your kitchen. Putting in one of these is the easiest and quickest way to update your kitchen with a new look and breathe new life into a dull and boring kitchen. With a new backsplash, your kitchen will look like new. All you need are some kitchen backsplash ideas. You have many types to spark your imagination like ceramic tiles, stamped metal, plastic laminate and engineered stone. Tile is the most versatile and most often used.

Kitchen backsplash ideas are only limited by your creativity. You can use several different materials to help you create the look you are striving to achieve.

Here are some kitchen backsplash ideas for you to consider:

1. Tiles. Many homes have tiles on the wall in the kitchen. They make for the perfect backsplash because they are so easy to clean. You can come up with some great kitchen backsplash ideas using tile because you can arrange them in patterns and use various colors. You can create mosaic designs or something totally whimsical. Light colored tiles can brighten your kitchen and make your stove area look larger. Tiled kitchen backsplashes are definitely a good choice for any type of kitchen.

Tiles must be installed properly since they will be exposed to frequent heat and moisture from your stove. Before attempting to install the tiles, make careful measurements so your design will not get out of alignment. When you apply them, use tile adhesive that is also called thinset. This will give your tiles a professional look even when you do it yourself.

2. Laminate. When you use a laminate backsplash, your kitchen backsplash ideas are limitless because you can print any digital design you want onto the laminate in vibrant living colors.

3. Stamped Metal. Stainless steel is expensive and too hard to cut for a backsplash. The next best thing is to use tin ceiling tiles. This will give your kitchen a sleek industrial look. You will need to nail the tiles into place and then remove the protective film. This kitchen backsplash will require regular cleaning with polyurethane to keep it looking new.

4. Blackboard Paint. This is among the more unique kitchen backsplash ideas and more popular among young homeowners and those with children. This turns your backsplash into a blackboard that you can use to scribble notes on or use colored chalk to draw elaborate designs. The good thing about this idea is that it is so easy to install. All you have to do is smooth the wall, apply the blackboard paint and let it dry.

5. Magnetic Backsplash. To use this backsplash idea, all you need is a magnetic dry erase board, and mount it on the wall. It can double as an extra display area when your refrigerator front is full. Leave messages or decorate it with decorative magnets.

6. Faux Stone. If you are seeking kitchen backsplash ideas for a country look, then faux stone could be your answer. Faux stone has the look of real stone but it is soft enough to pin notes on. It stands up to wear and repels insects and moisture. It is also simple to install and easy to keep clean.

7. Textured Wallpaper. This is another easy idea for a kitchen backsplash. All you have to do is trim the wallpaper to the correct size, peel and stick. Once it is in place, cover it with a layer of semi-gloss paint so it will last longer and be easier to clean.

8. Recycled Items. For a truly unique kitchen backsplash, you can create your own from a collection of old plates or metal signs. Just about anything can be arranged for use as a backsplash. Just make sure it is secured with the correct adhesive so it doesn't fall off of the wall.

Selecting your kitchen backsplash can be one of the most fun parts of your kitchen remodeling project. Let your imagination roam free and come up with kitchen backsplash ideas that will make your kitchen one of a kind.

Mike Boysen is the primary chef in his home and has developed a keen interest in anything related to cooking. Read more about kitchen backsplash ideas at http://www.best-kitchen-ideas.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Boysen

Kitchen Tiles Backsplash Ideas

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