Home Decorating Video - Color Tips

Irwin Weiner ASID - You know that color is one of the most feared concepts in all of home decorating. There's nothing worse than selecting a wall color that turns out to be something you can't live with. 

Photo: Simon Upton / TIA Digital Ltd

Fresh Home Magazine editor Neil Wertheimer was interviewed by Better TV and he gives us some practical tips for using color in today's featured video (see below). Let me summarize and editorialize. 

• For a DIY room makeover - go knock yourself out! - it's most logical to bring together all the furnishings and accessories in the room and then select a paint color(s) that unify all these more expensive elements ... like pulling a paint color from a sofa. I would add that you don't have to be afraid of ceiling colors. Don't leave them white by default. Consider ceilings just another wall, but since it's at the top of your room, add the illusion of height by having your wall paint hue mixed a few shades lighter. Paint the same lighter hue for the wall surfaces above wainscoting or picture moldings, too.

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4 Quick Decorating Tips for Boring Bathrooms

Jessica Ackerman - If your bathroom is a visually boring place, perhaps it's time for a much-needed change. Although bathrooms are generally the smallest rooms in a home, there's no need to go small on the decor and overall look. In fact, with just a modest amount of decorating and perhaps the addition of a bright new shade, your bathroom just might become the most visually exciting room in your home. If you're ready to transform your boring bathroom into a decorating showcase, here are some tips to help get you started.

1. Pick a Fun Theme

Although you might not want to choose a fun and funky theme for a formal master bathroom, it can be a nice approach to take with other bathrooms throughout your home. For example, imagine how great your children's bathroom would look when decorated in a funky theme. A low-key, casual beach theme, for instance, is a great approach to take when decorating a bathroom. Not only does it look great, but the casual nature of the decor also makes it easy to keep neat, tidy, and organized.

It's easy to create just the right look when decorating a themed bathroom, thanks to the wide variety of themed bathroom accessories you'll find on the market today. For example, you'll find no shortage of beach metal wall decor from which to choose.

2. Keep It Sleek and Simple

You might enjoy a more detailed decorating style throughout the rest of your home. However, the bathroom is one room that can definitely benefit from a simpler approach. When you factor in all the time and effort it takes to keep a bathroom neat, clean and sanitary, you can definitely see how simple and sleek is better than frilly and fussy when it comes to decor.

When choosing decorating accents for the bathroom, it's a good idea to think in terms of how washable and water-resistant the items are. For example,

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Here's How to Celebrate Chinese New Year

Jennifer Allen Frank - Chinese New Year landed on the new moon of January 23, 2012 in the U.S. It is the Year of the Black Water Dragon. The Chinese New Year is a time to welcome longevity, wealth and prosperity and to eliminate negative chi from the past. This year will be marked by excitement, unpredictability, exhilaration and intensity. The year of the dragon is traditionally associated with new beginnings and good fortune. Those with entrepreneurial spirit are particularly favored to see much success in the coming year. Generally, it's predicted that any new venture may benefit from the outstanding luck often associated with the dragon. Therefore, 2012 will be a very good year to get married, have children, and/or start a new business.

The water dragon is a less imperious type of Dragon who favors optimum growth and expansion. He can put aside his ego for the good of all and is less selfish and opinionated. He can assume a wait and see attitude, and his wits are as formidable as his strength of will. The water dragon lives by the “do unto others” philosophy.

Since 2012 is the year of the Water Dragon, the liquid element is predicted to calm the dragon's usually tempestuous nature, and will give a thoughtful perspective to the plight of the less fortunate. Water is calming and beneficial to this lunar sign, enabling him to know how to act wisely and do what is essential for his progress. He is quick and reliable and is capable of marketing his ideas with untiring devotion. He is likely to be successful as a negotiator; He must learn to make difficult choices and relinquish whatever is unfeasible or unnecessary. This way, he will be able to devote his energies to fewer but more rewarding endeavors. As the world suffers through one of the worst economic calamities in recent memory, bold new leadership will help ease the circumstances of those suffering most from recent financial setbacks.

Dragons who can pursue their own passionate ambitions while meeting the needs of others are best suited to navigating the year ahead. Those compatible with the Dragon — the Rat and the Snake in particular — will also find 2012's circumstances inspiring them to greater personal happiness and professional success.

House cleaning should be done on or before the day of the eve of Chinese New Year. Starting early in the morning, someone goes to the flower-market to buy red flowers for the worship events and new year’s day decoration. Red is the auspicious color in China.

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Our Top Tips: Play It Smart When You Renovate Your Home

Irwin Weiner ASID - Our regular readers know that Jay and I are renovating our country home's kitchen and the back-entry laundry, powder room, and mudroom areas. We've been thinking a lot about how homeowners need to have their eyes wide open to the realities of renovating, as it's oftentimes an unnatural act and an extreme intrusion upon your family's home life. Here are Design2Share's top tips for renovating your home, should you want to tackle something fresh and updated during the new year.

• Protect yourself by hiring experienced, reliable, and highly-skilled professionals for any home renovation project. Personal recommendations from family, friends, and neighbors are best (“They did great work on my addition!”). There are many experienced and reliable contractors working in your community—highly skilled professionals who do business the right way.

• If you're hiring a contractor to do construction, renovation, or repair work on your home, avoid paying cash "under the table" for your job. You’ll likely not get a better deal.

• You need a warranty from the professionals you hire, meaning some kind of recourse for poor workmanship.

• You have the added risk of liability if an injury takes place on your property when you hire non-insured workers for your home projects. You’re better off hiring fully insured and bonded individuals and firms.

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