Painted Cottage
Painted Cottage
Garden vs. Beach Cottage Design Themes
Cottage Garden Design
The garden theme is well suited to people who love communing with nature, because it brings that airy atmosphere right into their own houses.
-Doors, Windows and Floors-If you have large windows in your house, and screen or sliding doors, you are off to a head start. Sheer window treatments are ideal, and install pull-up shades for privacy. Wooden floors or those with tiles can be complemented with a mat made of natural materials (woven, bamboo, etc) or of floral prints.
-Color-White reflects light and should be dominant in the décor. If there is not much white in the walls, ceilings or floors, choose furniture, accessories and fabrics in this color. As for the walls, they can best reflect the feeling of a garden if you paint them in earth colors. Green, brown, and gold shades can all work well.
-Prints- Even a garden theme can be one of two styles- summer or spring. If you have chosen your preference, allow the prints in the room to reflect that. You can have it predominantly floral, or go with leafy prints. Birds and butterflies are another option. Fill the rooms with framed pictures, yours or otherwise, of beautiful gardens.
-Furniture- Rattan, bamboo and wicker are all options for your chairs. Match up different pieces by using similar or complementing color schemes and prints. One idea is to use couches in a solid earth color and accent them with floral-print cushions. Wrought-iron and wood are both good materials for bedroom furniture. Coffee tables can be improvised from a tree stump or huge animal figurine, even from old pieces of patio furniture.
Beach Cottage Decorating Ideas
If your choice of outdoor relaxation spot is by the shore, perhaps bringing some of the beach into your home will do wonders.
-Atmosphere- Going to the beach is so liberating because you can get away from all the clutter in your home and workplace. Take your cue from this idea and relieve your house of clutter. Don’t hoard. Hold a garage sale for your unnecessary things.
-Color Palette- Soft sea-inspired colors should dominate. Light blue, coral and shell shades, and sandy hues all replicate the feeling of being at the seashore. If you are not into very light shades, try teal, spa blue, and brown.
-Walls, Windows and Floors- Use bead board paneling for walls, since this is a basic in cottage design. Windows can have roll-down reed shades, or wood blinds. Curtains and valances aren’t recommended because they contradict the airy feel, but if you insist on using them, keep them light and simple. Wood or natural floors work well with a throw rug in the right color, or have your floor tiled and balance it with a rug of contrasting texture.
-Furniture- Light wood furniture of painted wood, wicker or pine is best suited to the beach cottage design. Ottomans give a homey feeling and can be used for many purposes.
-Accents- Have a lot of “sea treasures” at every turn. Accent mirrors and frames with seashells, or gather them into a bowl and display them on an end table. Candles, reeds, and nautical items can be added to the décor. You can hit garage sales for old beach chairs or you can even recycle your own.
Whether you choose the garden or beach theme, make sure that the finished look is one that inspires relaxation. A well-put-together look will make coming home feel like going on a vacation.
About the Author
Joel Mclaughlin
If you are interested in Cottage Decorating Ideas, visit http://www.treasurescottage.com
What is the easiest way to paint a ceiling when it has that "cottage cheese" stuff on it?
You should scrape that stuff off... I keep telling my mother in law to scrape it off her ceiling... It's outdated
Nanette's Cottage by Thomas Kinkade
Painting Concrete Walls
Painting Concrete Walls
Is Stained Concrete Flooring a Good Option?
When you are considering the flooring for your new home there are many things to keep in mind. Most of us are working on a budget so we want something that looks good, will last a long time, and not require a lot of maintenance. One of the newer trends in flooring is using stained concrete. Here are a few tips on how to decide if using stained concrete is a realistic option for your home.
Not Just Shades of Grey Anymore
When most of us think of concrete we think of a dull grey surface that you use to see on basement floors. This is now longer the case. You can now get stained concrete floors in several colors. Here is how the coloring process actually works.
Acid Stained Concrete Floors
Coloring concrete this way is through a process called acid staining. The entire process of what is done is a little technical but here is how it works. You take your base concrete floor, it can be a new slab, an old floor, and it can already be painted or just plain. Then you apply a mixture of chemical stains, they refer to it as an acid stain, but the acid is not what actually colors the concrete. Stay with me, here is where it gets a little technical.
What actually stains the concrete to create the color is the reaction between a substance in the hardened concrete called hydrated lime and the water based acidic mixture that contains metallic salts. The very top layer of concrete becomes porous when the acidic mixture is applied. This opening lets the hydrated lime and the metallic salt to react. The water in the solution acts like a catalyst for the reaction and it can last up to one month.
There are a lot of different factors that will affect the actual coloring. Most companies that do this process offer shades of black, brown and a blue green coloring. The way your floors will actually take the color depends on the level of lime in the concrete. The more lime, the more rich your color will be.
The Pros of Stained Concrete Floors
Having stained concrete floors has many benefits. If you are building a new home and begin the process as the slab is being poured it will cost you approximately the half the amount as putting in hardwood flooring. But it is important to make the decision to do it before the slab is poured.
The maintenance need for keeping the floors clean is very simple. You only need to sweep them occasional and wash them regularly with just plain water. You will need to periodically wax them so they maintain their look. It is a great feature and helps with the rest of house's cleanliness especially if you live where it snows a lot or if you live where the conditions are very sandy.
This is a very environmentally friendly flooring option. You are saving trees by not using any hardwood flooring, and you are cutting out the manufacturing pollution that is generated while making carpet. It will also help with your energy bills. Concrete maintains its temperature very well and does not heat up to quickly and it does not cool down to fast.
If you are an allergy sufferer then having stained concrete floors is an ideal situation. It keeps allergens to a minimum. There is no way for the allergens like dust and pollen to get trapped like with carpeting.
The Cons of Stained Concrete Floors
There are not that many cons to having concrete floors. One of the only cons is that if you decide to do this after the slab is poured it becomes very expensive because the concrete now has an entirely different process to go through to get ready to accept the acid stain.
This is also a project that will be quite hard for the average person to do it themselves. It is not like painting a wall where if you don't like the effect you just go buy some more paint and redo it. If you take this on yourself and make a mistake it will be costly. So make sure that you first seek a professional for advice on how to do it correctly.
Even though you can have several types of designed scored in the floor and different types of finishes stained concrete floors are limited in their color choices. They can use the colors to mix and give you different effects, but they will only be within 3 color tones.
Getting Them Done
If you decided that you want to have stained concrete floors in your home seek the help of a profession concrete contractor. This project is labor intensive so if you are going to try it yourself make sure that you take all the necessary precautions and do your homework.
This article is sponsored by My Dream Home Registry, the gift registry for everything home. Visit them on the web at www.mydreamhomeregistry.com
About the Author
My Dream Home Registry is an alternative gift
registry centered on the home. Articles are submitted as part of our
quest to distribute unbiased information about home design and
remodel. Visit us on the web at www.mydreamhomeregistry.com for more
information
What primer to use for plaster/concrete walls?
I removed paint/wallpaper from a room and closet in my house and now I am looking to repaint it. The issue is the walls are "lattice and plaster" but it seems more like cement to me....
Anyways, I am looking for suggestions on the type of primer to use on the walls since I am unsure if "regular" water-based primer is sufficient for these walls.
assuming this area does not get a abnormal amount of moisture your average primer should work.
How to Paint a Concrete Wall
Painted Garden Art
Painted Garden Art
Recycled Metal Garden Art - Fun, Playful and Eco-Friendly
Avid gardeners are generally very green folk. They like digging in the dirt, recycling and composting, and easily incorporate other people's discards into their outdoor decor. When looking for interesting pieces to decorate their yards, recycled metal garden art is a popular choice.
Recycled metal garden art is a true reflection of the artist's personality and ingenuity. What may be trash to you or me is reborn in the hands of these eco-artists. One artist, Andrew Chase, makes amazing mechanical structures of giraffes, elephants and robots from recycled automobile and plumbing parts. He gets discarded engine and transmission parts from his local auto repair, and by combining these with plumbing pipes and fixtures he is able to create wonderful, moving creatures.
Old oil tanks and drums are quite commonly used to make metal garden art. Painted oil tanks that once supplied fuel to cottagers are cut down into brightly colored critters, including dogs with bones, dancing sheep or moose, lurking alligators and climbing frogs. For something a little different you can even add a diva or a devil!
In Haiti a growing crafts community is creating wonderful metal wall sculptures from flattened drums which were once used to transport oil or other products. After removing the ends these drums are flattened and then carved by hand into exotic works of art. Using only hammers, chisels and other simple tools, the artists carve elaborate, decorative designs out of the steel. Haitian drum art is world renowned and spreading in popularity. It makes a striking piece of wall art for inside the house or in the garden.
Saving bicycles from untimely graves a new breed of artists are using recycled bikes parts to create their art. Bike art has become so popular it is a genre of its own. With gears and wheels, nuts and bolts, spokes and bars, a bicycle is the perfect raw material for recycled metal art.
Part of the appeal of recycled metal garden art is the weathered and often rusted look of some of the pieces. Rusted metal has a natural, earthy feel to it and blends with the garden rather than making a loud statement. For this reason a lot of gardeners seek out pre-rusted metal art.
The ingenuity of artists working with recycled metal never ceases to amaze me. Add some recycled metal art to your yard and add instant character and charm.
About the Author
Ann Wallis is a long-time gardener and lover of beautiful things for her garden. All year round she pores through gardening magazines looking for colorful perennials to fill the holes in her garden and fun, whimsical metal garden art to add life and character to her yard. Ann's favorite metal creations can be found at http://metal-garden-art.com
What color of paint does Sam from Garden state use in her room?
I am trying to find the exact color of paint the character Sam uses in Garden state. I have been so in love with the color of her room that I even tried to mock it the first time and failed. Now I will be repainting but I want to be sure this time and maybe find out a little more info. Here a screencap:
My second instict of color would have been this Light Lobster:
http://www.art-paints.com/Paints/Spray/Molotow/Premium/Light-Lobster/Light-Lobster.html
But what do you think?
Use the Benjamen Moore color viewer
Yard and Garden Oil Paintings - BeyondDream Art
Paint Kids Mural
Paint Kids Mural
Set The Right Mood With Paintings And Murals
Color is a strong weapon. With a gallon of paint you can change the atmosphere of a room. It’s necessary to seek color consultation before starting even a simple faux painting in Los Angeles.
Color consultation would end your indecisiveness about which color is most suitable for your home or room. It helps you figure which shade satisfies you most, relaxes your senses, and sets up the right mood. Murals, especially those made in LA, also uplift one’s spirit. You may call a professional muralist in Los Angeles to work on an amazing mural collection in your house
You can effortlessly impress visitors with murals. Why not have breathtaking trompe l’oeil murals at your front door so your visitors will feel that they are, indeed, welcome? Paint color serves as a powerful tool aside from other decorative elements. It brings a dramatic impact to every living space. It puts tranquility in every room or produces a profound feeling.
Murals and painting can set a specific mood such as relaxation. Murals can inform or create an illusion, and uplift one’s spirit. It can also let the mind travel to a certain perspective. It can bring you to places and make you feel closer to nature.
Let these paintings and murals rule your world; travel while in your room, in your office, and even in your commercial space.
Personalized paintings and murals are the best to have. If you are a nature lover, then why not have sceneries of the Niagara Falls or the Mount Fuji in your room? This will bring you closer to nature.
Are you some kind of an entrepreneur? Then inspire your senses while in your restaurant, hotel, or retail establishment. This is an important element which could lead to the success of your business.
Painting your bathroom with images you love creates a window or doorways to a world that adds depth to your life, which was nonexistent before. Bathroom murals are ideal for rooms that have no windows to bring memories of favorite places into one’s home. Let your children appreciate artistic paintings and murals. Start stimulating your kids’ imagination with a wall mural art. Brighten up your home or special nook with a wall art. Kids love wall murals for their rooms. There are themes and designs to choose from, or you may even personalize your own!
Trompe L'Oeil murals enhance the illusion of depth and erase transition between real and painted worlds. As a stand along element, Trompe L'Oeil alters the appearance of architectural features and real objects adding depth, relief, ornamentation to an otherwise flat surface.
Want to bring those fantastic blue skies inside your room? Authentic illusion of skies can transform confined interiors into spaces of natural beauty and freshness. Transform enclosed spaces into more spacious, inviting and memorable environments.
About the Author
The author is an expert writer associated with a company offering color consultation in Los Angeles. Visit the site for more information.
Hi, I would like to start my own business. What should I do?
I just finished painting my kids rooms I had so much fun.
I drew a beautifull murals on the walls. One is a scene from a "Land before time" and the other one is a farm scene.
I would like to do this as my part time business. How do I start?
I can draw almost anything.
Start by taking good pictures of the work you have done in order to start up a portfolio, You may even want to do some work pro bono to built your experience and as a way of advertising out side of your home, next you should make up some business cards...since you are already creative and artistic you can do this yourself on your computer (office stores sell great cards for printing now, that have straight edges) Carry these with you at all times, you will be surprised at how many you end up handing out just by talking to people. See if you can leave a stack at stores of relevance (like children's stores, or decor stores) or talk to local painters in your area that may want to out source mural work to you. You could place an Ad in your local paper, etc...
Sesame Street - Kids paint a huge mural of the number 17.
Paint Kids Room Mural
Paint Kids Room Mural
Mural Ideas for your Kids Room – Bring in the Fantasy!
The great thing about murals is that they are not specifically for adults. They can also be created to cater to the younger audience such as kids and small children. The main reason for a having a mural is decoration. The design of the mural usually depends on the individual and their own personal preferences. However, it is interesting to note that the design specifications are much lenient when it comes to children. They will like anything bright and colorful as long as it looks cool and appealing. Hence designing a good mural for the little kids is much easier. This article will illustrate some great mural ideas for children's room. They will add to the overall look of the room and make for a great gift to your child.
Favorite Cartoon Character Mural
Nothing will make a child happy than to have a mural of their favorite cartoon character on the wall of their room. These work perfectly as they are attractive, use bright colors, appealing to everyone and add creativity to the room.
Favorite Pet Mural for Kids
Pets are everyone's favorite and extremely popular with children. Having a mural painting of the child's favorite pet on a portion of the wall or an entire wall will make sure that they feel close to their pet at all times. It will also make the room look more attractive and beautiful.
Night Stars Mural for Kids
One good way of utilizing the ceiling is to paint a mural over it and no mural works better than a night skyline filled with shinning stars and a full bright moon. Such a mural will enhance the overall look of the entire room and create a nice peaceful aura as well.
Outer Space and Planets Mural
There is not a single child in the world who doesn't want to be an astronaut when they grow up. Many children are fascinated with planets and outer space. This mural works great both for walls and ceilings. One good example of a mural portraying this theme would be that of the entire solar system or perhaps your favorite planet.
Enchanted Forest Mural for Kids
One of the great things about murals is that it can accurately capture and portray anything that the mind can conceive and is limited only by the amount of creativity in the painter. Painting an enchanted forest is a daunting task and can take up an entire wall or two at times. However, the end product is well worth the effort.
Fairy Princess Mural for Kids
Girls are always fascinated with fairies and princesses. Such murals for kids provide excellent decoration for their rooms. It's a great way to show them your love and affection and it makes them feel special.
There are hundreds of ideas available to decorate kid rooms with murals. All parents need is a little imagination and knowledge of their child's likes and dislikes. Knowing these two things will ensure the best suited mural for kid's rooms.
About the Author
Sharrison Studios provides detailed information on Unique Tile Art, Floor Tile, Tile Design, Decorative Mural and more, Tile Design
Do you think this is mean?
My boyfriend and I are moving into a new place next month and I wanted to buy some inexpensive prints, frame them and hang them to make the place a little more homey than our last apartment was. As far as prints go, I'm talking something somewhat artistic that goes with the rest of the decor. He, on the other hand, wants to hang pictures of his nieces all over the house. I understand that they're his family and he loves them, but they aren't even our kids! I just think it's odd to have huge pictures of other people's kids hanging all over your walls. I'm close with my family too, but I'm not about to paint a mural of my nephews on my bedroom wall. As it is, we have baby pictures of his sister and nieces all over our apartment in every room.
Am I being too harsh? Or is where I'm coming from understandable? What do you guys think?
We're not talking regular sized framed pictures here and there, he wants to get giant prints made and hang them all over the living room.
Hmmm... I agree more with you on this.
I think that you should compromise though, maybe have some photo frames with his neices on the mantle piece, or on a coffee table, those kinds of places, and the prints on the walls?
I think photos of family members work better in little standing up photo frames rather than on the wall, that might be a little too in-your-face, but it's always interesting to look at little frames around the place.
Maybe you could even just each have a set number of frames to put what you want in? (:
Hope you sort it out xx
Kids Room - Murals Faux Decorative Finishes
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