Room by Room Makeovers: Great Rooms for Great Living

Article by: Melissa Galt

Gone are the days of formal living rooms , The Benefits of Hookless Shower Curtains and parlors, now we all live literally in the great room! , Window Curtains, Rods and Drapes Are a Simple Solution to Home Decor Needs It is often integrally tied to the kitchen, , Berber Carpet: 10 Reasons To Buy Berber Carpet and sits at the center of the house. , Interior Decorating and Home Decor With Native American Indian Art It is the hub for all activity and entertaining both family and friends. Whether it is TV watching, game playing, homework doing, project making, wrestling with the kids, curling up with your S.O. for a movie or just kicking back, feet up and cold , Custom Rugs: What Do They Have To Offer? one in hand, the great room , Western Bar Stools - Bring the Country Excitement Right into Your Home is where it all happens. So let's look at some easy ways to make it really GREAT!

Make it hardwood! It always seems strange to me when a builder creates an island of carpet , Bar Stools & Counter Stools - Tips on How To Select the Right Style for Your Space for the great room , Bed Rugs and Beyond rather than continuing the elegance and durability of hardwood. Do hardwood! Not only will it provide greater continuity but adding a large plush rug , Silk Bamboo Trees with pattern and color , The Best Quilts, Quilt Patterns, and Quilt Fabrics will hide a lot more sins than the typical off white carpet. , 9 Amazing Tips To Transform A Small Space The rug , The Best Quilts, Quilt Patterns, and Quilt Fabrics will also act as a springboard for your design. , Custom Rugs: What Do They Have To Offer?

Crown molding is a must! If you don't have it, add it. If you have it, maybe you want to add another piece for a deeper look and it will give the ceiling a boost in height.

Accent color , Shakin' Things Up at the back of the bookcases! Many great rooms , Berber Carpet: 10 Reasons To Buy Berber Carpet have built-ins flanking the fireplace. While these need to match the trim, the back of the them can add a real punch in an accent color, , Bed Buying with the Aid of the Web maybe a rich cabernet, a warm gold, or a fresh sage. It can either mimic the walls , Silk Bamboo Trees or complement them, but definitely not plain old white. , Bedroom Sets

High ceilings need color! , Window Curtains, Rods and Drapes Are a Simple Solution to Home Decor Needs In today's airy, vaulted homes , Silk Bamboo Trees ceilings are often cut adrift in space 15' or more above the room, , Glass wrap them in color. , Window Curtains, Rods and Drapes Are a Simple Solution to Home Decor Needs When you've got 10' plus ceilings they can comfortably be the same shade as the walls , Home Decorating with Asian Decor and Asian Furniture or a tint lighter, but they need color , Exterior Viny Shutters are Pretty and Protective to pull it all together and showoff the architectural featuring of the molding.

Keep it flexible! Go with a sofa and two chairs, , Snow Globes instead of a sofa and loveseat or a sectional. It is much more flexible and everyone tends to like their own space. With two chairs , Create a Luxurious Bathroom with the Designer's Touch you can always add an ottoman and even a third accent chair , The Essence of Flowers or bench. , Shakin' Things Up

Tables are a must! So often I see rooms , Bed Rugs and Beyond half finished, missing , Create a Luxurious Bathroom with the Designer's Touch key tables and those essential surfaces for a drink, a book, a phone , 5 Tips for Decorating a Child's Bedroom even. Mix up your shapes, rounds, squares, rectangles, even triangles. For cocktail tables, the bigger the better, and keep the edges clipped or rounded. Life and people move fast and we often run into corners, eliminate the dangerous ones!

Lamps give it warmth! Lighting is critical, don't rely on a Swiss cheese ceiling of recessed lights , Berber Carpet: 10 Reasons To Buy Berber Carpet (don't do it period!), or the unwelcoming glare from the overhead fan fixture (I usually banish those anyway!). Lamps are the answer - one at each end of the sofa, not matching unless you are so formal and have matching tables, and one between the chairs. , Ottomans More light , Discount Rugs - Buying a Discount Area Rug can be gained by a well-placed torchiere (read uplight) in a corner. Proper lamp height is when the bottom of the shade is within 2"-4" of your eye level when seated. All should be three way and support 50-100-150 watt bulbs , Choosing Decor To Fit Your Style for optimal lighting.

Texture hides soil! , Western Bar Stools - Bring the Country Excitement Right into Your Home If you focus your upholstery in quieter fabrics with a lot of texture you'll hide soil, , Buy Window Blinds to Improve the Look of Your Place add to durability, easy maintenance, and won't tire of a busy print. Keep the busy for pillows and accents you can change , Custom Rugs: What Do They Have To Offer? out quickly and as your mood changes. , Snow Globes

Do drapery! Big windows , The Essence of Flowers need to be framed and softened with fabric and color. , Berber Carpet: 10 Reasons To Buy Berber Carpet Don't ignore these, and don't do wood , Snow Globes blinds or shutters. They are another hard surface and will only serve to aggravate acoustics and echoes. You don't have to cover the windows, , Glass Blowing just frame them, think of a generous wood , Bed Buying with the Aid of the Web rod with rings and stationary (not moving) panels at the sides. This will add softness, color, , Light Fixtures Need Attention Too! a bit of pattern and will cushion acoustics.

Â© 2005 Melissa Galt

Melissa Galt - EzineArticles Expert Author

Melissa Galt, Lifestyle Designer, , The Truth About Color Schemes in an Interior Design Project Speaker, & Author, is the owner of Melissa Galt, Inc., a full service interior design , Everything you Need to Know about Lamps firm based in Atlanta. She has been decorating , Light Fixtures Need Attention Too! clients' homes , Choosing Decor To Fit Your Style all over the Southeast for more than a decade, making their interior , Silk Bamboo Trees visions come true. She speaks to audiences nationally , on how to , Bamboo Window Blinds - For Style, Elegance and Ease use design , Buying Futon Slip Covers as the catalyst for "creating the life you've always dreamed of"Â. Melissa is the creator of Design , Magic Carpet Ride? Destinations, a free monthly guide to designing your signature life. To sign up for her FREE monthly newsletter, visit http://www.melissagalt.com/

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