AfrikBoutik Blog

Using African Decor For Entryways

African decor can add spice and zing to any sleepy or boring entryway in your home. For example, an African framed or textured mirror on an entryway wall can add an element of space and openness. A mirror placed correctly on a sleepy entry wall can give any dreary space added life and sparkle. A skillfully placed mirror can perform multiple interior design duties. For example, an African styled mirror can add the illusion of space and depth to your entrance.

If placed across from a window, a mirror will help to reflect sunlight and make your entryways lighter and brighter. Nothing greets a guest to your home better than a bright and cheerful entrance. For your entryway consider an African patterned or Moroccan flavored rug or other floor covering. You’ll find rugs or other types of floor coverings with colored patterns work to hide dirt, scuffs and wear.

For that African feel, you can give your entry a warm, cozy feeling by using natural or organic floor coverings. Natural materials like wool, cotton, even sea grass and many other organic floor materials will give any floor the African interior look many people desire.

Greet Your Guest With A Touch of African Flair

African textures and designs for an entry provides an exciting and spicy first impression for visitors. African wall decor can help to great your guest without taking up valuable space. African wall accents is a quick way to add depth and uniformity most boring and fractured entryways lack. One of the first places someone walking into your home looks is on your walls, do they reflect the right mood to your guest?

African mosaic wall or floor decor, such as mosaic tiles can give a boost to your depressing entrance. The exotic and adventurous look of North African Moroccan tiles feel of a Moroccan palace.

Planning African interior designs and accents will help to add character and clarity to any listless entrance. With so many colors, textures, patterns and styles to choose from, you’re limited only by your creativity and vision. With so many choices available, you have the benefit of adapting an element of African decor to any interior design challenge you may face, whether it’s big or small.

African Accents Can Balance Other Design Choices

Most African decor blends well with any contemporary or traditional interior decor you may already have. You can use an African accent to enhance your other design choices. You can often use certain African design pieces to help balance the rest of your decor choices.

African home decor can do more to create the mood you want your entrance to convey. For example, your entryway can reflect a bold and exciting atmosphere, a warm and cozy mood or a combination of styles. The flexibility continues as a popular benefit of using African accents.

Yes, the entrance to your home reflects the mood and personality of it’s owner to visitors. What does your entryway say about you to your quest? By using African decor you have a variety of ways to express your mood, attitude or sense of adventure.

Author: Roy Primm

Valentine’s Day Decorating Ideas

Love decorates the mood every February 14 and the Valentine’s Day decorations speak the heart for you ! So all you have to do this Valentine’s Day is to make the ambiance irresistibly romantic and set the decorations warm, snug and love-ly.

Whether it be a Valentine’s Day party or just a cozy dinner date with your beloved, the Valentine’s Day decorations are not to be ignored. The decorations, of course, help you get into the feel of the day and set the ball rolling.

Valentine’s Day decorations can be done with flowers, ribbons, candies or just with paper and cloth. No matter which way you do it, the decorations for Valentine’s Day should just be perfect and help set the stage for a memorable celebration.

So if you need a little help on how to kick off the Valentine’s Day decorations, read on.

The first thing that should be kept in mind before laying your hands on Valentine’s Day decorations is that red or shades of red is the color to go for. So make sure you have lots of red, crimson or pink around. The flowers, curtains, bed-spreads, table-spreads, carpets, balloons, and even cutlery and other decorative pieces can be in red just because it’s Valentine’s Day. With so much of red around, all the blues are sure to disappear soon only to leave you with a rosy feeling of love, luck and joy ! Now for some romance and mystery fill water into big glass bowls and float a few heart shaped candles in them. You can also strew rose petals around the candles to couple up the warm glow of the candles with the sweet aroma of roses. These make wonderful Valentine’s Day decorations if placed on the centre table or next to the bed or better still on the dinner table.

Now if you are a little tight on budget, then this Valentine’s Day decoration idea is just the thing for you. Many flowers are damaged while shipping and florists often sell the petals at really low rates. So you can buy lots of these petals and leave them carelessly around the home maybe near the bath tub or at the doorway. Or you can just make a trail from the door to the bedroom for your valentine to walk on when he/ she returns home. Isn’t that good for a simple and affordable Valentine’s Day decoration?

At the Valentine’s Day party, arrange for red punch and pink lemonade. Food sure add to your Valentine’s Day decorations, don’t they ? So check out how the menu adds a facelift to the decor of the day have a few heart-shaped cookies, candies, pizzas, sandwiches and of course that big, heart shaped chocolate cake. Now decorate the dinner table with a red table cloth and have silver tableware placed on it to enhance the look. To take it a step forward, make sure you dump a lot of petals and heart-shaped red confetti around the plates, on the entire table.

You can also stick heart shaped little cutouts on the red table-cloth to give a personalized touch to your Valentine’s Day decoration. Any party decoration is incomplete without balloons, ribbons and streamers. Same holds true for Valentine’s Day decorations. So do get loads of those chic streamers, balloons and red ribbons on February 14. Try to get many heart shaped balloons and hang them from the ceiling. Interlace the balloons with streamers and have a totally dressed up room on Valentine’s Day !

And when talking about Valentine’s Day decorations, how can one leave out the flowers ? Yes, flowers make for the prettiest decorations on any occasion and so are a favorite with most people. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, roses should top the charts, but you can also deck up your room with other bright flowers with a perceptibly nice fragrance such as hydrangeas and hyacinths. Here come the candies now.

Candies are the most coveted items on the Valentine’s Day list for sure. And so include them in your Valentine’s Day decorations as well. Take long wine glasses and stuff them with assorted candies and place them on the centre table. Not only will it add a dash of color to the room, but it will also keep the theme of sensuality going. Now if you have a child at home, dress him/ her up as cupid. Ask your guests to come early, before the bed time of the child. Make the kid greet the guests with a miniature bow and arrow. Not only will this be the cutest piece of Valentine’s Day decoration, it’ll also make the child feel special and involved. Gift baskets make good centerpieces too. And at the end of the party, give out the gifts from the basket as party favors. Make the basket attractive by adding lots of Valentine’s Day goodies like candies, teddies, fruit cakes, etc. Cover it with ribbons and confetti and transform it into a beautiful Valentine’s Day decoration.

Deck up your house this February 14 and have a dreamy Valentine’s Day ! Let the decorations do the talking for you. Try out these Valentine’s Day decorations and romance up your house.

You can combine these decorations with your own decorations and wait for the accolades to flow in ! Just enjoy the beauty around and feel beautiful inside with your parship by your side.

Author: Sean Carter

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How to Properly Decorate a Small Bathroom

Few households have a spacious bathroom. In a house, the most common area that is usually put in the least of one’s worries is the bathroom. As long as the area is clean, people won’t really make an effort to do something about it.

However, you have the choice of turning your small bathroom into a pleasing and peaceful place of solitude. It is that one place in the house where you cannot be disturbed and where your business is specifically your business. It is only natural to turn that space into something you can spend a lot of time in.

First and foremost it should be comfortable. If the bathroom is small, decorating it usually is in the bottom part of your priorities. This is the normal way of thinking. What you should remember is that decorating is not about putting a bunch of stuff together. Decorating can also mean taking things out to make something more beautiful.

In the case of a small bathroom, you have to take out unnecessary things and learn what you should keep and what you should not. Compartments are your friends, as well as colors. Get rid of things that are taking way too much space. Let things hang and do not keep things on the floor.

Choose a light paint color for the walls. Dark colors make rooms look smaller than it actually is while light colors create a refreshing and wide appeal. Pick pastel colors for the bathroom walls and something neutral for the tiles.

Mirrors can create an illusion of space so be sure to put up a big mirror in the bathroom. It will reflect the colors and trick the eye into seeing the room bigger than it actually is.

Never underestimate lighting. Natural light works best on small spaces so make sure there’s plenty of it in your bathroom. Consider adding a good window or a skylight. For wall lights, wall sconces add warmth and security appeal to the bathroom.

On a final note, you can likewise utilize accessories in the bathroom by mixing in bright colors to match the neutral tones of the bathroom. Playing with colors add character and depth to the room. Caution should be practiced though since cluttering the bathroom with accessories will only make the bathroom look messy.

The trick to creating the illusion of a spacious bathroom is through the use of neutral colors and natural light. Getting rid of the clutter and adding just the right amount of accessories will make your bathroom spacious yet interesting.

Home Decorating on a Budget: 6 Fantastic Tips

If only decorating your home comes without a cost, you would probably have a new theme and design for your home many times every year. But just like most people, you shy away from home decorating and home improvement activities because you do not want to spend a lot of money on this. The truth is decorating your home does not need to hurt your pockets. In fact, there are many practical home decorating suggestions and ideas that can be worked out even with a small budget. Here is a list of six fantastic tips that will help you achieve just that. Tip 1: Form a plan

Planning is a crucial step in home decoration so that you will be able to accomplish it effectively and successfully. More importantly, this ensures that you do not end up wasting money or spending more than what you can afford. Before you start writing down your plans, visualize how you want your home to look. Decide on the theme and color style you want to adapt and from here, start planning the things that you will need for your home decoration project.

List the things you need and determine which ones you can make yourself or create from the things that you already have, and the ones that you really need to buy. Formulate a realistic budget allocation for your expenditures to avoid overspending.

Tip 2: Adapt a theme

Having a theme for your home does not only make the decorating project easier but if you choose a practical theme, you will be able to save a lot of money at the same time. For example, a tropical interior design theme can save you money because you can get some tropical decorative accessories for free if you go to the beach. This include seashells, corals, starfish, leaves, and driftwood. You can even use what you have collected to make tropical wall hangings.

Tip 3: Invest wisely

Just because you are on a budget does not mean that you have to get every cheap thing you can get your hands on. Sometimes spending more will save you in the long run. For example, if you want to repaint the walls in your home, it would make sense to buy a high quality paint that would last a long time rather than to go for cheap paints that are also cheap in quality.

Tip 4: Watch out for discount sales

Discount sales provide a good opportunity to get hold of home accessories at a low price so keep your eyes peeled for these events. You can also try checking out online stores because there are many excellent deals that will enable you to find nice and good quality products without having to spend much.

Tip 5: Shop around

If you want to find great deals on products you can use for your home decoration, you should not stop at the first shop that you see. Shop around widely so you will be able to compare products and prices, and find the best deals at the most affordable prices. Tip 6: DIY projects

You do not always have to buy everything. Some of the things you need you can make yourself. For example, create your own tropical wall hangings or wall sculpture art by framing a nice coastal photograph scene or by doing your own metal or clay sculpture.

If you have the patience, talent and imagination, you can make excellent decorating choices that will not only improve the overall style of your home but also be practical and realistic for the budget of your family.

Modernize Your Look With Italian Interior Decorating

Are you thinking about Italian interior decorating? Are you looking for a way to transform your living space? If so, remember what interior design is. It is an interpretation and it is one person’s view. You may think of a room as having a country feel while someone else sees it as a country theme. If you wish to look for a modern interior design theme throughout your location, you do want to consider the overall options you have.

Your Living Area

You will find that the flat screen television has really helped to transfer the modern look of a home into that of a home theater. It offers a sleek and contemporary feel to it. There is no fuss, there is nothing but clean lines. If you wish to finish off this look and keep it as modern as possible, place the television into the wall, securing it as provided by the manufacturer, or you can use an anchored pedestal entertainment center that is made of glass, wood and steel. You will want to continue this look throughout the room. Remove the comfortable overstuffed recliner and instead add in materials that add to this look such as metals, sleek looking wood and chrome. Look at angles and shapes within the room for that modern feel.

Colors In Design

No matter if you are going with an Italian interior decorating method or you are going for ultra modern, color plays a role. You will want to look for quality products and avoid patterns that do not work as they may be too busy for the space. Colors should be bold like reds and oranges. You also want to accent the pieces of color with blacks, dark browns and gray. Some patterns will work with a modern interior design, but you may want to stick with having a very clean line and you do not want anything too busy.

Also think about the texture of the room. You want textures to come through in the rugs you place on the floor, the curtains that you hang and other linens you place throughout the room. Each piece should contribute to the modern or Italian Interior decorating design.

You will want to continue the look through everything you add including adding glass tables, adding metals to frame artwork or even as the studs on chairs. These details will provide you with the best possible outcome.

Author: Adam Peters

Indoor and Outdoor home decorating ideas for relaxation

When people picture a relaxing garden environment, personal space or home, they usually think of adding some sort of water feature or following feng shui rules. However, if these are not possible for you, you may think of some real cool ideas or be more creative when it comes to decorating indoor and outdoor space of your home for ultimate relaxation.

Here are some ideas to decorate your home for relaxation:

Bean bags
These are great seating arrangement. These may not be a traditional idea but offer great comfort. These are affordable and also add up some fun. A bean bag is sized to fit one or two people as per the customer’s requirements. Bean bags work towards adding some casual style to your room. These are available either in foam or filler form. This promises enhanced relaxation.

Hammocks
Hammocks are durable and can be easily used both indoors and outdoors. You won’t believe but it is true that hammocks are better than bed to sleep in. The reason is that they are capable of distributing the person’s weight evenly and reducing pressure points on the body. A hammock will be a great idea to enjoy aroma therapy. It is a total relaxation solution.

Scented candles and incense
When it is about decoration and relaxation, how can we ignore beautiful scented candles and incense? These are available in a wide variety. You can also make use of elegant oil diffuser. These work really well to decorate the environment and soothe one’s senses.

Plaques
You can also go for decorative plaques as an integral part of your garden decor. Plaques can easily identify a specific space as yours. This also provides a welcoming touch to your space.

Gazing globes
These are amazing decorative pieces. Grazing bales would add a touch of magic to your environment.

Bird bath
This looks great. This adds a unique touch to your garden. You would love when birds fly into have water, when they are thirsty. Bird baths are available in various sizes, shapes and designs.

Relaxation music
In case, you want some music, go for a CD of relaxation music. You can easily meditate, go to sleep with a CD relaxation music. It will produce a soothing effect to your mind.

It is very easy to create a relaxing and soothing environment outdoors as well as indoors via following the tips mentioned in this article above. You may add your own niche touch of creativity in conjunction with following the tips mentioned above.

Happy decorating your home interiors and exteriors for relaxation!

Home decorating ideas to make a small space look longer

There are many people who live in smaller apartment as this is all they can afford. However, those people also want to decorate their home in different ways. Sometimes these home decoration ideas can also result into a lot of clutter and even make the room look better.

Here are some great ideas to make your smaller space look larger.

Clear out the clutter
There are many things that can make small space feel cluttered. Having too much stuff can make your room look smaller. Try creating certain ways to organize things behind doors, on shelves or table skirts. When you arrange certain things neatly, you would find your room looks much larger.

Opt for soft and lighter colors
Using dark colors can make your space feel cozy and intimate. Hence, you must focus on light and cool colors to make your room look open and airy. You can achieve best result via opting for soft tones of greens and blues.

Open the way
Most of the time, we tend to block the view into a room with heavy furniture and accessories. This makes a room looked like a mangled heap. You need to move the furniture out and far away from walk ways to open up the space and make it feel larger. You may also opt for short pieces of furniture such as an open chair, an ottoman, a low table, an armless or placing tall pieces along the wall to make your room look larger. The idea is to be able to see the floor. This will make the room look larger.

Monochromatic colors scheme
Experts always suggest using monochromatic color scheme. This means that you must opt for colors that are of the same family. Also try using tone-on-tone woven upholstery fabrics, delicate tonal drapery fabrics and textured wall finishes. Focus on using delicate warm colors on surfaces to provide an open look to your room.

Wall and furniture colors
You must avoid using contrast colors in your room as these tend to break up a space. The pieces of furniture should blend with the color of walls to give the room, a larger look.

Light up your space
You must let some light into the room. Try to keep your room well lit via allowing natural light in or using artificial lighting. Avoid using heavy draperies.

Plain Upholstery
Keeping the upholstery plain will do the trick. Strictly avoid using bold stripes, prints or plaids. Use neutral tones if possible. This will make your space look larger.

Home decoration tips to add a touch of class into your room

Designing the room in a certain way is a personal choice. However, the way one embellishes only room has become more of a status symbol. If your home is decorated in a stylish and modern way with latest equipments and trendy furniture, you would feel proud to show it to your friends and other guests.

Some people prefer decorating their rooms in a manner that is depicted in a fashion or interior decoration magazine. However, what one doesn’t understand is that something shown in a particular magazine may look interesting on the paper but would not look great when done practically. Some of these designs may also require you to spend a good amount of money so what to do? Confused?

There are some superb tips to add a touch of class to your room without having to spend a fortune.

Antique objects
It is a great idea to invest in antique objects to Jazz up your room. For instance, an antique wall clock is a unique piece of furniture that will add a good amount of character to any room. The best part is that antique wall clock seem to tell a story and this is what provides a beautiful edge to your room.

Furniture
Antique and classic furniture will make your room look great. If you are not in a mood to spend on the whole set of furniture purchase a set of antique chairs, centre table or a centre piece. You would be amazed to see the look your room has adorned at last.

Paintings
Ever thought of buying antique paintings? If not, just give it a thought. These are not always expensive. You would be surprised to see the variety and price range these are available with. Just one interesting painting on the main wall of your living room will do the trick.

Music appliance
You would never go wrong on this. Try purchasing a gramophone. Just placing this antique object in your home would let you enjoy a classic look in your room. Your guests will also appreciate it. Purchase one that fits in the space you can spare to fit it in.

Shop around
The best way to purchase some of the most interesting items to decorate your home is to shop around as much as you can. Try to look for items that would great when placed in your room. Also try to compare prices in order to get the best deal possible.

Follow all the tips mentioned above and you would be able to decorate your room with a touch of class added to it.

Modern rules for home decoration

If you have been thinking of decorating your home for a long time, read this article. With changing times, there have also been some changes in the trends of decorating home. There are some rules that you need to follow in order to decorate your home in a stylish way. Here are some steps to follow:

Step 1: Arrange the hardware
You must have an idea of the decorating hardware available in your home. You must take into account everything including bell pushes, door handles, decorative hinges, lever latches, clavos nails, door knockers etc. You must also include window door, garage and cabinet hardware.

Step 2: Allot places
Now locate different hardware to different places such as kitchen, bedroom, outdoors, bathroom etc. Try including a wish list column while planning for the decoration.

Step 3: Browse
Browsing through some of the beautiful web pages will give you an idea of the kind of look that will suit a specific area of your house.

Step 4: Reshuffling
You would not believe that sometimes, simple reshuffling of old decorative pieces in your house can do wonders to the whole environment. It may also prove to be beneficial to replace your kitchen hardware.

Step 5: Hues
Go for light cool colors to make your personal space feel more airy and open. This will also provide new life to your room. For best results, try opting for super soft tones of greens and blues.

Step 6: Mono chromatic color scheme
If you want your room to look bigger and brighter, opt for hues that belongs to the same family. Mix the colors with tone-on-tone woven upholstery fabrics, beautiful and soft tonal drapery fabrics and textured wall finishes. Remember that cool colors and beautiful warm colors on wall surfaces work towards providing open look to a room.

Step 7: Wall and furniture colors
It is not a good idea to use contrast colors in a room as these tend to break up a space. Try coordinating wall and furniture colors.

Step 8: Allow some light
You must focus on allowing some light into your house. If natural light is not possible, you may use artificial lighting.

Step 9: Love nature
Back to nature is the new style mantra. Try following the art of exquisite vintage interiors and give it a touch of glamour. You would simply love the end result.

Step 10: Nordic style
This is all about going for cool, comfy, soothing and fresh color palatte. The best thing to try would be soft shades of green belonging to the forest.

Decorating your house is all about using some tricks. Following the tips mentioned above will help you.

Choosing the best sofa fabrics for home decoration

Choosing sofa fabrics for decorating your home may be really confusing. There is a great variety available on the market, these days. The price range is also different. You would be easily confused on the kind of fabrics you need to choose with such a wide variety of fabrics and prices.

However, with a little research and patience on your part, you can easily choose the best for your home decoration without having to spend a fortune.

Here are certain questions that you must ask yourself prior to actually purchasing certain stuff.

– Is the fabric apt for my lifestyle?
– What kind of wear would my upholstery get?
– Would I be using this stuff in the family room?
– Will this stuff be O.K. with the small children and pets at my home?
– Is this stuff suitable for the living room that I would use only occasionally?
– Where will I be placing the upholstery?
– Would the fabric color fade with the sunlight?
– Can the fabric resist soil, abrasion and soil?
– How would the color of the upholstery look like with my room’s lighting?
– What care should I give to the fabric?

There are two main things that you need to keep in mind when opting for a particular fabric for decorating your home.

– Fibre content
– Weave of the fabric

Remember that the method of finishing and coloring can affect the durability of the fabric. With a little knowledge about the fabric construction and fiber construction methods, you can easily make choice that would meet the specific requirements of your family.

The fibers can be classified into three major categories. Each fiber has distinct characteristics.

– Cellulosic Fibers
These are obtained from plants such as rayon, cotton and linen.

– Protein fibers
These are of animal origin and include wool and silk.

– Manmade polymers
These are obtained from petrochemicals such as polyester, nylon, and olefin.
Some of the fibers can be used alone or blended with two or more than two material that would be apt for your sofa.

Here is an information on different fabrics available for sofa decoration:

– Cotton
It is a natural fiber that can be dyed and printed well. This fiber can be used in different applications. It is very strong and durable.

– Linen

This is sunlight resistant.

– Rayon
It can be used in blends

– Wool
It is a durable fiber.

– Silk
It is strong and very durable.

– Nylon
It can resist to abrasion, stretching and wrinkling.