Order of The Day – The Dining Room

There are several ways to getting your dining room in order. Decide on your colour scheme and what kind of furniture you want, and then accessorise properly. Remember that the table is the centre of the room and every thing else can revolve around it if it is relatively simple and easy to dress up. Curtains and curtain poles can be purchased to match the colour scheme, even if it is metal. The next meal that you have in there could be the best one yet - considering how many compliments you could get if you choose your décor and accessories carefully!

Once you get your colour scheme and decide what kind of furniture you want, you can pick out your accessories, including the window dressing. Kitchen blinds are ideal if your window is situated above your sink as they won't get in the way when pulled up or down.

If you prefer curtains metal curtain poles are ideal for a contemporary styles kitchen. The best thing about metal curtain poles is that they can be purchased to match whatever your kitchen looks like. If you have a lot of metal and glassware the curtain pole brackets and ends can be clear or brushed glass, or even brass or silver depending on what you like or what matches your décor. The best part is that they are relatively inexpensive and can be a great addition to any décor to give it the 'wow' factor!
Image: AtticMag

1 Room – 2 Window Treatments

Dreamy, pretty and 'oh so warm, summer days', I love the simplicity of gorgeous designs such as these. The combination of patterns and colours in soft pastels bring a touch of femininity to lounges, creating an easy living and informal ambience which suits all styles of interiors beautifully.

With so many fabulous ready made curtains online it's easy to replicate this style of window dressing. In fact you could have two different weight curtains, one set for winter the other for summer, to banish the winter blues and give your rooms a breath of fresh air each spring and summer using floaty floral fabrics. When the cooler days of autumn approach swap for rich colours and heavy fabrics such as crushed velvet to bring a warm cosiness to your rooms.

Think outside the box, rather than have the same pair of curtains all year round, use ready made eyelet curtains and wooden curtain poles to make the switch over effortless.

It's a great way to liven up your rooms and cost effective to boot! Add coordinating accessories, filled cushions, table lamps and rugs and the dynamics of your living space can be altered instantly and effectively.

You don't have to keep redecorating, choose white or neutral colours for walls, floors and ceiling as these will team with accent colours wonderfully.

Image: Bahraini Diva

Using The Natural Beauty Of Wood

Natural wood remains at the top of the interior design world list of 'must haves' in both traditional and modern homes.

As you know wood comes in many different colours and sources and it is these which make each piece of furniture or home uniquely different. Nature is of course a master at providing us with coordinating colour schemes! The use of a combination of light and dark wood within the same room offers an understated touch of refinement.

If you also coordinate your soft furnishings and window dressing with one of the wood colours you can automatically create a beautiful interiors which flows and has a sense of balance and cohesion.

Dark wooden curtain poles which compliment the window casing and flooring provides an elegant look, in contrast coordinate your curtains with the colour of a chest or perhaps a bed frame and you have once again achieved balance within the room.

The same principles apply in any style of home, even those with a contemporary style will look stunning when balance and fluidity is incorporated within the room.

Bombard your eyes with an unstructured and disorganisation jumble and you'll end up with a headache! This is not to say rooms have to be dull and boring – far from it! But they should have a sense of purpose and direction.

Image: AtticMag

Creating Stunning Interiors - Focal Points And Proportion

White remains interior designer's staple colour this year along with mixing old with new. Which is great news for those who want to create stunning interiors without having to spend a small fortune on decorating, furniture and soft furnishings.

The secret to success is to ensure you have a proportionally balanced room. This does not mean that everything has to be symmetrical, it means that you have to ensure that you have focal points and places for the eyes to wander straight to as people enter the room. Adding interest is a fundamental key to successful interiors, so when you re-vamp your rooms remember to give your eyes a path to follow, otherwise the room will look bland and boring.

Little touches such as using black metal curtain poles rather than white curtain tracks can make windows look chic and stylish. Simply placing the curtain poles higher than the window casing will not only give the illusion of higher windows it will also take the eyes upwards so that the whole room is viewed. Add a piece of stylish old or modern furniture which draws the eye directly to it as it begins the journey around the room.

Having a sense of direction and purpose is equally import if you want to make your rooms into those you see produced by professional interior designers.

Image: A Life's Design

Create Stunning Festive Windows!

Don't you just love the festive season! I say this with tongue in cheek, don't get me wrong I adore Christmas, the fairy lights, trees and of course the receiving and giving of presents!

What I'm not too keen on is the hype and over commercialisation! The one thing that always please me is the opportunity to spend money on the all important finishing touches in the lounge and dining room which make the festive season so special.

I've decided on a chic and stylish theme this year which is minimalist, working on the adage that less is more! As the garden Christmas tree remains in-situ I ensue the windows are sparkling clean and have invested in lightweight voile curtains with trendy metal openings which compliment the curtain poles. I'm also going to hang bunches of baubles in pretty pastel shades to act as temporary tie-backs!

As you can see with little expense and inspiration from different pages of interior design blogs you can dress your windows in keeping with your Christmas design theme in your lounge and dining room to create stunning interior which will ooze with creativity as well as chic styling!

Image: Belle Maison 23

Create Clean, Straight Lines Using Matching Curtain Poles

If you have the advantage of having a large dining area maximising the amount of natural light during the day by using sheer curtains creates a striking and informal ambiance to the area.

Having full length sheer curtains which cover two walls will also create the illusion of more space, along with clean lines and chic styles which suit both modern and contemporary homes effortlessly.

Using curtains poles which fit neatly into the corners of the room also provide a style which is well thought out, bringing cohesion to the area. White or ivory sheer curtains such as voiles or faux silk add a touch of contrast against the robust and durable practicalities of a dining room furniture. This juxtaposition enables the curtains to be hung from dark coloured curtain poles to compliment the colour of the the dining suite beautifully and elegantly.

Try mixing sheer lightweight fabrics with chunky furniture to create stunning interiors which have a eclectic mix of textures to add depth with harmony to your dining room. Using full length curtains will also add height to a room as well as being the perfect solution for dressing patio or French doors which are typically found in dinning rooms of traditionally styled homes.

Image: A Life's Design

Beautiful, As Well As Chic Ready Made Curtains

For me ready made curtains really are the next best thing to sliced bread! They are so easy to hang and are available in incredible colour ways, designs, patterned and plain fabrics as well as being available in different sizes and weights of fabrics to suit each room of your house.

Used on their own they are effectively beautiful, team with a roller or Venetian blind and you have an instant window dressing which also offer privacy from prying eyes both day and night!

Selecting the style of window dressing is a fundamental part of achieving an overall sense of balance and cohesion to a room, irrespective of its size. If you are looking to add height to a room opt for curtains with a vertical pattern or stripe as these will automatically drawn the eye upwards.

Use light or neutral colours if you want a small room to appear larger and rich dark colours if your are after a more sensual or warm and cosy look.

The design trends of the year are focusing on using natural material with clean lines in modern and contemporary styled homes. Plain neutral colours with wide stripes or bands of contrasting materials such as faux suede or faux leather, across the top third of full length curtains offer a very chic and stylish look, more especially if they have eyelet headings as these can be simply hung on stylish curtains poles of either natural wood or in-vogue polished metal effects.

Be inspired by designs such as Harvard curtains which offer a trendy and non-fussy look to add a splash of colour to your window dressing or alternatively use sheer fabrics such a voile, silk or organza for a simply stunning window treatment.

Image: Charm Hill Interiors Blogspot

Inspirational Design Concepts

Take an old concept and transform into a new revelation in your home!

Niches were commonly used in the past to have a bed situated which was then curtained off to give privacy, this was back in the days when families shared a room! This was more commonly used by country folk or those who had limited space. It was also a way to keep warm in the winter!

Having a bed with drapes and curtains was also employed by the wealthy in the form of four poster beds. These had lavish heavy weight curtains to keep the occupants snug and warm.

Many antique beds were specifically designed to fit either into a niche or against a wall. Some of the fabulous wooden bed frames can be found in antique and house clearance warehouses. Look out for the styles which have beautiful carvings on one side, the side which was not pushed up against a wall to give you an indication as to authenticity.


Restored and renovated homes can use this idea and rather than have a bed within a niche use the space to include a bath! Provide privacy, along with a stunning interior design feature, by hanging curtains from a metal curtain poles to create a country cottage look. Use neutral tones for a rustic look which offers a great place to relax and unwind.

A great alternative to an en-suite bathroom and a new twist on an age old way of utilising a niche!

For great inspirational interior design concepts and image source visit Bloomacious

Beautiful Bay Window Dressings

I simply adore bay windows and know they are notoriously difficult to dress! In the past these beautiful large windows were usually hidden behind swathes of heavy curtains and whilst this is fine for traditional styled homes, those fortunate to have an older style home to renovate can strip away tradition along with layers of dark varnish and bring a wealth of natural light into the room.

White is the ideal colour to make a room look crisp, clean and modern. It is also a great neutral colour which can provide the opportunity to inject colour in subtle ways through the clever integration of soft furnishings and floor coverings.

Soft white leather sofas and chairs provide chic elegance which can have a multitude of cushions placed onto them to bring colour into a room.

Flooring is another great way to include colour. Gorgeous modern designs which have soft colours can transform the look of a room as well as offering a soft, warm touch and feel to a room.

Keep things simple so that accent pieces are not detracted from. Clutter free is a must along with beautiful and unusual lighting. High ceilings lend themselves brilliantly to modern chandelier deigns to add a touch of understated elegance.

Beautiful light weight voile curtains are the perfect way to let a multitude of natural light into the room. They also enable the window’s beauty to be realised to the full with distraction and over fussiness.

Opt for full length curtains to enable the whole window to be covered as well as offering a soft and gentle window treatment which adds elegance to the room. Bay window curtain poles are a great modern alternative to more traditional styles of curtain tracking however, the style you choose should be in keeping with the overall interior design style of the room.

Image: 2Modern Design Talk

Simply Beautiful Bay Window Curtains

Chic white which oozes pure simplicity is my ideal of a perfect bedroom! However in reality wear would you store your clothes! There’s not a drawer unit or wardrobe in sight!.... Obviously you would have a separate dressing room!

Sliver grey and white make a stunning combination which has been used on the wallpaper, which I have to admit is another ‘new’ for me because I’m not a great wall paper lover!

My favourite aspect has to be the beautiful bay window with the sunlight flooding in! One of my favourite forms of window dressing - full length white voile curtains, which I adore for their pure simplicity and fresh appearance, look striking hung from the contrasting dark bay window curtain poles. The poles are light fitting are the only dark aspects in this room’s design, how refreshing!

Bay windows are notoriously hard to dress and usually have heavy fabrics on more traditional style curtain tracks. This makes a really refreshing change and a great way to create a light and airy feel to the room.

The more I look at this room design from Fresh Locations, the more I feel the urge to add something to it to give a focal point.

Maybe it needs a French style white vanity style dressing table with an ornate mirror hung above it? Or just a simple cerise pink orchid plant in a plain white ceramic pot?

White and silver greys offer a wide choice of accent colour without going over the top and spoiling the simplistic and stunning overall interior design style.

Visit Laissezfaire for image source and other great design styles.

Making the Most of Natural Light

Making the most of as much natural light as possible is a great way to add natural warmth and a spacious feeling to small rooms.

This wonderful room design has used the most of the natural light entering the small place by using full length voiles to provide as much light expose as possible across the width of the patio style doors.

Using voiles in this way as provides privacy from prying eyes and yet is sufficiently sheer to let light in and the occupants to see outside. Using white voiles is also an effective way of letting as much light into the room while being able to leave them drawn across the entire glass.

Another great advantage to using voile curtains is their light weight. They can be hung from small diameter curtain rods or poles or used with conventional curtain tracking to make pulling them open effortless as well as coordinating with the interior design style of the room.

White décor with accents of this years Pantone yellow offers a really spring like and fresh appearance to a small room. The light coloured wood of the TV unit compliments both white and yellow wonderfully.

Keeping the main theme of a room white will enable natural light to bounce off the walls and reflective pieces, such as a glass dining table, to create an illusion of more space.

Anyone with a small room will know that it will have to be kept neat and tidy to prevent it being turned into a cramped and uninviting space.

Image source: Freshome