Coloring Theory when Decorating
By analyzing your home’s colors, you can find decorating solutions to create a mood that complements your personality.
Designer Color Lesson
Confused about color? The color wheel offers the easiest way to visualize how different hues relate to each other. Traditionally, artists have defined the three primary colors as red, yellow, and blue, the theory being that it is from these colors that all the others on the wheel can be mixed. While technically this is true, an artist actually is unable to derive a pure green or purple from the primaries. The intensity of the mixed color won’t equal that of the original colors.
When choosing a color scheme, however, you need only be aware that purple relates to both red and blue, and green derives from yellow and blue. These relationships insure that the colors will harmonize with each other.
Reading the Wheel
The color wheel generally displays the pure hues of colors, such as red, blue, and green. However, in your home more likely you’re going to be using tints (lighter values) and tones, also known as shades (darker values). When painting the bedroom, for instance, you probably won’t use an intense pure green. Rather, you’ll probably go with either a soft sage or a deep hunter green.
Pair together colors that lie opposite each other on the wheel. These complementary colors will make each other appear more vivid. Hues next to each other are analogous, which means they always look good together because they share a common hue. Any three equally spaced colors on the wheel are known as triads and yield a lively yet balanced color combination. Be sure to let only one color dominate, though. Use the other two in lesser amounts or as accents to avoid a scheme that feels jarring.
Stir Emotions Using Warm and Cool
You can easily identify warm and cool hues using the color wheel. The half of the color wheel that extends from red to yellow-green is considered warm, which means the colors are stimulating and advancing. Giving these hues the description of warm reflects emotional associations such as the sun looks yellow, or fire is orange and red. But the warm designation actually has a basis in physiology. The eye cannot simultaneously focus on both the red and purple ends of the spectrum, so to solve this it perceives red to be nearer or advancing and purple to be farther or receding. On the cool side of the wheel, the colors generally appear to recede. Cool colors work well in a smaller room, which will benefit from visually opening up the walls with a receding color such as blue, green, or purple.
Following are a couple of tips for working with warm and cool hues. Warm color schemes always need a dollop of a cool hue. This helps things to feel well-rounded and complete think of a green plant in a yellow room. Likewise, a cool scheme needs a jolt of warmth to liven it up. Thus for a room done in blue and white, a shot of red will really perk things up. Green and purple go with any color scheme, since they either advance or recede depending on the context. For this reason, some interior designers actually consider them neutrals.
Discerning Value
It is not only the specific hues that are attractive (red, blue-green, orange) but also particular values of those hues (pink, teal, terra-cotta). When you’re talking about values, you’re referring to the lightness or darkness of a color. The addition of white to any hue will lighten its value; by adding black or umber (a blackish brown), the value is darkened. So for the color blue, the colors sky blue and robin’s-egg blue are both considered light values, whereas navy and cobalt are dark values.
Balancing with Accents
Light and medium values live most comfortably with each other. But beware: light-value schemes can be boring. To avoid this, include an accent of a darker value. For instance, in a room decorated in light blue and light yellow, a touch of navy or cobalt blue will ground the scheme and give it depth.
Understanding Intensity
Another important aspect of color is its intensity or saturation. The pure hue represents a color’s most intense or saturated expression. By adding that hue’s complement, you create a muddied version of the color that’s softer, more muted, and less intense.
To create a calm, restrained mood that’s subtle and serene, go with a low-intensity color. For a more energetic mood, go with a higher-intensity (or more saturated) color, which can feel dynamic or richly elegant, depending on the specific colors and the style of your furnishings.
Equal Partners: Achieving Color Balance
Balance is a key component of any successful color scheme. Strong colors need strong partners, and this applies to both value and intensity. For example, if you choose navy blue for your wall, it will demand an equally intense yellow or red to create a balanced scheme.
Keep your intensities equal or nearly equal. A saturated red calls for an equally intense green or yellow-green. But for a muted red-orange or lower intensity, you’ll need a muted yellow-green. Colors of different intensities that are paired together create a feeling of being out of balance.
About the Author…
Leon Tuberman has been in the furniture and interior design industry for 4 decades. He owns and operates his family owned furniture store. They offer a huge assortment of solid wood furniture for your living room, bedroom and dining room that’s built in the Heartland of America. Are you searching for a solid wood bed for your master bedroom or a wood file cabinet for your home office then they probably have everything you need.
Cork Flooring – Benefits Galore
While cork flooring is steadily gaining in popularity in the US and several other countries, its usage has been used in Europe for centuries. Its utility rests on its resilience, durability and versatility. In recent times, cork has been recognized for its eco-friendly attributes. Cork is hand-harvested, therefore, no trees are destroyed in the process. Cork oaks survive for more than 200 years and can be harvested at least 20 times. This flooring is used in the United States Library of Congress because of its hard-wearing qualities.
Cork Flooring: Nature’s Perfect Floor
Cork flooring is eco-engineered to be easily installed over an existing floor, including tiles. Once installed, cork not only beautifies the room with its subtle elegance, but also muffles sound with its inherent acoustic properties, proving useful in apartments since it reduces noise transfer to other floors. It provides cushioning and warmth, as it possesses natural insulation qualities, thereby reducing heating and cooling costs. It also safeguards health, since it is hypo-allergenic. Its antistatic properties control mold and mildew growth. It does not generate toxins or shed fibres either.
Cork proves to be a boon in the kitchen area since it has natural flame retardant and resistant properties. Additionally, its elastic nature can break the force of falling utensils and prevent them from shattering. Cork makes for truely earth-friendly flooring as it can be installed without the help of chemicals, glues or nails.
It is a misconception that cork is a soft material used in making boards and bottle stoppers. It is pliable but scuff-resistant and can last for more than 10 years with very little, or no maintenance. It can also resist water penetration, the reason for which it serves well as wine bottles stoppers. Cork flooring is ideal even for use in bathrooms precisely for this reason.
Cork Flooring: Aesthetics
Cork flooring, with its mottled appearance, makes it unique from other wood floors. It is available in an array of patterns and colors to suit every decorating style. Sometimes cork is mixed with rubber or other recycled materials to add texture and depth. The color of the flooring is usually the same tan shade with a porous surface. However, some are have darker red or light cream colors.
Cancun Wood Floors hosts over 500 quality flooring samples, which they guarantee to provide at the lowest prices. To invigorate your home with this smart-looking flooring option, contact http://www.cancunwood.com/.
I Hope this article is informative. If you want to more about how to install wood flooring in Los Angeles visit http://www.cancunwood.com which is one of the best Flooring options in Los Angeles for easy care, low maintenance and high durability. Come in and visit us today!
Filed under Flooring | Tags: cancun-wood-floors, cancunwood, Flooring, har, los-angeles, orange-county, west-la, west-los-angeles | Comment (0)Tips For Proper Home Theater Cables
A home entertainment system looks great, the big television and all the cool, shiny components like the DVD player, the Blu-ray player, the video game consoles and all the speakers in the seven piece system. Very rarely though does anyone really glance behind all of that to see what makes it all tick. There isn’t much thought put into all the ugly cables running around that provide all the power.
The cables are what make it all happen; if they weren’t there you wouldn’t see the fabulous TV picture or hear the wonderful speaker system. The cables have a hard job every day and accomplish their tasks without complaint or fatigue, making everything wonderful to experience. Without these cables there wouldn’t be much use for all the really pretty components, they’d just be a pike of junk.
You need good cables to make everything work together and sometimes doing all that hooking up can get complicated. Sometimes after reading the owner’s manuals and reading the directions you are even more confused. But with a little patience and time, you will have that entertainment center sounding and looking awesome. With today’s HD capable everything, you will want to go ahead and have at least the main entertainment center HD compatible. That means, everything will be based off of the TV and you will build around HD cable or satellite.
As you have the HD satellite or cable installed it will generally come with the proper cables for the application. For HD you will have to have HDMI cables, your television has to have multiple HDMI inputs, don’t buy one that only has one input. This is because it will prevent you from doing any further upgrades. To begin with you’ll need an HDMI input for the Blu-ray player, one for cable, and one for the surround sound system, so you need three to get started.
Any more inputs than that will be nice for more additional upgrades as you go forward. Should there be many video game consoles, all of them have to have their own cables. A PS3 won’t need an input because it has the built in Blu-ray player which makes it a good two for one deal. Also if you get the PS3 it will be less costly than getting just the player alone.
Should you be looking for a reputable online provider for home theater system supply look at uglycable.com. Click on uglycable.com today and allow their specialists to help you find the right video cables and a toslink cable you will need for your installation. They have an incredible inventory at really great prices.
Filed under Audio & Video | Tags: toslink cable, video cables | Comment (0)Decorate Your Bathroom With Different Wallpaper
One always likes to look good and one wants his things to look good too. Then how can the bathroom, the room where we get dressed and gaze at ourselves, be an exception? If you are thinking of decorating your bathroom, you should start with wallpapers. There are fancy colored wallpapers in the market that can give your bathroom the much-needed facelift. Cloth materials like attractive towels can change the look of the bathroom from top to bottom. If you can afford or if you want to, then you can even change the previous painting. Either you can make a matching decoration with such towels or you can go for cross matching for cabinet knobs or pulls. That would give it a perfect magazine look.
However, what you need is a few bright ideas that will kick start the decoration process. There might have been times when you have visited your friend’s house and needed to use his bathroom, or still you might have seen a house not fully constructed but might have been lucky enough to see the bathroom. There is a chance you might have liked one. Try to match those settings with your bathroom and see if that works for you. This practical experience will be the best for you. However, if you did not get a chance to see such bathrooms, browse through magazines, where you can see pictures of your choice. The best bet is to search the internet where the options are unlimited. If you have landed upon one such dream bathroom, see the fittings and fixtures and figure out how much it would cost you.
There might be a chance that the fittings are too costly. Then just try out the paints or wallpapers, for the time being. There might be shops in the market that cater to the needs of such decorating-crazy people. Not only can you alter the painting or wallpaper, you can get new towels, towel bars, and new accessories. Such things can serve your purpose of decorating the bathroom.
There might be a little confusion. If you find all the things affordable, you can think of buying them. There are bound to be things that may not click for you. Nevertheless, without spending a lot, if you find accessories that you think are for your bathroom, and are not costly either, you can go ahead with them. New and old, put together, can just make the right combination and older looking items too will seem like new ones.
Creating something new is always a challenge. Those who like this challenge will consider decorating the bathroom, fun and amusement. Coming up with new ideas is also a pleasurable part as you can experiment with almost anything. Your experimentation, and such trial and error efforts, can give you a new find, unknowingly, that you would not have otherwise considered knowingly. Enjoy this fun part of decorating the bathroom all by yourself and still unsuccessful, call an interior designer. These people will then take care of all the things from scratch and the best part is that, disappointment will not exist.
Terrys Fabrics specialize in the distribution of blinds, roller blinds, roman blinds and Vertical Blinds within the UK.
Filed under Bathrooms | Tags: bathroom designing, decorate bathroom, different wallpaper, dream bathroom, perfect magazine look | Comment (0)How to Wash a House – Use a Pressure Washer
So you are spring-cleaning and want to know how to wash a house? On the other hand, maybe you are getting ready to paint the outside of your house, and simply need to get the siding clean before painting. The idea of using a scraper, scrub brush, bucket full of soapy water and garden hose to get the job done absolutely turns you off. You know there is, an easier way, use a pressure washer make the job safe and unbelievably easier. As you continue reading this article, you will discover the little secrets to washing a house that save you time and money.
Spring-Cleaning using a Pressure Washer
Wash a house starting at the foundation and work your way to the gutters. When cleaning your house exterior using a cleaning solution. Eliminate streaking, use the soap attachment with your pressure washer and spray the cleaning solution on your house. Start at the foundation spraying the cleaner on the siding with the low-pressure soap attachment in small areas, be careful do not let the cleaner dry before washing it off the side of your home with the high-pressure spray and a twenty-five degree nozzle.
Keep Your Distance, maintain a constant twelve to fourteen inch distance between the nozzle on the end of the cleaning wand and the house. Avoid damaging your mortar joints, vinyl siding or windows and doors seals. Direct the high-pressure water spray over and away rather than under and through seams and joints.
Rinse Gutters to Foundation, the final rinse is just that the final rinse that ensures you get all the soap residue and light dirt film off the house. Like in it to when you take a shower and wash your hair. You rinse the shampoo out of your hair, face and down your back all the way to your feet, right.
Pressure Washers and Accessories
What Size do you need? Power washers use water forced through a cleaning nozzle under very high-pressure measured in PSI, pounds per square inch. PSI indicates cleaning force that force loosens the dirt, but that is only part of the formula. Gpm, gallons of water per minute, works to wash away the dirt. With that in mind, for a pressure washer to clean effectively you need a minimum of 2000psi and 2gpm.
Interchangeable nozzles, are necessary for a variety of cleaning projects. Ranging from the zero degree nozzle, fifteen degree, twenty-five degree, forty degree and soap nozzles turn a power washer into a versatile cleaning machine. On several occasions, a zero degree nozzle has removed an angry wasp’s nest from behind a gutter downspout. While a forty degree nozzle will do a good job rinsing dust off the patio and lawn furniture using less water than a garden hose.
Where to get what you need, do yourself a favor. Take the little secrets you have discovered in this article. Go online and purchase exactly what you need. If you are like me, you prefer to spend your time getting your projects around the house finished, instead of dealing with the crowds trying to find what you know you want at one of those home improvement places. Many times the shipping is free, and even if it cost a few bucks, it is better than spending your valuable free time you would otherwise use to finish a project, looking for what you need.
This is what I have: a blog with helpful tips on all things Pressure Washers.
Jump over to my blog how to wash a house.
Much Success,
Mike
http://springcleaning-pressurewashers.blogspot.com/
Mike enjoys sharing helpful resources. In doing so he has created relationships with certain experts and in recommending their products may receive compensation.
Filed under Cleaning Tips | Tags: cleaning projects, cleaning solution, How to Wash a House - Use a Pressure Washer, pressure washer | Comment (0)Redecorate Your Room With Stylish Cushion Covers
It is part of human nature to desire change in their surrounding as well as the world as a whole. You may not have enough power to change the whole world, but there is something you can do to change a small portion of the world i.e. your home and more particularly your bedroom.
If you want to redecorate your room or change the way it looks, but are restricted by your wallet, then a cushion cover may be your “secret weapon”. They allow you to dramatically change the appearance of your existing furniture by covering it with brand new pieces of material. There is no point of replacing your old furniture when you can achieve the same goal with investing a minimal amount on new covers. No matter what shape and size they come in, these covers can bring a new feel and ambiance to your room.
Buying ready made covers is an ideal way for instantly transforming your room and changing the way it looks. They give a new life not only to the old furniture but also to the overall appearance of the room. Covers with an Indian touch are in high demand these days. These come in a number of different shapes and designs. You also have a wide range of options available when it comes to the fabric or the material used in these covers, for instance silk, viscose, jute, rayon, cotton, linen, polyester, wool, tissue, velvet and much more. Each one of these has its own benefits.
Covers made from silk and cotton have become extremely popular lately. There is a wide range of embroidered covers in both cotton and silk available in the market. Many of them are adorned with hand embroidery, while some are adorned with machine embroidery. Embellished with traditional Indian handiwork, these covers are perfect for your room and can give it a luxurious look and a touch of style.
Cushion covers are amongst a handful of antique furnishing accessories that are in style in our time. They have the potential to liven up even the dullest of rooms. They can give a pleasant look to your otherwise old-fashioned and uninviting furniture. Cushion cover manufacturers are leaving no stone unturned in offering customers an ever-growing variety. By using an assortment of diverse covers, you can bring many different environments to our room
Visit cushion cover or round ottoman for more information.
Filed under Interior Decorating | Tags: cushion covers, stylish cushion covers | Comment (0)Free Sun Room Upgrades Pay Hugh Dividends
Adding a sun room is a great way not only to make your home more elegant but also increases the value should you ever want to or have to sell your home. Not only do they serve as great entertainment rooms but offer homeowners a variety of uses that are almost endless.
You can choose from options of making your sun room an additional dining spot, a luxurious spa room, office or bedroom. Like most any room the sun room is comprised of a frame, windows and structure. By considering placing your sun room south you are taking advantage of optimum sun exposure and views. Studies have shown southern exposure to be the most popular choice. Your geographical location has a great bearing on what type you purchase.
If you live in a colder climate you want to make sure your sun room withstands colder temperatures so that you can enjoy it all year round. Consequently if you already plan to use it only in warmer months then the type of building material would be different.
Perhaps you have already had a sun room built and live in a colder climate and now desire to use it year round instead of only the summer months, you can modify the construction. By insulating with opaque wood paneling and upgrading the insulation it can be used in the winter months as well. Your original contractor will be happy to modify your existing plan. By using your original contractor you are assured that have complete knowledge of the job. Using their expertise they can provide you with cost estimates and explain any questions regarding the modification process.
Fitting your sun room with the proper windows you need to take into account the placement of your addition and your roof style. Determine if the roof is vaulted, split level, flat or peaked. Reason being it determines the fit of the glass and depending on your roof type the cost will be determined. Choosing the correct glass also determines the UV ray protection of the light that filters in. For optimum safety you’ll want glass that has been tempered for strength and is made of the highest performance glass. For better structural integrity have your doors fitted for double sliding windows that meet at the center rail.
By adding fans or vents you can draw away additional heat in the warmer months. Conduct word of mouth searches with others in your neighborhood that had added sun rooms and conduct on-line research. With the proper sun room you can enjoy your outdoor room in any season.
The more information you have gathered the easier it will be to chose a manufacturer for your sun room, helping you plan, construct and build your home enhancement. Taking into account your personal design style and budget you will invest in the beauty and value of your home.
Joel is an expert author whose been publishing online for several years. To learn more about what sunrooms cost visit his latest website at sunrooms cost, which provides articles on all aspects of sunrooms along with creditable references to help you assess and determine Sunroom Prices.
Filed under Remodeling | Tags: free sun room, luxurious spa room, sun room, sun room upgrades | Comment (0)Beautify Your House’s Interior With Floorboard Sanding
When compared to other types of floorings such as laminate, cork flooring etc., wooden flooring has the best shine and great looks. But at the same time they are also quite expensive. Floorboard sanding is a technique to repair and maintain your wooden flooring in order to keep it looking as good as new for a longer time.
Repair the floorboard
Floorboard sanding can give new life to your old and lusterless floors. Before you start with the sanding procedure, it is necessary to clean your floor carefully. Loose stones or nails can combine with the sandpaper and lead to scratches on the floor. You can use a soft broom or vacuum cleaner to wipe the floor. All the holes in the floor should be filled. The loose planks should also be tightened. Once it is done, a sanding machine can be used for sanding.
Get back the lost luster
Floorboard sanding is the best way to get back the lost shine of your wooden floor. Sanding machine is used to peel off the upper and unattractive layer of the floor to get a shining floor. The spots and stains are also removed using the sanding machine. Once the overall board is sanded, another small hand held sanding machine can be used for the corners and other areas where the usual sanding machine can not reach. The process of sanding the floor will make your floor smooth and lustrous.
Staining and sealing
You can re-stain your floor and change its look altogether. The original stain of the floor gets lost due to routine usage. You can re-stain your floor to get back its amazing look. In case you have recently changed the interiors of your home, re-staining can help you get a different shade for your floor that goes well with these new interiors. Sealing is a protective layer that is added to your floor to protect it from water and mold.
Floorboard sanding will make the interiors of your home look beautiful without having to invest in new wooden flooring for your home.
Get more info. on Floor Sanding and Polishing and Floor sanding
Filed under Flooring | Tags: floor sanding, Floorboard Sanding | Comment (0)Myths About Cockroaches
Many myths go around about killing cockroaches and cockroach behavior. Don’t believe everything you read about killing roaches since quite a bit of it is not true. You can better deal with your cockroach issues if you actually have a better understanding about the truth.
Myth: If you use more poison, it will be more effective.
It is pointless to try to use extra poison. You can’t overkill a cockroach. Extra poison around the house just means that there is more of a chance of a pet or child to later come in contact with residual poison. Use the appropriate amount for the problem at hand. This practice of using too much is wasteful and doesn’t give you any advantage at all.
Myth: Since cockroaches are self-cleaning they are clean bugs.
The reality is that cockroaches are extremely dirty. They go in disgusting places and will defecate and urinate in their food as well as yours if they get into it. They are a health hazard regardless of the fact that they can clean themselves.
Myth: Cockroaches are afraid of light.
This has to do with the idea that when you switch on a light, the cockroaches scatter quickly. What actually happens is that the cockroach falls asleep in the dark. The sudden light turning on scares them awake and they seek out the darkness all over again to fall back asleep.
Myth: If you step on a cockroach, the eggs can get stuck to the shoe and breed in your home.
This is most likely untrue although it has been debated both ways. If you do step on a bug, it’s a good idea to clean the shoe. It’s better to not take the chance of bring in hundreds of cockroach eggs into your home. It is to your advantage to get rid of the cockroaches if you see them, versus letting them get away to breed and cause you a problem later.
Liz has been a freelance writer for over four years. Come visit her latest website over at http://walkietalkie-radios.com/ which helps people find the best deals on all types of walkie talkie radios, including Motorola walkie talkie models.
Filed under Pest Control | Tags: killing cockroaches | Comment (0)Water Damage Restoration Action Plan
Water damage to your home or business can be caused by a number of ways. It can happen slowly through slightly leaky pipe fittings or a small crack in your foundation, or it can happen quickly with broken water pipes (such as might happen in the winter), or a hole in the roof caused by a storm. Regardless of how it happens, it is a problem that needs to be dealt with immediately. The longer the moisture is left in place, the more damage it is going to do.
The water causing the damage is usually placed in three different categories.
Category 1 – Clean/Sanitary water
Category 2 – Slightly contaminated and could cause illness
Category 3 – Highly contaminated and could cause severe illness or death.
For category 1 water damage, the home/business owner may be able to handle it themselves if it is in a small area. However, if it is in a large area, or is a Category 2 or 3, it may be time to call in a professional. The potential for more damage, or even illness, is a possibility. However, if the home/business owner still wishes to handle the problem themselves, here are a few things that need to be done immediately.
1) The first thing to do when water damage is encountered is to turn the power off. Water and electricity are a deadly pair. Stop the flow of water if it is still occurring. You can’t start cleanup until this is done. You might have to cut off a main valve.
2) Next, start cleaning out the water. It is essential to get all the water removed as you possibly can as quickly as you can or you will have an ideal location for mold to grow and cause even more problems. If you feel it is a category 2 or 3 you should be wearing rubber gloves and a mask.
3) Once you have as much water out as you feel you possibly can, you need to bring some heavy duty fans into the area and put them to work drying up the moisture. They need to be kept running for as long as there is even a slight amount of moisture.
4) If you have damage that you know can’t be repaired such as soggy drywall, warped or damaged flooring or carpet, it needs to be taken out; it still has a lot of moisture content and it is only in the way.
5) Once you are sure the moisture problem is solved and all the damaged goods are outside the building and the area is clean, it is time to overview the damage. You still may need to call in some expert help to inspect for mold, deodorize and disinfect, and inspect wiring if it was damaged
Keep in mind throughout this procedure that the KEY to restoration of water damage is getting all the moisture out so more damage can’t occur.
Steve Robichaud is the owner of Triple Leverage Marketing, an SEO company that specializes in working with water damage restoration companies to help them gain visibility in the search engines. Steve welcomes any water damage companies to contact him for a free consultation.
Filed under DIY | Tags: restoration action plan, water damage, water damage restoration | Comment (0)