In today’s modern and busy world, wouldn’t it be nice to come home to a house that offers simplicity and refuge from urban pressures? If your answer is yes, then Country-style decorating may be the type you.

It is very easy to achieve a country look for your home. A family heirloom or a few pieces that you bought at the flea market are just some of the things that you can use to achieve a country style home.

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. You can use a lot of things for accessories in your home, such as antique pieces, distressed wood, old clocks, etc. The ideas are endless as you can get inspiration from different cultural influences as every country has a rural population and this rural life setting is what defines country style home decorating. You can even distress the furniture to give it a more country feel.
2. Fabrics for the furniture and can be plaids, but should still be organic and informal.
3. Limit the colors that you will use to two or three and use only one or two colors for the accent.  This is because country style homes should be simple and practical. You can use subdued colors for the walls and light colors for the furniture.
4. For the flooring, hardwood floor is the best for country style homes and you can accentuate the floors by adding carpets or rugs with floral patterns.

We hope you find these tips useful!

When space is limited, you can still create a sense of expansion by making specific decorating choices. This small dining room takes several steps to add a feeling of room.

To begin with, space looks less limited when colors and tones have little contrast. By combining the light bamboo flooring, light maple cupboards and a maple table, their similar tones connect everything together. Even the artwork on the wall echoes these colors. White shows up in the chairs, light and walls, providing a bright but minimal level of contrast.

The next space-expanding choice is leaving the dining room open. By eliminating the fourth wall, the table can be pulled away from the back wall, literally expanding this dining room beyond its boundaries.

When you limit contrast, it’s a good idea to add texture. This room shows a variety of texture choices – the floor with a minimal grain, a bit stronger grain in the cabinetry, the shiny chairs in contrast to the matte table surface and the bright stylized look of the pendant lights echoed in the mini lighted bar at the back. The back wall also features a buffet-level narrow shelf, providing serving space without taking up any additional floor space. This is a great way to add storage and display space in a small room without reducing the perception or the reality of space.

Pattern is kept to a minimum in this space – too busy a look would shrink the room’s feel. Altogether this room makes the most of its limited space to create a modern room made for entertaining.

Happy almost Easter everyone!  We thought we’d share a few cleaning tips with you regarding Easter egg dye and carpet.  Hopefully you do not have to use this advice, but here it is just in case.

Detergent Solution – Mix one fourth (1/4) teaspoon of a liquid dishwashing detergent per one (1) cup of lukewarm water. NEVER USE A STRONGER CONCENTRATION! Thorough rinsing is necessary to remove detergent residues that may cause rapid soiling. It may be necessary to rinse with warm water several times to completely remove residues. (See Residue Precautions.) Care should be used in selecting a detergent. Never use a laundry detergent of any type, because laundry detergents may contain optical brighteners (fluorescent dyes) that dye the fiber. Do not select an automatic dishwashing detergent because many contain bleaching agents that destroy dyes and some fibers.

Warm Water – Lukewarm tap water should be used in most cases to rinse the cleaning solutions from the fiber. Failure to completely rinse the solutions from the fiber may cause accelerated soiling.

Ammonia Solution – Mix one (1) tablespoon of household ammonia per cup of water. Please note: Be aware that ammonia, if used improperly, can cause a color change. Be sure to test a hidden area.

Call a Professional – Professional cleaners have the ability and the equipment to use more aggressive cleaning solutions to remove stubborn spills. Always consider consulting a professional cleaner regarding any spot removal question. CRI – 1-800-882-8846.

This week is all about Hunter Douglas shutters!  We love windows in the bathroom that let in natural light and fresh air.  Unless you have frosted glass, bathroom windows will need window treatments for privacy. With the moisture and heat in a bathroom, fabric curtains are not the best option because of mildew and water stains.

We found the Hunter Douglas Palm Beach Polysatin Shutters and think they’re perfect for the bathroom. The polysatin compound is guaranteed never to warp, fade, chip or peel.  As well as being UV resistant, these shutters are heat and moisture resistant, making them a smarter option than traditional wood blind in a damp space.  Easy to clean, these shutter allow you to control the amount of light and privacy you want in the bathroom.  Clean lines mean these shutters can work with various decors.

In a palette of 12 whites, the Palm Beach shutters will make a bathroom feel like a spa.  White shutters make us think of a favorite beach getaway– a great feeling to recapture in your bathroom.  Paired with classic white fixtures and subway tiles or mixed with stone and sleek modern style, these shutter will work with a variety of styles from cottage to contemporary.  Whether you have standard sized windows, an arched window or bay window near the tub, shutters can be customized to fit the space.  If you want a more tropical feel, think about choosing a wider sized louver.

Easy care, breezy style, the Palm Beach Polysatin Shutters are a wonderful option for the bath

Whether you have warm wood tones in a traditional kitchen or fresh whites in a modern kitchen or somewhere in between, you’ll want a window treatment that compliments your other design choices.  Valances and cafe curtains are popular fabric treatments but they are not the only options for kitchen windows.  Easy to care for and flexible to block out all light or filter it, blinds work well in many rooms, including the kitchen.

Wood blinds can work with both traditional and modern kitchens.  We like the look of wood blinds for a kitchen or bath but moisture and heat are factors that need to be considered when selecting window treatments for these rooms. Consider a wood alternative.

One of our favorite options for a faux-wood blind is from Hunter Douglas.  The Everwood 2in. Blinds are a smart and attractive alternative to hardwood blinds, especially for the kitchen. Everwood is a PVC-free product that has a performance guarantee against yellowing, fading and bowing.  Available in a range of colors and finishes, the Everwood blinds can be matched to your cabinets or flooring.  A nice design touch is the banding that you can custom select to match or compliment your wall color. With twenty-six color combinations, you should be able to find one to work with your kitchen décor.

We like wood blinds for the window above the kitchen sink Pair them with a valance or keep them plain for a modern look. Hunter Douglas Everwood  Blinds, can be used on bay windows as well as shaped windows, including arches, angles and trapezoid windows.

Soft colors can create a powerful impact if you use color in a limited way. This room’s color palette has only two colors – pinkish red and light mint green. By themselves, these colors do not seem sophisticated, but in this room they set a cosmopolitan tone.

The basic tone of this room comes from a strong white focus with a few black touches. Choosing a strong white base in a room provides certain benefits such as: allowing a view to take center stage, making a dark room feel filled with light, and as in this case giving center stage to soft colors.

The white starts with pure white carpeting. This looks like a courageous color choice, but with today’s stain-proofing carpet fiber technology, it’s much easier to maintain a light color than it once was. The high-maintenance look continues with the sofas and chair, but once again microfiber fabrics mean that these are not hard to keep looking like new. However, the glass-topped table and delicate accessories do show that this is not a home designed for children and dogs.

Red and green sound like holiday decorations, but the right shade of each can create an inviting and fresh combination, as this space demonstrates. One reason why this room works with so little of the two colors comes from the distribution of both hues throughout the space. The green of the curtains is echoed in the pillows and the green glass bowl on the coffee table. The red shows up in both pillows and side-table accessories.

If you want to make this type of room work, choose two or three colors that work well together and with white. Be sure to incorporate them throughout the room, and pull in black elements to add the contrast needed to make this room stand out.

Is your family room the kind of space where children – and even adults – spend as much time on the floor as on the furniture? If so, how about choosing an area rug that is as much for comfort as style?

Whether you have wood, tile or carpeting, an area rug can warm up a floor and make perching there to watch TV or play a game extra cozy and appealing. Whether your home features a modern or traditional style, you can make your floor a comfy place.

Start with a good rug pad. This is particularly important on tile and wood. Pads are made to go over specific kinds of flooring, so make sure you select the right one. Choose the thickest and best quality pad you can afford. A good pad will make any rug feel softer and better.

When you rug shop, make sure you take the time to touch the rug and run your hand over it. That’s a good basic test of comfort. Watch out for wool rugs if any members of your family have a wool allergy. Even the softest rug can seem scratchy if you’re allergic to it.

Place the rug on the floor and push down. Does it have any thickness and give? The long yarn in this rug helps to make it a great place to stretch out and watch the game, but even rugs with shorter naps can still feel good depending upon the construction.

Once you’ve brought your rug home, add a few large floor pillows for additional comfort. With these few additions, you can create a floor your family can’t resist!

Iron has long been used for practical as well as decorative uses. We can trace its history down to the 15^th century. One form of iron that was introduced to Western Europe during this time is called cast iron. However, because it was too brittle, it was only limited to a few uses. Wrought iron, on the other hand, is a crafted type of iron that is bent and twisted elaborately to form shapes and designs. In order to easily forge the iron, it is heated until it is red hot.

Wrought iron has been used in making furniture, home décor and accessories for centuries. It is a type of decorative iron that is very versatile and durable. It can be used both indoors and outdoors. The use of wrought iron exudes a classic and medieval feel when used to create ornamental furniture. Usually, wrought iron is used to make outdoor benches and bistro tables and chairs. For the indoor dining sets, it can be used with glass table tops. Anti-rust coatings are applied to wrought iron furniture for added protection.

In the kitchen, wrought iron is used to craft cooking utensils and racks. Actually, a perfect alternative to a wooden kitchen island is a wrought iron kitchen island with a marble top. Two of the most common types of indoor wrought iron furniture are the glass-topped coffee table and the sofa table. Tables with more complex designs are priced higher than the ones with simpler patterns.

Wrought iron furniture not only exudes a rustic feel but because of its versatility, it can be used even in modern themed houses. Use it anywhere indoors and outdoors for an elegant yet substantial feel.