Using Removable Wallpaper for Your Apartments

If you're ever at a dinner party and the conversation lags, simply turn the subject to tiny apartments and you'll probably usher in a few interesting stories starring the legendary studio. The studio has long held its place between the dorm room and more permanent (albeit rented) residences, and rightfully so - a stylishly decorated studio has all the appeal of a cozy cabin in the woods or swanky city loft, only without the high monthly payments and easily overlooked cobwebs.

Sharing a dorm room might be the gateway to independence, but renting a studio apartment is the best way to sharpen your clever design skills. Once you've signed the contract for your snug little shelter, start your decorating engine with these five ways to make the best of small spaces with removable wallpaper for apartments:

1. Turn that tiny bathroom into a sanctuary of style. Good news - the smaller your bathroom, the less removable wallpaper it'll take to transform into the most cheerful water closet you've ever brushed your teeth in. Cover all the walls with removable wallpaper and complete the look with towels, rugs, and trinkets. For an even better bathroom, replace fluorescent light bulbs with buttery ones that bounce off the colors to give your skin that just-received-an-Oscar look.

2. Shine a serious spotlight on the bookcase in your living room. It's easy to turn a bookshelf into a visible storage space, but it's equally as easy to make use of all those colorful dust jackets and cover art. Use removable wallpaper to cover the backs or bottoms of shelves and play with arranging and displaying your collection of books, photos, and curios. Use plastic or makeshift stands to show off the covers that look cool against your chic wallpaper background.

3. Redesign your bed, starting at the top. Whether you're the proud owner of a bed frame with a headboard or working with a minimal mattress on the floor, adding a removable wallpaper headboard can do wonders to spruce up the wall at the top of your bunk. To create your stick on headboard, measure the width of the top of your mattress and decide how much wallpaper you'll need to make either a full headboard or emphasize the space behind an existing one. Use scissors to shape your wallpaper and position it where it works best to accentuate your bedding.

4. Award your living room with stripes. To design a stare-worthy focal wall, cover the largest or most prevalent wall in your apartment's common area with striped removable wallpaper. If you happen to like the existing paint color and can find a wallpaper pattern to complement it, carefully trim each wallpaper sheet into even strips and apply it in equidistant bands across the wall.

5. Break up that blank space between kitchen cabinets and counters. Choose a patterned removable wallpaper and use a measuring tape and scissors to snip out spaces for electrical sockets to show through. Make decorative use of the blank space behind your toaster and you'll instantly recreate a room to be perfectly suited for entertaining hungry guests.

One of the best things about removable wallpaper is its portability. Once it's time to move out, peel it away from the wall to reveal the landlord's original paint job. Before picking your wallpaper, make sure it won't damage the wall surfaces beneath it - you wouldn't want to spend extra time and money on spackle and touch-up paint. If you've chosen a reusable brand of removable wallpaper, simply save the original backing and reattach it for transporting to your next decorating project.

White Room Decorating Idea

Psychology
Colour psychology is the science behind how we feel in different coloured environments. Green and blue will make us relaxed, red and oranges fire us up and make good colours for rooms where conversation needs to be lively, yellow makes us happy or quite strangely, very argumentative. But what does white mean?

White is pure, it is clean and crisp, it can be cold but it can also be very comforting. It all depends on what goes with it- which is why people choose it, because they think it goes with everything. But does it?

Ill-thought-through white rooms will look bland, or clinical - or worse still - both. However, there are rules that help make the most of white walls and by using them, white will be at home in any house, be it contemporary, cosy cottage or period.

The right white
There are many different white paints to choose from and while you may be forgiven for thinking this is just a cruel marketing ploy, there is actually a reason. Each white will look different depending on whatever else it is being used with. Some period whites are positively grey but they will look white against other sludgy type colours. A pure white will look beautiful in a south-facing room but use it in a north facing room and it will feel cold and stark. So you see it is important to choose the right white.

Perception
White is frequently used to enlarge the feeling of a room as the eye cannot see the boundaries quite so clearly so the room appears larger. In addition, white has such good reflective qualities that it will bounce the light around, enlarging the room further. This ability to reflect will also bounce back any other colours in the room and might even distort your vision of them. For example, a red feature wall in an otherwise white room will give the white walls a pink glow.

Reflection
Reflection is a wonderful characteristic in a white room and can be enhanced using mirrors and mirrored furniture, gloss painted ceilings, mother of pearl in small details or crystals in grand lighting displays. The distortion that reflection creates adds a new level of interest and this is one of the keys to successful decoration.

Texture
Texture is another way of bringing attention to the right places. A white painted brick wall is far more interesting than a smooth white surface. Add panelling or beading to a plain white cupboard or door and it will immediately gain new character. Texture within the room is also vital. White walls, white curtains and white loose covered furniture will look dull without the complexities of woollen fabrics, hand tufted rugs, Mongolian fur cushions, intricately carved wood panels, shiny wooden floor boards or antiqued chairs and tabletops. All in glorious white.

White plus one
White rooms are very rarely devoid of colour altogether and are very successful when combined with one other colour. Think blue and white like Delftware, or the red and white of a Toile de Jouy, yellow and white has memories of the 60s and black used with white is a classic combination, giving a very sophisticated look to a room - imagine checked black and white floors or better still the stunning styles from the Art Deco period.

Brightly coloured furniture will pop out of a white setting. It could be a single piece with smaller accessories in the same colour to help the eye travel around the room. An Eames desk in primary colours perhaps, with a vase in red, or a bright yellow rug.

Accessories
The final word goes on the final touches and it is here that a white room can really benefit. Brightly coloured accessories will always bring a white room to life, from red and blue canvas floor cushions to cow hide rugs, a framed electric blue butterfly to a freshly cut bouquet of flowers that can be changed weekly to reflect the changing season and how you feel.

Bathroom for Disable and How to Decorate It

For many disabled people, especially those confined to wheelchairs, the every day actions able-bodied people take can be a real hardship. Especially difficult is using the bathroom, whether it is using the toilet, showering or having a bath.

Clever, innovative bathroom design can, however, make a disabled person's life much, much easier. There are many clever bath and shower solutions on the market for the disabled, some of which we will discuss here, but it is the actual layout and design of the bathroom that will ultimately make the most of those solutions.

First, let's look at the solutions for the toilet. In many cases, a solid bar fixed to the wall or floor next to the toilet is sufficient for most disabled people. It is only placement that needs to be considered. However, other options include comfortable height toilets and portable toilets.

For bathing, there walk in baths, low sided baths and bath chairs, while for showering there are in-shower chairs, low door level showers for easy wheelchair access and large size controls for the visually impaired. Low level or high level sinks and shelving unites are other options.

Once you have identified the needs of a particular person, it's relatively easy to choose the fittings you need. The trickier bit is fitting them into the space you have available at home in the bathroom.

This is where a good bathroom designer is required, ideally using bathroom design software. Why? Because this will save you both time and money. Bathroom planner software can be used to recreate the dimensions of your bathroom in 3D, then place, again in 3D, the fittings you have chosen.

Working with you or the disabled person in your care, the designer will utilise this 3D CAD software to draw out the room, position the fittings and ensure there is sufficient space for moving around and actually using those fittings.

In addition, the software can help even with the decor. The designer will be able to change the colour of the walls, choose a suitable floor covering, window blinds or curtains, even place mirrors and / or pictures on the walls.

You will be able to visualise exactly how the finished bathroom will look and, more importantly, function. Once you're happy with the final design it can be passed to the bathroom fitters to work to before they have even started, ensuring there are no costly mistakes made or expensive adjustments required once the bathroom is complete.

The result of this is a much more pleasant experience for the disabled person, perhaps even a freer, more independent life, a beautiful, useful bathroom and a reduction in overall potential costs!

Disabled people should enjoy the same comforts that able-bodied people enjoy, and with a bit of careful planning, the aid of technology and the continued innovation in making everyday products and tools usable by the disabled, they can do just that.

When you are next looking at making your bathroom (or kitchen, bedroom - any room in the house) more suitable for disabled use, make sure you take advantage of every available tool to do so.

Kids Bedroom Decorating Idea

As your children start to form their own personalities, it is perfectly natural for them to want a say in how their rooms will be decorated. Like so many things, when they were babies and toddlers, you decided everything from what they ate to what they wore to how their rooms should be designed. Encouraging them to have their own personalities and to express them, now that they are older, you can involve them in the makeover of their bedroom.

The Dos and Don'ts of Turning the Makeover into a Joint Project
Much as your son might want start the project with murals of his favorite movie or video game character, you know that one day he will grow out of this phase. Conversely, your daughter may want to see her walls adorned with a life size Ariel and Ursula but you being the wise parent that you are, you know that it won't be long before she has matured and want them replaced with the minimalist look.

When these discussions arise, the best way is to talk with them, but don't reason with them. By 9 and 10 kids can be reasoned with. At 6 and 7, this is quite a challenge. Instead, encourage them to use paint colors to express their personalities. If your daughter likes pinks, purples and lavenders, let her have all three.

By all means involve your kids in the decorating process. Remember, you may not want to live with some of their ideas, but to a certain extent because you want to encourage them to express themselves, you will both have to compromise. If you "get your way" more than your child, he or she won't want to spend much time in their bedroom, which defeats the purpose of giving them their own space.

There will always be areas of compromise with this project. Once you've painted the walls, he may want to live in a dark room with no light or she may want a spotlight for times when she and her friends are practicing to audition to be future American Idol contestants. Lighting is crucial and while living in the catacombs is not an option, maybe a small spotlight is.

Lastly, not everything your child wants to express him or herself has to come from a store. Encourage them to make things to proudly display on the walls or to place on furniture. This not only encourages their self-esteem, but you may just have a budding artist that neither of you knew existed.

How to Choose Bedroom Furniture

Your bedroom is your sanctuary where you can relax, be yourself and do whatever it is that you wanted to do. For these reasons, it must have furniture that can help you achieve the comfort that you need especially during the night. Your bedroom must provide you a soothing ambiance that is essential in order to calm down your senses. It must have furniture that can likewise offer you the same convenience that you need.

Everybody wants to have a rest after a busy day in the office. It is a choice between spending some time in the living room to watch a TV program or go directly to your bedroom and lay on your bed. If you select the second option, your bed must provide you the comfort that you need to soothe your aching back.

What I am trying to say is that your choice of bedroom furniture plays an important role in loosening up as well as contributing to the serenity of your room. It is, of course, necessary to consider aesthetics; however, everything must blend well.

You have various selections to choose from when buying bedroom furniture.

First, you need to know what furniture is needed in your room. The central figure in the bedroom is your bed. Nevertheless, you should not ignore the other fitment that also contributes on obtaining warmth, comfort and serenity in the room. This includes the nightstand, wardrobe, chest and the mirror.

You can opt to have the normal style of bed, the platform beds, headboard beds or the four-poster beds from the variety of bed styles and designs. This will depend on your preference and if you are sharing the bedroom with someone like your spouse or a friend.

The nightstand must have some drawers where you can put some of your stuff to have order in the room.

Your wardrobe must likewise be able to accommodate your clothes, shoes and other accessories. The new modern designs of wardrobe have compartments and shelves. Make sure, however, that you can put your clothes in an orderly manner so they will not look like a mess inside.

A chest of drawers is integral so you can have more storage for your other personal belongings and stuff. It would be nice if you can get a chest with a mirror, which will be helpful when putting on make-up. If you do not, you can have a mirror installed at the back of the door of your wardrobe.

Next, examine the materials of the bedroom furniture before finally making a decision. If you want wooden furniture, you can select between hardwood and softwood. Hardwood is known for its strength and good finish. Its wood grains are striking and are elegant and chic. Those made of mahogany are expensive because of its rich patina. Softwood is also tough but lacks the good finish of hardwood.

Finally, keep your bedroom clutter-free. Modern beds are equipped with drawers where you can keep your linens, pillowcases and curtains to help you maintain order in the room.

You can also have a small desk if you prefer to work inside your bedroom. Ensure though that you have a desk lamp and get a chair that has a shelf under it for storage.

Clean your bedroom on a regular basis. Avoid putting too many ornaments; just keep the essential ones in your bedroom.

Designing your bedroom does not only involve choosing the proper furniture. It must also include the wall color, decorations and curtains. Balance is important; therefore, coordinate the colors of your furniture and furnishings.

How to Get More Space Out of Your Bathroom

After a full-day in this modern world of hustle and bustle, more and more people are finding bathrooms to be the best place to relax, de-stress, and even luxuriate. This is among the main reasons why the number of homeowners who decide to undertake a bathroom remodeling project continues to increase. Other than enhancing the quality of living, this type of home improvement helps sell a home faster in the future and can be a good investment.

Unless you live in a custom-built home, a common challenge with such renovation is space, especially for those living in big cities like New York. This article discusses how to get more space out of bathrooms without needing to add square footage.

Showers and Tubs
Deciding to have a shower or a tub is a big decision when bathroom remodeling. Depending on preferences, it can either be of the two or both with the one piece tub shower units now available in the market. But if you choose to have just the tub, it would be best to shop for a one that is smaller in size but deeper. A shower on the other hand is the best choice if your aim is to save space, taking up only half of the space that a tub occupies. To create an airy look to the shower stall, you can choose to take down the partial shower wall and go for sliding glass doors instead of the usual hinged doors that take up much space when opened.

Maximize Light
Lighting is an essential element that should be maximized when working on small bathrooms. The more light you integrate into the bathroom remodeling; the more spacious the room will look. When planning on this the renovation does not have involve big changes. But if you can afford it, widening or adding windows would be a great step. If not, then you can achieve more lighting without spending too much by using design materials such as glass, mirrors, and other reflective surfaces. Neutrals and light colors also help diffuse light.

Tidy Up
Cleaning up alone can bring considerable change when it comes to freeing more space in small is bathrooms. While at it, try to evaluate what you have in the area that is unnecessarily taking too much space. If your old, bulky radiator is, then it may be better to move it high up on the wall or better yet replace it with a more efficient and more compact designed unit. Other items to be on the look out for include free standing mirrors, towel basket, large-sized cupboards and trash bins.

Storage
To promote and maintain organization in small bathrooms which is crucial to avoid clutter that makes the area look all the more crowded, invest in the right set of bathroom cabinets. Free up floor space by installing wall mounted cabinets. When chopping for cabinetry and vanities, choose narrow profiles that use up only a small amount of room. And to make use of every inch of storage, it would be wise to integrate cabinet upgrades and accessories such as roll-out trays, drawer organizers, roll-out bins, etc.

Using Bistro Chalkboards for Decorating Your Kitchen

Bistro chalkboards are a very useful thing to have for your eatery, no matter how big or small. Or, you may just want one to add appeal inside your home, or to use for another reason in your business, even if is not a restaurant. Regardless of the reason you would want one, there are so many different ones to choose from.
From brands, to shapes to size and design, you will have no problems finding a great deal of selection for this style of chalkboard.

What are Bistro Chalkboards?
Chalkboards like this are, often times, also referred to as bistro mats or French Bistro mats. The purpose is to write out messages, like you would on a chalkboard. These are most commonly used to write out an entire menu or the specials for the day. You may also be planning to use it one just to draw attention to your business or hanging it in the interior, to create a certain look.

Though originally more of a traditional chalkboard that stood outside like a sandwich board, there are different varieties, nowadays. You can find mats or boards like this that are very wide in their range. People often use light boards, as another style. You can use chalk, chalk markers and certain types of other markers to write out your message.

Why Use These Bistro Mats?
There are numerous reasons one might use a bistro chalkboard in their home or business. Most commonly, you could write out the menu or specials and help attract customers from outside. The reason a chalkboard is ideal, is that you can change the menu, specials or overall message. Of course, this can be a useful tool for any type of business that wants to convey a message, sale or daily specials to customers. It is a very popular method for bringing in people off the street.

Some people, though, like to use these inside and establishment, as well. You can still make customers or diners aware of what you have to offer, by using a bistro mat. You can also give a price list for wines or bring attention to a sale area, if used in an establishment other than a restaurant.

If you are going for a French or French bistro look inside your home, you could simply use one of these chalkboards to make shopping lists or write out messages to other members of your family.

What About the Look?
These boards or bistro mats can be elaborate or less ornate. Some are plain, for you to fill the space completely, or include lettering and detailing to create a French bistro look. You may find them in different sizes, or in shapes like rectangles, ovals or half circles. Look at some bistro chalkboards and you can include one or more in your business, today.