Unique Decorating Ideas

Even though I love reading, writing, and thinking about interior decorating, I also love to come up with excuses to put off new projects. It’s easy to dismiss home improvements as too expensive, time-consuming or hard to complete, but the benefits outweigh any real problems. Think about how your talents can help you transform your home. Here are some of my reasons I know you can do it:

Because You’re an Artist
Home design is a great way to tap into your creative side. Finding and combining the right colors, patterns, shapes, and lighting can be just as challenging as painting a fresco or writing a song. Unlike painting or other kinds of expression, design can add value to one of your biggest investments–your property.
Of course, the real reason to strike out on your own artistic journey is because it will allow you to tap your imagination and create something you can be proud of. Think of the project as recreation rather than as a chore. A beautifully-appointed room is a even masterpiece that you and your friends can enjoy for years to come.
Because You’re You
Your home shouldn’t just be the place where you sleep. Every nook should tell your guests a little bit about you. Have a strong sense of national pride? Hang up some patriotic wall decor. Want to share your love of your cats? Take some snapshots and make a tasteful collage the centerpiece of the sitting room.
The more you inject yourself into your space, the more comfortable and relax you will feel at home. So you may not have any interests as cut and dry as patriotic home decor or feline photographs, but you can show off your DVD collection or deck out your bedroom in you favorite color. Decorating your space is one of the few times in life when things are all about you. Enjoy it.

Because You’re Crafty
I find that the frugal, the eccentric and the resourceful are often drawn to interior design, because they can do amazing things on a small budget. If you love to hot glue, paint or sew, then chances are you already have your creations all around you. Try challening all of homemade know-how into a cohesive space. You’ll be amazed what you can do with relatively little. (It’s even possible to turn some styrofoam and buttons into patriotic decor or beer cans into modern art.)

Home renovation projects are a good way to update your home and maximize it’s value. Smart upgrades and additions can help boost future resale value, but aesthetics aren’t the only thing to consider when you’re looking to do an overhaul. Environmentally friendly and low-impact products often look just as good as more expensive and more wasteful materials. With concerns about the future of the planet mounting, the demand for more green homes here to stay, and many of these smart choices will improve energy bills for years to come. No matter the home improvement project, there is an attractive, cost-effective, and sustainable alternative. You just need to know where to look.
Kitchen remodels make a dramatic difference in a home, but they can certainly have a hefty price tag. One of the biggest expenses is certainly appliances. These sparkling state-of-the-art machines are inescapably expensive, but you can offset some of the cost by choosing them wisely. High-efficiency appliances are ideal, but you can save even more money and energy by being realistic about your needs. Very few families actually need double ovens, a stand-alone freezer, and a separate fridge for drinks. Not only do they use power all the time, they can make the space look more cluttered than high-end.
Granite and marble make a beautiful addition to any home, but they are definitely not eco-friendly. The rock is ripped out of the natural environment, and lots of fuel is used to quarry and transport it to your local stone dealer. Recycled products cost a lot less and put trash to good use. Some of my favorite countertop alternatives are recycled glass and concrete composites . They are less porous than marble, have all of the heat and scratch resistant properties of granite, and are simply gorgeous. Of course, post-consumer glass and ceramic can also be used to make any style and color of backsplash or floor tile. If you’d like a natural material to compliment your green kitchen, try cork flooring. Cork is fast growing and makes a durable and fun floor covering.
Like cork, bamboo grows fast and can replace many kinds of wood in the home. Many hardwoods have become expensive and rare because of over-harvesting, but demand has pushed younger (and therefore weaker) wood out onto the market. Bamboo does needs only a fraction of the time of other woods to grow just as strong. For this reason, some bamboo products are cheaper than traditional wood cabinets and floors. Personally, I love the uniqueness that bamboo’s knots gives to these finishes; it lends instant personality to any piece.