Ways To Decorate Your Bedroom With Zebra Bedding

Bedroom decor can be enhanced and get more attractive if zebra theme is added to the layout of your room. Especially when it comes to bedding, there is nothing more attractive than having a zebra comforters and accessories in the room. It does not mean that your bedroom looks like a zoo and you do not have to go wild with safari accessories. Get it modern and stylish looks by placing the glass topped night tables and some furniture. If you have decided to go for zebra theme in your bedroom, here are some tips to help you enhance and complement your room wisely.

Choose a harmonizing hue for fixtures to enhance the black-and-white theme of the zebra design. Metal colors look good with black and white as well. Red color will add something different to the layout that pops out.

Get your ramparts dyed with grey color. It will look very much gorgeous but will not be overwhelming as bright colors such as red. Enhance the bed visually with black bed bordering. This shows off the zebra pieces, pillowslips and coverlet and does not contest with them. It also manages with the medium-gray throw rugs on the ground.

Place the bedding on the bed. Place two large pillows against the headboard of the bed. Place three to five small cushions with the large pillows. The colors echo the black-and-white zebra print but add attention with regular shapes.

Place off-white floor-to-ceiling curtains on each window, even if the windows are different sizes. The floor-to-ceiling length makes the windows look the same. Put black decorative side panel curtains on each window as well. The side panels are not meant to close, just to be decorative.

Cut a zebra patterned flat sheet to 24 inches wide and twice the width of the window. Sew a tunnel through the top for a curtain rod and hem the bottom. Use this as a valence for the windows.

Get your ramparts bleached with gray color. It will look abundantly beautiful however will not be overwhelming as bright colors like red. Enhance the bed visually with black bed bordering. This shows off the quid items, pillowslips and counterpane and does not contest with them. It conjointly manages with the medium-gray throw rugs on the bottom.

Place the bedding on the bed. Place 2 massive pillows against the panel of the bed. Place 3 to 5 tiny cushions with the large pillow. End with two spherical black pillows and a white spherical pillow within the middle. The colors echo the black-and-white equip print however add interest with geometric shapes-David Hall

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How To Care For Silk Bedding

There is nothing more luxurious than sliding into your soft silk sheets at the end of a long day. That's why you spend hundreds of dollars on high quality silk bedding, because you want the experience of sheer perfection. While it is the perfect covering for those who enjoy the finer things in life, it is also extremely delicate to handle and launder. While it does take some extra care, it isn't anywhere near as difficult as you may think it is. Here are some care tips to protect your greatest investment: your comfort.

How to Prolong your Silk Sheets Life

While silk is a durable fabric, it can be unwittingly damaged if your aren't careful. Rough spots and edges on your body such as unmanicured toenails, and unbuffed feet can be the equivalent of running sandpaper and nails along your gossamer fabric. Taking care of your skin and nails is not only of benefit to your silky coverings, it is also beneficial to you.

Expect some shrinking

The first time you wash your sheets, they will probably shrink. That doesn't mean that there is something wrong with them, it is a normal process that silk bedding goes through. Expect about three to four percent shrinkage during the first few washes. Also know, that the bedding makers take shrinkage into account when they make the coverings in the first place.

How to wash silk sheets

Probably the most important part of caring for silk sheets, is knowing how to wash them. Silk is a natural fiber, so you should avoid harsh detergents and soaps that can strip them of their natural properties. The best detergent for silk is Woolite. It's very mild, and many people have had success with it.

The first few washings should be done by hand to preserve the natural sheen of silk fibers. After that you can switch to machine washing if you prefer. However, always use the delicate cycle. You should keep the water at around 86 degrees Fahrenheit, which is barely lukewarm water.

An extra spin cycle is ideal to help wring out as much water as possible from your fabrics. A light and lavender scented fabric softener can also be used, just make sure to avoid bleach at all costs. It will ruin your sheets with stains. Keep the sheets out of direct sunlight, but do allow them to hang dry if it is possible. If not, use the lowest temperature setting available on your dryer. This will prevent the fibers from breaking down and becoming dull and frayed.

Caring for silk sheets can be a little more work, but it is well worth the hassle for what you get in return.By Jacob Barnes

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5 cool makeover tips for your room

Interior designer Rakshita Singh gives some simple design tips that can add some drama in your bedroom decor.

When decorating your bedroom, you need to make sure that your aesthetics are in place and more importantly, you need to ascertain whether you want the 'me only' look for your bedroom or the 'we' look. Here are some simple design tips that can add drama to your bedroom decor...

Keep the magic alive: Dedicate one wall of your room to your partner with a large number of tiny framed photographs in a heart shape. This will remind you of each other and the best times you have spent together. It will also help to keep the magic alive.

All about the 'we' not 'me': It's not about his or her, BUT it's about 'WE'. Opt for more neutral tones of colour like beige, purple and whites when renovating a room for a newly married couple.

Add some romantic drama: Add some extra canopy of cloth in your bedroom to add some drama and closure. Choose and name your bed sides before you get hitched by putting the name above your bed heads.

Make a cozy nook: Adding a love seat in a bright and attractive colour to your bedroom decor can jazz it up.

Light it right: Add some drama by adding tea lights and lamps in the corner of your rooms. It does make it romantic.

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Decorating Your Bedroom With Rustic Touch

You may wish to have a minimalistic bedroom with just a mattress and a lamp, or a fully furnished luxury chamber comparable to a five-star suite - your ideal bedroom setting will be the one you feel most comfortable in. However, you need to consider what all do you want in your bedroom, and what kind of feel you wish to achieve before you set out to buy furniture for your bedroom. Some of the common questions you may consider are what kind of storage you require? Do you want a bed box to store extra bedding? Do you need a vanity to avoid morning rush? Do you want a bench for your shoes? Do you want a vintage look, contemporary décor or rustic feel?

Here are some basic guidelines that will help you decide the kind of furniture you should get for your rustic bedroom and will assist in making your purchase easier:

1. Instead of running to your local retailer or a huge store, you should instead look for online dealers. The thing is, shops spend a lot of money on floor rental and need to add a premium on the furniture to adjust this cost. Online retailers save on this expense and pass it on to the customers as exciting deals and great discounts.

2. Ascertain your requirements and style. For a rustic look, you should opt for hardwood floors, wooden beds, and other country elements.

3. You should choose the size of bed based on the size of your room and the number of people sleeping in it. You can choose between a master bed, king size bed, queen bed, full bed and twin beds according to your requirement.

4. Bed basically has a simple design - headboard at one end, footboard on another and mattress in the middle. So what are the different styles and designs available? Some of the common available styles include platform beds, regular beds, bunk beds, poster beds, futons, trundle beds and day beds, amongst others.

5. Usually beds are made of wood and offer great durability, ease of maintenance and long life. Other common materials used in bed manufacturing are brass and powder-coated steel, used for their sleekness.

6. You can also opt to get a nightstand for your bedroom. For a rustic bedroom, you should team up your nightstand, dresser and mirror with your rustic bed. You can also choose readymade bedroom sets to make your job a little easier.

7. Your wardrobe should offer a perfect blend of functionality and looks. Buy an armoire according to your needs. You can even customize it by deciding the number of drawers, hanging bars and other spaces you want.

8. You should always choose the mattress for your bed very carefully. Decide between coir bed, spring beds, regular mattress beds and a hardwood bed, according to the comfort you desire.

Go for white walls and hardwood floors for that perfect rustic look to match with your rustic bedroom furniture!-By Grisel Herrick

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Make Your Bedroom Glow With Designer Bedding Collections

Everyone loves to decorate their bedroom with full passion. They are always thinking that what can they add to the bedroom or what should be changed to keep their bedroom looking ever refreshing. Here is a simple solution to your lookout - designer bedding collections. Ruling the bedding market now are these chic new trends of bedroom interiors. 

When blended well with the theme of your room decor these collections can work wonders. They bring a glow to your bedroom and show your fine taste of choice. Also these designer collections make your room sparkle. Additional benefit is that you don't have to rummage around much to get hold of them.

The demand for luxury bedding ensembles has gone up considerably owing to the fact that they are now affordable at nominal rates unlike a few years ago when they had cut throat prices. The bedding market now has now a variety of these bedding in their stores in amazing patterns made up of fascinating colors and you make sure that you are definitely going to find your dream bedding collection given that there are so many options to choose from. However before buying a designer bedding there are few things that are to be kept in mind.

Sure you would love to see your bedroom turn into one of those like you just caught your eyes on while flipping through the pages of one of the bedding catalogs and with the stylish bedding ensembles embellishing your bedroom this is very much possible but provided you choose the right set with right pattern and a good camouflaging color. If you want to give your room simple yet elegant look then go for plain colors. You can choose from shades of white and cream. With these lighter shades your room appears bright. Shades of purple, blue, grey, brown and other hard colors shall give a bold appearance to your bedroom.

After you have decided on the color you need to decide with the print and the pattern. If you are out to buy for your kids' bedroom then blindly go for the printed patterns which have beautiful cartoon characters like cute animals and princess and fairies. 

Your kids are surely going to adore their picture printed stylish bedding. Now as for you, there is plethora of choices available. There are the dotted prints and the floral patterns which will give your bedroom a very sophisticated look but if you want it to have a touch of ethnicity then go for embroidered ones which will keep up the traditional look of your room.

You would never have imagined that merely changing your old bedding with the new luxury and designer bedding ensembles can make so much difference to the decor of your bedroom and can make it glow so much. Try out the new and stylish bedding collections yourself and see your bedroom come alive. Steve Lin

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6 DIY Tips for Bedroom Makeover

Is your bedroom a complete mess? Is it impossible for you to find a place to put all of your clothes, hats, jackets and other things?

Then you need to organize your bedroom in way that is efficient and will save you space.

Find everything that doesn't have a place

Start by finding everything in your room that doesn't have a set place in be stored. This will help you see what is making your room a mess and will make it easier to find a solution. If you find items that you haven't used in years and you will never use again then get rid of them. If you feel like it's too good to throw away, donate it to charity. You have to be realistic when deciding to throw something away; if you didn't even know it was there then it can go!

Efficient Storage

You will be surprised at how much you can actually fit in your closet and bedroom with the right furniture. The key is to make the most of the space you have available. Many people have a ton of space that they don't even know is available. If you have blank walls, nothing on the back of your door or items in your closet that only take up half a compartment then you can free up your space.

Over the Door Hanger

Many people don't use the space on their bedroom door and it is actually a great place to store hats, bags, gloves, jackets and many other big clothing items. I personally have a baseball cap rack on the back of my door which hangs my 20 baseball caps. You can find racks that simply hang over your door and have several pegs or hooks on which you can hang whatever you want. I suggest hanging up your bigger items that take up room in your closet such as jackets, coats and hats. You can find these racks online or from your local furniture store.

Wall Mounted Rack

Another space in most people's bedrooms that is underutilized is the space on your walls. A wall mounted rack is a perfect place to hang your backpack, hats, umbrella, gloves and almost any other clothing item or accessory. The great thing about a wall mounted rack is that all your items are easily accessible and it is a great decorative piece. A wall mounted rack is generally fixed to your wall with a mounting bracket and screws. If you don't want to damage your wall you can find racks that are fixed to your wall using adhesive strips.

Standing Rack

A standing rack is great for the corner of your bedroom as it is compact but can hold your big items. I find standing racks are perfect for hanging up a coat or jacket which would take up a lot of room in the closet. A typical wooden rack will cost $20-$50 and will last a lifetime which makes it the perfect piece of furniture.

Take Action

If you are serious about organizing your bedroom then you need to take action now. Start to go through all your junk when you have a few hours and start to sort it out. Have a look online at racks and other organizers that will help sort your clothes out. You will be amazed at how much space you actually have in your bedroom - Bill James Johnsteff

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How to Create a Feminine Bedroom Without Using Pink? - DIY Tips

Unless you are a single woman, who can control what mess you leave behind, it is likely that your bedroom is shared with someone fabulous but who doesn't think that plumping the bed up with pillows and bolster cushions is a priority each morning. Most of us need our bedroom to be functional and contain wardrobes, chests of drawers, maybe a TV, oh and lots of shoes! So, what colours and home accessories can we use to create a feminine bedroom without ending up with an elaborate Louis XVI style boudoir?

Before we proceed, we accept that everyone has their own style and taste in home decorating, so you may, or may not agree with our suggestions. Our issue today is specific: avoiding pink.

Painted Walls - Your bedroom should be a haven for rest and recuperation and designers seem to agree that walls should be painted a pale shade. Simple stone shades, dusky whites or soft shades of cream, green and blue work well and provide a great back-drop to the beautiful new bed linens you are about to treat yourself to. We suggest that you avoid anything bold or dark. We have seen many decorating disasters on television where strong reds or even black has been used to create a room suitable for a lady of the night. Not the look we're going for here.

Wallpaper - There is a bit of a revival going on with the use of wallpaper in bedrooms. There are more patterns, suiting a wider range of budgets available than ever before. They have even introduced pre-pasted wallpaper to reduce the mess involved and make it easier to hang. You could try a heavily patterned wallpaper behind your bed as a feature wall. We suggest you only use heavily patterned wall papers that are made of the same tones (ie. Pale browns, gentle greens etc.) Using a strong pattern that has many colours won't create a restful space.

Stencils - If wallpaper is not your thing, look for a pre-cut stencil and create a delicate border. Don't just slap a border around the room like a bad dado-rail. Be creative. Maybe just add a pretty border around your window frame, or your favourite mirror. Or follow the skirting boards and the door frame. Think before you stencil.

Curtains & Blinds - Privacy is key in a bedroom and installing blinds is an effective way of keeping the outside world out. There are very few houses that still use net curtains, so, if you are feeling brave, then we suggest that you try real lace curtains in your bedroom. They bring instant retro-glamour to your room. The alternative is to leave your windows bare, and hang a pretty set of floral or jaquard style curtains up. If you have used a paler wall colour, then you can use a more complex pattern, or stronger colour on your window dressing. We are looking for feminine patterns or images that will help you feel special every night. Here the priority is to keep things looking delicate but to block out sunlight and prying eyes.

The Bed - The focal point of the room is, naturally, the bed so don't be afraid to be as imaginative and decorative as you like. There is a wide selection of beds available in many different materials. The most sturdy options would be made of solid wood or wrought iron. Use throws and cushions with different textures and use a range of florals, spots, stripes and frills but all in complementary tones. Treat yourself to a couple of sets of pretty, well-made bed linen. It is better to buy two or three expensive sets that will last, than five cheap cotton printed sets that will fall apart or fade quickly. Dormer or Sanderson are great traditional brands to consider.

Storage - Bedroom furniture is a big out-lay if you don't just pop to Ikea and buy whatever cardboard wardrobes they have on offer that week. We suggest that you take time to research bedroom furniture and invest in a set of cupboards and drawers that will last you for many years to come. You can find elegant designs in older second-hand bedroom furniture. Try to keep it functional and avoid hard corners and modern pieces that bring a more clinical feel to your room. Opt for curved corners and storage which can be hidden. Always include a washing basket to keep socks and underwear from being strewn across your floor.

Artwork - You can use feminine images to help create a romantic atmosphere. Use pale colours and images of hearts, flowers, feathers, and figures. Think soft and fluffy. Lots of shops are stocking over-sized prints of flowers and religious icons and these are perfect for feature walls.

Accessories - Enhance your chosen artwork with simple accessories such as scented candles, elegant trinket trays, family photographs and pretty table lamps that will create a relaxing mood. Be lavish with your decoration, especially with items that have some kind of personal or nostalgic meaning. Perhaps display a doll from your childhood or some other childhood toy that reminds you of more care-free times.

Hopefully, we have provided enough food for thought. Creating a new room should be a pleasure, so go and experiment and let your room evolve as you find accessories that work for you.Loretta Cotterell, the author, left a highly lucrative career in advertising and media sales to pursue her passion for property refurbishment and interior design. She set up her ecommerce store in 2011 and enjoys sourcing great homewares and helping her customers create the home of their dreams.

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How To Make Small Bedrooms Look More Spacious ?

Not all homeowners have bedrooms they can call spacious. And this is especially true for people who live in apartments or flats that are already small: their bedrooms will also tend to be not that big in space. Since they also live in small homes already, even if they want to renovate to expand or make their bedrooms bigger, they cannot do so because the overall area space just cannot allow them to do so.

The good news for people who find their bedrooms small and campy is that there are certain remodeling and improvement tips you can follow and carry out to make your beloved sleeping chamber look bigger and more expansive. By doing and following the tips below, you can move around and stay more comfortably in your bedroom.

For starters, get rid of any clutter in your small bedroom (and even around your home) to really maximize the space you are currently staying in. You will find that throwing or giving away any unused items at your place will certainly give you additional space to move around.

If you have the budget and time, change the paint color of your room. In general, having lighter paint colors in any room makes it looks more spacious and can induce a brighter ambience and over-all mood in it.

You can also place big mirrors around your room. Mirrors reflect light and images and when you have them in your bedroom, they will produce an illusion that your room is more spacious than it actually is.

Another trick to make small bedrooms look larger is to invest in high quality and space-saving bedroom furniture. For instance, you can get a loft bed so that you can still hide or place some of your other stuff under it. Or have a specially-designed book-shelf mounted on the wall that does not reach the floor so that you are given additional space to move around. For kids who have small bedrooms, parents can get high sleeper beds for them. This will certainly provide children additional playing spaces in their rooms or bare areas to place additional stuff in.

Lastly, it is important to arrange all the furniture in your sleeping room properly to give you more movement and good traffic. This means not placing your bed in the center of the room since this can just prohibit your free movement. The same goes for any tables, the TV and other bulky furniture that you think looks better when they are in the middle of your room. Place them beside walls or in corners so that you can have more space to walk in and move around - Jim D Mcgonagle

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Decorating home walls in stencils

There is an artist in each one of us that yearns to indulge in creative pursuits. Wall stencilling is one activity that encourages even amateur artists to sketch designs on the canvas of home walls.

It is true that ideas of themed wallpapers or memorable picture frames invariably dominate our minds when doing up our homes but the one trend that has recently become a viable option in home decor is wall stencilling.

Interior designer Husnain Heptulla and Delhi-based creative director, Vandana Khosla, guide us on the nuances of this form of decoration and give us necessary tips to try stencilling on our own.

What is wall stencilling: It simply means replicating an image on a wall surface either by using a permanent marker free-hand or else a stencil that serves a template for outlining. Paint colours are later filled into the spaces for a complete picture.

Popular designs and patterns: Depending on the texture of the wall whether in tiles, bricks or regular, selecting a suitable stencil design assumes the initial step toward wall stencilling. For a relaxing and calming effect in the room, Husnain recommends nature-inspired themes or arboreal designs to create a landscape-like feel in the house. Floral, damask (woven fabric), nursery, classical and border can be your first time wall art pick. A stencil can also be self-designed complimenting one's taste and preference but that needs skill and right technique only experts are confident with. So you can add depth to your paint by stencilling a design in a contrasting colour over the basecoat. Other techniques such as ragging, sponging, or feathering can be done using another colour over the basecoat.

For living area and bedrooms: Every room has a distinct characteristic of its own. Styling a living room for instance cannot be similar in approach to designing a more intimate space like a bedroom. Abstract designs that follow a grid-repetition pattern in pastel colours add a spiritual feel to the living room setup. With bedrooms, a little whimsical and cheerful attitude is accepted feels Husnain. "Using scenes from a memorable trip abroad, snowflakes and picket-fence themes give a more personal flavour to the room shared by a married couple," he informs. Coming to the kids' room, the surroundings should not be overpowering that put them ill-at- ease. The motive is not to turn a child's room into another study but to do it up in a manner that soothes the mind of the child and not burden it. Replicating a scene from the child's favourite book or animated illustrations are some of the quirky templates parents can experiment with.

What's stencilling in the kitchen? Cooking is an art and kitchen is the space of culinary execution; so why not outline its walls in stencilled strokes? Vandana Khosla suggests, "Use stencils on cabinets or floors in a unique way and surprise your guests with your expertise in this art. If you have a cabin in the hardwoods, use stencils of black bear, moose or deer, going one per cabinet centre. To add contrast to wood walls opt for white cabinets and stencil black-and-white checkerboards along the edges."

Colours and background: The surface or the base is the backbone of good stencilling. The background colour is a decisive precursor to a wall stencil. The contrast could be subtle, like in the living room or the library, or it could be pronounced in a bedroom or entertainment area. Mauve, peach, grey, sandy brown and chocolate brown work well as subtle hues; while shades of blue, red and green act as contrasting agents. The colours should be used in a healthy proportion or else they might end up having a jarring display.

Why stencilling? A stencilled room has a charm of its own. It can highlight existing features such as arches and fireplaces, and make featureless interiors more interesting. More than being a current home decor trend, wall stencil is more original, innovative and cost-friendly than designer wallpapers that have limiting customising options. Interior designers believe stencilling is far more fun and leads the league than wallpapers, textured surfaces and feature-wall type of paint jobs. With the correct atmospherics and lighting a stencilled wall adds novelty and lasts long too.

Try wall-stencilling at home: Here are some easy steps for beginners that Vandana Khosla simplifies:

-First decide the walls you want to stencil. Then select stencil type the desired position.

-Choose the colours. If the background wall colour is to be changed, keep the new colour in mind while preparing the stencil colour scheme.

-Paint the base wall colour (if it is to be changed), or touch up any dirty areas if the colour is to be retained. The wall must be clean before you move on to the next step.

-Use a laser level to identify the correct spots where the stencil will be taped. Mark the areas clearly with a pencil. If the stencil is only to be used sporadically, or in one area, you may still want to use the laser level to determine a straight line for taping the stencil into place.

-Tape the stencil into place and follow the below instructions:

1. Using a stencil brush and paint, begin stencilling in one colour at a time. Follow the directions provided for the type of stencil paint you've purchased.

2. Continue stencilling until all the colours have been completed. Let the paint dry thoroughly before you remove the stencil from the wall. If necessary, move the stencil onto the next area of the wall. Continue until the entire wall is complete.

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