My Shiny Things

If you offer interior design for homes and businesses and you have a business on the web, your advertising efforts should consist of a few things. You do not have a retail site selling products. Instead you are selling a service. Advertising a service on the web properly requires you to display your skills through a portfolio, have a beautiful designed site, and be professional.

When you are advertising an interior design website, your goal is to sell your skills as a designer. This means that your site needs to be properly designed and look really good. If the design of the site is not attractive at all to customers, they will have an impression neither will their house if they hire you. You can go for a totally professional look or a cool design. Just be sure it is up to date and looks nice to you. It is good to show your flare and style on a website. This will give a shopper an idea of the style of design you specialize in. If you can do anything, you might want to go for a more professional looking site and enhance the portfolio.

You should have a portfolio on your site if you are advertising your skills as an interior designer. The portfolio can be photos of homes or offices you have designed the users can click through. You might even want to tape a video for shoppers to watch. This will allow you to introduce yourself to the shoppers, giving a more personal approach. A more personal approach on the web makes users think they already know you and it is like meeting you in a store. Many shoppers really like this. Your portfolio needs to include many different designs you have successfully performed and they should look very nice. Without a portfolio, it is difficult to prove to the customers that you are good at what you do.

Anyone selling services for interior design needs to be entirely professional on their site. Don’t talk about your friends and family coming to your country that have filled out their US immigration forms. Don’t talk about their US naturalization application and the US citizenship exam either. Keep it to the point and strictly about the business. Always follow protocol in professionalism on the web and you will be successful. If your site appears to be unprofessional in any way, the customers will think you don’t take the business seriously and they won’t take you seriously either. A professional site means photos, appropriate content and contact information. Don’t add a bunch of garb that is not needed on a business site.

Being successful on the web as an interior designer requires marketing. In order to properly market yourself on a site requires you to have a good portfolio of the work you have performed, a professional site, and an attractive site that shows you are a designer and you have good taste in style. These things will help you as a designer online.

Candles are one home accessory that is used frequently by millions of people. Over the years, the candle makers have decided to branch out on their candles and started adding scents. This move was widely received by customers as millions of people started purchasing scented candles to add not only lighting but also aroma into their homes. Today, there are new types of scented candles that you can purchase in your local stores. This is the wax tart.

What is a Wax Tart?

Wax tart is known as candle melts, potpourri tarts, or wax melts. Wax tarts can provide its scent to a large area within a home depending on how long you let it burn. Wax tarts come in different sizes as well as fragrances. All you need to do is to warm the wax tart to release its aroma. For those interested in buying gifts for their loved ones, they would definitely appreciate these wax tarts. Among the products that you can buy along with the wax tarts is the electric wax burner. You simply put the wax tart or potpourri tart onto the burner and light it. In no time at all your house will be filled with a fine scent that only wax tarts can provide. Electric wax burners are more convenient to use since you can have the scent of the melted wax for a few months’ time. It is only time for a wax tart change when the scent is no longer that strong.

Advantages of Wax Tarts

With wax tarts, you no longer need to spend more when buying scented candles since the scent lasts longer with wax tarts. Wax tarts don’t have wicks as they are only melted to give off its scent when using the electric wax burners. Wax tarts are named thus due to its similarity to tarts, and the idea was widely accepted by millions of people that some can even make their very own wax tart.

If you want to make your home smelling great, buy wax tarts. They are great in giving off scent for a large area unlike scented candles that have limited strength. There is no need for you to purchase expensive scented candles every time since with wax tarts the scent lingers longer and you only need to melt the wax tart according to how strong you want the scent to emanate. Among the scents that you can choose from are flower scented wax tarts, chocolate scents, and even vanilla scents. Whatever type of scent you are looking for candle makers would definitely be providing them for you.

For people who lack a fashion sense, decorating their homes can be such a burden, especially if they do not want to avail of the services of a professional interior decorator. What usually happens is that they try to overlook the fact that their leather sofa is flanked by a red frilly armchair and a blue-cushioned wicker seat or that their living room is a jumble of modern, country, or ethnic things.

For this reason, here are some simple home decorating tips that they have to know in order to, at least, have a presentable interior decoration.

Contemporary Theme Decoration

The best way to settle on one theme is to look at the kind of lifestyle that you have. If you are a young professional and enjoy the good life, then the best theme for you is the contemporary theme. What you will need for this are very modern and very trendy furniture. These items should have clean and very simple lines with smooth surfaces; plus, these are also items that are easy to clean since you are the type of person who are always on-the-go and do not have much time cleaning up.

The type of furniture that would best suit a contemporary look are those furniture made from light-colored woods. Glass (either frosted or clear) and stainless metal (either steel, nickel, or chrome) furniture and decors are also perfect for the contemporary theme. Tile flooring or simple wooden flooring will give an urban edge to the room.

As for the colors that will go perfectly well with the contemporary theme, you can go with earth-toned and neutral colors like the black, white, cream, or different shades of brown. To break the monotony of your room color, you can hang a very colorful painting on one wall. You can also highlight the painting, especially at night, by turning on the lighting fixtures you had strategically placed.

Big Mistakes for the Contemporary Theme

There are some kinds of home interior accessories that you should stay away from if you want to preserve the flow of a contemporary theme.

You should avoid furniture and accessories that have too much frills, too much laces, or too much floral prints, as in the case of ruffled chair skirts or curtain tassels and fringes. Likewise, you should avoid huge antique-looking furniture because, first of all, the lines are not sleek and its surfaces are not smooth. Lastly, never overdo your decorations. Remember, the contemporary theme calls for simplicity, so keep the decors at a minimum.

When it comes to decorating kids’ rooms, the ideas can really be endless.  Likewise, the choices when it comes to color scheme, furniture, fabric, and lightings can be endless as well that it might seem a daunting task, but all you really need to have is a creative mind.  Aside from a creative mind, you should take into consideration what your kids want for their room.

Easy Tips for Decorating Your Kids’ Rooms

When planning on redecorating your kids’ room, the first thing that you have to do is to ask them what they want, and since decorating kids’ rooms can be quite enjoyable and fun, it can also become a bonding time with your children.  You can have quality time with them while decorating their havens, but decorating their rooms can be quite bothersome, especially if you have two or more children wanting their rooms to be done first.  To easily handle this problem, you can flip a coin to decide whose room will be redecorated first.

You also need to consider the ages and the preferences of your children, so you must ask their consent first before you throw anything out of their room.  You can incorporate this yet again into your bonding moments by making it a game.  Afterwards, you can ask them what they want for a room because your kids’ rooms should reflect each child’s personality.  For instance, you are redecorating your toddler’s room.  You should consider that a child of his or her age likes bright colors and already have favorites, so you need to place colorful pictures of their favorite animal figures, fairies, fantasy characters, or cartoon characters to showcase their personality.

You should also take into consideration that your children’s brains are still developing, so their rooms should be a place for fun and learning.  That’s why you need to set an area for recreational activities as well as an area for studying or learning.  Their recreational area should contain all their toys, and their study area should contain all their school things.  You can also put a cabinet where they can store all their books and all their favorite collections.

Benefits of Redecorating the Room Together

Customizing your kids’ rooms according to their preferences is the perfect way of letting them share their feelings and interests with you.  You should know though that it will always be a work in progress, so you need to be very patient and always ask them for opinions, especially when they have new likes and dislikes.  You also have to emphasize to them that they are responsible for their rooms in terms of keeping it clean and orderly.

Do you live in your own apartment but don’t like the look of it?  Well, you need to redo your apartment according to your personal interest.  You can transform your apartment into a more comfortable and suitable place to live in.  But if your pad is small, you can just make some essential interior designs that will somehow give an illusion of spaciousness.

Your Apartment Interior Design

Before transforming your apartment, you need to consult the owners of the apartment you’re renting or leasing and ask for certain restrictions in the area where you live.  It is important since you’re bound with a written contract.  If the restrictions in your apartment are somehow confusing, then you can ask for considerations from the owner to make some changes in your apartment.

The next thing you need to do when decorating your apartment is assessing the things that are for keeps and those that should be disposed of.  In this manner, you can plan on the things that you can add to make your apartment more suitable for you.  Do you need to change your furniture or not?  Do you need to buy new decorations or just keep the old ones?  These should be some of the questions you need to consider when you’re redecorating.  If you want to keep your furniture, just make sure that they will suit your new concept, but if it doesn’t, then you should choose furniture that would not only fit the area but suit your preference as well.

Another thing to consider when decorating your apartment is the color of your room.  If you’re using a darker color for your room, then it will make your room smaller, so use light colors to make your room spacious.  On the other hand, you can use green or blue to make your room more relaxing.  Furthermore, you can use light shade curtains to brighten your apartment during the day and to protect your privacy at night.

Budget Interior Decorating Ideas

When renovating your apartment, the biggest burden is the payments for reconstruction, but you don’t have to worry because you can make your apartment beautiful by only spending less.  One way to redecorate your apartment without spending a lot is buying at yard sales.  You can visit yard sales and look for sensible things you can use for your interior design.  If yard sales don’t work for you, you can visit thrift shops.  Thrift shops are havens for decorative pieces at very reasonable prices.

Do you love the notion of relaxing on a comfortable couch or lying on a hammock inside a spacious and cozy room while sipping a cup of coffee or reading a good book?  If you do, then you will surely take great pleasure from country and cottage decorating.  You’ll probably enjoy it so much that turning your urban home into a country house with a relaxing ambiance will be an easy transition.

Cottage Decorating

Cottage decorating is bringing nature inside your home, so if you’re planning on giving your home a beautiful and relaxing cottage theme, then you only have to think of nature as the starting point of your cottage decorating project.

Cottage decorating is definitely simple to do and follow.  You can either follow the traditional cottage theme or give your cottage theme a new twist.  Just remember though that the cottage theme and style mean simplicity and orderliness.

Easy Tips to Follow

If you’re planning to have a home makeover with a cottage theme in mind, then here are some pointers that will get you started.v

In the past, cottages were merely used as the servants’ quarters, so you can expect that the interior designs are quite simple with a few number of furniture.  It is not that much different with today’s cottage theme because it is still aiming for comfort and practicality, but you can definitely add more furniture like wicker tables and antique furniture for aesthetic purposes if you want to.  Looking for antique furniture is not that hard as you can easily search for them in the local market.  In cottage decorating, you can also make use of the mix-and-match style because the cottage theme is not that rigid.

To really get the feeling of a cottage themed home, then you need to take into consideration another aspect of the cottage style, and that is space and more space.  So get rid of all the things that you don’t need around the house.  You can even hold garage sales for your old items, the profits of which you can use to look for the accessories you will be needing for your cottage themed home.

Another idea to get that cottage theme down pat is to paint your home with white paint color so it will look more spacious, then strategically place old furniture around the house so it will look a little bit traditional.  You can also add paintings, vases with bamboo sticks and quaint throw pillows to add personality to a room.

Home stagers are professional hired by real estate agents and real estate investors. Home stagers take a home that is either cluttered or abandoned and transform it into a beautiful showcase property. They make use of furniture, paint, window treatments, and home décor accessories to transform a home into a stunning masterpiece. You’ve probably seen home stagers on reality shows and decorating shows. If you spend time with real estate professionals, you know that home stagers are held in high esteem. They can literally transform a home so that it sells more quickly or sells for a higher asking price.

Home stagers use many tricks of the trade in order to transform properties, but one of their most effective secrets is the use of lighting to transform a home from dingy to cozy very quickly and at little cost. If you want to make over your own property, you can easily use the same tricks that home stagers use to transform your home:

1) Add more light to living rooms, dining rooms, and bathrooms. Low, dingy light makes an entire room look dingy, small, and flat. More light gives the illusion of more space as well as greater cleanliness. More light can also look more inviting. You do not have to replace all the fixtures of your home in order to enjoy more light. If you wish to add additional lighting to your living room, for example, a few lamps or a few candles will help immensely. If you wish to make candles produce even more light, light them in front of a mirror. A mirror will reflect light, adding even more brightness to the room.

2) Make lighting do double duty. While lamps or lighting fixtures only add light, you can easily have candles do double duty by providing light as well as sent. Scented candles are a wonderful addition to any home décor, since they make your room more attractive by appealing to both your sense of sight and your sense of smell. Best of all, you can complement your room décor by making use of lights and smells that are complimentary. For example, in your kitchen, where you want a warmer and softer atmosphere, you can add jar candles that are scented with apple and spice fragrances. Choose red candles that add a very warm and pleasant glow, and your kitchen will seem far more delicious. In the bedroom, were you may be trying to create a more romantic mood, pale yellow and soft rose colored candles will cast a very soft glow over the room. Exotic fragrances such as sandalwood and green tea will set a sensual atmosphere.

3) Replace harsh lighting. Flats, bright, white lighting — such as fluorescent lighting — is very unflattering and can make a room look too harsh. It can also create a great deal of shadows in the corners, making a room look unpleasant. Replace surgical lighting with the soft glow of candles. Candles offer a slightly yellowish-pinkish glow, which is flattering for most faces and is also considered far more pleasant than harsh and bright white lights.

You may drool over the beautiful fashion spreads in home decorating magazines, and you may lust after all the luscious fabrics, furniture, and decorating accents that are enjoyed by the wealthy and famous. However, you may not realize that you don’t need a ton of money in order to generate a beautifully styled home. In fact, you can decorate your home for less than you imagine while still enjoying stunning surroundings.

The secret is to shop around. Rather than shopping at home decor stores, look for sales, online catalogs, online auction sites, yard sales, estate sales, and newspaper ads. All these sources can sell you antiques, furnishings, and accents for far less than you would expect to pay. Buy unusual items that attract you, and then paint, refinish, and touch them up to suit your exact style. This way, not only will you get beautiful pieces for far less than you expect to pay, but you also get customized items that fit with your overall color scheme and decor style perfectly. In fact, you may find that people ask you where you got your decoration ideas and decor items!

One of the best places to shop is online. Browse online sites in stores to see what is available, what attracts you, and which pieces would best suit your home. Once you have browsed a bit, start a scrapbook detailing which pieces attract you, which styles you like, which items you wish to buy, and what items you need. Keeping a scrapbook full of paint chips, fabric samples, and inspirational ideas will ensure that when you do find that perfect piece, you will easily be able to snatch it up at a great price.

Don’t overlook the possibility of using inexpensive illusions in order to create a wonderful home. While many people focus on that gorgeous sofa, chandelier, or stained glass window, you can start achieving a beautiful home right now with inexpensive accents such as candles. Simply clustering some beautifully colored candles on a plain tray can make your room look far more alluring and mysterious. Using candles rather then your overhead lights in your dining room or kitchen while you dine is another way to introduce beautiful living to your home. Don’t overlook paint, either. For just a few dollars, you can buy enough paint to touch up a wall, floor, or makeover to desk. And be sure to use your nose, as well. Introduce beautiful fragrances, perfumes(Christina Aguilera perfume for example), scented candles, and incense into your rooms in order to create an attractive atmosphere. Fragrances make your room seem fresher and far more welcoming.

With decorating, the important thing is not to delay. Start implementing some subtle changes today. Move around some furniture, add a few candles, spray a few spurts of a favorite fragrance into a room. You will immediately start to see the effects of decorating and you will enjoy living in your home far more. This will keep you motivated and interested in your home decor as you pursue all the decorating projects in your new scrapbook.

Article source: http://www.myshinythings.com/blog/live-well-on-less-minimalist-home-decoration-tips/

If your home decor has become a little stale, watching television may make you think that you need to spend thousands of dollars on a trendy designer in order to get the latest indoor looks. This is not the case. In fact, one of the simplest and most effective ways to change the look of your home is with light illusions or optical illusions. Simply by implement in a few inexpensive changes, you can make your home look larger, lighter, airier, and more welcoming.

One of the simplest optical illusions you can achieve with your home décor is with the use of color. For example, if you repaint a room with paint that has cool colors in finishing — such as pale green, grey-blue, or pearl, you can make the room seem much larger. Similarly, you can create the illusion of a larger room by painting the room in pale colors. For large rooms, deep colors or pastel colors are striking and create a warmth and coziness. Color your floor in rich hues in order to create the illusion of a higher ceiling.

Another simple optical illusion is to use furniture and finishing materials in order to create lines in a room. Look around the room you want to make over right now. Do most of the lines in the room go up and down — such as tall bookcases, tall curtains, and stripes on the wallpaper? You can make a ceiling look higher by using lamps, tall candles, vertical stripes on the walls, and pictures that create the illusion of height.

Mirrors are another wonderful way to makeover a room. Placing mirrors on ceilings expands the space of a room. Placing a large mirror above the mantelpiece also creates the illusion of a much larger space. Look for inexpensive, large mirrors with attractive frames that will work with your current décor.

Finally, you can transform your room with the use of light. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on chandeliers and lamps. Inexpensive candles are one of the best ways of decorating with light. For example, cluster candles on a simple mirror and place the mirror on a table. When the candles are lit, the mirror will reflect the flames, and expand the amount of light. You can create a similar fact by grouping candles on the mantelpiece, and placing a mirror behind the candles. Keep in mind, too, that candles can help create a much softer glow in your room.

Lighting candles instead of using too many lamps can create a soft, warm glow that is very flattering to most faces. In fact, some aging actresses of times past have insisted that they be seen by nothing but candlelight. Candlelight is simply the light that will make you look most attractive. If you want to read a beautiful room where you can dine by candlelight, keep in mind that candlelight will make you seem more alluring and mysterious to your dinner date.

When decorating, don’t overlook the illusions that scents can bring. Perfumes have been used by generations in order to create attraction. For example, it is said that Cleopatra of ancient Egypt was actually a rather plain woman, but one who was able to use the fragrances of roses and other mysterious scents to her advantage in order to attract some of the most desirable men of her time. When decorating, be sure to add perfumes, scented candles, and little aromatherapy accents to your home to create rooms that are not only beautiful but also pleasant.

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