Using Colour – Going Green

We're probably all getting fed up with the cliché 'going green' and yet this timeless classic colour has survived through the decades in various shades and continues to be many people's choice of colour in any room in their home.

Darker shades of green, Regency or racing green for example, are ideal for large living areas. Going dark on an accent wall and bringing the room together with dark green ready made curtains, cushions and throws can creates a refined and sophisticated look. Paler shades are ideal to team with soft pinks for an on-trend look which suits all styles of homes; while acid or lime greens are the perfect colours to use with white, aubergine or hot pink in contemporary living spaces.

You don't have to go over-board, as too much of one colour can be very overpowering, however, buy adding pops of green, such as lime green curtains or a green rug, you can rejuvenate a tired looking room instantly without having to carry out a complete makeover.

Green symbolises growth and new life, making it's the ideal colour to use to give your home a fresh new look this spring. Add floral designs in soft furnishings to create a country cottage look, a majestic and sophisticated look can be achieved using darker hues and for those who want to inject the latest trends should opt for lime, neon or acid greens!

Image: Belle Maison

Quick Tips To Creating A Beautiful Lounge

Picking out furniture can be a chore, especially if you are looking to match what you have painted on the walls. A good couch or love seat is important and you are looking for relaxing comfort, not necessarily looks. If you are looking to keep the room 'warm' avoid leather furniture and stick to plush couches with low key patterns that add character to the room, and don't make themselves the centre of attention.

Wooden furniture is a good idea in this case too; wood adds a rustic, lived in look that you can't beat. A veteran do-it-yourself-er might find interest in purchasing some old tables or other wooden pieces and refinishing them, or if you find modern glass and metal your thing you can purchase or build your lounge around a leather couch or a glass coffee table.

When looking for ready made curtains UK, go with a pattern that compliments your paint job to break up the monotony and go with curtain pole finials that match your furniture - there are wooden and metal ones in a wide variety of designs and styles to match your scheme.

Besides colour accessories as essential. A big coffee table might be in order, or paintings with bold colours to contrast your paint scheme would be a nice addition to your area, add extra softness under foot by adding floor rugs in front of your sofa or chairs. With a little effort, in no time, you should be able simply sit and relax in your liveable lounge.

Image: AtticMag

Are You Following The Mad Men Trend?

This is 1960's retro and vintage home décor inspiration at its best! There is even a pinch of California cool thrown in to the mix for stylish homes and offices. Modern, timeless pieces of furniture and lots of retro prints will help you on your way for this seasons dominating home trend.


Green was a favourite colour in the 60's and rooms became almost mundane and boring! Large table lamps uk where seen in all lounges, along with ready made blinds or ready made curtains as women began to have careers of their own and moved into a faster pace lifestyle rather than stay at home.


Where a lack of brights is the overall picture for home décor in Mad Men, a positive is the choice of clothing for the woman's costume. They bring the punch of brights that the décor is missing - so do use this as inspiration if you want to put in accent brights. Think of peacock blue sofa cushions, a touch of scarlet in the bedroom or a lovely vintage yellow in the kitchen.

Image: Eclectic Interior Design Group Blogspot

An Assortment Of Fabulous Curtains For Sale Online

Soften up your bedrooms with a wonderfual assortment of fabrics and materials of different densities and textures to create a warm and homely feel.

With the fabulous of ready made curtains for sale it's easy to give your bedrooms a fresh new look. Opt for this year's subdued tones and sherbert colours and team with bedding and stacks of cushions!

This look is so easy to achieve and really doesn't take too much thinking about! Although the basic interior design principles say to only use three colours within a room, the bedroom is one place where you can break the boundaries, try something new and exciting to reflect your individuality and personal style preferences.

Ring the changes and use blinds at one window and full length curtains at another to give a new look at each window. If you keep the fabrics the same colours or shades it won't look as if you didn't try to create a stylish look and simply hang odd curtains and blinds. It's the subtle differences which make this relaxed and informal style so appealing.

Add whimsical touches by replaing pictures with a collection of your favourite wardrobe accessories, which you never know quite what to do with or were to store them. This could be silk and chiffon scarves to create a floaty, dreamy look or fascinators and hats to give a quirky and very unique wall display which blends with your bedroom theme.

Image: vickydar.blogspot.

Maximise Natural Light By Using Bay Window Curtain Poles

Bring a warm and cosy look to your living rooms by choosing ready made curtains in gorgeous milk chocolate colours! Well it is Easter, so why not indulge in sumptuous chocolate colours which are as stylish as some of the Easter eggs!

This year we know that texture is playing an important part in interior designs, rich velvet fabric is renowned for its opulence and stylish looks which have been used for centuries in the homes of the wealthy. Today we can all enjoy this luxury as fabric warehouses online and in the high street have the latest colours along with crushed velvet, silks and satin to change the look of your home.

Full length curtains hung from gold metal rings on bay window curtain poles provide a sleek look which brings out the beauty of the window and the curtains in an unpretentious way. Team with candy pink velvet covered chairs to bring your bay window alive and give them a spring look.

With curtain pole spares readily available you can also use curtain rings which slide over the fixings which allows you to pull the curtains right back to each side of the bay window. These are ideal if the window is small and north facing as it maximises the amount of light entering the room.

Image: La Dolce Vita

Cost Effective Patchwork Revival

Patchwork has been around for hundreds of years and has always been used as an effective way of recycling old or left over pieces of fabric and materials. With recession affecting people's spending power, having or using patchwork to create stunning bed covers and even curtains is back in-vogue as an effective way of recycling and making things for 'free'!

Mixing different textures of fabrics brings patchwork right up to date, as in the past it was typically only cotton fabrics which were used. Today you can make patchwork out of any type of material, including lightweight voiles and organza to create sheer curtains which let an abundance of light flood into a room in a soft and somewhat dreamy fashion making this style perfect for bedrooms!

Those who don't feel inclined of have the aptitude to make patchwork, but still adore the country cottage interior design themes and styles, will be pleased to know that it is possible to buy fabric which has the appearance of patchwork! This may be defeating the object somewhat of recycling, but it is a great way to achieve this type of interior style at affordable costs without having to wait for a patchwork to be made!

Next time you have a clear out in your wardrobe why not put the fabric to good use? Or on second thoughts look for lovely cottage style ready made curtains which can simply be hung from wooden curtain poles to achieve the same look in a fraction of the time!

Image:Freshome

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

Natural Colour Variations Are Mesmerising!

There is something mesmerising about this room, I'm not sure whether the aspects of symmetry or the juxtaposition of the way the objects have been arranged.

In a way this rooms creates both harmony and cohesion with the identical mirrored windows with the sheer voiles placed three quarters of the way up to the height of the tab top curtains, the positioning of the mirrors which in turn extends the length and symmetry of the room or the chairs which almost appear to be standing guard over the room, daring you to step beyond into the more personal space in front of the fire place.

It some ways it is confusing to look at, whilst in another it is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. What I do love are the natural colours used along with the subtle injections of green, another very natural colour.

A clever room design which one would feel somehow 'not quite at home with'!

Inspiring? Yes, definitely.

Suitable for all homes and people, definitely not!

It would be the ideal and in some ways quintessential country manor style home, which although many people may aspire to living in, as it depicts such a peaceful, tranquil setting, it reality it is not the 'average' person's home interior design style.

It has the personal touches in the choice of objects placed on the mantle piece and a tempting bowl of apples, which I would be 'scared' to take and eat and for the apples are not for eating, purely to add to the natural green into the room!

So why did I select this room?...because it fascinates me in a strange and wonderful way, which is the whole point of good interior designs, it makes you want to keep looking!

Image: Desire To Inspire

Appealing Summer Design Styles

There is something about this room design which I love, not my usual type of style, however the more I look at this room the more aspects of it I like!

In a nutshell that is what good design style is all about, liking the look, loving the colours and feeling comfortable with the style. This is a room which would suit many homes and could so easily be copied, even if you were to follow the design principles if you are not keen on the colours a striking style could be achieved very cost effectively.

If you are not adept at painting features and focal points on your walls there are lots of places where you can obtain transfers which are quick and easy to apply.

Of course the room has lots of white, well I doubt I’d like it so much if it didn’t! along with some beautiful striking summer colours in the cushions, mural and the ready made curtains. The white coffee table has all the hallmarks of a sixties style which only has the all important three objects placed on it.

Always display objects in uneven numbers as this is far more pleasing to the eye. The other thing I love about this room s there is no clutter, which I admit is one of my greatest dislikes!

The flooring makes a pleasant change in mustard yellow, however I’m not a lover of wall to wall carpets and would change this for a large rug on stripped floor boards or ceramic tiles in a neutral shade.

Image: Decorology

Blue and Green Should Never Be Seen- Nonsense!

Use spring colours to fire your imagination and achieve a crisp and clean home which is a haven of all things ‘you’, modern and bright!

Those who haven’t got round to freshening up your home can get some great ideas from interior design journal or online blogs about smart ideas, tip and tricks such as Tip Junkie.

This home style may not be to everyone’s liking but you have to admit the colours work well together and it does look crisp and bright!

I love the colour combinations and simply adore the large floor lamp, although it virtually touches the ceiling which means most of the light will be reflected back down rather than illuminate the surrounding over area!

There’s an old saying ‘blue and green should never be seen unless there’s something in between!’ which basically stems for past ideas about using two colours which sit next to each other on the colour wheel and all that bygone nonsense!

Well, the inclusion of brilliant white has complied with the blue and green ‘rules’ and as long as you choose colours in the same vibrant hues you are onto a winner in my opinion!

Having said that blue can be a very cold colour and is not always a good option, unless like this room it has an abundance of natural sunlight streaming through the windows.

I also like the geometric design on what looks to be ready made curtains, which adds a cheerful and trendy touch to the large expanse of glass; the mix of furniture styles also works well and is a great way to add interest and cohesion to the room.

Denim Chair by Scrap Lab

Ever wonder what you could do with your old jeans? This ingenious design has been created by Scrap Lab.

Their mission is to use materials which are other’s ‘left overs’. The off-cuts and scrap can be wood, metal, nylon, plastics, paper, foam and fabrics and are obtained mainly from industrial sources.

Scrap Lab have clear aims and missions which focus on both global and economic concerns as well as using environmental issues regarding using sustainable sources, by working closely with manufacturers to rejuvenate and re-use their scarp materials to create positive and dynamic designs. They believe their sources will provide them with a continuous supply of materials for them to continue their design activities.

This denim chair cover can also be unbuttoned and used as a wrap round blanket or folded into a neat square floor mat. Easy to remove from the frame and transport makes this design very practical.

As the country’s economic downturn continues we are seeing designers create the most ingenious and innovative design styles. Great ways of using unwanted materials and fabrics.

This denim chair cover look so comfortable and would make the ideal inexpensive seating to charm any modern homes interior space. Team it with dark blue curtains and a floor rug and you have a low cost, yet stylish and effective room style.

I admire Scrap Lab and other creative designers who have taken principles such as patchwork from the past, as seen in this chair design, and brought it into the 21st century with panache and confidence.

Image source: Scrap Lab

Beat the Wintry Weather!

Beat the wintry weather and stay cosy and warm by ensuring your windows are draught free. Double glazing has improved the number of heat lost via windows in recent years, however, studies show that many homes still loose a substantial amounts of heat through windows and doors.

Finding modern curtains in a heavy weight fabric can be time consuming and very frustrating! These contemporary designed, Elston curtains are the ideal solution.

The curtains are fully lined , with deep three inch headings they are perfect for using with a modern curtain pole made from either wood or metal. Coordinating tie-backs and cushion offer a stylish and elegant look to a room.

Traditional floral pattern with an up-to-date design looks great in both traditional and modern interiors. Shown here in a dining room style setting, these curtains would look equally at home in a lounge or trendy bedroom.

The subtle red and green contrasting colours provides the opportunity to use these curtains with many different colour schemes. I must admit to having a difficulty with rooms that have patterned walls and patterned curtains! The thought of having a completely coordinating room fills me with dread-I have recently seen on TV, a room where the wall paper, curtains and bedding were all exactly the same-eek!

The colours used in Elston curtains offers the opportunity to having a variety of different plain wall colours. By selecting one of the main colours as an accent, subtle injections of the same shade can be incorporated elegantly in the room.

Image source: Terrysfabrics

Ready-made is not Cheating!

Window dressing should always be given careful consideration. It can be really difficult finding exactly the right colour and patterns, especially if you don’t have the skills, time or inclination to make your own curtains.

I just love these beautifully patterned, wave eyelet curtains. They look striking hung from these contemporary steel effect curtain poles, offering a really clean and crisp look to the room. The subtle wave effect pattern provides the illusion of height to the window and room. Made from robust and durable fabric which has a soft lined look these curtains would look stunning in both traditional or modern homes.

The great thing about modern ready made curtains is the simplicity of hanging them; especially these eyelet style headings, it’s just a matter of sliding them onto the pole and fixing the pole to the brackets.

The key factor in having curtains like these is to ensure they hang to the floor exactly. Too long and the wave effect pattern may be lost; too short and they will remind you of trousers which are not quite long enough to be trendy and stylish!

Another good aspect of buying window dressings ready made is that they generally come with other accessories such as tie-backs and cushions to match or coordinate, providing a really stylish look very easily.

Having ‘ready made’ is not a cheat’s way out, it’s simply a practical and affordable way to have elegant window dressings throughout your home.

Visit Terrys Fabrics for further information and inspiration!

Contemporary Heating Solution

Radiators can be very mundane, this contemporary design by Danny Wan brings a great Heating Solution into a modern home in a new exciting and practical way.

Virtually all rooms have radiator which situated under a window. As any cool air being generated will be warmed. Which is fine during the day when curtains are opened, however at night it’s a different story! Hang the curtains over the radiator and you’ll loose the heat behind them which is neither practical or energy efficient. Trying to drop the curtains behind the radiator is a time consuming nightmare which simply spoils the hang and line of the curtains.

Having ready made curtainsready made curtains which hang just below the window sill so that they don’t interfere with the rising heat is the ideal solution.

Danny Wan’s Heating Solution uses the fundamental principles of hot air rising. Ad the air is heated it rises up through each tube and is expelled from the top vents. As the heat is generated inside the pipes it will radiate outwards providing heat for the lower half of a room as well.

Who would want to try and disguise or hide this beautiful chromed radiator as they do with ‘usual‘ radiators by painting or having covers over them? The striking simplicity of the quite chunky pipes reminds of an church organ and exhaust pipes! Majestic, beautiful to look at and functional, what more could you ask for?

The polished chrome appearance makes a very welcome change from white and would compliment bathroom fixtures and fittings perfectly.

Visit yankodesigns for more information and image source.