Homemade Christmas Decorations & Lights

Homemade Christmas design guaranteed to brighten the whole holiday season. As there is a free choice of hundreds of tree ornaments, wreaths, Christmas lights and festive display, interior design for Christmas can't be offering more. Constructing and using homemade decorations is worth the effort. In many cases, you will only need a few simple materials and your creativity to get started. The outcome includes Christmas decorations that are completely personal and tailored to your specific wishes.

Light Up Your Holidays

When outdoor and indoor Christmas lights are lit up the holiday season does reach its peak. Choosing a warm and colorful illumination is a long lasting tradition and an excellent way to celebrate Christmas. Constructing homemade Christmas light can also be the fun part of decorating by involving all family members. Furthermore, it saves money to stick to homemade lights which can be constructed with only a few simple materials. Best, start with LED lights. Those diodes are able to produce specific colors, so that your chosen lighting can be easily personalized. It is also nice to dress up any Christmas light with common household items. You may also get a beautiful light display by creating your own chain of lights, for example by using a standard string of white bulbs and encasing them in some covering. Of course this is also a possibility for the more eco-friendly LED lights which can perfectly be encased in paper lanterns. From outdoor areas back to interior design: Candles will light up your holidays by creating a warm and welcoming ambiance. For decorating houses, the flames of the candles might be protected by a glass cover.

Highlighting With Homemade Christmas Decorations

Homemade Christmas decorations will put emphasis on your interior design during the holiday season. Additionally, those creative Christmas crafts are always a perfect gift. From welcoming guests with a self-made Christmas wreath to doing handicrafts for decorating the Christmas tree: Let your inspiration allow full bent!

Christmas wreath announce the arrival of the holiday season and are best for decorating front doors or fireplaces. On the internet there is a lot of informative sites about how to create a handmade wreath including flower arrangements or working with unexpected materials.

Salt dough ornaments and homemade paper chains can complete any Christmas tree decoration with a very personal note. For the salt dough recipe you need just 4 cups white all-purpose flour, 1 cup salt and 1 cup hot water. After having mixed those ingredients, roll the dough and form seasonal ornaments. Later on, those ornaments are baked about 30-40 minutes until they get hard.

Another wonderful in- and outdoor decor is an arrangement of Christmas balls. Just group the together. Add some fir sprigs or candles and out it all together with glue and ribbon. If you yourself want to be part of the Christmas decoration inside the house, you only need to choose some pictures and form a collage that can be 'framed' by festive ribbons or wrapping paper.

Interior Design Secrets

You are interested in the best-kept secrets of interior design? Then please follow our RoomStyling Blog offering a wide range of information on interior design including personal tips to transform any home into a warm and beautiful living space. First of all, it is important to designate a theme for remodeling. Your personal decorative 'flow' will then lead to the best results in modern furnishing, lighting and decoration. Also remember that any little idea might be of interest and that changes in interior design do not automatically require a big budget. Lets share some helpful interior design secrets!

After having designated a decoration theme, just do some shopping to find accessories and furniture you want to work with. Be sure to test your ideas before you start redecorating the whole room. That is especially of interest, if you want to achieve the maximum result with just a minimum of input. Therefore, using what you've already got will save costs. Finally, pick new paint colors, choose some new pieces of furniture and accessories and find yourself decorating with the following thoughts kept at the back of your mind.

Get The Right Furnishing & Allow Space

Furniture needs to be both functional and decorative. As there is a variety of products everyone has a free choice which style to dedicate to. Allowing spaces is an important part of remodeling, too. It goes hand in hand with modern furnishing that reflects trends like spacious living room, artless equipped bedrooms and some more for a timeless elegant home decor.

Before buying new decoration items or furniture, mark out an imaginary plan, for example by using sheets of paper or pillowcases as place holders on the floor. Furnishing also includes little changes like adding new accessories. Photos and pictures, a vase of fresh flowers, foliage plants and candles are just a few suggestions.

Choose The Right Colors & Wall Design

Painting walls in fresh and warm colors might provide a new living ambiance to your rooms. Even though choosing a paint color can be tricky, it's worth it. Changing the color theme is an cost-effective means of interior design. Furthermore, there is a variety of choices from simple to elegant wall design.

Colors mainly affect the appearance of the room and might even have an optical influence on how big or small a room looks. Therefore, it might be recommendable to add some mirrors or eye-catching pictures that visually enlarge rooms.

Get The Lighting Right

Last but not least, lighting is one of the basics for feeling at ease with your interior design. Depending on the chosen lamps, a relaxed and welcoming ambiance can be created. Furthermore, the variety of lighting fixtures allows individual combinations of light sources throughout the area.

In 2011, the lighting industry especially concentrated pendant lamps and lights with dimmers. They belong to the most wanted products on the market. Additionally, light-emitting diodes (LED) found favor with the customers. LED lights convince with both functional and decorative characteristics.

Famous Design Museums

There is a variety of design collections in museums around the world. Those interested in contemporary design and modern room styling will especially find outstanding exhibitions in New York City and London. Both cities are known as capitals of fine arts. They are the home of many internationally famous museums.

Traveling the worlds' design museums, visitors may find a lot of ideas for remodeling, too. Additionally, the  exhibits will provide information on the history of design and will portray the state-of-the-art works in several fields of design. Follow our three commendations for design museums at RoomStyling.net and get to know their collections' characteristics.

Contemporary Design in N.Y.C: MoMA & Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is one of the most visited museums in New York City. It is regularly holding outstanding collections of contemporary art and exclusively dedicates one part to architecture and design. The exhibits range from cutting-edge art works to famous design of the 1920s, including some remarkable lighting design. With MoMA design store, every visit may end with the purchase of little souvenirs or even bigger design gifts.

Historic and contemporary design are the essential parts of the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Visiting this museum, design travelers might have a look at centuries of design. Furthermore, the department of Product Design & Decorative Arts offers a lot of interesting exhibits. In 2007, the museum organized a very successful exhibition on lighting design by Ingo Maurer. This German industrial designer is very well-known around the globe and is providing a lot of his works directly in New York.

Contemporary Design in Europe: Design Museum London

More than two thousand single objects form part of the collection of Londons' Design Museum. It is especially concentrating on design from the early 20th century up to the latest modern design. Another interesting point to mention is the variety of design works being presented. In London, it's not just about contemporary design in the field of lighting or furniture, but also about communication technology.

Of course, there are many more collections to discover. But New York and London offer the foremost design museums world-wide. For those interested in design awards, we can recommend visits to the red dot design museums. One is located in Essen, Germany, and offers insights to more than 1,500 award winning design products. The second red dot design museum is located in Singapur.

Self Made Decor: Creating a monogram wood block

Creativity is one fundamental part of home decor. In this context RoomStyling.net came across some great ideas for self made home decor, provided by the author of another interesting blog. Meg will be introducing how to create a monogram wood block.

My name is Meg and I live over at A Little Knick Knack. I enjoy making fun little crafts, re-doing furniture, and sewing for my kids. There are times when I realize that I'm in a crunch for a personalized gift and have come up with a solution. It blends my two favorites in decorating: burlap and monograms. So, today, I'm going to show you how to make a monogram wood block.

I found a nice 2" thick, 4' long board in the remnants bin at Home Depot for $.50. They cut it for me for free, into pieces about 5 1/2" long. I took those pieces home and spray painted them various colors. These decorative finials I found in the furniture aisle at LOWE'S.

They come 2 to a package for approximately $3/package. They are wonderful because they have screws in the bottom and are very easy to secure to your block. I use floral form to stabalize them while I paint. Of course, I realized I couldn't paint them all at the same time if I used different colors. Duh. So, they got painted in shifts.

While I waited for them to dry, I used my drill to  make a hole in the top and then simply screwed my finials into the hole.

Get your sandpaper (I use a really rough grain, from 100 - 150) and sand the edges and corners. 

Here's the fun part. Grab some burlap, your craft bond adhesive spray, and your stayz-on ink...

Use the Stayz-on ink to lightly distress the sides, corners and top of the finial.

  

Cut a piece of burlap slightly smaller than the front of your block. Start to peel away the first 2-3 strings of burlap from each side, as shown below.

 

You will get a nice frayed edge. Lightly spray the burlap with your adhesive spray and secure to the block.

Get your trusty hammer and your steel tacks (found at my local Jo-Ann's in the furniture rehupolster section, for less than $2.00 a package), and simply nail a tack into each corner.

I printed off a monogram that I liked and used a small paintbrush to free-hand this onto the burlap. You could use freezer paper or make your own stencil and use any font you choose. I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and can stop by my blog, A Little Knick Knack soon and say hi!

Home Lighting For A Cozy Atmosphere

During autumn and winter days, homeowners enjoy sitting inside their houses with small lights and candles on. Additionally, well chosen design lights can create a cozy atmosphere, too. There is a wide range of products and offers on lighting design that will create a special mood lighting inside of any room. From highly decorative lighting fixtures to classic pendant lights or wall sconce, modern lighting will transfer your home into an oasis of well-being.

In 2011, lighting trends include LED lighting fixtures with clear lines as well as impressive chandeliers for living rooms. The flexible use of pendant lights is one of the reasons why they can be found in almost every room. Apart from standard lighting options, it is always interesting to 'play' with the light. Therefore, many lighting designers offer recessed lighting fixtures that are perfect for the indirect illumination of objects. Furthermore, by their modern look those lights are applicable for many purposes.

A decorative lighting also includes the use of additional lighting sources for illuminating individual objects. Apart from using the central ceiling light fixture of a room, wall sconce, table and floor lamps can contribute to a more cozy atmosphere. If the chosen lighting fixture includes a dimmer, you can vary your home lighting throughout the day along with less power consumption and an energy-saving lighting. In cold winter days, colorful design lights might add a special note to the ambiance of a room and will provide light and a warm atmosphere at the same time.

Study & Home Office Design Ideas

As many people use to have a working area somewhere in their house, its decoration has become of importance. This room, called study or home office, should be adequately arranged to fulfil daily working tasks in a relaxing and motivating atmosphere. Think of computer work, reading or homework – For all these tasks it is vital to have a quiet room in your house. How to design your study or home office?

One of the basics of home decor for a study is choosing a bright lighting. As our biological rhythm is regulated by factors such as light, it is of high importance in order to avoid a lack of concentration or damages to the eyes. We can also recommend to choose comfortable furniture, including spacious shelves and a suitable writing desk. Furthermore, home office design includes working with colors, decorating accessories and mood lighting.

Furnishings and Equipment

Add a modern style to your home office! Having a look at the picture, you might get an idea of how a study at which you feel comfortable and motivated at the same time can look like. Besides choosing a light-flooded room and bright colors, the selected furniture and further equipment such as computer or notebook contributes very much to the outcome that you achieve at the end of a working day. 

Every study should be equipped with a spacious desk and several shelves for books, file folders and other materials. It might also be nice to have a more comfortable sitting area around, especially for having a coffee with study colleagues or business partners.

 

Painting and Lighting Options for your Study

Warm and bright colors are the key for painting a cozy study. Paint the ceiling white, so that daylight and artificially created light will be distributed well into the whole room. If you choose soft tones such as green or any pastel tone for the walls, you will have plenty of choices to decorate the room with more colorful accessories such as curtains, storage shelves with colored doors or floor and table lights.

The lighting of your study should basically include a ceiling fixture which can illuminate the room at any time. Those lighting fixtures can be equiped with LED lights contributing to an energy saving lighting at your house. Table lights and floor lamps will also play a major role in your home office. They will offer direct light where it is needed and are highly decorative accessories at the same time.

LED Lighting – Advantages and Products

LED lights are the key to efficient lighting. As light-emitting diodes (LED) offer advantages like low power consumption and an economic life-time, they are becoming more and more important on the lighting market. When it comes to interior design, they inspire with warm or even colorful light. For lighting manufacturers, the small size of LED lights is another advantage to fulfill their needs of contemporary and elegant design.

Whereas conventional bulbs rely on thermal radiation, light-emitting diodes proof their advantages by solely producing light through the movement of electrons. That is also the reason why they are smaller, more durable and energy-saving than any other incandescent light source.

From simple lights up to ceiling fixtures: LED has become one of the main illuminant worldwide. But it's not only the lighting industry that takes advantage from light-emitting diodes. Of course, decorating homes belongs to the fun part of LED lights in use, but they are also irreplaceable thinking of the automotive or aviation industry, where bright and reliable light sources are needed.

Every lighting store has products that are based on LED technology. Well-known lighting manufacturers especially concentrate on light-emitting diodes as they combine the above mentioned favorable characteristics, both in design and cost effectiveness. You might also find other interesting products on the internet which combine lighting and function. The attached photo of an Interactive LED Dining Table is just one example of the miscellaneous use of light-emitting diodes. Having a look at the market for design lighting, we can definitely recommend light designed by manufacturers such as Fabbian, Marset or Terzani.

Ingo Maurer – Lighting at its best

Modern lighting combines functional and decorative elements. The German industrial designer Ingo Maurer is focusing on extravagant lighting design and remarkable light installations. After he had been working in the States as a graphic designer, he came back to Germany in 1963 and founded his own design company for manufacturing lamps. Nowadays, his company has been internationally awarded many times and some of the famous designs of Ingo Maurer can be found in museums.

Since 1999 the lighting manufacturers' second home is New York City. With an own lighting store and a fascinating showroom Ingo Maurer presents contemporary design in the heart of Big Apple. It is located in the New York neighborhood SoHo and offers about 250 square meters exhibition space on two levels. One of is first design lights, called Bulb (1966) has also been included in the design collection of the famous Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Midtown Manhattan. In 2007, the Copper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City presented an exhibition that achieved great success. “Provoking Magic: Lighting of Ingo Maurer” has also been one of the latest dedications to Ingo Maurer. Furthermore, the German Vitra Design Museum organized the exhibition "Ingo Maurer – Light – Reaching for the Moon" (2002) which also traveled around Europe and even to Japan.

As he inspires consumers, it is for sure that Ingo Maurer himself is inspired by the variety of lights. Mentioning his latest successes, winning the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2010 and the award Compasso d'Oro for his career in 2011, this blogs' title is self-explanatory. Another interesting point to know is that Ingo Maurer has created several unique lighting installations for well known organizations and brands. Just look for the UNICEF Crystal Snowflake or have a look at Tiffany's light objects in the store at Wall Street.

How to find Ingo Maurer in New York City:

Ingo Maurer LLC

89 Grand Street

New York, NY 10013

USA

Color your room

Interior design is also about colors. Dominated by bright, fresh and clear tones, color trends in 2011 include the combination of elegant and classic furniture with more colorful hangings, such as motif wallpapers or simple white hangings personally designed with geometric shapes in complementary colors.

Add more details to your living room by choosing elegant and eye-catching wallpapers and decorating accessories that will turn the room into a modern oasis of well-being. You might want to have a look at housing magazines that point out design patterns and ideas for decorating homes. Besides that, there is also a big amount of design studies examining trends of interior design.

Flexibility is one of the keys of room styling in 2011. The biggest advantage of choosing subtle and soft color tones, such as light green, blue or purple (pastels) or citrus yellow, is that you can easily change the atmosphere within the room by adding new design accessories or furniture in different colors and styles. Therefore, you might love to stick to a neutral gray or soft beige to color walls. Furthermore, painting keeps an inexpensive way to add some new style to your rooms. It is truly the most versatile element of room decor, being represented by an infinite array of colors.

Those who want to create a cozy atmosphere should not just choose from color tones that are 'trendy', but also reflect personal likes by favorite colors. Especially if it looks like a big challenge to make a final decision, always remember that you will have the chance to change colors again and again.

IDS 12: Contemporary Design Fair in Toronto

Design lovers shouldn't miss next year's Interior Design Show (IDS) in Toronto. It's a well-known contemporary design fair with lots of interesting works and Canada's largest event in that category. Next IDS will take place from January 26^th to 29^th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It will surely be the meeting point of high class design professionals and is planned to give an overview on contemporary design trends.

The first Interior Design Show in Canada started in 1999. Its success was one of the reasons why IDS is regularly being held in Canada. Next year's IDS will again include a Professional Trade Day, being reserved to professional design traders. In addition to the exhibits of companies and design products, IDS Professional Trade Day (January, 27^th) includes a series of talks where representatives will share their ideas with members of the design trade industry. Consumers are welcome to join IDS 12 on the following days. January 28^th and 29^th are reserved for general admission.

The sale of tickets for IDS 12 is supposed to start in fall 2011. For the latest news and further information on exhibitors, sponsors, venue and schedule please visit the following site: http://www.interiordesignshow.com/

Home Decor & Design Trends 2011

Every home somehow reflects the personality if its owner which is easy by choosing favorite colors, lightings and furniture. Therefore, home decor can be described as following trends by taking personal likes and dislikes into account. The following design trends 2011 might show off some interesting aspects of designing rooms in a personal and stylish way.

Many people prefer spacious and cozy home decoration at the same time. Portraying that, most contemporary homes are decorated with furniture in classic shape combined with colorful wall panels and other adequate decoration items that bring some personal ambiance into the room. Creativity is one of the keys for decorating homes. Once you finish, you can easily start again by making little or even big changes. One might even change the ambiance by setting up different lighting spots.

Be minimalist with a maximum of outcome! That might be the right formula for following current interior design trends. This year's home design is known for bright, but assuasive colors such as pastel blue or green. Furthermore, you can't go wrong by selecting some classy white furniture for your living room. That offers you multiple choices of decorating your home by changing colors or by adding unique accessories.