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Articles Home Decor Home Design

Four Ways to Furnish Your Home Inexpensively

When it comes to having a home that you are truly comfortable living in, this will take a lot of effort on your part in terms of decorating it. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to break the bank to keep your home looking it’s best.

Here’s a quick look at four ways to inexpensively decorate and furnish your home.

Stack Shelves To the Ceiling

Even in the smallest of living spaces, you always have the option to maximize your square footage by going up. Think about it. If you take an entire wall in your home and line it with shelves that go all the way up to the ceiling, this can add anywhere from 100 square feet or more of storage space, and best of all, high-quality shelves are very affordable.

Freecycling

There are lots of people who have started taking part in freecycling. If you have a local freecycling organization, you should definitely join. In doing so, you can come across lots of free furniture pieces for your home, and in return, you can donate items you don’t want, which will then be available free of charge to other members in the group. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Maximize Air Space

Just the same as you should stack shelves up to the ceilings, you can also optimize the way you use your air space. From floating book shelves to hanging TVs, both of these ideas will go a long way in helping you decorate and furnish your home in an expensive yet stylish manner.

Old Wine Bottles

If you’re a drinker, then it’s time that you start recycling your wine and alcohol bottles. Some of these bottles make for the prettiest center pieces. A great way to get the sticky labels off the bottles is by letting them soak overnight in a small trash can full of one part ammonia and four parts water. The next morning, simply rinse off the bottles, and the sticky labels should come off very easily.

 

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Eco Tips Furnishings Home Decor Uncategorized

Eco-friendly decorating tips

Putting your home together in an eco-friendly way is not that hard if you know what type of products and aesthetic you’re looking for. When decorating, think about how you want to minimize your footprint and create a space that is environmentally-conscious. Integrating recycled materials and other items can make a tremendous difference in your décor. If you’re really creative, you can have a charming and classy space without spending a lot of money. Here are a few tips:

  • Make it You

Take the time to think about what brings you joy. Do you love greenery? Do your spaces all simulate an outdoor environment? You can achieve this by having a variety of plants and eco-friendly furnishings throughout your home. You can find eco-friendly sheets and bedding in organic fibers, or use them for your curtains or furniture covers. There are a lot of green furniture products on the market that serve many purposes. From your chairs and sofas, to your table and bathroom fixtures, there are products that will accommodate your needs in all natural woods and other materials.

  • Paint Makes a Difference

Everyone knows that changing the paint color in a room works wonders. To stay eco-friendly, use paints that are low VOC or zero VOC. You can also find these in beautiful finishes to upgrade your furniture for an entirely different look.

  • Recycle Your Glass

One of the quickest ways to spruce up your décor and stay eco-friendly is by repurposing your glass jars or vases. If you’re into pretty colored glass, this is a beautiful way to add a creative display. If you’re really into decorating, use some of that low VOC paint to paint some of your jars or glass containers for a beautiful finish.

  • Bring the Outside In

Incorporate elements of nature into your décor by using seashells, pine cones that you can paint, pieces of wood or other natural materials arranged in collections or large pieces that serve as focal points. Take a minute to survey your current décor and decide how you want to change or enhance your space and take it from there.

If you decide to get rid of some of your existing pieces, donate them to charity or an organization that can use the pieces. This makes a conscious efforts to beautifying someone else’s home and makes a positive contribution to preserving the environment.

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Furnishings Home Decor

Get a Fresh Look with Easy Staging Tips

Give a fresh look to mantels, tables, shelves, bookcases and nooks in your home quickly and inexpensively. These places can be superbly staged using things you already have. Dig into the attic, basement, junk drawers or closets for unique and quirky pieces that can be recycled into an interesting display.

Bookshelves

Bookshelves can be revamped and given a clean consistent look by keeping mostly white or black book spines on the shelves complemented with a colorful accent as a bookend. Think along the lines of a bright piece of coral or blue glass bottle.

Personal Collections

Themed collections are always pleasing to the eye and make a personal statement about what’s important to you. Try contrasting textures and colors such as ceramic or glass paired with rough sea pieces like shells or interesting fossils. Use a mixture of tall with short, smooth and rough, flat and multi-dimensional.

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Articles Home Decor

4 Ways to Create a Home Spa Atmosphere

A spa environment is synonymous with the feeling of peace and tranquility. By adding just a few accents, it can be easy to create a spa environment in your own home that can have a calming effect on the mind and body.

Use Calming Colors. Use cool, calming color palettes like blue, shades of light green, white or lavender.

Add a Dish of Pebbles or Crystals. Place a bowl of pebbles or dish or crystals in the bathroom or bedroom as a reminder of nature’s endurance and strength.

Use Essential Oils. Scent the room with a diffuser made of natural essential oils such as lavender, almond or sage.

Buy Non-Toxic Soy Candles. Add blue, purple or white candles to a room and create a calming environment for meditation. Candles, plants and essential oils all contribute to a more relaxing, healing atmosphere.

Soothing Sounds. Play a CD or download tracks of the sounds in nature, classical or harp music to bring soothing music into your home and create a spa-like environment.

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Furnishings Green Building

How to Decorate in Earth Tones

When thinking about giving an interior facelift to your current home or selecting a color palette for an exciting new space, nature is a great reference point. If you look at a handful of pebbles, a field of grain or a forest of trees, you can detect a wide variety of colors that can help bring an eco-friendly look indoors.

Creamy or pale-earth yellows will help create an illusion of space in a tight area. One important tip is to avoid large expanses of sterile white, which can feel unfriendly and institutional. Since earth colors are generally warming, they work particularly well in large living rooms.

If you’re adding a new coat or two of paint to your walls to bring earth tones indoors, check out Benjamin Moore’s Natura line of zero-VOC paint. It’s a premium-quality paint with a washable finish that has none of the toxic fumes associated with traditional interior paints.

Neutral, natural colors are ideal for walls and floors since brighter tones such as reds or oranges can be added as accent colors through furnishings or smaller surface areas. This is especially important if you like to mix up your furnishings or accents frequently. Using a neutral color as a base will allow you to easily incorporate new colors through throw pillows, photo frames, or vases to keep your décor fresh.