|
|
| Home Improvement Information |
|
|
|
|
How to Decorate EthnicYuwanda Black FIVE EASY STEPS TO DECORATING ETHNIC NEW YORK, NY - With all that is happening in the world today - the threat of war, falling stock prices, a recession in spite of what economists say - more and more of us are nesting. That is, we are spending more time at home. While it is hard to control what happens in the outside world, home is where you decide the who, what, where, when and why. Ethnic decor is filled with endless options to spice up your living space. However, you may wonder, what is ethnic decor. "Ethnic decor is more a feeling than a science," says Marcelo Velez of the interior design firm Velez Hayes in New York City. "When you say modern, country, French, et cetera, an instant picture comes to mind. Ethnic decor is different. Many cannot define it, but know it when they see it." This open-ended approach is what makes ethnic decorating fun. Its eclectic, inclusive, colorful and most of all, unique. It allows you to fill in blanks for yourself, using an internal palette to satisfy decorating needs. Here are five handy ideas to get you started: Pick a room to start: Thinking in terms of one room narrows your scope so the project doesnt seem overwhelming, while also limiting cost as you feel your way into the project. Decide which ethnicityies you will focus on: African style is different from Middle Eastern is different from American Indian, et cetera. However, dont be afraid to blend elements from several cultures. Again, thats the fun of ethnic decor - the possibilities are endless. Start with an object as the focal point and decorate around it: This can be an ethnic painting, a sculpture, a piece of furniture, et cetera. The bigger the better. Be careful, though, not to overwhelm your space. Choose a color scheme: Ethnic decor is very festive, so think outside the box in terms of colors, patterns, surfaces. Soon, you will find yourself drawn to a few colors that work well together. Listen to your likes and dislikes; your instincts: Many times, an object or color will "speak" to you. And, if everyone insists that this painting doesnt go with that rug, but you like it, go with it. The final product should make you the happiest. Now, relax and enjoy!
| | | | RELATED ARTICLES Using Candles in Feng Shui Decorating The basic belief behind Feng Shui is that there are five elements, some combinations of which create a productive cycle, and some a destructive cycle. When one of these five elements – water, wood, fire, earth, and metal, respectively for the productive cycle – are combined with an element adjacent to the main element, a productive cycle is perpetuated. The reason being that water sustains wood, wood feeds fire, ashes create earth, earth creates metal, and metal holds water. So if you have a room where wood is the main element, it would be good Feng Shui to add a water or fire element to the room, as water feeds wood and wood feeds fire. This is where candles would be a nice touch of good Feng Shui. Alarm Systems: Not Just For The Wealthy Anymore! Over the last 22 years that I have been involved in the security alarm industry, I have seen quite an evolution. Changes have not only taken place in what type of equipment is available, but also in how the consumer buys and use’s the equipment. Should your Sell your Home yourself Should you sell your home yourself Yes and no. Yes, you should leave the option of selling on your own open and no, you shouldn’t rule out using the services of an agent to help you sell. There are a considerable number of advantages of using an agent to sell your home but their services do come at a price – up to 6% commission on the sale price! That’s quite a sum, a precious $6,000 for every $100,000 your home is worth. Agents are not indispensable. With the advent of the Internet, a fairly sizeable number of owners have been able to successfully sell on their own. Statistics have it that 80% of home buyers begin their search for a home online. So, putting your home details on the Internet is one effective medium of advertising your home and reaching out to a large number of buyers. Tasteful Home Decorating Changes Your House Into a Home There is this undocumented story about Andrew Carnegie who kept postponing the decision to redecorate his home just because black, his default color of choice, was simply not used in home decorating those days! Mercifully today, you could well translate your home decorating ideas into alluring reality. For home interior decorating no longer means just coloring your walls in pastel shades and showing off your antiques – it is about using all the home decorating tips that one can get to highlight the most of what one possesses. Unless of course you wish to shrug the opportunity and call in a professional designer. But even this experience could be fascinating – what with "walk-throughs" in your "virtually" designed home before even a single coat of paint is applied! Yes, with home decorating, either way you always come up trumps! Fresh Flowers Aren’t Just for the Dining Room Table Fresh Flowers in All the Traditional Places A Primer of Popular Traditional Furniture Styles Whatever your individual style or taste, it is important to know how to identify each style. If your best friend brags about the “To-die-for Louis XV side chair, “dah-ling”,” would you know what the heck she was talking about Well, here is a primer on furniture types that will help you appear to be an expert whatever your neighbor buys next! How To Make Money With Garage Sales Drive through almost any neighborhood in any city or town on a weekend, and youre sure to see garage sales scattered throughout. Choosing a Residential Lot Finding a lot Servicing your Chainsaw Chainsaws provide many years of service for very little upkeep.Taking the time to service your chainsaw will help ensure that your equipment will not let you down.For safety reasons, make sure you only service your chainsaw when it is fully cooled, with the spark plug disconnected.If you are working with an electric chainsaw make sure it is unplugged first of all. You should also wear gloves and protection for your eyes. The Art Of Gutter Cleaning Many homeowners clean their own gutters or hire someone each season to properly maintain their homes. What you may not realize is that most gutter systems should be cleaned 3-4 times a year with each season. The String Algae Blues... Now that Spring is upon us and things are coming back to life in your pond with the warmer weather, many of us are battling with string algae. String algae is caused primarily by a combination of the buildup of organic nutrients in the water, and sunlight. Quick And Easy Bathroom Decor Changes Are you tired of the way your bathroom looks Dont feel bad, a lot of folks are in the same boat. The bathroom is one room in the home that can look drab and run down very easily. And what if you dont have an unlimited budget to make changes in the fixtures and plumbing Well take heart, there is lots that you can do for very little money that will totally and radically improve the decor of your bathroom. 5 Factors of Selling a Home There are five major factors to consider when selling a home. These factors will greatly influence not only the final price you will get for the property, but also how quickly it will sell and how much grief you will suffer through the sale. Storm Warnings For Ponds California has earthquakes; we in the south and east coast have hurricanes. One thing we all share is power outages. Ours are usually caused by storms. Most power outages last only a few hours and only happen a few times a year. A hurricane is always a threat that hopefully will never happen or have only a minimal consequence. Flooding may be more common then a power interruption and both can happen at the same time. Satellite TV Deal Take it from someone who knows, read from Dish Network or DirecTV testimonials, look for satellite TV dealer’s side testimonial, you can see that satellite TV deal is really the best bargains you can get for your home entertainment system. Wall Clocks tell time and decorate! Clocks can be of any type - they could be wall clocks that not only decorates the walls, but also tells time or a mantel piece resting on ones table etc.. Wall Clocks can be of one of two types. Analog and Digital. While digital clocks are precise, the analog clock serve the same purpose. With the increasing need to be accurate, and every microsecond accounted for Digital clocks are the way to go. If You Think Mold and Mildew Hibernate During The Winter, Think Again! If you associate mold and mildew stains with the summer months, youd be correct. The hot and humid weather provides a perfect environment for rapid mold and mildew growth. The winter however, despite cold temperatures in much of the country is not a mold and mildew-free season by any means. Art and Design Maybe you’ve faced it before – a new house with an empty room or two. Thisroom is just crying out for some furniture. So off you go to purchase a sofa you admire - then a chair. Or perhaps you purchase a full living room set complete with tables and rugs. With delivery a few weeks off you can just picture your living room and not surprisingly, it looks just like the showroom. The delivery day arrives and you can’t wait to cut the tags off of your new furnishings. You may have to position the sofa a few times to get it just so, but all in all, you’re pretty satisfied – until you notice there’s no art on the wall.And so you decide to buy some art that matches the sofa. I cringe a little while I write this, but in reality that is how many of us choose art. In fact, little confession, I still have art in my house that I bought because the frames matched! Rodent Proofing Your Home Its that time of year where rats and mice are apt to enter our homes. Lets talk a bit about their abilities and senses first. Finding a Color Scheme - Decorating with What you Have If you feel helpless when it comes to picking and blending colors, your answer could be asfar away as your nearest pillow.Check out this quick way to create a color scheme for your home with our PICK - SEE -LMD method. |
| home | site map |
| © 2005 |