Use Slipcovers for Updating Your Furniture

Your present furniture looks ugly already? You shouldn’t throw your ugly furniture to the nearest dumpster. Slipcovers are a modern way to cover and camouflage old-fashioned or damaged furniture that can still be useful in your home. Contemporary slipcover design ideas are fresh and decorative, so you will feel like you have a brand new piece of furniture to add to your living space.

To renew your worn out piece of furniture, follow these few simple techniques for turning an old furnishing into something fresh and decorative.

Slipcovers Help the Old Look New Again
Since slipcovers are made from fabric, you can use your personal style and taste to create a slipcover design that fits the motif of your bedroom or living room. Regardless of the theme of your room, whether it is classical, modern, or country, slipcovers can be used to make an old chair look like something new and exciting. Brightly patterned designs, soft pastel prints, or solid fabrics can all be used to introduce new design into your living room. Slipcovers can transform a bedroom from a dull and dated room into a room that is filled with color and pattern.

Slipcovers Bring Versatile Design to a RoomSometimes your living room or bedroom includes furnishings that are mismatched and incoherent in their design appeal. To bring harmony and uniformity to a bedroom, you can use a slipcover as a transitional decorative element. For example, a slipcover on a bedroom chair can be used to tie the colors in the walls, floor, and bedding together to create a unified space. In addition, you can add decorative accents to a slipcover like fringe, beads, rope, ribbon, and piping to add blending elements to the room design.

Slipcovers Wash Easily
Slipcovers are typically made from fabrics that can be washed on a regular basis. To avoid unwanted stains on upholstery, slipcovers provide a viable option. It is not possible to wash the upholstery on your favorite sofa or chair, but it is incredibly convenient to toss a slipcover in the washing machine. To ensure the best results from the addition of a slipcover, make sure that the existing upholstery on a chair or sofa is not so stained that the problem area will show through a slipcover.

Slipcovers Don't Require SewingFlamboyant fabrics and professional tailoring are not necessary elements for creating a decorative slipcover. Some basic designer tips can make the project a simple one. For an ordinary wooden chair, a padded seat cushion and a throw pillow against the back of the chair provide a perfect slipcover design.

These decorative elements don’t require you to sew a stitch. In addition, sheets and fabrics can be laid across a sofa or chair and tied at the bottom where the fabric meets the legs of the chair. Some rope or ribbon can be used to tie a knot or bow around the fabric and leg of the furniture.

Slipcovers are a modern way to update soiled or old-fashioned furniture. Contemporary slipcover design is colorful, low maintenance, decorative, and simple. You will feel like you have a brand new piece of furniture to add to your bedroom or living room design.

Source:google
Picture source: hgtv.com

Railway-Side Paintings Gallery

For our terrace decoration, I really want to hang a painting there; but we have tight budget now. Fortunately, I remember this ‘gallery’. So, we went there to look for paintings.

The ‘gallery’ is located in a unique place. It locates on the side of railway track Bogor – Sukabumi. You can imagine how busy the seller to move the paintings every time the train is passing through. Luckily the train only pass trough twice per day…

Tens of paintings are displayed in a long row, right and left side of the railway. It’s like being in a museum or a gallery, hehehe. We found our choice and then we hang it on the wall. The most thing I like, the painting’s price is so affordable!

How to Fix Loose Wallpaper

Whether it was hung mistakenly in the first place or for some reason it just did not stick on well to the wall, wallpaper will become loose over time. Loose wallpaper starts with its edges curling or lifting up. Unless you fix the problem, it will get worse over time as more wallpaper will become loose. Don’t worry, you can repair this by yourself !

Loose wallpaper is very easy to reattach to the wall. Here is the guidance for you:

Step 1
Use a sponge to dampen the edge of the loose wallpaper. Lift and raise the loose end with a utility knife.

Step 2
Squeeze seam sealer (wallpaper glue) along the edge and back side of the wallpaper. Apply the adhesive along the entire length of the loose piece.

Step 3
Allow the seam sealer to dry for 15 minutes, or for the length of time recommended on the instructions.

Step 4
Run a paint roller along the length of the seam. Take care not to press too hard in order to avoid forcing the adhesive through the seam.

Step 5
Use a wet sponge to wipe off any excess adhesive that is on the wallpaper.

source : ehow

Decorating Ideas of Spring

Spring hasn’t yet come; but it will come to you soon (we hope so). The new decorating catalogs are out and they're full of signs of spring from birds to butterflies. Check out a few of the new avian-themed products for next season.

· Source:ivillage

Create Your Own Spa Bath

Spending whole day at spa? Sounds so enjoyable; but it might be too expensive. Why don’t you create your own spa bath at your home? Make your bathroom into a place where you can retreat from the stresses of the day for less money than you think. Try these easy and affordable ideas to transform your bathroom into your own private oasis.

The Right Light
Finding the right lighting for your bath can be tricky since your bathroom requires many different kinds of light to meet all your needs. It needs task lighting that's bright when you're putting on your makeup or brushing your teeth, but you also want to be able to turn the lights down when you're relaxing in the tub. One inexpensive way to adjust your lighting is to install a dimmer switch. They're available at most hardware stores and are easy to install.

Clean and Organized
A disorganized bathroom can feel cramped, so be sure to keep the clutter of toiletries to a minimum. Stash cosmetics and other products in the medicine cabinet, under the vanity or in the linen closet. The clean, sparse effect will help you let go of your worries so you can relax without the reminders of your daily routine.

Pamper Yourself
There's nothing like the feeling of wrapping yourself in a big, plush spa towel. Pamper yourself by splurging on a large bath sheet that will envelope you completely when you step out of the bath. Choose a towel that's soft and absorbent for that spa-like feeling.

Protect Your Feet
A bath mat is essential for a spa bath. Nothing can shock you back down to earth after your relaxing bath like the feeling of cold tile on your warm toes. Choose a mat that covers a large section of the floor so that you'll have room to move around without having to step on the floor.

Set the Mood
Set a spa-like mood for your bath with the right accessories. Candles lightly flickering in the background and soft music are sure to help you forget your worries, at least for a little while.

Connect with Nature
Natural elements abound in spas. Softly running water, stone and living plants help create a calming connection with nature. Bring a potted plant into your spa bath to give it a similar feeling. Plus, plants often thrive in the bath thanks to the high levels of moisture and humidity.

Expand the Look of Your Space
Anyone with a small bath knows that there's not much you can do to make it bigger without spending a fortune on renovation. The good news is that you can make it look bigger with an affordable alternative. Hang large mirrors to give the illusion that your space isn't quite so tight.

Color Change
One of the easiest ways to give your bath a new look is with a color change. A coat of paint is an inexpensive option that can completely transform the feel of your bath. Try white for a clean, crisp, sparse look. Or consider a rich neutral for an earthy effect. Either way, a couple gallons of paint and a few hours of work could give you the bath of your dreams.

Source:ivillage -Michele Capozzoli

How to Make a Bedroom Better for Sleeping

Do you have trouble with sleeping lately? Of course, it can be caused by many reasons, but for decreasing your problem, you can try to make over your bedroom.
A few easy changes can remove distractions from your bedroom and help sleep come easier. Fight late-night problems by making your bedroom a safe, peaceful place to relax and sleep.

Lowe’s, the Original Home Improvement Warehouse, has useful guidance for you.
Start with these simple ideas:

1. Move the television from your bedroom and place it in an entertainment center in the family room or living room. Watching TV in bed inhibits good sleep.


2. Likewise, move the computer into a home office, or at least into its own nook in the family room or den. Remove the stress and worry of your work from the place where your focus should be relaxing and sleeping.


3. Color theory dictates that different shades have different effects on people. Cool colors, those from the left side of the color wheel, are thought to provide a sense of calm. Choose one of these for the bedroom, and avoid bright, loud colors that are more exciting than soothing.


4. Make sure that rooms adjacent to the bedroom are not home to stereos, televisions or other noisy electronics. Most modern homes don't have completely soundproofed walls, and the bleed-through noise can keep you awake.


5. Select light-blocking window treatments. Even though the sun isn't out, plenty of light can sneak into the bedroom from outside, disrupting your sleep patterns. Keeping the room as dark as possible is especially important for people whose work schedules require them to sleep during the day.


6. If you need a little light to sleep comfortably, consider adding a couple of nightlights or a dimmer switch rather than sleeping with a lamp on all the time.


7. Loud pipes might be waking everyone in the house when one person makes a bathroom visit in the middle of the night. Look for the cause of any clanging and banging, particularly in a bathroom that is adjacent to a bedroom.


8. Make sure doors and windows are solid and secure, with no drafts or rattles.


9. Use an air purifier or humidifier to keep air quality at its best. Allergens and excessively dry air can interrupt sleep and make waking up unpleasant, too. As a bonus, many machines create a white noise that drowns out other, distracting sounds.


10. Organize and keep clothing and other personal items in their places. A chaotic, messy room is stressful to the mind. Don't try to fall asleep with your eyes darting around the room, spotting shoes and clothes scattered all over the floor. Sleep well, knowing that everything is in its place.

Source:ivillage –Lowe’s