AfrikBoutik Blog

Decorating Your Living Room in 5 Easy Steps

For any family, their reputation with guests greatly depends on the appearance of their living rooms. Living rooms are one of the most important parts of any family’s house. It is the place where a family entertains guest, may it be a relative, a neighbour or even co-workers.

The living room would tell a lot about how the family maintains the house. Having visitors admire your living room can be one of the most fulfilling moments in your everyday life. It takes a lot of work to achieve that praise-worthy living room that every guest comes back for. To serve as your guide, here are 5 easy steps in decorating your living room:

1. It’s best to know first what style would you want for your living room. Thinking on how the living room would look like as a whole is a good way to set the theme for the space. You can mix any idea that comes to mind, may it be country with a touch of modern style or a dark shade to paint your walls and light-colored furniture to make it stand out.

2. Start off with your floor tiles; seal both tile and surrounding grout with a water-based floor varnish. To know what type of water-based floor varnished would be best to use, ask your home improvement retailer or any other experts in this field for opinions. For the walls, it would be better to put bold colors that are sure to put some dramatic effect to your living room. If you don’t fancy the bold wall color effect, try painting an accent wall. This type of design does not overwhelm the whole room and still leaves a good impression.

3. For the windows, try to choose curtains that would complement the design style you have chosen for the whole room. Try adding rich looking fabrics to give that luxurious feel to your room. The curtains are the elements that usually bind all the room decorations together, so make sure they are a perfect match.

4. Lighting should be taken seriously. A living room is all about mood, and lighting greatly helps to set that mood. Using fluorescent lights overpower any mood for your living room with its strong emission of light. Try adding a few lamps in your living room. They are a great help for building that cozy feel in your living room. Candles can also be a contributor in decorating your living room. Put them along with candle holders with different colors and sizes to help achieve your living room decorating ideas.

5. The last but certainly not the least tip in decorating your living room is putting art on the walls. Different art works posted on the different parts of your living room helps bring the whole living room together. It also adds a personal touch at the same time and tells something about your interests. Photographs are also a form of art may they be family photos or black and white landscapes. Just make sure not to overdo it. Always keep it simple and free of clutter, so it would not ruin the atmosphere you are trying to establish.

Asian Decor Tips – The Yin And Yang of Design

Who says you would need a salary’s worth of savings to explore the tranquil mysticism of Asia? With a few renovations and some bits and pieces here and there, you can transform your own living spaces with a look that reflects the calm mood of a Thai spa or a minimalist-inspired Japanese home.

Although various cultures contrast, these different Asian countries come together with similar design schemes. It’s a usual practice nowadays for people to embrace the key elements from each cultural area. They arrange it together in a blend that is truly and spectacularly Asian and truly unique at the same time.

Now before you begin chasing after silk draperies and Chinese jars, there are some teeny-weeny details you should think about first.

Will you swear to trim down all the excess clutter in your home? Are you willing to denounce your chaotic space for something relatively free of unnecessary “stuff”?

Are you into smooth furnishings? How about upholstery and windows minus all the fancy trimmings? Remember in Asian decor, there’s no room for plush Victorian-inspired bed covers – less is more every single time.

And another thing, brace yourself for an explosion of green, blue and beige along with several surprise streaks of glittering gold or blood red pieces. These are the popular colors that dominate Asian styles. Are you a Barbie-fanatic or a huge Barney fan? Then you might want to reconsider because Asian designs are not known for their affinity for pinks or purples.

So you think you can handle these major must-do’s? If so, then let’s begin capturing the essence of a warm and relaxing Asian-inspired retreat, beginning with these simple steps.

Firstly, do away with all the trappings and trendy furnishings that you already have. You need a space that is relatively spacious and simple. Be ready to give all your beloved lacy table-tops away. Next, provide a clear setting for your design by painting your walls in hues of beige or bamboo green. Instead of blinds, why not use bamboo to shade the room from too much sun? Hand-woven mats and Asian rugs can also take the place of your regular carpet too.

Once this is done, you can now begin incorporating other stuff to complete your Asian theme. However, you might find this a bit difficult too because there are different styles and cultural designs to choose from. You can go totally Chinese or pick something that has an Indonesian vibe to it. It depends entirely on your preference. Decide on a particular kind of Asian style that best reflects who you are.

Remember, guests should not walk into your home feeling as if they are in a section of the national museum. Make sure your personality echoes throughout your home design. Still confused? Don’t fret, it’s quite alright to combine themes from those styles you feel comfortable with.

When it comes to giving your bedroom the Asian treatment, here are some useful tips. Instead of a fancy headboard why not utilize a bed frame that is lower than your usual preference. It would also be nice to experiment a bit.

Discard your flower-printed bed cover and replace this with a simple quilt. Then throw in a couple of pillows with Asian designs to complete the look. A plain little bench in the corner of the room can also serve as a table top for studying or other purposes. You can also add some candles or fortune plants and bamboos to enhance the mood for meditation. To compliment this set-up, an Oriental painting or exquisite scrolls pinned up on the wall would pretty much do the trick.

With regard to your living room or dining space, there are a couple of suggestions I’d like to offer to make these rooms feel undoubtedly “Asian”. To start, why not discard your usual sofa set for something that has straight simple lines? An alternative dining setting would also involve having a low table with several plus-size cushions in place of your regular chairs. While you go about with your home make-over session, adapt several Feng Shui principles as well. To avoid ruining the Asian vibe, camouflage those electronic gadgets behind a nice piece of furniture that will double as an entertainment center in the living room. Have fun being Asian!

Simple and Elegant Decor: A Few Principles

Home beautification is often thought of as an expensive and bank-breaking process. Yet there are many options for you to give your home a simple but elegant touch: from simply moving your furniture around to highlighting your living room with affordable candle centerpieces, you can make your home beautiful without having to max out your credit line.

Plants A few potted plants placed strategically around a room will prove not only a beautiful and affordable means of decorating your home, but a source of vibrant and refreshing life as well.

It is this growing source of life that makes plants simple and elegant additions to a home’s decor. Just make sure not to put too much life in a room: a few potted plants will enhance a room’s beauty, but having too many around will prove to have a stuffy and crowded effect.

Furniture Your pre-existing furniture can also serve to add elegance to your home. You just need to shift them around for maximum effect.

If you are familiar with Chinese Feng-shui, then you should know the basic concept of ‘harmonizing’ a room’s decor. While steering clear from the mysticism of Feng-shui, the arrangement of furniture can help make or break a room’s beauty. If you notice a dresser or a cabinet distracting the view and blocking the way, you may want to consider moving it to someplace that can use its bulk to take up the space.

Wall Decor While Rembrandt paintings and wall-mounted sculptures are legitimate wall decor that can help fill up space and add beauty to your home, these options are often expensive; costing up to a few hundred or thousand dollars apiece.

However, there are less expensive options for you to spruce up your bare walls. A clock, diplomas, certificates and even shelves holding up a few knick-knacks are great ways to fill up space, while the curtains you choose for your home will add to the final effect. Just do not forget to choose wall decor that will complement with each other: a few African tribal masks would be a little out of place in a room that has a distinctly Oriental feel to it.

Centerpieces Prominent centerpieces are what will capture the attention of anyone visiting your home, as the surrounding furniture and themes will highlight these centerpieces. Most centerpieces are classy and expensive items; often with six-digit price tags.

However, an effective centerpiece does not need to be a Victorian work of art or some ancient Greek sculpture. Even simple candles and bonsai trees can do the job just fine. Just remember to select a centerpiece that can harmonize with the surrounding plants, furniture and wall decor, and you will have your guests wowing at the simple effectiveness that a bunch of candles has on your room.

The road to beautifying your home need be a costly one. Simple elegance can be found in the most humble of things: from candle centerpieces to a few potted plants in your home. All you need to do is just open your eyes to the possibilities.

Decorating a Bachelor pad

Most home design publications are directed at women, but there are many men who want to decorate their homes too. These men are not looking for pastel walls or shelves full of miniatures.

They want to avoid floral color schemes but they want something interesting and exciting to add character to their homes. Decorating a masculine bachelor pad can actually be a lot of fun when you get creative.

If you want the perfect makeover for your masculine room, begin with searching online and even in magazines for ideas you want to try. Don’t choose a home design magazine which wouldn’t be anything you’d choose, but search through magazines you already subscribe to.

It doesn’t need to be a story in the magazine, look in the background of ads. You never really look closely to those pictures but there are many great room designs behind them. Make sure to mark down designs that you like and others that you dislike to make your options easier to choose when decorating elements come into play.

Take a close look at the current room you are looking to re-design. Check to see if you have features in the room that you can play up with the new design or any architectural elements which make the room unique.

Also are your floors covered with carpet or are they natural wood or stone? Pick one area in the room which will be the focal point and you can accent it well.

Men work different in designing a room; they will start at the bottom and work to the top. Start with an area rug that has something that shows your personality.

Pick something that is comfortable and soft to walk on. Choose a color that you like. It should be solid colors that will make the room feel more masculine. Make sure if you have a pet you buy a rug that won’t show dirt as well.

Now chose a color for the room. What paint you get will a room from girly to a more masculine look quickly. Pick a darker color that is more masculine, no pinks needless to say. Try green or a darker blue or a nice bold red will add some passion to a room too. Don’t use a whole bunch of color schemes in your decorating, and try and stay away from wallpaper too.

If you add some lighter shaded curtains they will help to make the bold colors a bit softer. A nice masculine color or something that has stripes is a good choice. Make sure that the curtains go with your flooring or rug if you’ve added it to the room.

Now that you’ve accomplished an over all look, add some things to the wall. You can make the room even more masculine with some great decor. Add framed prints that add to a sophisticated look to your decor.

If you must put up a poster, frame it before you put it up. When picking the photos out you should get something that you are interested in, this way your personality will be shown through your decorating.

Incoming search terms:

• bachelor pad color schemes
• bachelor pad color scheme

African Safari Decor – 8 Ways To Turn A Room Into An African Jungle

Here’s a novel idea! For those who can’t make it to the wilds of Africa and experience a safari first hand, how about bringing the safari right to your home.

The popularity of African safari decor has been literally exploding in the past few years and has become a very popular form of decoration for children’s rooms. Parents are going online in droves looking for ideas to decorate their kid’s rooms but the truth is, you don’t need to spend a fortune doing it.

African Safari Decor Ideas

Yes, you could head to the nearest exotic shop and buy African safari decor but if you are on a budget, then this cost could become rather prohibitive.

Let’s take a look a few ideas to turn your son’s or daughter’s room into a safari setting. Remember, this can be an ongoing project so it doesn’t need to be done in a hurry.

– For the effect of vines, material such as braided twine is relatively inexpensive and by heading down to your nearest dollar store, you can pick up either green paper or garland and create a leafy look. Simply hang your vines from the ceiling.

– Also to create an effect of growing vines, wrap some of the twine along your curtain rods and around the outside of the door frame.

– For animal effect, head down to your nearest charity store and pick up toys which would match an African setting. Lions, monkeys giraffes – as long as they are native to Africa. There is no limit to the number of toys you could find. Yard sales are another great place to pick up old toys on the cheap.

– For greater effect, painting a mural on one or two of the walls with a jungle theme will add a real touch of the exotics to a room.

– Bamboo and palm plants are excellent for creating a more realistic jungle effect.

– Transform a layer of netting into a hummock and put it in a corner of the room.

– African ornaments such as drums, spears and shields may take a little finding at the right price but can only give the room more Africa-style flavor. This is true African safari decor and worth looking for.

– Cut out animal pictures from books and paste them around the room. Use animal covered wrapping paper to decorate further and use a safari hat and a pair of binoculars for further effect.

For a chance to Win African Art in our Afrik-Jungle Sweepstakes. Click here!

Incoming search terms:

• african safari decorating ideas
• african safari room decor

African Decor: Most Frequently Asked African Decor Questions

African decor continues to grow in popularity because of it’s timeless beauty and elegance. Many people still have doubts about how to choose quality pieces.

With so many copycat, fast buck merchants peddling fake, cheap and even phony African Decor (made in China), it’s important to have a buyer beware attitude when it comes to buying . Here’s the most frequently asked questions I received last month on African Decor.

– What does African Decor Include?

African decor includes a variety of a symbols from the continent. The more popular themes include statues, figurines, sculptures, beads, and masks. But the number of items is much too numerous to mention. But limiting African decor to a list of items is inaccurate. African decor not only includes individual items they include the colors, textures and tones of African. For example, the Mosaic array of colors of Morocco, the variety of sand tones of the Sahara or the hand carved wooden sculptures of Ghana.

– Why Gives African Style Decor It’s Longevity?

Unlike most manufactured decor, African handmade items have carved a long reputation for lasting beauty and elegance the world over. Because true African sculptures, artist and tradesmen look at trade as a Spiritual calling not just a job. We put our heart and soul into each piece until we are empty”, states one Ghana sculptor.

– What Materials are most African Theme Decor Made Of?

Most African theme decor comes from natural materials of the earth, this is what has made African decor eco-friendly long before the term became popular. They include materials such as bamboo and teak which are fast growing trees. Other materials used for African decor includes clay used in pottery, natural paints made from plants and of course colorful weaving materials and beads.

– How Can You Pick A Quality African Style Basket?

The best way to choose a quality African basket is to look at the loom. The best quality loom is the horizontal pedal loom. Any basket containing a horizontal loom will last longer because it requires more skill and time to make.

– What’s African Accessories Add Warmth To A Room?

The best way to add a feeling of warmth is to use rustic material. For example, materials like clay, stone, copper and other metals. Also a hand-carved wood piece can also help to add a touch of warm coziness to a cold impersonal space in your home of office.

Hopefully sharing these questions and answers with you helps give you a better understanding of the priceless treasure African decor offers. I encourage you to explore the adventure and excitement African decor can add to your life and environment.

The African Decor Influence: How African Decor Inspires Other Style Trends

African decor continues to fuel patterns, styles and designs of interior fashion throughout the world. Year after year the continent of African continues as one of the world’s largest resources of new home decor ideas.

The exotic design motifs has the benefit of complimenting almost any room atmosphere or environment. Multitudes of designers use it to create rooms of spice, excitement and pizzazz to a relaxing room filled with tranquility, peace and calm. The only limit to your mood? Your imagination.

You can confidently use it as the dominant theme for a room ,or as a bold accent piece to add excitement to a dull space. African home decor celebrates its appeal by adapting to large mansion-like rooms to a cramped single apartment. Whatever your bank account, there’s a unique accent piece just right for you.

For instance, In days gone by African art sat idly in stuffy museums throughout the world. Now more people find they can give a cultural lift to their home, office, or apartment – without adding a sense or feel of stuffiness.

The visual impact of Africa themed decor continues slowly impacting more home interiors each day. As a result, African home accessories continue growing toward more mainstream home designers and interior decorators. Many use the colors, textures, patterns and designs to create their own styles and moods.

You’ll often find the African inspired styles reflected in more contemporary design choices. More elements continue to expand and cross into other interior styles, cultures, and themes as a result. Whether it’s the fabrics, the materials, or the hand-made craftsmanship, African interior design tastefully mixes creativity with centuries of culture and history.

The quiet spiritual connection to the continent remains a popular theme of people who favor African decor more and more. “The style quietly grows on you “, said one converted shopper and collector. That’s the feeling of a growing number of people across the globe.

Most of the craftsmen and women who fashion African decor view their skills and talents one-way. They see it not just as a commercial endeavor or idle hobby of leisure, but as a spiritual endeavor and life’s mission or purpose. Because of this commitment they patiently work to fashion the wooden sculpture, the figurine, weave the colorful basket or any other piece to reflect their pride and mastery to the world.

The rich culture of Africa home accents comes from proud generations of people. These working people take the spirit of nature contained in the wood, clay, stone, metal and other natural materials. Next they give back by chiseling, crafting , and polishing beauty from the piece of wood, clay, stone, metal or other natural material they’ve taken.

It’s predicted more will grow to appreciate and use the exotic interior themes and elements to enhance a space or room in their home. More interior designers will continue to receive inspiration and adapt many of the patterns, designs and textures to the growing consumer demand of African decor.

Moroccan decorating ideas

When decorating your home Moroccan style, make sure to use bright natural colors. The colors like green and blue, found in the sea of the area, and the ones like gold and yellow, found in the surrounding desert, should be used as much as possible. You can combine other colors like vibrant red, orange or purple with blue or gold to create an effervescent ambience. Feel free to use of vibrant colors such as pink fuchsia, lavender, and orange while keeping the aesthetics in mind.

Bring Nature Home

For creating the tropical atmosphere seen in Morocco, you can make extensive use of plants. The more exotic the plants, the better look they will bring to your house like you were on holiday in Morocco. At the same time, they will also provide you with some greenery in the concrete-jungle world of today. If it is feasible, you can also get textured walls.

Moroccan Lighting

Lighting plays a very important role in adding that perfect Moroccan flavor look to your home decor. Moroccan light fixtures are totally different from those used in the other parts of the world. Moroccan light fixtures include Moroccan sconces, Moroccan chandeliers, Moroccan lanterns, Moroccan hanging pendants, and Moroccan lamps.

Extensive Use of Textures

Moroccans love extensive use of textures in their home. So, if you want to have a Moroccan style look, rule out too much use of smooth and sleek materials. In fact, the fusion of multiple textures and shapes will be best. You can have darkened wood plank floors, which can be covered with natural fiber rugs of sand-ish color. This will not only add texture to the room, but also provide you with some comfort under the feet. You can also try draping fabric from the ceiling.

Some Other Tips

Colorful mosaic tables not only give a Moroccan feel to your place, but also help to brighten up a dull room.
Use of handmade Moroccan tiles will go a long way in creating a Moroccan decor.

Use of Moroccan tent as a Moroccan lounge getaway in your own backyard.

Use of Moroccan wood lattice screens also known as Jali Screens in your windows doors, kitchen and bath cabinet doors, or even as a room divider wall

Last but not the least, you can buy silk bed covers or cushion covers, in jewel tones, to create that perfect Moroccan style look.

Painting Tile Floors – Cheap Interior Decorating

Paint for home decorating is not just limited to the walls. You can do so with your tile floors. This is a cheap alternative for replacing the tiles. Paint can make your floor look new and not much effort comes with this easy to do task.

If you have dark, dingy tiles, painting them is the inexpensive solution that will allow you to give your entire room a new look. After you have painted the tile floors, you can throw down an area rug or area rugs to even give it more color and pizzazz.

You should make sure that you either use an enamel paint to paint the tile floors or use a gloss overcoat to enable you to keep the floors clean and the paint on the tile.

There are basically two types of paint that you can use when you are painting tile floors. These are latex or enamel paints. Latex paints are less harmful when it comes to fumes and are water soluble.

Enamel paints contain more toxic fumes and need to be cleaned up with paint thinner or alcohol. Enamel paints will not be as quick to come up off of the floor as will latex paints and have a tendency to wear better.

Latex paints will come up with wear and need a gloss overcoat. If you use a gloss enamel paint, you can get the entire project done quicker.

Another method of painting is by using a spray paint. It is quick, effective and cheap. Just make certain that the room is not enclosed when spray painting. Have proper ventilation and let the floor dry before placing area rugs.

If your tile floor is in the kitchen or bathroom, you will want to be sure to choose area rugs that are heavy enough not to slip, but can easily be thrown in the washing machine. You can find some heavy rag rugs that fall into this category. You want to be sure that the rugs will not slip out from under you when you are walking on them.

Rug guards are sold so that they can secure the rug to the tile or floor underneath and are an excellent option when it comes to using area rugs in the home and preventing accidents.

Rugs for the bathroom should be easy to wash. Rubber supported rugs are ideal to resist slips from the wet floor. Many accidents occur in the bathroom because of slippery floor during or after showers. Don’t underestimate a simple fall. It can be very dangerous. You want to make sure your bathroom rugs are proper enough to avoid such mishaps.

Author: Jonas Marks

Incoming search terms:

• painting tile floors
• painting floor tiles before and after
• painting tile floor
• painting tile floors before and after
• paint tile floor
• how to paint tile floors
• painting floor tiles in bathroom
• painting a tile floor
• painted tile floors before and after
• paint tile floor before and after

Decorating for Pets: Adapt your Interior to Accommodate Pets

Pets are important parts of our lives, no matter what type of pet you own. Home owners and decorators alike are taking this into consideration and building and decorating homes around pets. With the following pet decorating tips you can make your home friendlier for your pets while keeping your style integrity and comfort in mind.

Choose the Right Fabrics

One of the most important decisions you can make when you have pets in the house is what type of fabrics you’ll be bringing into your home. Velvet works as a hair magnet and should be avoided at all costs, so should expensive materials like silk or chintz that are delicate and difficult to wash. You want something that is both stain resistant and doesn’t attract fur. Some pet friendly fabrics include crypton, leather and ultra suede. You should also keep your pet’s fur color in mind when selecting fabric colors. A solid white couch in a home with three black puppies is a bad idea.

Use Washable Bedding

You’re not the only one that thinks your bed is a cozy place for a nap, pets often head to the bedroom for a mid day snooze so you’ll either want to train your pets not to sleep on the bed or get washable bedding to eliminate fur build up and clean up accidents. You will also want to put a mattress pad down between your mattress and sheets in case there is an accident of sorts, you want to keep your mattress free of stains and odors.

Consider the Flooring

Shag carpeting with pets is a bad idea. In fact, if you can avoid carpeting altogether you’ll do a better job of keeping the floors clean and hair free. But if you do want to the comfort of carpeting, consider only using a low pile carpet with a single woven loop. This will protect it from nail snags and make it easier to clean.
Create a Pet-Friendly Entrance

If your pet goes outside then its ideal if you can have an entrance and exit for your pet that is designed to deal with the muddy paws and other dirt they bring in after exploring outside. Select flooring that is easy to wipe clean and have storage in the area where you can keep leashes, toys, and cleaning products for quick and easy access.

Look for Attractive Pet Accessories

It’s a multimillion dollar business that has been ignored in the past but savvy designers are finally getting in on the scene and creating pet accessories that are both fun for pets and attractive in your home. They may cost a bit more but combining functionality and appearance is worth it.

Keep it Clean

Keep your interiors looking their best by keeping them as clean as possible with frequent vacuuming, wiping down surfaces and furniture, and sweeping. Even the best decorated home looks a bit shabby when it’s covered in fur and smells of pets.

Author: Kristin Abraham