Innovative Interior Design Ideas For Your Home Remodeling Project

By Tom Harel

Are you all set to launch your home remodeling project? Here are 10 interior design ideas to expand your horizons and help you on your quest.

Color Me Beautiful
Break out of the white, off-white, and beige, and let some color in your life (and on your walls)! Hit Designer Dave Bromstad, winner of HGTV Design Star and host of HGTV's new show, Color Splash, is big on color. "I think brown is a great color because it looks great in a lot of combinations: brown and yellow, brown and blue, brown and orange. It's been hot for the last five years and will continue to be hot. Whites and blues are also big, and you can make a big impact with reds and oranges," says the rising star. But he also cautions to not be too matchy-matchy. If you decide to go for red walls, there is no need for a red comforter on your bed!

Rock the Casbah
Moroccan design is welcoming, warm, inexpensive and relatively easy to pull together, all wonderful traits for those interested in Moroccan-style home decorating. "Moroccan styles are timeless," says interior designer Vanessa De Vargas. Morocco is known for its handmade works like carved doors and columns, hand-woven carpets, intricately painted tiles, lanterns, leather goods and silver tea sets. The color palette is warm yet cool. Earth tones combined with various shades of blue and pink are common, as are texture and pattern.

A modernized version of Moroccan style is popular in the U.S. because it successfully takes classic Moroccan-design motifs, materials and styles and gives them a fresh spin. Traditional Moroccan design is heavier and more ornate.

Back to Nature

Use Indoor plants to bring nature into your home!
During the 1970s, there was a new appreciation for the great outdoors. Consequently interior decorating incorporated macramé, redwood and anything in shades of oatmeal, green or brown. In keeping with the back-to-nature movement, homeowners did what they could to bring the outdoors in. Although the days of green and brown printed wallpaper are long gone (or so we hope), plants and flowering plants are still the rage in interior design.

Wallpaper is Back!
Wallpaper has been getting some really bad press in the past few years, while solid colors and wall patterns were hip and in. It seems like wallpaper is coming back, bigger and better than ever! Traditional block printed 'paper' wallpaper isn't the only option. Fabric wallpaper is also available and will add a luxurious touch to any room. Other materials include those with a metallic luster and paper that gives the appearance of silk.

According to Karen Beauchamp from Cole & Son, we are exploring new ways to use wallpaper.
Here are some suggestions on how to bring more patterns into your surroundings:

* Cover only one wall (its trendy, and you can be more adventurous).

Putting wallpaper on panels can be a great color addition to doors and cabinets. Choose the scale of the pattern carefully though: if the space is too small and the scale too large, the pattern will get lost.

* For the really adventurous, add a twist on tradition by wallpapering a ceiling. This works particularly well with high ceilings, such as those in period properties.

Everyone Feng Shui!
Take the mystical out of Feng Shui design and learn its practical uses. Decorating using these principles will help you create a simple, balanced living environment. Real Feng Shui is extraordinarily specific, and complex. The only way to do real Feng Shui is either to become a student of this art, and painstakingly learn the many principals and subtleties it requires, or to hire a professional to do an analysis and work over of your home. However, Feng Shui does teach us something that is very useful when decorating your home.

* Color: Pay attention to how colors make you feel. Color is known to have an enormous effect of people's moods and energy levels, however it is also very individual. You may be the type of person who is comfortable in dark colors, while other people may find it depressing. Colors also affect the nature of interactions, and when you enter a new space you should always pay attention to the way people behave to one another. If there is a room in your home where people tend to get into arguments, reassess the colors in that room. Bright or extreme colors can irritate people's eyes and increase their metabolism, making them more likely to fight. Darker rooms can put people in a bad mood and make them lethargic.

* Flow: In traditional Feng Shui, the goal is to maximize the flow of positive chi in an area. While you will probably not be able to detect the essence of the energy of a space, you can increase the feeling of flow in a room by paying attention to the way people and objects move through the space. The flow you want to achieve is in the essence of the room. You want there to be easy access for people moving through the room, as well as in and out of it. You want objects to be able to move from their storage, into use, and back without adding to clutter. This kind of flow is a mixture of organization and design that focuses on removing blockages and allowing easy movement through every area.

Island Fantasies
Whether you make yearly pilgrimages to the white-sand beaches of the tropics or merely travel via daydreams, interiors inspired by the ocean, sand, and gentle sea breezes bring the feeling home. Simply designed rooms, filled with light and fresh air, enchant the senses and have the ability to transport you to another headspace. Think of it as an exotic take on spring cleaning.

Imperial Beds
The Four-Poster bed is a timeless piece in any bedroom design. To avoid being heavy, new four-poster beds have thin posts, and are airy enough to be considered modern. Since four-poster beds are the most romantic of beds, a romantic design, soft, comfortable, and inviting, is highly recommended to accompany this fantastic traditional bed.

Classic White
The purpose of creating a white monochrome elegant space is to feel peaceful, serene and sophisticated. In a white on white room, you have more freedom to do things differently. "Clutter is kept away, everything should be hidden," says Ammie Kim, a Beverly Hills designer. All unnecessary items or things with colors should be moved. It's a very sophisticated and minimal look.

Kitchen Freestyle
Because we're spending more and more time in our kitchens and baths, there is a move away from the all-or-nothing "fitted" look of continuous counters. Look for more freestanding pieces of furniture or features with furniture-like qualities. These details won't be fussy but will further the notion that the kitchen is a room to be lived in.

Country Living in the City
Do you miss the open spaces, the country roads, and the peace and quiet that comes from being away from New York for more than a week? Why not transform your city apartment and go country? Combine the best of city sophistication and country rustic, and see how much nicer it feels to eat in that dining room you never use!

If you are looking to learn more about interior design in NYC, please visit the MyHome website - a full service New York contractor

Interior Decoration Design Idea

By Stephen Ahlfeld

It is really hard sometimes to get the time to re-decorate your house with the quick pace of todays life. Home decorating is also something that is thought to take up a lot of time and effort, and that's why only a limited group of people actually get to do it. I'm sure that the majority of people are also quick to jump to the conclusion that interior design requires too much financial investment as you need to buy new carpets and lighting arrangements and other high priced household features to do attractive decoration. This is simply not the reality of the situation but is precisely why the majority of people end up hiring an expensive Interior decoration specialist to advise them. So lets attempt to lay down the fundamental concepts and common practices of interior design to help give you the most important tools which will ultimately show you how to re-arrange household features without making use of an expert, and also rid those worries of the supposed massive undertaking at hand.

Lets first start with the paining job. This is a major component in your home decoration project so the selected colours must be picked correctly. Also ensure that you get a latex paint or any high quality paint. Don't worry if the costs are very high as painting your walls only one time with a good paint is definitely less frustrating than having to paint two to three times with a cheaper paint. What you need to do is look around your rooms for features like rugs and carpets and come to an agreement on the type of colours which will complement those objects colours.

Another aspect I would like to talk about is shades. It is important to to use lighter shades for rooms as it ends up reflecting the light, therefore making he room look larger and using darker shades for larger rooms which will hopefully give them a more homely feeling.

If you would like to find out more information on how to effectively decorate your home or want to learn about interior design please visit the website below to find out about 2 top design guides.

Interior Decoration Design Guides

How Japanese Interior Design Could Improve Your Home

By Adam Peters

If you are after a stylish and classy way to decorate your room, then why not consider using a Japanese interior design? You can use this theme in many different ways in order to either suit one room or your whole house. Some people may want this theme in their home, but when it comes to the practical side of things they are completely at a loss as to how to achieve it. So just how do you create a Japanese theme in the home?

Creating a Japanese Theme
The Japanese theme around the home is a popular choice for many people and the good news is that you can do so many things with this theme in order to bring the taste of Japan into your home.

If you are after something that is extremely popular and which looks great, then you should consider using Japanese shoji screens, which are made of wood and they tend to have a lattice design. You can purchase plain ones, or if you want something a little bit more extravagant then you can purchase some with beautiful patterns and designs. The screens can be used to divide the room up, or if you are after decoration only then it can be perfect for this as well.

Something else which you may want to consider with your Japanese themed room, is a Kotatsu table which is rectangle in shape and it has a dark finish with very clean lines applied to it. You can even find ones that have heaters placed in the middle which are considered to be the emotional center of a room.

If you want to get the full effect of Japanese décor, you will not want to miss out on placing of woven straw mats on the floor. Back in Japan, these mats are used for walking, sitting and even sleeping on, so they do have a few different purposes. They also add an authentic touch to your themed room.

If you really want to go all out, then you may want to consider getting a gong as this is a very classy element to add to your room. You can get a few different types of gongs, so you will want to get one that will suit and fit the space that you have left in your room. You can get very large gongs which add maximum effect, but you need a fair amount of space available in order for it to look right. A hanging gong is something that may be more appropriate for most rooms and it is something that is a lot more manageable.

You may want to research into Japanese calligraphy, as this is something that will really help to elegantly decorate the walls. You can even purchase calligraphy art which is already made so that you can hang it straight up onto your walls.

Overall Japanese themes are an extremely great way to decorate your room, so if you want to go all out then it is always best to do your research.

Adam Peters contributes adding content to http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com A website with tips on asian interior design ideas, amongst many related topics.

What Benefits Can Be Obtained from Interior Design School?

By Darren Williger

The interior design industry is always changing. Few years back, you had to go to a proper design or art school to study interior design. These days, interested students can have interior design as major in almost any college or university.

Today it is compulsory for professional interior designers to have an industry license in order to practice their skill. Much like an architect, they must go through intensive study and testing before even being allowed to take any licensing testing. The NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification), requires all testers to have a combination of:
six years of work experience,
two years of schooling plus four years of work experience,
Four years in a FIDER recognized university or college plus two years of work experience in order to qualify. This intensive method ensures that trade licensing helps to generate
responsible and educated designers.

Students interested in interior design study should go for a college or university that is FIDER recognized and works towards a bachelor's degree which is required for commercial career.
Even some of the high-end designers prefer to achieve a master’s degree or a doctorate in design.

There are few extra courses that ‘would-be designers’ should consider such as: AutoCAD by Autodesk is an excellent computer aided drafting course. Those with some experience and knowledge of this software program can command a higher starting rate than those who haven’t taken the time to learn anything about it.

Business classes along with variety of marketing courses are also a plus that many students ignore. Remember, interior design is 90% networking, marketing, selling, and knowing the right people; 7% paperwork and only 3% design.

Some professional designer’s even advocate taking acting classes that can help you learn how to make better sales pitches.

Art classes too can help you be better prepared when talking with clients. People are visual and you’ll have a better shot at convincing a new client of your ideas if you can sketch them. Also consider taking an art, furniture and antique history class. They all come in to play every day in the design industry.

Design school can be very intense. You will have to take traditional classes; a normal workload of reading, tests and other class work, as well as you will have to complete very large-scale design projects along the way.

One vital aspect where the design school can really help you is to find most successful and rewarding stream of interior designing matching your skills. They’re many different fields to enter in this profession. There are residential interior designers whose only purpose is to serve homeowners, and then there are commercial interior designers who work on offices, restaurants, banks, malls, hotels, and so on. And, all of these specialties need a project manager heading up the entire project, a draftsperson, and a product sales representative.

Some designers go for their own drapery workroom or fabric warehouse, a design firm, or decide to be a partner in a firm, a painter, wallpaper hanger, carpet layer or any of a hundred other design specialists. How you eventually use your designer’s education and skill is totally depending on you, your interest, and the level of your designing skills.

Darren Williger writes for InsidePlanning.com, ErgoWebsite.com, and ParentingProcedures.com