Room by Room Makeovers: Great Rooms for Great Living

Article by: Melissa Galt

Gone are the days of formal living rooms , American Blind And Wallpaper – In Business To Dress Your Windows and parlors, now we all live literally in the great room! , The Benefits of Ceiling Fan Lights It is often integrally tied to the kitchen, , Flag Display Cases and sits at the center of the house. , The Benefits of Ceiling Fan Lights 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 , Revitalize your Interior Walls one in hand, the great room , The Benefits of Pre-finished Hardwood Floors 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 , Steam Cleaning for the great room , Interior Redesign: How To Choose A One Day Decorator rather than continuing the elegance and durability of hardwood. Do hardwood! Not only will it provide greater continuity but adding a large plush rug , The Advantages of Using Wood Bar Stools in Your Home or Business with pattern and color , The Reasons Why Gas Fireplace Logs Heat Your Chimney Better Than Your Room will hide a lot more sins than the typical off white carpet. , Accentuate Your Home With Floorings The rug , Room by Room Makeovers: Kitchens for Cooking and Entertaining will also act as a springboard for your design. , How To Create The Perfect Infant Nursery

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 , Kitchen Table Sets - Add a Touch of Style to Your Dream Kitchen at the back of the bookcases! Many great rooms , Modern Sofas 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, , Discount Silk Trees maybe a rich cabernet, a warm gold, or a fresh sage. It can either mimic the walls , How to Achieve Indirect Lighting in Interior Design or complement them, but definitely not plain old white. , Inexpensive Sofas

High ceilings need color! , Indoor Wall Fountains In today's airy, vaulted homes , Decorate Your Kitchen Cheaply ceilings are often cut adrift in space 15' or more above the room, , by Room Makeovers: Kitchens for Cooking and Entertaining wrap them in color. , The Benefits of Massage Recliner Chairs When you've got 10' plus ceilings they can comfortably be the same shade as the walls , Accentuate Your Home With Floorings or a tint lighter, but they need color , Antique Oriental Rugs: 8 Tips On How To Collect to pull it all together and showoff the architectural featuring of the molding.

Keep it flexible! Go with a sofa and two chairs, , Kitchen Lighting Can Be Both Useful and Attractive 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 , Easy And Inexpensive Kitchen Decorating Tips you can always add an ottoman and even a third accent chair , How to Achieve Indirect Lighting in Interior Design or bench. , Carpet Steam Cleaning

Tables are a must! So often I see rooms , American Blind And Wallpaper – In Business To Dress Your Windows half finished, missing , Accentuate Your Home With Floorings key tables and those essential surfaces for a drink, a book, a phone , Discount Silk Trees 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 , Everything you Need to Know about Lamps (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. , Home Decor Color Trends for 2006 More light , Antique Oriental Rugs: 8 Tips On How To Collect 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 , Decorating Tips for Siblings Sharing a Bedroom for optimal lighting.

Texture hides soil! , Inexpensive Sofas If you focus your upholstery in quieter fabrics with a lot of texture you'll hide soil, , Budget Bathroom Makeover Ideas add to durability, easy maintenance, and won't tire of a busy print. Keep the busy for pillows and accents you can change , Antique Oriental Rugs: 8 Tips On How To Collect out quickly and as your mood changes. , Indoor Wall Fountains

Do drapery! Big windows , Silver Picture Frame need to be framed and softened with fabric and color. , Indoor Wall Fountains Don't ignore these, and don't do wood , What is the Size of a Queen Mattress? 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, , Home Decor Color Trends for 2006 just frame them, think of a generous wood , Flag Display Cases rod with rings and stationary (not moving) panels at the sides. This will add softness, color, , Lighting For Your Kitchen And Cabinets a bit of pattern and will cushion acoustics.

Â© 2005 Melissa Galt

Melissa Galt - EzineArticles Expert Author

Melissa Galt, Lifestyle Designer, , Creating a Tropical Bathroom on a Budget Speaker, & Author, is the owner of Melissa Galt, Inc., a full service interior design , Interior Re: How To Choose A One Day Decorator firm based in Atlanta. She has been decorating , Window Curtains, Rods and Drapes Are a Simple Solution to Home Decor Needs clients' homes , Budget Bathroom Makeover Ideas all over the Southeast for more than a decade, making their interior , American Blind And Wallpaper – In Business To Dress Your Windows visions come true. She speaks to audiences nationally , on how to , Create the Perfect Bedroom with NASCAR Bedding! use design , 5 Tips for Decorating a Child's Bedroom as the catalyst for "creating the life you've always dreamed of"Â. Melissa is the creator of Design , Kitchen Lighting Can Be Both Useful and Attractive 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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Spring Decorating Tips - Spring is here and so are the colors , The Many Benefits of Loft Bunk Beds of spring , Wholesale Picture Frame and summer. , How To Select The Right Memory Foam Mattress...3 Insider Secrets It’s always nice to bring some of these colors , How To Select The Right Memory Foam Mattress...3 Insider Secrets into our homes , Bedroom Benches - The Ease of Decorating With Them to brighten things for the warmer season. , Slipcover - Match Your Decor This can be done without doing a major make over if you just apply a few simple rule...
Conservatory Furniture - Hints and Tips - No conservatory , A Look at Flower Bulbs for Sale is complete without beautiful , Drapery Buying Tips conservatory furniture , Refinishing Hardwood Floors to relax in. This article reveals some of the important issues to consider while selecting furniture , Say Goodbye to The Wooden Window Shutter for your conservatory , Bean Bag Chairs – Choosing the Right One or sunroom. , Track Lighting is One of the Most Commonly Used Your conservatory , French Furniture, The Empire Style is a light , The Benefits of Ceiling Fan s and airy...
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Transitional Lighting - What Is It? - Anyone perusing through the websites looking for lighting fixtures to decorate , Bean Bag Chairs Compared to Regular Furniture their homes , Decorating a Baby's Nursery with a Beatrix Potter Theme with may be tempted to choose a style known as Transitional Lighting. The smooth curves and solid foundation of the fixtures of the Transitional Lighting s...
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Teen Rooms on the Cheap! - How to decorate , A Review of Popular Water Softener Products a teens bedroom is one of the most common questions I receive. Especially for those on a budget, this can seem like a daunting task! Never fear, The Budget Decorator is here!Teen rooms , Cottage Style Home Decorating: 10 Surefire Ways to Decorate With Shutters are different for kids rooms , Mini Blinds: An Introduction in that th...