Home Style Tips » Interior Design

Good Home Style Smells Good

Holly — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:00:38 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Triad Retail Media for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love welcoming people into my home, it's usually welcoming and at least the public rooms stay clean enough. The big problem when you welcome people into your home is making sure it smells welcoming as well. You know how it is, your home smells like you live there, cooking smells, dirty laundry and pets all have an smell, but you can do something about it. With new Glade® Expressions™ fragrance mist you can get fresh fragrance easily. You don't have to worry about a lit candle, a pug in using your electricity up or cords and wires. The mist evolves over time so you smell it all day long

Fragrance Mist:
1. Long-lasting, true-to-life fragrance opens your home and invites life in.
2. Artfully designed and pretty enough to fit any décor, making it a convenient and stylish home-fragrancing option.
3. Squeeze-to-spray activation for easy and comfortable spraying.
4. Refillable with your favorite Glade® Expressions™ fragrance.

If you're really looking for something stylish for your home that will also make it smell amazing you may want to check out the new Glade® Expressions™ oil diffuser. This is a really cool and more stylish option then the fragrance mist. You are also able to use this diffuser in very open spaces as it covers a larger area.

Oil Diffuser:
1. Long-lasting, true-to-life fragrance opens your home and invites life in.
2. Fragrance lasts 30 days and doesn’t require electricity.
3. No-spill design fits with any décor in your home

Glade® also has a great fragrance satisfaction guarantee so if you don't like the fragrance within 30 days you can fill out the form and get your money back. Another great thing about these two Glade® products is that you can use any Glade® Expressions™ scent!

Available Fragrances:
Pineapple & Mangosteen
Cotton & Italian Mandarin (only available in Fragrance Mist form)
Fuji Apple & Cardamom
Spice Lavender & Juniper Berry

So, what are you waiting for? Check out this great coupon and head to Walmart to buy your Glade® Expressions™ product!

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It's Time to Start Your Garden

Holly — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:01:23 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

February is the perfect time to start planning your garden and if your looking for some great tips and ideas for your garden you may want to check out the internet for some advice. The only problem with that is there are so many places to choose from.

A site I have just found called DigDropDone.com this site has a ton of amazing bulbs for you to check out and learn about. The site even tells you where you can plant the bulbs and you can choose bulbs based on when you want them to flower.

Now, bulbs are not only for a garden. I live in an apartment and I use flowers and other plants, including bulbs, in my decorating. Plants not only add that touch, but adding plants to your home help cleans the air and plants have great mental health benefits too! If your not sure what bulbs to plant check out the Planting Guide

Not excited about bulbs? Check out “Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done.” – an educational effort designed to excite women about the surprisingly simple beauty of flower bulbs. Dig Drop Done is giving away a $5,000 yard makeover! Curbside Chaos is a site dedicated to this giveaway and

The lucky winner will not only receive a $5,000 yard makeover, but they will also receive a visit from Taniya Nayak (@TaniyaNayak on Twitter) – Taniya will go through and give you tips on the best way to update your yard! She will give you creative ideas for incorporating flower bulbs into your landscape.

For every share on Twitter, "Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done." will donate $1.00 to Rebuilding Together – the nation’s leading nonprofit, working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities.

visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more.

One thing I love about this site is that they have three women that you can learn from. I relate more to Juliana who is stylish and fun. Though I have a horticulture certificate so I'm not new to gardening! Still style is something I am very into, both for home and self. Flowers are always a great way to decorate your home and they also make great gifts!

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Get Rid of the Fear of Unexpected Visitors Once and For All

Holly — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:38:45 +0000

Is money so tight that you can barely make ends meet? Are you just surviving from hand to mouth literally? Have you let your house run down until it looks rather faded and rough around the edges? Do you prefer to meet people in hotels, cafes or restaurants? Do you feel somewhat nervous when people appear at your door step? Do people look surprised when they enter your home? Modern furniture has all the hallmarks of being trendy and long lasting without showing the wear and tear around the edges. This means that, when you decide to revamp your home, despite the challenging financial times, look for the following attributes;

· Fade-proof – Evergreen pieces of furniture can be found all around us. These furniture items do not fade easily irrespective of how many cleanings they undergo. They also look new and well kept in any surrounding whether domestic or commercial. Evergreen furniture is excellent for tight budgets where someone cannot keep changing their furniture every so often.

· Fashion-proof – unless someone has an unlimited budget, changing their furniture frequently is not a priority. Trendy furniture is both stylish and expensive and changes quite often. Sometimes it becomes impossible to keep up with all the new changes. Despite this, there are some timeless pieces of domestic and commercial furniture which can look elegant and fashionable in any setting.

· Age-proof – for those without the time, budget or energy to keep redecorating their homes, long lasting furniture is ideal for them. This furniture is sturdily built to last many years into the future and provide generations of children and grandchildren with excellent service and durability.

· Rigid-proof – good furniture is flexible for many needs around the home and commercial premises. For example many items of restaurant furniture can be used around the house with equal results as far as adding beauty and style to their surroundings. These adaptable pieces of furniture can also be effectively modified to suit their new settings quite easily.

· Damage-proof – for furniture to be really versatile, it should not easily be damaged. This is because; furniture is used to support all kinds of weights and activities from all members of the family. This means that, it must be resilient enough to withstand the rigors of use over long periods of time without showing lasting damage. This kind of furniture makes an excellent return on investment.

· Store –proof – furniture like domestic or restaurant chairs that can be stored easily are more preferable because they can be moved around much more easily than their more rigid counterparts. The pieces of furniture that can be stacked easily are easier to maintain because they can be used as and when they are required.

Betty James is an interior designer. She works with all clients to ensure that they get the domestic or commercial furniture of their dreams and budget. She ensures that any new changes are designed to create win-win outcomes.

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My Decorating Dilemma

Holly — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:16:09 +0000

Yes, even those of us that go to school for interior design have problems decorating our own homes. Yesterday I took down all of our holiday decorations and today I realized something, my apartment looks very empty.

As you can see I have a basic design to work with, but I think it needs something more.

I added this great olive swag I have above the artwork and I will be adding a shelve under the artwork to put candles and other things on, but the will with the mirror on it still has me stumped. I’m thinking maybe find some cute Valentines day garland or something. Even though I am not a Valentines day fan. My sister is so I’ll think of her while I decide I guess.

What do you think?

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Warm Up With Sheep Skin

Holly — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:56:39 +0000

I love a nice rug on a cold winter morning. Not only is it nice to step on a warm rug instead of a cold floor, but it also makes a room feel cozy and warmer too. If your like me your always looking for a new and interesting rug to have in your home. Have you ever thought about checking out sheepskin rugs? These are really very warm rugs that will allow you to keep your toes warm and add an amazing look to your home all at the same time.

Sheepskin products are great to have in your home because they are natural and they feel amazing. They are not extremely hard to take care of either. I love the many different styles you can get with a sheepskin rug. You can be more traditional and do one that is not a finished rug and have a rustic look. You could also get a rug like the one shown, that more modern and finished.

Did you know that you can also get sheepskin seat covers? Again I love this because sheepskin is so soft and feels so amazing. it would also keep your seat warm in the winter and cooler in the summer. So, check out some sheepskin products and see what how you like them.

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Living Room Design Ideas

Holly — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:36:52 +0000

It is usually the first room you see when you walk into your home, but many people don’t think about living room design. Most people put their furniture in front of the TV and that is all they worry about. They don’t worry about how people will use the room besides for watching TV and many people don’t think about how the flow of traffic will effect the ability to see the TV while watching it from your sofa or chair.

Great Living Room Layouts

These layouts have one thing in common, the furniture is not against the wall. It’s out in the room creating a more private setting and easier flow through the room.

This Layout shows that sometimes color is only needed in moderation.

This is a great example of when furniture on the wall does work. The focal point is the fireplace, not a TV.

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Design and Behavior

Holly — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:56:40 +0000

Sometimes when we look at a design all we see is a pretty picture that the designer created. In reality the designer intended more then just to make something look pretty, they wanted to enhance not only what you see, but how you act to. I’ve done some research into the effect of interior design on behavior and I was very surprised to find how much an interior design plan can influence how people act or what actions they take.

A great example is an airport. They want to keep you out of certain areas so security is designed to keep passengers in the correct area and others out of that area. Not only does the design achieve this goal, but how the airport is designed can change the way you move. If you are lost, you look up most of the time and are able to see signs, these are placed by a designer or someone who is trained to place these in a certain way.

In your home you do the same thing. My living room is designed so that you can move around easily. You can not walk right into my apartment and sit on the sofa, you have to walk around the sofa to a seating area. I did this to create an entry and keep people who are not watching TV out of the TV viewing area. In this way I am effecting the behavior of the people in my apartment. I have created areas that are specific to a use and they don’t interfere with other areas and uses. My dinning room for example does not interfere with the walkway to the kitchen or to other room, even though I have an open floor plan.

You notice this same idea in malls. When they want to you go up a level there is a ramp or stair. There may be choices for you to make, but you have to make that choice. Should you walk up and around to the store you want to go to, or should you walk though the common area of the mall.

Think about it the next time you visit a mall, hotel or other public area. How is it designed to influence what you do?

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Warm Up With a Warm Rug

Holly — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:22:04 +0000

I love using rugs to decorate my home. I have a few in my bathroom right now, but I’m looking for a nice warm rug to put in my living room and one in my dining room to hide my really bad beige carpet! I’ve been looking at red rugs because I love the look of them for my dinning room. I have an open floor plan in my apartment and I want to break up the space a bit to create areas. Red is an eye catching color and I think it would highlight my dinning area nicely.

I’m looking at either olive green or brown for my living room as those are the colors I have there. My love seat is an olive green while my recliner is brown so either color would work for a rug. I would really love to find one with both colors in it that I actually like. I’m still on a major hunt for that though!

Do you have rugs in your home? Do you think they help keep your home warm or do you just like them for the look they give?

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Make Your Kitchen Accessible

Holly — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:08:57 +0000

Not only do people who need an extra hand love an accessible kitchen, but people who don’t need the extra help love all the gadgets too. One of my favorite ones is the Lazy Susan, why it’s called that I don’t know but it’s really one of the best things made for a kitchen. It helps you use the space in your corner cabinets without having to add a bunch of bells and whistles.

Another thing I love to see in a kitchen is shelving that moves up and down so you can store heavy items on it without having to worry about how to get it down. The shelve will do all of the work for you. It will bring the item down and a simple push will take it back up. This is a great addition to anyone’s kitchen but a really great addition to a kitchen belonging to someone who is disabled.

The last thing an accessible kitchen needs is a sink that can be accessed by a wheelchair. I actually love the look of these sinks. If you want the extra storage you can use the space under the sink to store the garbage can or maybe place some nice baskets. Of course you would only want to do that if you don’t need to access the sink with a wheelchair yet.

Those are a couple of solutions for a great accessible kitchen. What ideas do you have?

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Turn Your Room in to a Relaxing Getaway

Holly — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:15:32 +0000

I love going into my bedroom. I have a queen size bed that looks amazing and candles all over. I have a scent warmer for every day use. No TV or other distractions. Just a nice space that allows me to relax and unwind with a good book.

One thing I really love about my bedroom is my queen size bed. The reason I love this bed so much is that I have 1000 thread count Egyptian Cotton Sheets that keep my bed feeling amazing every time I get into it. Egyptian cotton is very soft, smooth and with a higher thread count can feel almost like silk, but without the downside of silk.

Keeping your bedroom clean is another great way to make sure that you are relaxing and not stressed when you get ready for bed. Walking into a room that is cluttered can drain you in a way that could keep you up at night. Also keep that TV out of your room or at least set the timer on it so that your not having sleep interrupted by a TV. I know, your thinking “I can’t sleep without a TV!” but you can!

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