That Wood Work

Hardwood flooring usually comes in three varieties: strip, plank and parquet. The individual segments in wood strip flooring are usually about 1 ½- to 2 ¼-inches wide. Plank flooring strips are wider and parquet floors are composed of individual squares that make up a geometric pattern. Unfinished hardwood floors allow the homeowner to finish the product with a stain that matches the décor.
If you are debating whether to install hardwood flooring in your home, first investigate the pros and cons.

Pros of Hardwood Flooring


Easy Maintenance.. They just need sweeping or vacuuming and an occasional cleaning with a wood floor cleaner
Hardwood floors are durable and have stood the test of time.
Houston Flooring offers direct wholesale prices at www.directhomediscount.com

Value
Buyers are willing to pay top dollar for homes with hardwood floors. In addition, homes with hardwood floors tend to sell faster than homes with wall-to-wall carpeting. Think about it: builders consider hardwood flooring an upgrade. They don’t charge extra for carpet. Your accent rugs will pop and make more of a statement on wood flooring.

Baby Love

Swatches from clothes or household items from your own childhood can serve as a wonderful source of color and theme for your child's room. These colorful fabrics sewn into a quilt, used as a swag over a window, or fitted into frames will be a reminder to you of your happy youth and be a source of conversation with your little one. If the fabrics are muted or dull, they might work well in a country or cottage style room. Colorful, bold fabric tones work well in more whimsical rooms.
Stencils are a great source of creating a story or a fantasy theme on a wall. Using bright colors will stimulate a child's mind. No matter the age you can get creative with color.

Touch of Glass

Luise Christensen-Howell of Glasshaus Studio in Hershey has achieved seasonal symmetry. Much of the year she’s outdoors cultivating her latest love, garden and landscape design, but when autumn blows in, she takes refuge in her home studio, nurturing her 30-year love affair with stained glass.
When asked about working with glass, Luise explained:
I like the part where you sit down with somebody, and they have an idea, and you put it together, and then you have the finished product. And glass is gorgeous. So it’s the very material and the way it captures light. Then when the client comes and I see their reaction--I love that part.

When asked about her challenges working stained glass:
The only challenge that I’ve ever had is when (my focus) was cut in half between the store keeping and the creative part.

Every home should have even the smallest special cut glass piece to add romance of a moment or setting. Stained glass is like adding a piece of art in a window to catch the sun rays glistening from it adds a mystic touch on walls and ceilings.

Fun and Funky

Every room may be accented with a fun or funky chair. I particularly love to accent with animal prints, they make great accents on pillows, chairs, table runners and rugs.
If you find an old chair recover it and add a pillow as pictured here for more statement. For an elegant room add an exposed wood chair and upholster it in a fabulous tapestry using a pattern which ties in other colors in the room.

Children's room can be a lot of fun for your imagination adding an accent chair with colors, colors and more colors and will provide a comfortable place for you, allowing those precious moments in your child's environment, for the special bonding moments.

Rugs to Riches

What does a "Real Persian Rug" mean? It means the carpet is hand-knotted in IRAN and is not an imitation made in Pakistan, India, Turkey or elsewhere. This is a significant issue. Even though carpets may look the same superficially, they are not. Carpets that are made in IRAN are dyed differently, usually with vegetable pigments. In addition, the Persian knot is different. If you have a very tight budget, an imitation is probably a reasonable solution, but if you are looking for something that will keep its color and quality for a long time, buy a "Real Persian carpet". Always ask for a certificate of authenticity. I recommend a book titled, "Rugs to Riches", by Caroline Bosley, purchasing authentic pieces is an investment, this book will educate and enlighten most of your questions. I also recommend"Woodlands Rug Gallery which is shown in my links area. Mention your online designer referred you.
A personal favorite is the oriental with a silk wool blend. Always start with size and color choice, then let your dealer educate you and your designer assist in placement and room arrangement, then enjoy this luxurious accent for that final statement of your own style in your home or office.

The Yellow Scarf

Every home or office can add an interesting and intriguing sculpture to fit the theme of a room. This bronze titled, "The Yellow Scarf", by Tom Moss who also painted the, "Prairie Princess", mentioned earlier has created time gone by while you focus on such detail in this sculpture, you wait for him to speak.

A sculpture placed in a room is like adding a rose to a vase, it simply adds the final touch.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Stewart Township, Pa.: Perhaps Wright’s most recognizable design, Falling water perches over a waterfall whose sound resonates throughout the home. More than 120,000 visitors see this renowned home each year. The proximity to water and the ambitious design have forced extensive renovations—they also prompted the home’s first owner, Edgar K. Kaufmann Sr., to nickname the structure “Rising Mildew.”

Indian Summer

Many comments have been made on the photo titled, "Rhythms of Rest and Seclusion". this is yet another taken under the stars in South Africa. Periodically I will post more pictures of these peaceful scenes.....Ahhhh, to sleep under a thousand stars and anticipating the embrace of the moonlight. These are actual open sleep areas in Kenya, not sure sleeping with the cheetahs would send me into a soft slumber of restful sleep, but viewing it from a photo is quite restful. More of these photos can be found at http://anindiansummer-design.blogspot.com

The Hanging Garden

Throughout the day, magical moments occur that have the power to relax and refresh the spirit. Irene Suchocki has captured that very feeling of harmony in nature with the piece she has titled so eloquently, "Hanging Garden". Time seems suspended in her art. Whether you seek sanctuary from a square foot garden in the city, or in a flower filled bowery in the country, to be in contact with plants in any form such as art brought into your home creates a meditative mood. In these lines from a poem by the English poet Dorothy Gurny, the calming, spiritual effect of the garden is evoked. The kiss of the sun for pardon./The song of the birds for mirth,/One is nearer God's heart in a garden./Than anywhere else on earth."
This article is dedicated to my Mother, who loved working in her vegetable or flower garden, she once told me working in her garden she felt the closest to God.

"I miss you and I love you Mother". We never knew growing up that food didn't come from the fresh cuts in the garden or what can foods really were....everything was hand made with a lot of love!!!

Trimmings

Simple elegance can be added to draperies, pillows, and table runners for a simple touch of class. Holidays and everyday can be enhanced with these accents to create a feeling of warmth and luxury.

Placing a large tassel around a large clear vase and filling it with greenery can also create an elegant center piece. Crystal beads or key tassels can be used as napkin rings to add more glamour to your Holiday table settings. Don't forget the fireplace to top off the perfect holiday mood.Placing eyelash fringe around the top and or the base of a lamp is simply sumptuous.

http://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-tassel-trim-fringe.aspx

Sensual Textures

For sensual indulgence and relaxation, your items may be chosen for delicacy of their textures. These luxuries may change with the season or your mood, remember that a little richness can go a long way, be selective and choose a few favorite pieces rather than accumulating clutter. Velvet and silk textures are found in the natural world. Pictured here is Porfiro-Lorca an Italian cut velvet woven with cotton. A sensuous brocade or intricate embroidery will add an exotic tranquility to any design. Tassels and trim evoke a soothing feel of glamour, mystique and elegance.

Rhythums of Rest and Seclusion

Sounds of the wind a rhythmic repetition of motion can create a mood of sensuous relaxation that becomes hypnotic. This mood can be created in your home by soft musical beats or the swing of a grandfather clock's pendulum or gentle breezes from a ceiling fan. The repetition of a sound or action time after time, such as a heartbeat or waves on the shore, creates feelings of reassurance and serenity. Predictable rhythms of sound and movement are comforting; an animal sitting in your lap or the deep breathing of someone sleeping allows a calming background against the days anxieties. Rhythm is the basis of meditation techniques, quietly stilling the mind's stresses like rocking a child to sleep. If you have difficulty sleeping, place a softly ticking clock beside your bed. Concentrate on the the rhythm of your breathing and let them harmoniously take you away to a peaceful slumber. I also recommend a nature sound clock, one with sounds of the oceans or water flowing in a stream, are my favorite.
http://www.designerlinensoutlet.com/store/index.asp?mcode=lsban

Garden Moods

A view from a window can be calming, but to experience the sights, sounds and scents of the natural world there is nothing like an outdoor garden. When planning your garden or patio, consider the diversity of tranquil scenes, arranging your furniture toward your favorite view. This can be created by adding a variety of plant life, palm trees, and flowing plants. As you step into your garden, you enter both your private sanctuary and view with nature's wonder. Simple furnishings and comfortable seating add a compliment to the mood of serenity. As we move to the outdoor environment, our artificial perspectives are soothed by the recognition of nature's inexorable cycles.

Tranquility of Water

The presence of water brings us into harmony with nature. To regain a sense of tranquility, listen to to a soft rain. The restorative power of water is widely acknowledged, and certain beliefs invest rivers and lakes with mystical and magical power. A water garden or pool revealing gentle ripples when disturbed by a leaf gently falling or by wind or rain-leave a mesmerizing and soothing feeling.
Sounds and the sensation of flowing water revitalize our thoughts and souls. Larger homes and offices may incorporate flowing water in an interior area, such as a sheet cascade or steady streams falling into separate pools filled with rocks and dimmed lights.
You can add water falls to any room in your home which breaks silence in a room and adds the tranquil feel of watching or listening to water displayed so eloquently by nature. Visit NEPAPhotographer for beautiful sites and sounds of natures water falls.

Visual Symphony

Greg Natale is a hot young Australian interior designer. He’s a master of pattern, a lover of retro and an out and out exponent of glam.  I have featured him many times on my blog because his designs are so hot (and because he kindly shares great shots of his commissions!). This photo being one of his latest apartment designs in Sydney. Ouch! It’s so glamorous and luxe it hurts. What amazing views of Sydney from the windows of this high rise apartment. I didn’t even notice the stellar views at first because I was devouring the design.

Greg Natale has done a stunning job with this design. The decor emits sensuality. You can almost hear slow sexy jazz or Bach playing in the background.

Heavenly Dance

Gary Benfield was born in the West Midlands, Great Britain, in 1965. He studied at Stourbridge College of Art and then went on to do further study at Wrexham College of Art.

After leaving the academic world, he set up his own studio near London and concentrated on drawing and painting figures. Within a few years his work was collected throughout Europe and his reputation firmly established.


Benfield has a natural talent for depicting things as seen. His work is spontaneous and is reflected by his drawn lines and dashes of color. The figures dissolve in and out of their backgrounds and move across the paper. He paints rapidly and disregards most of his paintings and drawings, keeping only those that he feels are perfected in their conception rather than overwork those that he he feels are not correct.


In recent years his work has begun to be exhibited in galleries in America as well as Europe. He creates evocative works that calm the mind with subtle softness and romantic overtures.

Prairie Princess

"Art refers to a diverse range of human activities and artifacts, and may be used to cover all or any of the arts, including music, literature and other forms. It is most often used to refer specifically to the visual arts, including mediums such as painting, sculpture, and printmaking. Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy which considers art.

Visual art is defined as the arrangement of colors, forms, or other elements "in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beauty. Traditionally the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery, a concept which altered during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science".
Generally art is made with the intention of stimulating the human senses as well as the human mind; by transmitting emotions and/or ideas. Beyond this description, there is no general agreed-upon definition of art, since defining the boundaries of "art" is subjective, but the impetus for art is often called human creativity".
This is one of my favorite pieces of art by Tom Moss, you can feel the wind softly blowing around her, he has truly mastered the term serenity. You can view more work by this artist by visiting http://tommossstudio.com/.

Still Life

A creative arrangement of objects can introduce a serene note of order to any room. This arrangement is displayed in a kitchen as an accent. Simple, everyday items, such as stemware, flowers, or fruit make the most effective still life display, the impact of which lies less in their individual components than in the overall display. Composing still life is a very personal form of art; choose harmonious colors and shapes that will relate well to one another and to the space around them.
Diverse colors and scents of flowers can bring an imaginative focus to still life settings. Ikebana, is a Japanese art of flower arranging, emphasizes form and balance in its deceptively simple compositions. This can be created by a simple flower blossom placed in a decorative bowl enhanced by a single green leaf or twisted wood. Face the flower at an angle, due to the practice of Ikebana, it is "impolite" for the flower to stare directly at the observer.

Simply Scent-ual

Most homes and workplaces may be transformed with fragrance. Aromatic candles and room sprays allow us to match our mood with invigorating scents of the seashore or floral scents, different fragrances evoke memories, such as fresh linen, or cinnamon. Accent on aromatherapy today offers fragrances for the mind and body such as essential oils extracted from plants to relieve both physical and mental ailments, or simply to relax and revitalize. In the home, oils may be used in a burner to create a romantic, uplifting and soothing atmosphere. There is nothing quite like fresh dried plants to provide a feast for the sense's. Herbs in the kitchen,such as vanilla have a "motherly" smell which is reassuring and comforting, while lavender in the bedroom is sensual and erotic.

Rooms for the Mind

The type of environment in which you work best depends on you, work spaces at home allow you flexibility to surround yourself with personal items meaningful to you which give a peaceful area for contemplation and thought. Most office environment work spaces also allow you to personalize your work area. This is usually achieved by adding personal photos or a plant and or allowing the employee to furnish their office with their choice of furnishings, rugs, lamps, art, etc.
Good lighting is important, use natural sunlight whenever possible. Supplement a lack of lighting with an indirect lighting source, which is most calming to the mind, a lamp on your workspace is the most effective. Use your space creatively, by using a credenza beside or behind your area will help you stay organized. This keeps your workspace clear to concentrate on each project individually. Keep other project lists, folders, etc. on the credenza for easy access until you are ready for the next project. Keep floorspace uncluttered, have a source for referencing books or other work materials on a bookcase for easy access. Your workstation chair is very important for comfort, make sure it is properly adjusted in height and is flexible for back support.
Perhaps you have noticed that many businesses are using the low light affect for shopping, the reasoning is to create a calm, serene mood to your shopping experience. This apples to your home/office work space as well.