Home Furniture

The Basic Car Interior Upgrade

Surprising as it may seem, even some of the most respectful cars with price tags well above the $40.000, despite being advertised as furnished by their creators with leather interiors, do not have all of the interior pieces made with real leather. In as much as the seats themselves usually are leather indeed, the second most important piece of car interior upholstery is very often made with vinyl, rather then real leather. It is an element that is actually moved around several or hundreds of times a day (depending on your transmission type) and, although the forces used to handle it are nothing compared to the strain exerted on your leather seats by the sheer weight of your body, this means a significant amount of abuse. It does not take long for the abuse to show, so even if you couldn't guess what is the object of reference of this description, just take a look in your car, unless it's a new one or an automatic. Why? Automatics rarely come equipped with a shift boot.
How can you tell what is the stock piece made of? Please keep in mind that car interiors are a very demanding environment for upholstery with temperatures changing from way-below-freezing to a boiling heat, a challenge irrelevant to home upholstery for example, therefore the materials used need to fulfill more rigorous standards. Vinyl, sometimes referred to as pleather as well, is a synthetic material, which comprises a thin rubbery external layer attached to a textured backing. The external layer is not very durable and under normal operating conditions of the interior of a car will become stiff and brittle, which eventually leads to it peeling away from the backing.

From the engineering standpoint it is therefore even more surprising, how often a leather shift boot you think your car has turns out to be a vinyl one, although the seats are genuine leather and the hood of your car boasts its make to be as exclusive as BMW or Corvette. Even some automotive legends such as the Acura NSX or the Nissan Skyline are subject to this phenomenon.
There are aftermarket companies that work hard to fill that gap, however, so luckily whenever you get fed up with looking at your shift boot once it's better days are over, your choices are not as limited as purchasing an OEM replacement with a rather steep price tag (aren't all OEM replacement items ridden with the price disease?). If you Google for 'leather shift boot' dozens of businesses come up that would be happy to furnish you with a replacement item, this time made with real leather.
Be wary of universal boots sold by the biggest automotive aftermarket companies, however. The one-size-fits-all concept behind those products almost invariably means that you will end up with an item that will look even worse than the stock piece. The material will be better, but the fit will be a scandal, sometimes bad to the point of using lengths of string, visible after the install is completed, to hold the boot to your center console and shift lever. After all, unisex products haven't really ever made it big, have they?

Make sure you go with a boot that's custom made for your car when you go shopping for one. It needs to be cut using a template similar to or identical with the one used by your car's manufacturer. Only that will guarantee that the installation is easy (you can expect to be re-using your stock mounting hardware), and that the end result will be impressive.
And do get a shift boot that's made with genuine leather. You will love the smell of real leather your car interior will gain with the new shift boot.

Interior House Painting - Painting Rooms

How to paint a room - The order in which the room gets painted!!

Today we are looking at how to paint a room, in particularly, what gets painted first.

1. Ceilings are first in how to paint a room. The spots off the wet roller when rolling a ceiling end up on your woodwork, frames etc. But fear not, you're going to have to rub doors, frames, skirtings and the like down anyway ready for painting, so a few spots on your woodwork are not going to matter anyway! (Some people after rolling ceilings come out of the exercise looking like they've had a hand full of hundreds and thousands thrown at them ;-) For those of you who don't know what they are, well, you just had to be there).

2. Trims and woodwork are second in how to paint a room. If you've prepared your woodwork and rubbed down and filled everything the hard miles so to speak are done. It doesn't matter when painting and undercoating that you get some paint on your walls. Infact its so much easier to concentrate on getting a good finish on trims when doing them before your walls. You don't have to worry about cutting in or edging with your brush. All the focus is on getting the clean glossy finish you require. In my opinion your trims are a very important part of the room, they are somewhat of a feature and most often are made to stand out with a contrasting colour. So getting them right is vital.

3. Walls are third in how to paint a room. I suggest leaving the trim coats to cure for 24 hours (it could take longer depending on the weather and temperature) before painting the walls. Make sure before starting that all walls have been filled and sanded before your trims are done (you don't want dust and dirt sitting on your nicely glossed trims :-) ) The reason for painting walls after your trims is that it is easier to cut or edge back into a small edge rather than cut back into a large edge. Try cutting your gloss coat on trims back to a finished wall. It takes too much time and you can't lay your gloss coat off properly. The result is hitting the wall and getting a very uneven finish coat on your trims.

4. Skirtings are last in how to paint a room. Two ways you can go. You can paint and finish the skirtings before the walls. This way you run the risk of paint spots off the roller when painting walls getting onto your skirtings. (Doing it this way you would have to make sure your skirtings were dry enough to tape up with easy "release tape".) The way I do it, is to do my skirtings last. I do have to cut them in to the wall though. With my experience I can get a nice straight line free hand with the brush. This may not be a good option for the inexperienced, but perhaps with a good brush and a bit of guts and steady hands it would be a good opportunity to test your skills. The cutting in skills in painting are invaluable, allowing you to paint things like feature walls.

Painting is all about being organized and prepared and repeating the same tasks over and over. Stick to the above formula and you will flow through your work effortlessly and have it done in no time, saving you money and your precious time. So that's it for how to paint a room in particular in what order to paint things. Catch ya round like a roller pole. Happy painting - Wayne the painter

The Best Interior Design Ideas For a Living Room

Interior design ideas for living rooms are many but the best amongst them is quite difficult to choose. Basically the best cannot be chosen by one person alone because different people have different choices. However we can take a majority count and get to a solution. Therefore we had done this test which included fifty families and amongst whom more than forty five had selected the interior design which we are going to talk to you about in this article.

Now, this best interior design idea for living room is, the forest design. In this design, the walls, the furniture, even the entire decor of the room is done in such a manner so as to resemble a jungle setting. Now, many of you may think that it is pretty strange to have a forest setting in your living room. However, it is a way of bringing out your creativity. You can now, draw, use your imagination as well as get yourself a living room completely after your own choice.

In this interior design idea for living room it is not necessary that you use a lot of flower motif or leaves pictures etc. What you need to do is use more of the natural colors. Instead of using lilac or any such color, you can use a green or a chrome etc so that your living room gets a forest setting. Using of colors that are mixed and matched so as to meet the colors of the various fruits of a forest can also work fine.

You can actually make your room look like a palette with a variety of forest colors in it, each merged gradually into the other. One other thing that can be done but will be a little heavy on money is that you could create the illusion of a lake in the midst of a forest, by not actually drawing the entire thing, but by shading and coloring the walls in this manner.

To get this interior design idea living room to work you also need to get furniture which will accentuate the feel and then only the true feel of the forest emerge.

Dining Room Interior Designing

The concept of a dining room is about comfort and intimacy. The ambiance should be relaxing for family chatter and not overwhelming for a tete-a-tete. The dining style takes its cues heavily from individual lifestyles and will do well to adhere and enhance the same. However, elements like type of dwelling and the space provided are influential in creating unique styles.

Multifunctional
This style is a boon when there is limited space. A dining room that shares its space with maybe a study or a library is not a far-fetched concept. The spaces can blend with colors or textures and stand out by their unique functions. A six-seater or a four-seater dining table can be separated from the study/library by being placed on one side of the room or arranged at an angle to create a welcoming niche for the other function. Often, a hutch or a sideboard comes with the dining set. The complete set can be co-ordinated and placed to one side before thinking of the other requirements. A mini study would need a writing table, chair, and a bookcase. Usually, the writing table is positioned near the window, if any. A library may require a couch or two instead of the writing table and chair. Joining the areas together may require something as simple as a large carpet. Alternately, area rugs can divide the two areas.

Low-floor
This concept works with an earthy warm ambiance. Depending on the space available, the shape of the dining table should be rectangular, square, or round. One can opt for bright floor cushions, natural fiber mats, or even triangular Thai cushions. Customized chairs with just the seat and the back are better with a comparatively formal style.

Living Room Interior Decorating

Inside your home, the living room is the busiest area. This is where your family and friends spend a lot of time, so you want to create a very comfortable and relaxing environment. In order to do this, there are certain steps you should follow.

Your living room design should depend primarily on your lifestyle and your taste. If you enjoy the warmth and comfort that a fireplace brings, you may want to rearrange your furniture around the fireplace to make it a focal point. Or if you enjoy the soothing music that comes from the piano, you can put your prized instrument at the center of your living room. Make sure, however, that the new placement of your furniture does not clutter up the room or disturb foot traffic in your house. Arranging your furniture in an off-square angle is highly recommended. Instead of placing the back of the sofa directly against the wall, you can move it a few feet forward and place a lamp or potted plant behind it.

Colors can be an inexpensive way to add warmth to a room. Depending on the colors you choose, you can inspire feelings of boldness and creativity or relaxation and serenity. Evaluate what mood you want a certain room to project. Play around with different shades and intensities of color. Don't be afraid to experiment.

If you have a small living room and want to create an illusion of size, you can hang a mirror on one wall to generate a sense of depth. This makes the room look much more spacious than it really is.

You can also add elegance to a room by placing statues-especially those with marble finishing-on tabletops. If you don't fancy statues, you can use lamps instead. They can keep surfaces from looking too bare.

Home Interior Designs

Are you planning to buy a home for your family and want to make sure that they are not only happy with the outside but the interior as well? Or are you thinking of giving your present home a new look in a room or a total makeover? If you answer yes to either of these questions, what you need to know about home interior design.

Unlike home interior decorating that concentrates on finishes such as paint, window coverings, wallpapers and furnishing, home interior design is the very process of shaping the interior space of your home according to your lifestyle and the various lifestyles of your family. Interior design is integrated toward the architecture of the home and is involved in the room layout, cabinet designs, windows and door placements, and so on.

Home interior designing depends largely on the types and sizes of your many rooms. Basic rooms include the living room, kitchen, deck, bedroom, bathroom and sometimes a home office. These rooms can also be further subdivided into a guest room, dining room, kids’ room and adult’s room, among others. The different aspects involved in home interior design such as cabinet making, room layout, window placement, appliance selection and tile and floor selection should aptly fit the room since each room has a different purpose.

So, if you are planning to do some home interior designing, decide what rooms need improvement and incorporate the seven elements of home interior design -- form, mass, shape, line, color, texture and pattern.

Home Interior Decorating

There is no better haven than our home. “East or West, home is the best,” is a common saying. Whoever it may be, whatever position he or she may hold, finally everyone returns home to find peace and relax.

A home is cozier and more comfortable than any other place. We build our homes with the utmost care and sincerity. After all, it is a place where we spend most of our lives.

Home decorating means a lot to the owner. It also demands hard work and devotion, as it is not an easy task. Decorating includes both the interior as well as exterior aspects.

As far as home interior decorating is concerned, every nook and corner has to be studied so that the available space is utilized to the maximum. A good interior decorator should be able to help you in selecting the correct interior decorating solution for your home. Before actually starting the work, you need to be sure whether the emphasis is going to be on beauty, comfort, or the appearance of your home.

You need to attend to all parts, namely, doors, windows, floors, furniture and accessories. For windows, curtains, blinds, rods and panels should be attractive and appealing. Some people prefer light colors, while others prefer heavy and striking upholstery. Doors can be tastefully designed and the material itself can be exotic.

There is a wide range of flooring options available. You can choose from marble, granite tiles, bricks, slates, concrete, or steel. To add more color, suitable carpets can be spread. Rugs can be used to complement them.

Walls, pillars, and other standouts can be decorated using artifacts, paintings or wall hangings. Modern arts are becoming a common choice.

Not just the living room, but also every part of your home needs your attention. The kitchen should be convenient and easy to use. The gas tables, racks and shelves, cooking range, utensils, and all other accessories should be chosen carefully and arranged neatly to avoid messing them.

Further, furniture selection should be done wisely. The sofa sets, chairs, dining table, dressing table and cots must reflect your taste.

Pottery and decorative plants are also a welcome addition in home interior decorating. Sculptures or a mini-fountain may seem incredible. An aquarium can add beauty to your home. You need to pick the right colors and paints for your wonderful home.

While deciding on the interiors, themes like energy-efficiency can prove useful. As you see, there is no limit to home interior decorating.

Modern Interior Design

As an interior designer, you must stay on top of all the modern trends. Once you leave school, you will need to do this on your own. Modern interior design can be fun and quite expensive. Interior Designers know the tips and tricks to keep expenses down without compromising the quality and creativity of the design.

Interior Designers know the best places to buy furniture, window treatments, blinds and artwork to compliment modern interior design. They also know the where to get the best accessories, nicest plants plus flooring and anything else needed. Many of these resources are obtained online.
Interior Designers have access to the latest design software so that they can plan virtual designs and layouts of your living spaces. If you are planning to do your own modern interior design then there are plenty of resources available to you on the internet. There are many articles on the subject, which can easily be found using your favorite search engine. Your local library may carry the latest books on do it yourself interior design.

If you are planning to do your own modern interior design then you have to have a plan just like the professionals. You need to know what you have to purchase, how much it will cost and where you can actually find it. There is a lot of planning involved and you do not want to get started only to realize there is no way you can finish because you have run out of money.

Professional Interior Designers use the latest interior design software to plan a virtual design. This software can be very expensive for the average do-it-yourselfer. However, some relatively inexpensive programs will the same thing just not without all the bells and whistles.

Some tips offered by Professional Interior Designers for modern interior design include having from three to five sources of light in a room. Besides your general lighting, a room needs decorative and accent lighting. Lighting adds mood and atmosphere to a room.

In the past, most modern interior design was found in offices; now more and more homes are employing the styles of modern interior design. Some concepts are considered to clinical or sterile for homes, which is something you do not want and is a common mistake of someone who does not have the experience of a professional interior designer. Keep this in mind if you plan to do the work yourself.

Artwork can add personality to a room. If Art is too expensive for you then there are other ways to decorate your walls. If you have any photos or know of someone who takes many photos then they can make a great addition to your walls without costing anything.

You do not have to be a professional interior designer to decorate your home with modern interior design. However, if you are willing to spend the money on a professional, you can bet that it will be worth it.

Chinese Interior Design Essentials

Globalization in the 21st century has made it possible for us to become open to fresh and unique concepts in decorating and designing our homes. One of the design themes we have learned to admire is Chinese interior design.

When we look at Oriental homes, we admire them for their opulent and exotic beauty. At first glance, the setup seems easy to reconstruct, but in reality, very few people have a deep understanding of the basics of Chinese interior design.

Dating back thousands of years, Chinese interior design is founded on the principles of energy, simplicity, and nature. They strive to achieve surroundings characterized by tranquility and peace, and since Chinese culture is steeped in tradition, the elements in Chinese interior design should also reflect the values of the people living in the home.

Chinese Interior Design Fundamentals

One of the most basic principles to be observed in Chinese interior design is simplicity. For them, a room should not be filled with all sorts of common decor. What is important is the proper placement of a few valuable and beautiful objects in a room to achieve optimal effects.

By using just a few focal points, the rooms remain light, roomy, and simple, yet still reflective of the owner's impeccable taste.

Another element commonly used in Chinese interior design is the use of screens. These items are both decorative and functional – they not only enliven a room but also serve to keep one's privacy.

Many years ago, these frames were constructed with light materials, making use of latticework serving as a grid for the sheer fabric or paper. Today, the screens can be made of various materials such as bamboo or expensive wood decorated with delicate ivory inlay.

A dressing screen may also have foldable panels to make it fit in various areas of the home. It's a very inexpensive way to add a touch of Asia to your simple but stylish Chinese interior design. The great thing about screens is that depending on the design, they can also be used for other interior design themes.

What Is Feng Shui?

Most Chinese interior design principles are based on Feng Shui, or the ancient tradition of arrangement of space to create a harmonious environment. It is a spiritual discipline based on guidelines that, upon examination, are actually compatible with the traditional architectural techniques used today.

When Feng Shui is implemented in Chinese interior design, it is believed that the residents will fully benefit from the meticulously arranged furniture and living spaces in terms of wealth, love, health, and happiness.

Due to its increasing popularity, homeowners will now find it easy to locate a Feng Shui expert with whom they can consult prior to tackling a Chinese interior design

project. They can also look for hundreds of resources on the Internet to help them organize their space and determine which arrangements would be best to attract positive "chi" or energy.

Making Use of Chinese Interior Design Details

You may opt for a total Chinese interior design look or choose a differently themed design using only a sprinkling of Chinese influences. One way to achieve this is by using a handful of valuable, perhaps ornate pieces, to serve as accents in a sparsely furnished room.

You can also make use of the screens which can easily be moved depending on its intended function in a particular area. It is also a wonderful idea to make use of a few pieces of Chinese decor which could serve as conversation pieces or for adding a splash of color to an otherwise staid room. Chinese pottery or colorful paintings can add an exotic look, and so could richly colored carpets or pillows.

Going for Chinese interior design when decorating a room could be very challenging. However, it can also be very rewarding when you finally see all the elements come together harmoniously in a room you can call your very own.

Interior Design For The Home

Any home can be pleasing with the proper application of basic interior design methods. Some people study interior design to be very good at it but there are people who are gifted with an eye for beauty and for interior designing.

A person who is creative can do some interior designing on his own even without formal training. Those who have an eye for what is aesthetic can just as easily decorate and design his own house depending on his tastes. Of course, it helps to read books and articles about designing to be updated on the basic and latest design methods.

Any interior designer can create a specific atmosphere just by putting together several pieces and unifying them in a single theme. There are interior designers who have a bias for certain motifs like eclectic, modern or even country style. Some go for simple designs without the clutter.

Interior design is not only aesthetic but also functional depending on the requirements of the client. An interior designer can make a small room spacious and an otherwise cluttered room into an orderly one. Interior design is used just about anywhere from homes, offices to commercial buildings.

The interiors of a room should always match the personality of the person who will occupy that room. This is the reason why designers always work closely with their clients so they can make sure that they get a feel of what their clients want in terms of design style.

People have this notion that interior design is expensive. However, designers are not only creative people but they are also very good in budgeting. Most designers will work on a design that will match or fit the budget of their clients. A person can allot a minimal amount for the interior design of his home or office and still come up with an aesthetic and functional room.

Professional interior designers who are formally trained usually have basic knowledge on architecture, engineering and even accounting. They need these courses to make their design aesthetic, structurally correct and cost effective.

The terms Interior design and interior decorating have often been used interchangeably. However, the two terms actually deal with different phases of making a room or a space aesthetic. Interior design is basically the process of studying the personality of the occupant of the room being designed in order to maximize and tailor-made the room’s design for that person's behavior and personality.

Interior decorating on the other hand is the process of actually mixing and matching the different design techniques like window treatments, the right wallpaper, wall finish and even the furnishing of a room.

There are a lot of opportunities for those in the interior design and decorating industry. An interior designer can go into designing household, corporate or commercial establishments. Others specialize in the design of health facilities or even tourism establishments.

The latest trend now for those in the interior design industry is to be able to incorporate the right engineering and aesthetic design with sustainable development. Even designers are now more conscious about the state of the environment so they tend to use environmentally friendly materials for their designs.

There are designers who specialize and use Feng Shui in their designs. This requires further study because Feng Shui deals with the Chinese’s ancient methods of designing a space to make the design work for the owner’s health, business and other life factors.

The Chinese believes that a structure should be properly designed so as to allow positive energy to enter the structure. When the structure has already been built without the aid of a Feng Shui expert, the mistakes can be corrected through proper interior design using the Feng Shui methods.

By incorporating Feng Shui in interior design, it is believed that a person can bring out all the positive energies in a room to make him rich, happy and healthy. An interior design using Feng Shui can also get rid of bad spirits that bring in negative atmosphere in an abode.

Getting the services of an interior designer can make a room both aesthetic and functional. Any person who wants to make his home livable and functional should try getting the services of an interior designer to maximize his space.

Interior Design Online

Online Interior Design Schools give students the option of learning to apply their interest in environmental aesthetic appeal and design at home at their own convenience. Students can get hands-on experience in fabric selection, purchasing furniture, and interaction with suppliers.

Online Interior Design students will learn to determine client needs, use principles and elements of color and design; floor, wall and window treatments; and to begin and operate a business in Interior Design and Interior Decorating.

Online Interior Design students can also expect to be presented with courses in communications, history of design and architecture, three-dimensional design, computer-aided drafting and design, space planning, and problem solving. Coursework should also cover hospitality design, retail store design, specialty design, exhibit design, and corporate design.

Possibilities for specialization in Online Interior Design programs are varied and broad. Interior Design students can choose to focus on particular aspect of design, such as styles, color schemes, and furnishings; specific locations, such as pleasing environments for medical waiting rooms; or commercial designs for dedicated functions. Specializations can be focused entirely on residential kitchens, recreation areas, or bathrooms, or on restaurant kitchens or restaurant seating areas. Careers in Interior Design field can be as broad or as narrow as the Interior Design professional chooses.

Graduate programs in Online Interior Design are also offered. Graduate level Online Interior Design courses prepare students for more independent and higher level positions in commercial and residential design, planning, showroom management, as well as positions in office management. Online Interior Design graduate students may also focus on preparations for success taking the National Council for Interior Design Qualification examination, which will provide them with industry-recognized credentials for practicing as professionals in the field of Interior Design.

You can find an Online Interior Design School today to begin preparing for that exciting new career in Interior Design by searching the many options right here at www.schoolsgalore.com.