Picking Paint Colors - Part Two

Most colors can be separated by whether they are warm or cool colors. Warm colors are those with red or yellow tints to them, like pink or orange. Cool colors include blue, violet and green or any colors that are tinted these colors. Even white can usually be classified as warm or cool. If you compare paint samples, you will see that some are slightly blueish, which others are pink tinted or yellow tinted. Sometimes combining warm and cool colors in one room can look good, like in the picture below.
While you are shopping around for paint, make sure to keep your samples grouped by the store you were shopping in. It is frustrating to get your samples out of order and forget where you need to go to get the color you choose. Another way to keep from getting frustrated is to measure the area you want to paint before you buy your paint. That way, you can buy the correct amount and not have to make another trip to the store for more paint, or to return unused paint.

One way to decide whether you really want a certain color in your house is to look at it in several different lights and also you will probably want to take the paint sample into the room you are decorating, to make sure it will truly look good there.

Paint professionals at the store where you are shopping can often help you decide which brand to use. They can explain the differences to you and this will help you make decisions.

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Picking Paint Colors - Part One

If you have the freedom to paint your walls, this blog can help you choose colors and finishes. If you are stuck with white walls, see my previous blogs on tips for making your home colorful and stylish by adding color in other ways.

It is best if you decide on a room design and choose any wallpaper, carpet, rugs, and fabrics first, then choose the paint color. When you are choosing your paint color, you can use samples of all of your design elements to help you choose a color that will match the room and make it perfect.
It can help to look at the full sample strip of a color you are considering. That way, you can see the colors that will match your walls and have a better idea of whether this is really the scheme you want.

If you have a patterned couch or other fabric item that will need to match the room, you can match your wall color to one of the colors in the fabric, usually the lightest. You can use the darker or brighter colors in the pattern for accent walls or maybe even trim.

The most common color to paint trim is white or off white. Another option is to paint the walls a light color and use a darker or brighter color for the trim. Even black trim with tan or green walls can look nice, if you are going for an Asian theme.

Matte or flat paint finishes are good for hiding wall and brush stroke imperfections, but glossier finishes reflect more light. Semi gloss is a safe alternative that is often used if you want a little of both.

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How to Make Guests Comfortable in your Home - Part Three

Most guest rooms will not have an extra iron and ironing board, so remember to let guests know where yours are.

Privacy is a big consideration for guests. Make sure that your guest room has window coverings. Curtains can add great character to a guest room, especially if they match the bedding. But, even just blinds are better than nothing.
It is thoughtful to provide your guest with a set of keys to your home for their stay. Also, if your home has a security system, let them know how to arm and disarm it.

It is nice to give your guests some tourist information. This way, if you are working any of the days while they will be in town, they have fun things to do to keep busy. Give them maps and brochures on the places you think they would like to see. You can also give them maps to the closest grocery stores, restaurants and shopping malls. You can put all of this information into a three ring binder and find a place in the guest room to store it, so that it is available for all of your guests.
Everyone gets the urge for a midnight snack on occasion, so leave a few snacks and a bottle of water in the guest room. If you really want your guest room to be five star you can even leave a coffee pot in the room with powdered cream and sugar.

A television in the guest room is nice, if you want to really spoil your guests have a dvd player, cd player, and an Internet connection available.

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How to Make Guests Comfortable in your Home - Part Two

It is nice to provide a cleared out area for guests to store luggage. Closet space is nice to have for guests, but if you aren't able to manage it, try placing a small table or even a chair in one corner of the room so that a suitcase can be place on top. If you can, try to clear out enough closet space for your guests to hang some items up. If this isn't an option, you can always buy an over the door hanger so that guests can hang a couple of items there. Another storage option for guests is a chest of drawers. This can be used as storage for you too, but you can leave the top drawer or two open for guests.

Guests often appreciate an alternative place to sit in the guest room other than the bed. A cozy side chair with a table and a lamp always looks nice and provides a nice place for a guest to sit and relax or read. As an extra bonus you can leave a few of your favorite books on the side table for them to enjoy.
Make sure you provide a lamp next to the bed. This way, if a guest needs to get up in the night they can see where they are going.
Guests will enjoy having a clock next to their bed, preferably an alarm clock in case they forgot to bring one. It is also nice to have items such as paper, pens, scissors, tape, and safety pins in the guest room. If you can, put a phone in the guest room for convenience.

Check back Monday for part three of this blog!

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How to Make Guests Comfortable in your Home - Part One

If you love to have houseguests, you want to make sure they have a great experience so that they will visit again. An important part of providing that great experience is making sure the guest room is comfortable.

When you plan your guest room design it can help to imagine what you would want to see in a nice hotel room. You might not have a lot of money for guest room decorating, but there are some things that are priority for your money spending, and other things you can add that don't cost too much.

First of all, you want to make sure your guest bed is comfortable. If you can feel the springs or it is too hard, you may be able to get a simple egg crate pad to put on top, or a feather mattress topper if you can spend a little more. If your bed is just too saggy, you could consider an air mattress on top of a box spring instead, or even on the floor. It is also important to supply several different types of pillows, so the guests can choose one like they are used to. Attractive bedding can add a lot of appeal. You can iron the bedding to add a little extra appeal. Providing an extra blanket or two is a nice touch. It is also a good idea to have an extra set of sheets on hand, in case a guest needs to change them for some reason.

Check back tomorrow for part two!

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Decorating with White Walls

People often struggle to decorate with plain white walls, but in rentals painting is usually not an option. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make your home look good even if you are stuck with white walls.
One way to make white walls look good is to use colorful rugs and accessories. This route is easy, movable, and cheap. Plus, if you just get colorful accessories, pillows, and rugs, you don't have to commit to a colorful couch. A plain couch in a neutral color will be easy to incorporate in your decorating scheme no matter what color the walls are. You can also buy colorful slip covers for you couch if you really want a bolder look. It is easy to add color with window treatments, and you can always change these easily if you tire of them. Modern art is another easy way to add a splash of color.
In your kitchen you can buy new door hardware, keeping the old to put back when you move out. Even just adding colorful kitchen chairs can jazz up an otherwise plain kitchen.
You might also consider asking your landlord permission to paint one or two accent walls in your rental. This way, you won't have too much painting to do in order to get the place back to white. If you are going to paint just one wall, you might want to think about going with a bold color.
Colorful bedding is a good way to dress up your bedroom. Choose bedding with different colored sheets and pillows for a more varied look. You can even cover your headboard in fabric that matches your theme.

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How to Organize with Style

Those who live in small apartments need all the space they can get. Here are some tips on attractive ways to organize your home in creative ways.

• Cover tables with cloth. This way, you can use the space underneath for extra storage. Also, if you choose a pattern that goes along with your theme, you can use the material to add style to your home, especially if you aren't able to paint the walls.
• If you can't paint your walls, add color with rugs, accessories, and colorful furniture.
• You can store neat looking boxes underneath a simple table in your entryway. You can alternate the colors of the boxes for a more interesting look. Often, you can find boxes that are the right size for files, and this option is much more appealing to the eye than file cabinets are.

• Shelving can look very nice when organized and accessorized properly. You can group books and dishes by size and color. If you have mismatched books or stacks of CDs, you can get several matching boxes to put these in and then arrange them on the shelves. Sometimes it comes in handy to label what is in the boxes on the back sides to make it easier to find things in them. Consider what is on the shelves at eye level, since this is what most people will see first. Make sure you don't have you shelves too full, this will look busy. Add personal photos and decorations throughout. You can also add shelving near the ceiling in kitchens to store glass items without looking too busy.
• If you don't have enough counter space or cabinet space in your kitchen you can always add a cart.

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