privateimprovement.com

Archive for August, 2009

Professional designers can tell you if a chair is a  Greece. Rome. Byzantium. Dark Ages. Middle Ages. Gothic. Moorish. Spanish. Anglo-Saxon or Charlemagne’s Chair. Does the average person even know what the colonial period, the revival of Directoire and empire furniture, the Victorian period or the periods of the three Louis?

This may be why a lot of creative people shy away from decorating there own special spaces.

In this modern day and age people can now use their creativity to create beautiful living spaces without caring that they may break a cardinal rule of decorating. Home decorating, is a conscious effort to improve the appearance and functionality of one’s living areas, in many homes and living spaces. This means that we can break out of the styles of the past and create our own areas of comfort and style. Really know what you want as a home, want it, and you can work out any scheme, provided you have intelligence, patience and perseverance.

What is eclectic? Eclectic is basically made up of or combining elements from a variety of sources, like mixing a Elizabethan chair next to a Queen Anne stool.  As part of the ever-increasing quest for individual expression in decor the eclectic style has emerged as a favorite among homeowners that want to decorate the world around them.

This gives us all freedom to decorate to our own taste and comfort level!

Acknowledging all schemes of interior decoration and insisting that what makes any scheme good or bad, successful, or unsuccessful is the fact that it is planned in reference to the type of person who will live in it. If you are to be living in it then you can do anything you want.

In planning your house after arranging for proper wall space for your various articles of furniture, keep in mind always that balance will be needed and must be at the same time conveniently placed and distinctly decorative; convenient for the individual along with the family.

Much like the history of art, the history of interior design has had numerous styles, movements and the political and social developments that have informed or challenged its evolution.

Encyclopedias define interior design as: planning and design of man-made spaces, a part of environmental designs and closely related to architecture. Although the desire to create a pleasant environment is as old as civilization itself the field of interior design is relatively new, this seems on target for most home designs.

Since at least the middle of the 20th century, the term interior decorator has been so loosely applied as to be nearly meaningless, …Meaningless? Maybe since the word eclectic has become a household word.

Interior designer use their education, creativeness, and experience to help plan the space and furnish the interiors of private homes, public buildings, and business or institutional facilities, such as offices, restaurants, retail establishments, hospitals, hotels, and theaters.

When choosing a color scheme please note that you should choose something that is easy to clean i.e., browns and grays. White is not a good choice, unless you plan on never really living in your place. Try to look at the big picture, small living rooms means that you shouldn’t get a sectional sofa. Instead try a small love seat or futon couch. Not only does the futon couch help with space but it can be converted to a bed for those single room apartments. If you are on a budget and don’t want to get rid of your current bed and you are in a studio apartment try a bed that looks like a bunk bed with out the lower bunk. That way you can store your dress and other articles under the bunk and enclose it with a curtain and no one can see your unmade bed up top. This is very useful for bachelors.

Try creating rooms with the use of decorative screens. It can make a single room look like two or more rooms are there. Also remember your curtains, they should be allowing the light in, the more light you allow in the bigger the space looks. Use a small bistro table as a dining table. It is intimate and makes for a great coffee talk spot. If you are lucky enough to have some one in your apartment remember to always hide your laundry. Laundry laying around makes the apartment appear cluttered and small. Plants are a great way to make your room appear bigger. Try hanging them from the ceiling or by using hooks on the wall. Don’t forget the importance of mirrors. The use of mirrors can make your small apartment look large. Use a focal point and angle your mirror towards it, it gives the illusion of depth. Most importantly make sure you always have a clean space, it is always bigger when it is clean.

Ok so now you have gone and cleaned, you are noticing that the apartment still looks small. Question your storage. You need some ideas for storage you say? Well I am full of them. Look around and if you notice you have lots of magazines lying around get yourself a magazine holder. It is a handy little box that is decorative to your specific likes and it cleans up your tables of clutter. Get your self a footrest that has storage inside of it. It is nice for when the surprise guest comes over and you need to store something quickly. A coffee table with storage underneath it is also a wise choice. The more storage you have that isn’t added clutter makes your life easier. Wall shelves help to eliminate tabletop mess. Put your collectible gnomes on a small wall shelf and look at all the free space you have just created for yourself. All of the suggestions presented here to you are easy do it yourself projects. You can get most of these easy to use items at your local all purpose store and hardware store.

So you have a small apartment. You are possibly wondering, how do I make my small space look comfortable and inviting with out looking cluttered? I have your answer. Actually several answers first of all start with looking around, notice the placement of windows and which way the light reflects in the rooms during different times of day. You do not want to blind someone, who could possibly be visiting, by that stunning sunset. Also look at your current furniture and the colors that it is or is not. Some colors can make a room look small, clinical and cold. Good warm toned colors also make it more comfortable for you to live there.  Browns, Reds, Yellows, and Oranges are great colors to open up space and make the room warm and inviting. Use accent rugs to help with the addition of colors as some Landlords do not allow you to paint. Sofa Covers are a great way to add color and save from wear and tear on your furniture.

Coconut Vinegar

Coconut vinegar is derived from the toddy, or sap, of the coconut palm.  It is white in color and has something of a cloudy look to it.  Coconut vinegar possesses a sharp, acidic flavor and is used primarily in Asian cuisine.  Coconut vinegar is a frequent ingredient in dishes from both the Philippines and India.

Coconut vinegar is often available at larger grocery stores and is almost always easy to find in Asian specialty food stores.  Although not frequently used in the United States, coconut vinegar is a staple item in many Asian pantries.

Coconut vinegar can be used in a variety of ways.  Some have recommended it as an alternative to lemon zest in some recipes.  It can also be used in dressings for cold salads, especially those based on cabbage.

This exotic vinegar is known to be a great ingredient in recipes using salt fish.  The vinegar is said to reduce the saltiness of the fish and to help in creating a mellower flavor when added to sauces.

Cane Vinegar

Cane vinegar, as the name suggests, is derived from sugar cane juice.  However, if you are to buy cane sugar expecting a sweet flavor, you will be disappointed.  Little of the residual sugar remains in cane vinegar.  As a result, cane vinegar is said to have a taste somewhat similar to rice vinegar, only milder.

Cane vinegar is produced in Europe and the United States, but the primary nation of origin is the Philippines.

Cane vinegar can range in color from yellow to a mellow brown.  Cane vinegar is said to age well and has a long shelf life.

Cane vinegar often finds its way into sauces.  It is particularly popular in pepper-based hot sauces and shows up as a frequent ingredient in teriyaki sauces, as well.  Cane vinegar is a relatively flexible ingredient and can be used in place of other vinegars when a slightly milder flavor might be desired.

Raisin Vinegar

Vinegar made from raisins is a popular ingredient throughout the Middle East.  This cloudy brown vinegar is primarily produced in Greece and Turkey.

Raisin vinegar, which is known for its mild flavor can be used to create a sweet raisin vinaigrette salad dressing.  Raisin vinegar can be a good match for dishes involving eggplant.  Raising vinegar is sometimes noted as an alternative to balsamic vinegar in recipes.

We all know about the common vinegars we encounter in typical grocery stores every day.  However, there are other less common vinegars that do warrant attention.  Exotic vinegars such as coconut, cane and raisin types provide an opportunity for kitchen variety.  The vinegars each bring a unique flavor and quality with them, but are still similar enough to mainstream vinegars to allow cooks to comfortably experiment with them.  Their special tastes may very well suit some of your recipes even better than the typical variety with which you may be accustomed.

Running low on vinegar?  Though it’s fine to reach reflexively for another bottle of white or balsamic, consider searching the shelves for something else, too.  A bottle of coconut, cane or raisin vinegar might invigorate some of your existing meals while giving you a fun opportunity to play with new flavors.