Room by Room Makeovers: Great Rooms for Great Living

Article by: Melissa Galt

Gone are the days of formal living rooms , Eastern Influences On Western Interiors: Japanese Décor - Part I of II - Color, Texture and Contrast and parlors, now we all live literally in the great room! , 7 Kitchen Design Ideas It is often integrally tied to the kitchen, , Looking for a Butcher Block Table? and sits at the center of the house. , Unique Home Decor - Thinking Outside the Box 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 , Chairs - Versatility At Its Best! one in hand, the great room , Eastern Influences On Western Interiors: Japanese Décor - Part I of II - Color, Texture and Contrast 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 , Ceiling Fans: Past and Present for the great room , Home Decoration Tips for Decorators on the Budget rather than continuing the elegance and durability of hardwood. Do hardwood! Not only will it provide greater continuity but adding a large plush rug , Eastern Influences On Western Interiors: Japanese Décor - Part I of II - Color, Texture and Contrast with pattern and color , 'Let There be Light" also Applies to Your Home will hide a lot more sins than the typical off white carpet. , Home Decorating For Smaller Spaces The rug , Colorado River Blinds – Vinyl Vertical Blinds With A Difference will also act as a springboard for your design. , Choosing The Right Style Of Lighting

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 , Impart A Unique Look To Your Curtains With Curtain Rods at the back of the bookcases! Many great rooms , Office Furniture for Your Home Office 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, , 7 Kitchen Design Ideas maybe a rich cabernet, a warm gold, or a fresh sage. It can either mimic the walls , Lamps - Flourescent, Incandescent, LED, HID, or Oil? or complement them, but definitely not plain old white. , Cork Flooring

High ceilings need color! , Artificial, Silk, Replica Plants - All You Need to Know About Easyplants In today's airy, vaulted homes , Add A Little Spark To Your Bedroom With A Satin Comforter! ceilings are often cut adrift in space 15' or more above the room, , Colorado River Blinds – Vinyl Vertical Blinds With A Difference wrap them in color. , Office Furniture for Your Home Office When you've got 10' plus ceilings they can comfortably be the same shade as the walls , There is a multitude of lighting applications for your bathroom or a tint lighter, but they need color , Decorating Kid's Bedrooms - Get Them involved! to pull it all together and showoff the architectural featuring of the molding.

Keep it flexible! Go with a sofa and two chairs, , There is a multitude of lighting applications for your bathroom 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 , Decorating Kids Room Ideas you can always add an ottoman and even a third accent chair , Home Decoration Tips for Decorators on the Budget or bench. , Cork Flooring

Tables are a must! So often I see rooms , Home Decorating For Smaller Spaces half finished, missing , Cork Flooring key tables and those essential surfaces for a drink, a book, a phone , Bed Rugs and Beyond 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 , Bed Rugs and Beyond (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. , Traditional Lighting - What Is It? More light , Lamps - Flourescent, Incandescent, LED, HID, or Oil? 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 , Custom Pot Racks for optimal lighting.

Texture hides soil! , Power Red: A Few Facts About the Color Red If you focus your upholstery in quieter fabrics with a lot of texture you'll hide soil, , Decorating Tips For Teen Rooms add to durability, easy maintenance, and won't tire of a busy print. Keep the busy for pillows and accents you can change , There is a multitude of lighting applications for your bathroom out quickly and as your mood changes. , Door Chime Upgrades: Constantly Developing Technology

Do drapery! Big windows , Christian Art in Your Home need to be framed and softened with fabric and color. , Buckwheat- Not For Pancakes- For Pillows! Don't ignore these, and don't do wood , Chairs - Versatility At Its Best! 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, , Traditional Lighting - What Is It? just frame them, think of a generous wood , Create Your Own Custom Scented Candle – Made To Your Specifications rod with rings and stationary (not moving) panels at the sides. This will add softness, color, , Choosing The Right Style Of Lighting a bit of pattern and will cushion acoustics.

Â© 2005 Melissa Galt

Melissa Galt - EzineArticles Expert Author

Melissa Galt, Lifestyle Designer, , Decorating Kids Room Ideas Speaker, & Author, is the owner of Melissa Galt, Inc., a full service interior design , Home Interior Tips on Decorating your Space with Wall Art firm based in Atlanta. She has been decorating , Bedroom Furniture clients' homes , Decorating Kids Room Ideas all over the Southeast for more than a decade, making their interior , Traditional Lighting - What Is It? visions come true. She speaks to audiences nationally , on how to , Lamps - Flourescent, Incandescent, LED, HID, or Oil? use design , Impart A Unique Look To Your Curtains With Curtain Rods as the catalyst for "creating the life you've always dreamed of"Â. Melissa is the creator of Design , Bar Stools - Ideal For Entertainment And Relaxation! 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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