| Designers have long realized the need to bring nature | | | | the initial design incorporated that. People succumb to |
| into the home or just about any space that needs | | | | the craving of this might look better or this is much |
| softening up. Be it a large or small room, the earthy | | | | better ending up with project that is over budget, taking |
| look makes a space look inviting and pleasing to the | | | | too long and wasting materials and supplies in the |
| eye. Many of the furniture and crafts from Asian | | | | making, re-making, and again re-making of a certain |
| countries make good accessories or center pieces for | | | | aspect that goes around in circles. If you choose to go |
| a space and it also makes them blend in with the room | | | | with a modern theme, you'll want vibrant and bold |
| itself. Warm subdues colors for the walls and the | | | | colors in your home decorating fabric. Usually, when |
| ceiling makes a bedroom rather restful and a | | | | you go with a modern theme, the rooms are big and |
| pleasurable place to be in inviting one to take it easy. | | | | spacious and the concept is "open." This is meant to |
| For work spaces, stick to lively brilliant colors to bring | | | | draw your attention to the room's details, including the |
| out the exuberance in people encouraging creativity | | | | fabrics used. The walls are usually done in light or cool |
| and keeping them active. Pastel colors never seemed | | | | colors. Another popular home decorating theme is |
| to loose appeal for their soothing effect on anybody | | | | Oriental. With this, use elephants, Chinese dragons, |
| seeing them so use them for children's play areas and | | | | screens and fans. This makes the room visually |
| rooms to get them rested and calm. Add bamboo or | | | | interesting and unique. The colors used are rich red, |
| rattan furniture from tropical stores that are offered in | | | | coral, jade and ivory. The Oriental theme usually uses |
| many shapes and sizes to fit in your room. As with all | | | | silk as its fabric, and the rich colors stand boldly against |
| approaches to designing, never over-do a space with | | | | the dark woods recommended for Oriental furniture. |
| too much decor and avoid clutter as much as possible | | | | For a more subdued "country" theme, choose |
| to maintain a clean look. Interior design is a good thing | | | | light-colored woods, crisp fabrics such as linen, and light |
| to do when deciding on what to do with your own | | | | colors, perhaps accented here and there with dashes |
| space. All you need is a little imagination, time and | | | | of dark red or blue throw pillows, for example. You |
| some elbow grease, but things do tend to get out of | | | | can also choose sturdy knotty pine and rough tweed |
| hand in some cases. Small rooms crammed with too | | | | and denim fabrics for a more rustic look. When you |
| much stuff tend to look smaller than they are so the | | | | use home decorating fabric, you are putting icing on |
| best way to approach it is to make a plan. As with | | | | the cake, basically. The furniture you add complements |
| any project, a plan is essential in gauging the progress | | | | the colors you use. In addition, the window treatments |
| in attaining a desired result. Oh, and the plan, you can | | | | you'll use also fit within the theme, using these same |
| revise it and you can add to it but make sure you stick | | | | colors. |
| to it for that is what you had initially set out to do and | | | | Jon Caldwell is a content manager. |