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6 Ways To Decorate Your Apartment On A Budget

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home decorating 2009Apartments come in all shapes and sizes, and they also come in all types of conditions. Whether you’re living in the ideal space or a temporary place, it’s important to make it look and feel as homey as possible. The problem is that home decor can be quite pricey, and if you don’t have the budget to buy the nicest pieces of furniture and accent pieces, most people leave their apartments not fully furnished. That’s why I’ve put together this list of ways to help you decorate your apartment and make it look great, even on a budget!

Sales

Sales have always been the best way to find great home decor on the cheap. Whether it’s a yard sale, garage sale, from a discount store or something similar, you can find some really great pieces of furniture for your apartment for a fraction of retail costs.

Online Classifieds

Aside from looking at yard sales and other store sales, another great option is to look at websites such as Craigslist and other free online classifieds as resources for finding decor. These websites are used frequently when people are either moving out of their homes and are trying to sell items quickly or people are just trying to get rid of items they no longer need. It’s a great place to find items that have great value but are being sold for much less than their worth.

Do It Yourself

DIY has never been easier than it is today, especially with the plethora of online tutorials and DIY ideas that you can easily find on Pinterest. Creating anything from tables, chairs and entertainment centers can be as easy as re-purposing old furniture and it can save you enormous amounts of money. Another DIY option is to buy inexpensive furniture from companies like Ikea who sell brand new furniture that you have to pick up and assemble yourself.

Loft Beds

If you’re working with a small space and a lot of people, a loft bed is a great option for you. Loft beds are an inexpensive way to help accommodate several people in a small space. Similar to bunk beds, loft beds help to take advantage of vertical space and loft beds can be bought at furniture stores, garage sales or quick sales. Even if you’re not working with a lot of people in your space, a loft bed can help save valuable space in your bedroom or studio.

Dollar Stores

Dollar stores generally have a bad reputation, but they’ve come a long way since they were only selling cheap soap and car air fresheners. There are many dollar stores now that sell inexpensive home decor that might not look great on the shelves but can be created into something excellent, for only a few dollars.

Add Color

Don’t be afraid to add pops of color here and there throughout your apartment, especially if you can’t change the colors of the walls. This includes coordinating bed linens with your bedroom curtains, a couch color with other accent pieces, etc. Matching colors in your apartment will not only make your space look brighter and cleaner but it will make you feel more like you’re at home as well.

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Felicia Walkins is a freelance writer and home decorating pro. She loves finding the perfect accent pieces for different apartment spaces, and she hopes to someday be able to decorate her own space in the new Jackson 21 community.





Choosing Window Blinds For Your Home – How To Do It

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Window blinds may seem like just another home accessory, but these do more than add visual interest to a space. The addition of blinds can add dimension, dramatically altering the character and in turn the overall appearance of any room. This is why choosing the right blinds for the home is very important. If you are considering choosing blinds as the window treatment for your home, you must choose wisely, and to do so, you need to consider a few things.

Main Considerations

When choosing blinds for the home, there are four main things you have to take into consideration: the function of the room where the blinds will be placed, the size of the room, the furnishings inside the room, as well as the overall theme of the house.

Function of the Room

When shopping window blinds for your home, do not assume that one kind will work in every space. Every room is different and each has a different function. How the space will be used will dictate what blind type you should be getting.

Take the kitchen, for instance. This is one area with a lot of activity, as this is the place where you cook and prepare meals. Because working in the kitchen makes spills and splashes inevitable, it is a must for you to choose something easy to clean, especially for windows by the sink. Moreover, the blinds you choose for the kitchen must be able to withstand the constantly changing temperature as well as humidity. The most ideal choices for the kitchen are aluminum blinds or faux wood blinds. The latter looks like wood but is actually made from both wood and vinyl, and the vinyl is that which makes it moisture resistant and low maintenance.

Size of the Room

Blinds come in different slat widths and types (either vertical or horizontal). Before you settle on a particular slat width or type, think about how big or small the room is. Wider slats are best for bigger spaces while narrower slats are more ideal for small spaces. If you choose wide slat blinds for a small space, expect the space to look even smaller. As for the slat type, it will depend on how you want to enhance the existing space. Vertical slats force the eyes to look from top to bottom, causing an illusion of length; on the contrary, horizontal slats compel the eyes to look from left to right, causing an illusion of width.

Furnishings Inside the Room

The kind of furniture to be found in each space also matters when choosing blinds. Naturally, wooden blinds are ideal for spaces dominated by wooden furniture. If a space has a lot of wrought iron furniture, aluminum or vinyl blinds are good choices.

Theme of the House

Of course, the blinds you pick must complement the overall theme of your house. Do not opt for anything that will clash with the look of the space. Having PVC vertical blinds in a Victorian style house will be unsightly and do nothing for the space’s aesthetic value. So before you shop, remember the theme and use this as a basis as you look through your options.

This article was penned by Ericka for Style Rite Blinds, a reputable company and preferred source of blinds in West Lothian.

DIY Tips For Remodeling Your Kitchen

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Keeping your kitchen up to date and in style has several advantages. It makes your home look stylish, more comfortable, and more appealing to guests. Companies are constantly coming out with newer appliances with special options and features that make food preparation go much more smoothly. Also, an up to date kitchen is a high priority for many home buyers, so if you are thinking about selling your home and are looking for a way to make it stand out, a kitchen remodel can really go a long way. Right now, DIY is all the rage. With a plethora of internet resources that give insight and direction as to the best way to do your own projects, reliable information is more available than ever before. As you plan your kitchen remodeling project, here are a few ideas that you might want to consider.

A New Backsplash

Kitchen backsplashes are useful and attractive. Not only do they protect the walls during food preparation and cleanup, they also add a splash of color or intrigue to a room. Glass tile for a kitchen backsplash is a great option. Not only does glass make it easy to wipe up spatters, it also has a glossy sheen that provides a luminous reflection. When choose glass for the tile that you use in your backsplash, you add depth and dimension to the room. It looks especially attractive when you install lighting underneath your cabinetry.

Accent Pieces

When you choose the colors for your cabinetry, backsplash, and other things in your kitchen, you have to strike a delicate balance between neutrals and accent colors. Usually people go with countertops and a backsplash that is fairly neutral, although they may choose a mosaic pattern for their backsplash that uses a bright color or two. When you select your backsplash and counter, look for subtle similarities in the colors. You could use the same tile for each of these areas, or use different tile.

Once you have established the neutral background in your kitchen, you can make the room look really impressive by adding in small pops of color here and there. Try using brightly colored towels, curtains, picture frames, vases, or even a fruit bowl.

Basic Installation Tips

One of the most common misconceptions is that each tiny tile in mosaic backsplashes has to be installed individually. Thankfully, it is possible to buy sheets of mosaic designs that are the size of standard tiles, which is usually 12 inches by 12 inches. When you install kitchen tile, whether it is the mosaic or another style, following a few basic tips will help you ensure that the tile looks nice when you are finished.

  • Carefully clean the wall underneath the backsplash. Kitchen walls can accumulate particles of dust and oil, but adhesive sticks a lot better to a clean surface.
  • Before you start putting up any tile, lay out your tiles exactly how they will be spaced so that you can get an accurate measurement.
  • Use a starter board and a level when you install your first tile. This will help to ensure that your entire backsplash goes in straight and level.

When you work carefully and choose tile that will look great in your kitchen, your DIY remodeling project can look professional. To check out some great tile options, visit the Glass Tile Store website.

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  •  License: Image author owned

Article courtesy of the GlassTileStore, where you can get the best selection of tile for your kitchen and bathroom.

Four Of The Best Shower Enclosures For Your Bathroom

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Unless you opt for a more open wet room or the splish splash taking a bath (in a bath and shower combo unit) method of washing away your daily sins, you will more than likely want to go for one of the number of shower enclosures available for use in your new bathroom.

These come in all manner of sizes, suitable for bathrooms big and small. Some are designed to fit into the corner of a bathroom to save space, while others are slightly larger and allow users to walk in to the shower, almost as if their bathroom was a sauna at some luxury hotel.

Whichever design you opt for, unfortunately towels are not provided – unless of course you bought them in preparation for your new bathroom that is!

Quadrant Enclosures

This type of unit is an old favourite as it is one of the more space conscious of shower enclosures in terms of its design. Fitting snuggly into the corner of your bathroom, it can provide an abundance of space to take your shower in, regardless of your bathroom size.

This type of unit is free standing and is often designed to have a central opening, ideal if your bathroom is on the small side.

Sliding Door Enclosures

A variation of quadrant shower enclosures is the sliding door variety, offering the same ease and space saving of the quadrant, but with…you guessed it, a sliding door. Once again, this acts as a great way of saving space as the door doesn’t encroach on any of the space available in your bathroom.

These can typically be installed so that they slide either to the left or right, depending on how your unit is fitted, so you’ll never need to worry about doors getting in your way.

Walk In Enclosure

For something entirely different, you can dispense with the frames and other concerns by opting for a more minimalist, walk in shower enclosure.

Get rid of the doors, and provide yourself with an extra level of space with one of these units, which also give your bathroom an elegant and stylish tone to boot. These can be fitted with either a tray or set into the floor if your bathroom allows for such a design.

Bi-Fold Enclosure

As the name suggests this type of unit has a double fold, allowing the door to compact neatly before pushing inwards, once again acting as a great way to save space. These are typically available for either an alcove or as a corner enclosure, so can fit snuggly into any size bathroom.

Ultimately, it is up to you to decide which of the many shower enclosures available out there is most suitable for your bathroom, but with such an abundance of different ones on offer, you should never run short of ideas.

Louisa Jenkins is an interior design specialist with a particular interest in helping people pick shower enclosures that best utilise the space available in their bathrooms

How to Make A Home With Not Much Space Look More Sophisticated

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Most people would love to live in a vast palace complete with beautifully decorated rooms, a vast dining hall, sumptuous bedrooms, and acres of undulating gardens. Unfortunately this will remain a dream for most of us and so we are obliged to make the most of what we have. A lack of space does not necessarily mean a ugly home that you dread returning to each night, and which you could never invite guests. Here are a few tips on how to maximise your home’s potential and truly turn into the castle that it should be.

In order to add some sophistication to the home one of the first things to try and do is to create the impression that the space is bigger than it actually is. The age old advice of adding a mirror does work, but it also means that everything within the small room is reflected back by that very same mirror. A better way to emphasise size is to take advantage of any windows within the home. Windows add light and depth naturally to any room by drawing the eye beyond the confines of the home.


No home looks sophisticated if it full of clutter. Clutter includes not only things like coats, shoes, and bags which may block up an entrance way but also small unnecessary pieces of furniture. A great way to kill two birds with one stone here is by introducing some kind of built in cupboard to a room. This addition not only then provides an elegant space where things can be arranged more aesthetically but they also make small rooms seems more gracious and substantial by providing vertical interest and some much needed architectural detail.

Colour is also essential. Lighter colours are less oppressive and give the illusion of more space. Any window blinds also need to light and elegant rather than heavy and functional. Another way to add to this feeling of space whilst also evoking sophistication is to hang art or painting on a distant wall, ideally in an adjoining room. The simple trick of taking the eye beyond the room it is in helps to expand the perceived depth of field, naturally adding an “over-there” feeling.

Get rid of any doors that are non-essential. This automatically increases space both in real and perceived terms. Not only doors can be removed but the frames of doorways can be removed and extended all the way up to the ceiling. This is a much more economical option than removing entire walls and really does make a striking difference.

Pic. Table

Once you have managed to maximise the space within the home it is paramount that the furniture you choose to go inside this newly created living environment adds to the theme of sophistication you are looking to create. The designs of tables, chairs, and other essential pieces must be solid in colour but unique in style or texture. Glass is a classic and never fails to add a touch of style and cool surfaces of polished stone and marble continue the theme of space extension more than wood which tends to dominate the room.

It is also important to bear in mind that sophistication does not mean boring. It is easy to become obsessed with subtle simplicity at the expense of character. Look for small things like lamps which can be small and delicate in design but which possess real elegance in their shape and colour. It is the little unexpected and understated surprises that help to define sophistication.

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Guest Post by Tom Faulkner – Designer furniture by Tom Faulkner.

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