Friday, August 24, 2012

Paint Ideas For Interior Painting



The idea of color psychology may be a silly concept to some, but it has an important role for ideas and color in interior painting. The colors that you choose will impact the mood and tone of a room, which can to a certain extent, impact the attitudes of people. So it's important that when you begin the process of interior house painting, the right colors are chosen, especially if you do not paint on a regular basis.

There are professionals who work in the field of interior painting, in addition to decorators, who can really help you make the right decision when it comes to picking paint, furniture, and accessories for your home. However, attaining these services might be expensive. With nice interior painting ideas, you will be able to easily decide the colors to go with and have interesting designs too.


On this note, everyone has their favorite colors; however, when you're choosing interior paints, it may be advantageous to check out some of the popular colors among many. The colors listed down below are said to have an impact on the mood of individuals and with the right combination, it will make for a great painting project.

Interior paint colors

1. White: This color is popular since it can be used in any room in the house. It is a neutral color, which is an addition plus, along with being able to create a peaceful atmosphere. White works well in bedrooms as well as bathrooms and can give an illusion that a room is larger. Keep in mind that white paint may be difficult to maintain.

2. Yellow: No doubt, this color will provide a cheerful feeling. This is because it's a shade that's warm and it is why many commonly use it in kitchens and bathrooms. Colors you may consider are bright sunshine or pale yellow and you may also go for a warm shade, similar to the color of a banana split.

These are just two colors that you can choose from when interior painting; however, you can also choose from brown, blue, red, as well as purple and green. If you're at lost for ideas, as far as technique is concerned, there are some options which you can consider. These will add a little flare to your painting project.

1. If you want a little texture, then try sponge painting. Do this by soaking the sponge in paint and dab the wall. You can also use rollers that have a variety of textures to make it unique.

2. Stencils are also used by many for interior painting. A good example is in the kitchen, wherein you can use a stencil that's in the shape of a fruit. The possibilities are endless and you may choose from a wide variety of designs.

If you keep your eyes open, you will realize that there are many ideas for you to take advantage of. Remember that when you begin interior painting, it's best to have a positive outlook.



Wednesday, August 22, 2012

5 Easy Interior Design Ideas For a Cool Home

I recently moved into a new flat. When I moved in the flat was bare, and any furnishings that were included were either dull, or, well,... dull! Despite this I saw great potential in the flat, and knew that I could breathe life into it if I just got a bit creative. By adding a few Canvas Prints, Lighting effects and some personal touches, it became the coolest flat I've ever had.

Below are some easy, cheap Interior Design Ideas that helped transform my bland-flat, into a stylish bachelor pad!

1. Choose a Colour Scheme

The first thing that needed to be sorted in my new flat was the colour scheme, or should I say, I needed to first introduce a colour scheme. I like my rock and metal music. I therefore like dark colours such as black, dark reds and blues. It is important when choosing a colour scheme that you choose colours one reflects your personality. In the end I went with black and dark purple.


2. Paint

Now that I had chosen my colour scheme it was time to get messy with paint. A good technique when painting the walls of a room, is to paint opposite walls the same colour, and the remaining two walls a different colour. In my case I painted two of my opposite facing walls dark purple, and the remaining two I left white. These white walls would be added to later with art and other such decoration, to give them more appeal.

3. Buy Nice Furnishings or Improve What You've Got

My flat came part furnished, it had a bed, sofa, old coffee table, wardrobes and a few storage cupboards. The sofa provided was a horrible murky brown colour, so I bought a nice big black sofa throw, which I used to cover the sofa. I bought a few dark purple cushions and "Hey Presto" a cool new sofa! I then bought some funky Dark Purple curtains that had a black swirly pattern, these matched my cushions and helped promote my colour scheme throughout the flat. As for the coffee table, wardrobes and cupboards, I simply painted them black using a paint designed for wood, then gave them a nice coat of varnish. By being a little creative you can pretty much transfer any old furnishings into wonderful new ones.

4. Decorate with Art and Personal Items

This part is fun, and again should reflect your hobbies and interests in life. As mentioned I am a huge fan of rock and metal music. To add more variation to the walls of my flat I decided to invest a little money in some Canvas Photo Prints. I chose a few of my favourite album covers, which included Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Pantera. I had my local printing company transform these images into wonderful Canvas Prints. They look great on the walls and give the place a very personal touch. I also has a few old guitars, so instead of throwing them out, I mounted one of them on the wall using a guitar holder that I bought from a local music store. Personal touches like these really add character and individuality to a home, why not experiment with what you have?

5. Lighting

I didn't technically come up with this idea myself, it was provided by a friend who creates lighting for music concerts, but I'm so glad he did because it has elevated my flat to a whole new level of cool. I bought a few free standing tall spot lamps from a local high street store. I placed these in the corners of my room and using the directional lamp heads was able to direct the light in several angles around the room. These lamps also came with dimmer controls allowing me to adjust the level of brightness omitted by each lamp head. By experimenting I was able to come up with some very relaxing and tranquil lighting settings for my flat. Using another guitar on a stand, I wrapped a few fairy-lights around the body and up the neck. What resulted was one of the most talked about features of my flat! Lighting can dramatically effect the way in which a room feels so experiment with colour and brightness to find something that suits you.

Adam is an Interior Design student, he works part time in a Canvas Prints company. In his spare time he is an avid blogger and enjoys sharing his knowledge and experiences with the online community.



Tuesday, August 21, 2012

How to Care for a Solid Oak Dining Table

Imagine you've just bought an oak dining table (or perhaps you actually just have). No doubt you see this fine piece of dining room furniture as an investment that will stay in your family and household for a long time. Do you know how to care for it and how to keep it looking like new for years to come? If not, read on...

Solid oak dining tables can dominate a room and impose its magnificent presence upon all those who enter it. The only problem with a solid oak dining table (and most other wooden tables) is that they require occasional care and attention to keep them fresh and healthy (unlike plastic or metal which only require cleaning).


While you might not realize it, the most deadly (and unexpected) killers of your solid oak dining table is heat and warm air (i.e. humidity). The effects of this on your dining room table are that it will start to crack and become disjointed. It may also cause your table to look slightly more pale than usual.

This shouldn't be a problem as long as your home is air conditioned (you want to have your dining room constantly at around 65-75 degrees). Dealing with low humidity is a slightly harder problem (as this is the real stealth killer). If you feel like your wooden dining room table may be suffering go out and buy a humidifier machine which sprays out water into the air and leaves the room feeling fresh.

While it may not be always possible for some people, try to keep your solid oak dining table in the shade as much as you can, since exposure to direct sunlight will wear it down (and fade the colouring) over time.

In addition to this, be sure to keep your solid oak dining table clean from dirt and grime (this can be done by regularly running a damp cloth over it) and from dust (which can be removed via a duster or with static towels). Many people think that dust on their dining table is nothing to worry about, but that dust attracts bacteria that can quickly get to work eating into your precious table. Above all remember that whenever cleaning your oak table that you wipe it dry, since surface moisture can cause long term problems.

Doing these things will give you the best chance of keeping your solid oak dining table in good condition, and will put you well ahead of 99% of other people who aren't as clued up on looking after dining room furniture.



Monday, August 20, 2012

Swimming - A Refreshing Activity

Today, life has become extremely complex and demanding. People suffer from mental and physical exhaustion from their daily work. They need some source of recreation. Swimming, after a hard day's work can be extremely refreshing.

A proper distraction free surrounding is important for relaxation. You can't release your stress if your pool is not clean. For that, it is necessary to have a clean, refreshing swimming pool. Only then can you enjoy the entire swimming experience properly. Not everyone is able to take out time from his or her busy schedule for pool maintenance. If that's the case with you, you can always go for a pool cleaning company that provides cleaning pool services.

Swimming can prove extremely beneficial if used as a stress releasing activity. If you let go of everything and concentrate on swimming, you find yourself in a form of meditation. You leave all your worries aside when you just concentrate on your movements and swimming strokes.


Research has shown that good, meditative swimming is capable to restore those brain cells that you lost due to excessive amounts of stress. You can get rid of your physical exhaustion. Sore muscles and joints can be worked while swimming and released of their tension.

It has also been observed that when you swim, you get a sense of well being. Your body releases endorphins, which are chemicals that make you feel content. It plays a great role in you relaxing. Apart from this, you are constantly stretching and relaxing your muscles when you swim. It makes your body respond in the same manner when you do yoga. As a result, you feel relaxed.

Swimming is a great exercise. A good form of exercise is refreshing in its own way. Apart from all this, swimming has many other benefits. While swimming, you can work out without putting pressure on your bones. Water makes you much lighter and your bones do not suffer during strenuous exercises. Other than that, swimming is an extremely effective way to build and tone your muscles. It also helps you become more flexible by making your ligaments and joints stay loose.

Swimming also helps strengthen your heart muscles and hence your heart is able to pump blood more efficiently. Besides this you can use swimming as a calorie burning activity. It works almost all muscles in your body if you swim effectively, hence making you lose weight. It is far more effective than walking.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Kitchen Appliance Packages - An Important Addition to Any Home

Kitchen appliance packages are a very important addition to any kitchen. The appliances in a kitchen play a very important role in the smooth running of a kitchen as well as giving the kitchen that real "Wow Factor" if chosen correctly and with a matching look and feel.

Different appliances to consider as part of your kitchen package include, but are not limited to, refrigeration units, ovens, oven top ventilation systems, microwaves, dishwashers and many other small white goods. A kitchen package can consist of any or all of a combination of these appliances and they come in many different colours, textures and build materials. They also come with different levels of technology and this can make a big difference to the overall price of the kitchen package.


Buying kitchen appliance packages, with each appliance coming from the same manufacturer and all in the same style, not only help give your kitchen a good even appearance and not be disjointed, but will also save you a fair amount of money at the time of purchase. You can often get quite a substantial discount when buying them all at once.

Another thing to consider when buying a kitchen package for a new home or remodelling an existing, is that it is becoming more popular to use sustainable materials and also materials and designs that are more energy efficient and one of the most important rooms in the home that is becoming quite popular with the green push, is the kitchen. People are taking the environment into consideration a lot more these days with regard to kitchen appliance packages. Most appliances in the kitchen come with a star rating and this helps to inform the buyer of the energy efficiency of that appliance.

Choosing the correct kitchen package will also dramatically increase the selling price of your home when you decide to move on to another home and put it up for sale. Make the effort in the beginning and reap the rewards with a greater sales price.

The kitchen is one of the most admired and regularly used rooms in a home, so why not make it a talking point amongst friends and family as well as being a room to be proud of. There are many different types and styles of kitchen appliance packages to choose from, so take your time and be sure to buy the one that suits your home the best, whilst at the same time getting your kitchen the recognition it truly deserves.