Archive for February, 2008
No doubt if you have a home bar, it’s a central part of any entertaining you do. Although not essential, it provides enjoyment to guests and to you as well. If it’s likely that you’ll use this space often, it might be important to update its look and bring it into the 21st century.
As with any redecorating, it’s likely that you’ll want to make your home bar redecorating match your current home décor. However, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to stay with your home’s general theme, and can contrast your home bar’s interior decorating plans for a unique look that will stand out appropriately.
If you wish to go with a relaxing theme, for example, you might want to use blue or green as the basis for your home bar’s décor. These colors are soothing and promote relaxation.
You’ll also need bar stools for your home bar. You can choose from classic wooden bar stools or more modern metal bar stools. Either can swivel or be stationary. You can also choose from a variety of fabrics and colors and change your look very easily. For example, leather will provide a classic and cool look with a touch of elegance, while a rough twill fabric will provide a more homey look. Of course, comfort is first priority, so base your decisions on this primarily. If your space is large enough, you may also wish to have low tables and comfortable chairs available for seating.
Of course, your home bar will also likely need entertainment accessories such as a television and/or stereo system. In this way, guests can have refreshments and watch the football game, or listen to soothing music.
Next, consider beverages for your home bar. You’ll need adequate storage space for non-refrigerated beverages like hard liquor, as well as a refrigerator so that you can serve chilled beer, wine, mixers, soda, and the like. You may also want to consider installing a sink to make cleanup after entertaining much easier. You’ll also need glassware of various types, including tumblers, mugs and wine glasses. It may be easier to wash and store your glassware at the bar instead of carrying it back and forth from your kitchen. Because of this, adequate glassware storage will be necessary. Coasters, towels and other accessories such as napkins that match the theme of your home bar can complete the look you want.
Finally, lighting is also important when you are redecorating your home bar. You can use track lighting or recessed lighting, depending on the look you want. Many people use recessed lighting in their home bars for an unobtrusive lighting option. In addition, installing a dimmer can let you change light levels depending on your needs. For a large crowd, bright light may help everyone feel comfortable, while a small group may prefer dimmer lighting.
No matter how you choose to remodel your home bar, home improvement and specialty stores can help you get just the look you want. Start your remodeling project by doing an online search, and then choose online and local retailers to get the supplies you need.
If you’re decorating your home, it’s important that you find the right home decorating fabric. Whether you’re going modern, Victorian, or classic, the theme of your home decorating will be influenced by the type of fabric you choose. If you already know what particular theme you want, do a little research online to decide which fabric will fit best. You can also choose to look at home decorating magazines or books.
For example, if you use a Victorian theme, remember that this type of theme is both feminine and quite ornate. Therefore, the home decorating fabric you choose will be brocade, velvet, or other “heavy” and rich materials. For accessories, you can choose ribbons and bows, beads and lace for trim.
If you choose to go with a modern theme, you’ll want vibrant and bold colors in your home decorating fabric. Usually, when you go with a modern theme, the rooms are big and spacious and the concept is “open.” This is meant to draw your attention to the room’s details, including the fabrics used. The walls are usually done in light or cool colors.
Another popular home decorating theme is Oriental. With this, use elephants, Chinese dragons, screens and fans. This makes the room visually interesting and unique. The colors used are rich red, coral, jade and ivory. The Oriental theme usually uses silk as its fabric, and the rich colors stand boldly against the dark woods recommended for Oriental furniture.
For a more subdued “country” theme, choose light-colored woods, crisp fabrics such as linen, and light colors, perhaps accented here and there with dashes of dark red or blue throw pillows, for example. You can also choose sturdy knotty pine and rough tweed and denim fabrics for a more rustic look.
When you use home decorating fabric, you are putting icing on the cake, basically. The furniture you add complements the colors you use. In addition, the window treatments you’ll use also fit within the theme, using these same colors.
Home decorating fabrics can be found in many places. Cushions, slipcovers and curtains can be bought premade at department stores or online. Many stores or web sites also specialize in home décor and can help you with this process. If you are skilled in sewing and wish to make your own materials, it’s probably best that you go to a local fabric store so that you can see the fabrics you want to choose firsthand. Store staff will also be able to advise you on patterns, threads, and accessories such as buttons, ribbons and bows. If you are considering a particular color scheme, staff will also be able to help you choose fabrics in the right coordinating and contrasting materials and colors.
Whether you choose ready-made materials or are skilled at making your own, the right fabrics can make your home decorating project a success, so that you both have fun during the process and are pleased with the end result.
If you’ve recently decided to remodel your bathroom and give it a new theme or new décor, you’re not alone. Many homeowners decide that they want to remodel bathrooms for a relatively easy change of “scene.” It might be that your bathroom looks dated and needs a fresh look, or you may need to replace such things as peeling wallpaper or a warped bathroom vanity, for example.
If you’re updating your bathroom, you can change both its theme and décor easily. If you choose to do this, you’ll need to decide whether to change just one part of your bathroom, such as the fixtures or vanity, or to remodel the whole bathroom.
It may be that once you decide to update one part of your bathroom, such as the vanity, the rest of the bathroom will look mismatched and outdated by comparison. Therefore, you might want to consider redoing the whole thing. You may decide that it’s better to expand your budget enough to redo the whole bathroom to ensure that you are happy with the end result, instead of spending anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars for one or two elements, leaving you with an incongruous result you’re not going to be happy with.
Many homeowners balk at remodeling or redecorating their bathrooms because they think it’s going to be a lot of work. Although changing your bathroom’s theme or décor can be intensive, it doesn’t have to be. You can do a lot simply by replacing the vanity, for example, and giving walls a fresh coat of paint or new wallpaper, while leaving bathroom fixtures intact. Replacing the floor with fresh new vinyl is also relatively simple. Of course, if bathtub grout and tiles are stained and cracked, for example, it will be a little more intensive, but you can also buy fiberglass inserts that simply drop in over your old tub, thus giving it a fresh new look and taking care of cracks in the grout with little effort. And of course, simply replacing the shower and window curtains, bathmat and floor rugs can go a long way toward giving your bathroom a new look with very little cost and effort. All of these items can be purchased online or at your local home-improvement store. If you know exactly what you want, shopping online is perhaps the easiest way to go about it, as well as the least expensive. In addition, you won’t have to leave home to get what you want. This is a real time saver.
If you are remodeling your entire bathroom and it’s been some years since you’ve done so, it’s likely that you’ll need to change the décor and theme at least somewhat, since many of the original materials and fixtures in your bathroom are likely no longer available. However, it’s relatively easy to modernize the look without completely changing it if you are comfortable with what you have. Your local home-improvement store can help you update your current bathroom theme or décor with currently available materials.