Interior Designing - Interior Design Ideas

Where do I begin on my decorating project? Can I paint my walls a dark red? What colors and styles will enhance a romantic mood? What kind of carpet is best to have with small children and pets?Get personalized decorating advice to help you through your most troublesome of decorating problems.This website is dedicated to helping you get information that you need. For free resources please visit our design articles, secondly, you can look at advice that has previously been given to visitors by viewing our design advice answers, and lastly you can gain insight from The Decorating Bible, a comprehensive step by step look at decorating your homeChoosing The Right Lights for Your Look and NeedsA successful lighting scheme that meets practical needs and creates atmosphere plays an important part in establishing the style and character of your home. There's more to home lighting than a central ceiling fixture backed up by a couple of wall or table lamps. A well-planned lighting scheme should be both practical and decorative. On the practical side, the right sort of lighting provides illumination for cooking, cleaning, sewing, reading, and many other day-to-day tasks. Decorative lighting helps to create a relaxed atmosphere, and should complement your color scheme and furnishings. A successful home lighting scheme is made up of several different elements. Most rooms will need a carefully thought-out mixture of these effects to work well. Lighting Choices General lighting provides overall or background light and should be used in every room. A hanging ceiling light is a common type of light fitting, offering a variety of shade styles in materials as diverse as fabric, paper, or metal. A ceiling pendant that is the sole source of light in a room is a limiting choice; it provides a bright central space with shadowy edges. Recessed or semi-recessed low voltage down lights spaced across the ceiling will give a good level of clear light. Depending on the type of bulb used, and the housing, a recessed down light can spread light over a wide area or in a narrow beam. Semi-recessed down lights (sometimes called eyeballs) can be swivelled. Controlling down lights with a dimmer system is a good idea because you can then have some of the lights off while others are on, and can vary brightness. Task lighting is designed to give concentrated, directional light over a small area and may be used in conjunction with general and accent fixtures. The type of task lighting you choose depends on the activity you have in mind. A desk light with a flexible arm is the perfect example, as it can be adjusted to provide light exactly where it is needed. A reading lamp should be tall enough to shine onto the pages of the book, but not into your eyes. A floor lamp positioned behind the reader is ideal. Light for writing, sewing, or any other hobby should be positioned so that it shines down onto the work. Rise and fall pendants are useful for this, especially if you work at the dining table. Recessed strip lighting is useful for providing countertop light in a kitchen. Accent lighting is used to show off plants, pictures, collections, and interesting architectural features. There are many different types, which can be used to light objects from above, below or behind, or at an angle. A narrow beam halogen down light may be used to light a single vase or piece of china. The lower part of the object remains in shade, so this gives a dramatic floating effect. Pictures are often lit from above. An adjustable eyeball or ceiling spotlight focused on the picture, or a special framing spotlight, which will flood the painting with light but leave the walls around it in shadow, are worth considering, as well as the traditional brass picture light. A table lamp with a wide based shade will throw a pool of light onto the surface below it and is an attractive way to light a small collection or some framed photographs. Floor standing drum torchieres can be positioned below large plants to create dramatic leaf patterns on the walls and ceiling. You can light objects on glass shelves very effectively by positioning a row of small halogen spotlights below the bottom shelf. Wall-mounted sconces, wallwashers, or tall floor lamp-style designs will illuminate the detail on an interesting cornice or ceiling.

Do some research before you get started: read design and gardening magazines, talk to friends and acquaintances, and sign up for a garden tour of local residences. Ideally, your outdoor room should reflect your home's architectural style, so look for ideas that connect with and complement your indoor spacesDecide what area you can use for an outdoor room, and start a scrapbook that you can use to create a “wish list.” Then ask yourself a few questions to determine what kind of space will meet the needs of your lifestyle. Do you want:
a small bistro table and two chairs on your balcony?
a private rooftop deck with chairs and loungers for parties and late-night stargazing?
an enclosed space between your home and your garden furnished with a lavish dining table and chairs, a waterfall, plants, a sun deck and conversation nook?
a patio or deck just off your kitchen to enjoy afternoon lunches?
an enclosed sunroom off your living room to expand your home's entertainment space?
Set a budget and draw up a planVisit gardening and outdoor stores and outlets with your scrapbook to see how much you can afford to spend. Go online to research products and manufacturers’ information. Costs vary widely, but you can probably build an outdoor room for much less than it would cost for interior renovation.The basic elementsNo matter what your budget, your goal should be to create a space that seamlessly connects with your house and lifestyle, where you and your guests can relax. It can include some or all of the following:Food preparation: Most people opt for a barbecue, grill or fire pit, plus a side table large enough to hold food fixings and platters. But your outdoor room can contain as many features as your kitchen -- generous counter space, a cocktail bar, sinks outfitted with plumbing, a cooking station, an all-weather stove complete with grill and pizza oven, a refrigerator and a dishwasher.Furniture: Comfortable, weather-resistant patio chairs that invite people to settle in for a while are important. You might also consider a dining room table and end tables, plus chaise lounges or hammocks. Make sure they're made of materials designed for outdoor use in your part of the country. Resin, for instance, may be inexpensive and easy to clean, but it may be too light if you live in a windy location. Wicker can be terrific for shady areas, but degrades when constantly exposed to sun and wind. Lighting: Landscape lighting is ideal for conversation and dining areas, or for pathways, pools and landscaping. You can even have fixtures installed directly into decks or step risers. Candles can add romance to an outdoor meal.Water: Fountains, ponds and waterfalls are becoming increasingly popular and can create a calming atmosphere. While they needn't be expensive, they are high-maintenance, so take that into consideration.Decoration: The great outdoors is your most important decoration -- a beautiful vista in the distance, or your very own ground cover, trees, plants and shrubs. Choose flora that will give you an interesting mix of color and texture for all seasons. Your outdoor room will then provide a pleasant view no matter what the time of year. Add wall decorations, murals or sculptures to complement the décor. For parties, you can add an inexpensive acrylic area rug and tablecloth. Weigh the edges of the cloth down with drapery weights or strings of lights