What’s your home decorating style?

We all have a certain style to fit our personalities, habits and likes. Why shouldn’t our homes reflect it?

By expressing yourself at home -where you sleep, eat, play, and lounge- you give visitors (and the rest of your family) a chance to see a part of you through different distinguishing elements. It can be hard at times to get started, and you may be worried that changing your home to reflect your personality is a huge time investment. Another common issue may come to mind- you spot things literally everywhere that you love… but it doesn’t go well together. Don’t panic, we’re here to help you with that. Let’s get those creative juices flowing with this list of styles from TLC Home. All you have to do is pick and choose.

Traditional Home Decorating

Traditional home decorating — frequently associated with older generations — has been updated with a look that young families can embrace. Learn how to create a cozy room in the traditional style.

Country Decorating Style

Whether you like simple American country or the more elaborate French provincial design, there’s a country style for you. Learn more about the widely varied country styles.

Cool Contemporary Decorating

No longer strictly cold and austere, contemporary decorating still embraces clean lines but can be warm and welcoming, too. Learn more about how contemporary designs have pushed into the environmental arena as well.

Eclectic Decorating

Do you already have a number of objects and pieces of furniture you love but don’t fit into one coherent design style? Find out how to combine your favorites and create a style that reflects you!

Decorating Retro-Style

A room can provide the perfect platform for vintage collectors and flea-market shoppers to display their most treasured finds. Discover how to decorate a room retro-style.

Decorating with a World Flair

African, Indian, Asian, Scandinavian…styles throughout the world are as varied as the countries and their unique cultures. Find out how to create an interior design plan that celebrates the world in your own home.

Arts and Crafts Decorating

The natural colors and patterns of wood and stone are the inspiration for Arts and Crafts Decorating. Simple and clean lines give rooms a sleek yet warm look. Find inspiration in an Arts and Crafts design.

Casual Chic Decorating

This country style is a blend of patterns and colors that is inviting and homey. A mix of patterns and textures make a room rich and welcoming. Learn how to create a comfortable, casual, and chic design.

Southwestern Decorating

The wide-open spaces and spare look of the Southwestern landscape inspire Southwestern design. The furnishings may be minimal, but a Southwestern room is filled with character. Find out how to incorporate your favorite aspects of this style into your own home.

Spacious Decorating

A spacious and elegant design can unify areas of a home with an open floor plan that are used for different purposes. The design flows easily from seating areas, to the dining room, and even into the kitchen. Get tips on how to give your own space a feeling of spacious unity.

Get Organized! Essentials to help you get through the Holidays

This time of year can be stressful for all of us, especially when you begin to feel guilty about skipping on your not-so-necessary traditions (the gingerbread house became a hassle more than an hobby when your kids hit 16, admit it.) But here it is, a few tips to help you through and to let you know that it’s ok to ditch some habits for the sake of your stress level.

Organization

Food Storage Containers are key, so remember to stock up on all sizes so you can give some leftovers to family or store and freeze for a quick meal later on in the week.

Collapsable Tarp Bins are great for storing christmas blankets and stuffed animals. Regular bins can also store ornaments and decorations to pack away for next year.

Cut Down

Decide whats most important on your To-Do list. Ask yourself what you would be sorry if you missed. This way, you don’t feel like you’re running around wasting precious time during the holiday craze.

Differentiate between obligations and choices. Keeping up with the Jones’ lighting display, for instance, is one thing you can cut out. Going to that miserable company party every year isn’t necessary either. Cut yourself a break once in a while — odds are you’re doing enough already.

Schedule & Simplify

Scheduling prep time is one of the most important steps that people overlook. Schedule time to shop, cook, bake, clean, decorate and wrap. With these items on your agenda, you won’t have to stress by looking for gaps in your busy schedule to squeeze them in.

Simplify Gift Giving. Who doesn’t like getting gift cards? And e-cards are just as thoughtful as pricey, time-consuming Christmas cards mailed from the post office. Remember, setting a budget before getting elaborate will help to give you an idea of whether you’re doing too much or just enough.

Entertaining at home during the holidays

Plan the flow. From the moments your guests arrive to when they sit down at the table, to when they walk out the door. Try to envision the flow of activity at your home. A good example of what a average event consists of is: guests arrive, welcome toast, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, main meal, musical interlude, dessert, presents.

Set up a day in advance. It’s best to know ahead of time if you may need extras of something. It never hurts to see your table set up the day before so you have time to make any changes that may come to mind a few hours before if need be. This can also make a huge difference in your stress level that day because you know all too well that you have enough on your plate already.

Stick to the tried-and-true. Stick to dishes you have made in the past that were big hits. For one, you don’t want to have any mishaps in cooking times, under or overcooked food, or not-so-tasty meals that your all-too-polite friends and family feel obligated to eat. And again, you’ll be more relaxed when you have confidence in what you’ll be serving.

Give a parting gift. Whether it’s something small like pretty cellophane-wrapped cookies or a small holiday tchotchke. Something showing you care that they can look back on and remember the holiday spent at your house is perfect to give out to your guests.

Relax. It’s the holidays and your house probably looks great. Just sit back and enjoy the company, food and drink. Also, an added tip is to light some candles. Somehow, candles always have the ability to set the holiday mood. Humans have had a love affair with fire since its discovery – it’s an archetypal symbol of community, heart, gathering, warmth.

Have a great time. After all, if you’re enjoying yourself it will be that much easier for your guests to have fun.

How to Shop for Furniture

Shopping for furniture can be a difficult task or an exciting adventure. It’s up to you. If you follow this advice, you’re more likely to enjoy shopping and find the right pieces of furniture to fit your home and lifestyle.

• Decide What You Need
  Measure the space where you’ll put the new piece, keeping in mind that you’ll need room between other pieces for walking and traffic patterns. You might want a sofa but realize that you really only have room for a loveseat or a pair of armless chairs. Write the numbers down so that you can confirm them when you find something that you like.
• Set Your Budget
  There’s nothing more discouraging than finding a piece you can’t afford. Set you budget and don’t look at things that would break the bank. While it’s a good idea to buy the most expensive and best constructed piece of furniture that you can afford, you wouldn’t want to spend every penny you have available on one piece of furniture and then not be able to paint the walls!
• Plan Ahead
  Do some research on the internet. Find reputable manufacturers and see what they have to offer. You’ll most likely be able to see everything that each company makes, get exact dimensions of each piece, see the different finishes available, and see the pieces arranged in decorator rooms. If you see something you really like, you can order the company’s catalogue to be sent to your home.
• Learn All You Can Without Leaving Your Home
  If you find a piece you like, look at the fabric options or wood finishes available. Try to picture the piece in your home. Locate a store in your area that carries the line of furniture you’ve found. Check their opening hours.

Once you’ve decided exactly what you need, how big it should be, how much you can spend on it, and gotten all the information you can on companies, finishes, styles, and fabrics, it’s time to see some pieces in person.

• Go to a Furniture Store
  It’s almost impossible to determine if you’ll like a piece of furniture from a picture. You’ll want to see it first-hand. If the store you visit doen’t have the exact piece you’ve found on-line, at least you ean evaluate the quality of the line, see the different finishes available, and determine if the company makes things that have a look you like. If you’re looking for a coffee table, you might be able to see a side table. You’ll get an idea of how your piece will look and you’ll feel more comfortable about ordering the piece at the store or on-line if you’ve seen it in person first.
• Visualize All the Elements
  Fine furniture stores use professional decorators to create fully-decorated rooms. In these settings, the merchandise is shown at its best. You can get an idea of how the piece you want will look in a real room. You might get ideas for other decorating, too. If the walls are painted an interesting shade of a warm mocha, you can ask the exact shade if you think it would look good in your home. It can be almost like going to a decorator showhouse and you can buy anything you like.
• Get Things in Perspective
  Remember that furniture show spaces are spacious with high ceilings and no side walls. You have to keep the size and scale of your own rooms in mind. A piece that looks great in a cavernous showroom might be too large for your living room.
• Get Decorating Ideas From the Pros
  As you walk through the showroom, look around you. Do you see interesting accessories? Do you have some pieces at home that could be used in the same way? Is a picture placed in an unusual way that would add interest to your space? Does a mirror reflect a beautiful view or add depth to a space? Is the furniture arranged in a way you hadn’t thought of? Without buying a thing, you can get lots of ideas to take home.
• Talk to the Sales People
  A furniture showroom will not have every piece that a particular company makes. If you don’t see the item you want on the floor, inquire about placing a special order. Be sure that you feel comfortable with the sales person and get someone who is knowlegeable about your chosen company. Some stores have specialists for each line. Inquire about the availability of different wood finishes, sofa skirt options, or alternative arm styles.
• See the Fabric Choices
  Each company that builds upholstered furniture supplies their showrooms with fabric samples. You can choose from a full array of colors, patterns, and textures. If you’re not sure about colors, ask to check out fabric samples or a matching pillow. You’ll be able to live with the fabrics for a day or two and see the different choices in changing lights.
• Place a Special Order
  If the store doesn’t have the piece you need, place a special order. In many cases, you will not be able to take advantage of special sale prices, and you might have to pay additional shipping charges. But it will be worth the price to get just the piece you want.
• Take the Piece Home
  Some furniture stores will allow you to take a piece home “on approval,” meaning that you can see how it will look in your home, but return it if you don’t like it. After all, you’re making a big purchase and should have a right to change your mind. Make sure that you can return even a special order piece if it is not right for your home. You might be asked to pay the charges the store incurred to get the piece from the factory to their store.

Article written by Coral Nafie courtesy of ArticlesBase.com