Posted on 09 April 2011

Transforming Master Bedroom Into Retreat
Does it just seem like your life has become a little too—organized? What happens when the bedroom becomes just as sterile as the rest of your life and is no longer a retreat from the world and a place to just relax? Who says we can’t go a little crazy in our master bedroom and really deck it out the way we want and indulge ourselves? Hey, we work hard so there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to play hard—in our own homes!
Transforming the master bedroom into your own private retreat is not nearly as hard or complicated as you might think. Sometimes, the subtle changes can have the most profound effects which is why you want to start with the light fixtures. Simply indulging your fantasies and choosing elaborate and intricate Tiffany lamps and matching ceiling pendants can completely revolutionize a space. The softly diffused light coming through a Tiffany lampshade will help set a relaxing tone in the space and make every minute in the room a treasured moment.
Where feasible, a fireplace is another great addition in the bedroom. While you may not be able to install a chimney and a genuine wood-burning hearth, you can buy a fireplace powered by natural gas. Easier to install and maintain, a gas fireplace in the bedroom will still generate a romantic atmosphere and is sure to become the only place you want to be on those long, cold winter nights! Be sure to buy a beautiful fireplace screen (a stained glass screen is the best!) or perhaps a stunning candelabra to really help set the space off and generate the right atmosphere. Locate great ideas for fireplace accessories at http://www.fireplacescreensetc.com.
Finally, the linens are something that can really define the bed and we tend to be quite conservative when buying. Sometimes, you may just want to throw on a set of “naughty” bed linens for special occasions (like when the kids are away at “band camp”!). Or, maybe there is just some special afghan that may be uglier than homemade sin but is the most comfortable thing you have ever known. The point is that the master bedroom should be your retreat and a relaxing place to come home to—this is the one room where the imagination should be allowed the most freedom so don’t be afraid to indulge your fantasies!
How To Create An Exotic Moroccan Bedroom
Moroccan d้cor is quite popular in modern homes, due to its dramatic jewel toned colors, gorgeous exotic patterns and luxurious Moroccan fabrics. Making a bedroom into an exotic Moroccan bedroom is a decorating project that can be very exciting. From choosing the Moroccan furniture pieces you like to finding the Moroccan bedding and decorating accessories that fit your taste and set the mood of your room, the shopping experience will surely be a pleasant one with so many Moroccan home accessories to browse through and enjoy.
How to Start Your Decorating Project
Start by selecting your paint color. What color excites you for your Moroccan inspired bedroom? You have lots of color choices with this theme. Moroccan d้cor spans a wide range of colors – from cobalt blue to saffron yellow; from shocking pink to brilliant red and gorgeous greens. Any of these colors would work nicely in this African d้cor. Offset with some earthy tones, like sand and cinnamon and your bedroom will definitely take on the decorative appeal of Morocco.
Use Moroccan Home Accessories To Complete The Look
You can add wonderful touches of Moroccan design to your bedroom with mood lighting using Moroccan candle lanterns or lamps. Use authentic lanterns imported from Morocco if your budget allows or you can achieve the same look and feel with beautiful Moroccan-inspired candle lanterns at a substantial savings.
There are many Moroccan lanterns and lamp designs to choose from. You can start adding that exotic touch by purchasing just a few Moroccan candle lighting fixtures. Hang your Moroccan lighting or place them on side tables or drawer tops.
Many Moroccan lanterns and lamps use candles as their light source, but they can also be electrical. The choice is yours. The advantage of using candles as the light source is that the movement of candle light enhances the romantic mood created by Moroccan candle lanterns. The flickering flame causes the shadow effects made from the intricate pattern cut in the metal of the lanterns to dance about on ceilings.
Heighten the mood in your romantic Moroccan themed bedroom by using scented candles in your exotic candle lanterns.
When it comes to Moroccan bedding, most designers suggest that you stick with spice colors. Your bedding can either match or offset the color scheme of your paint.
Add lots of pillows or cushions on the bed and on the floor. Use pillows with colors and patterns of Morocco. Moroccan fabrics or even some embroidered silk will help you achieve your unique exotic look.
Rugs are another great accessory for your Moroccan bedroom. Use decorative area rugs or authentic Moroccan rugs to soften the floor and enhance the authentic look and feel of your bedroom.
Use canopies or mosquito netting above your bed to give your bed exotic style.
Moroccan furniture, including Moroccan tables, chairs, wardrobes, headboards and chests, can be heavy wooden or wrought iron pieces. Ornate markings on the heavy wood are common. Metal pieces lean toward being “chunky”. If you want authentic Moroccan furnishings, you should look for Moroccan Imports such as intricately carved screens and carved furniture pieces with mother of pearl or brass details or intricate carvings and brilliant colors.
If you are having a hard time finding decorating ideas for your new exotic Moroccan bedroom, there are many Moroccan decor decorating books to choose from. You can purchase these books to find Moroccan decor ideas you would like to use.
If you are just getting married or buying a home and you like the Moroccan style, you can always put the Moroccan Imports you like on your wish list.
Any look can be achieved for less if you use your imagination. If you’re on a budget, buy accessories and furniture that give you the feeling of Morocco for a fraction of the cost.
Visit African-Images.Com to locate product resources.
Posted on 23 February 2011

A crown canopy makes a dramatic statement in a room. Long fabric panels fall from under a valanced top section, making a sweep of color and style that is unforgettable.
A canopy bed may sound exotic and out of reach. But really, a canopy bed can be made with a simple swag of fabric or by constructing an elaborate draped treatment. This article about canopy beds will give you lots of ideas and pictures of simple and not-so-simple styles of canopy beds that will help to add romance to your bedroom.
The easiest way to create a simple canopy for your bed is to hang a piece of fabric over the top frame rails of a structured canopy bed. But if your bed doesn’t have a canopy frame, there are other ways to get the look of a canopy and to surround your bed in softness and color. You can achieve a very attractive canopy bed look by installing curtain rods to the ceiling, placing one over each end of the bed.
Using either tab-top, tie-top, pinch-pleated or gathered panels, attach the fabric to each curtain rod and let it drape softly to the floor. You can also attach a short rod to the ceiling, perpendicular to the head of the bed on each side. Hang the panels to the floor and tie back with a drapery tieback.
There’s really not anything that can make a bedroom feel romantic the way a canopy bed can. Our article shows many styles of canopies and bed hangings that can turn a ho-hum bedroom into something really spectacular.
A dramatic crown canopy, also called a coronet, looks elegant in any bedroom. Attach panels of fabric around the outer edge of a half-circle of 3/4″ plywood. This half-circle can be attached directly to the ceiling or floated just off the ceiling with L-brackets attached to the wall.
But if your bed doesn’t have a canopy frame, there are other ways to get the look of a canopy and to surround your bed in softness and color.
You can achieve a very attractive canopy bed look by installing curtain rods to the ceiling, placing one over each end of the bed. Using either tab-top, tie-top, pinch-pleated or gathered panels, attach the fabric to each curtain rod and let it drape softly to the floor. You can also attach a short rod to the ceiling, perpendicular to the head of the bed on each side. Hang the panels to the floor and tie back with a drapery tieback.
A dramatic crown canopy, also called a coronet, looks elegant in any bedroom. Attach panels of fabric around the outer edge of a half-circle of 3/4″ plywood. This half-circle can be attached directly to the ceiling or floated just off the ceiling with L-brackets attached to the wall.
You can add a romantic look to a plain-Jane bed by draping long fabric panels through a wooden or metal ring attached to the ceiling above the center of the head of the bed.
Draw the fabric panel through the ring, pulling it down to the floor on either side of the bed. Spread the panels out to display more fabric and frame the bed or drape the panels around the bed posts at the head of the bed.
Another simple treatment is to install a ring on the ceiling at both sides of the head of the bed and draw the long fabric panel through both rings. Swag the area between the two rings at the ceiling to form a lush top frame for your bed.
The panels should extend to the floor on both sides of the bed. If you install 4 rings, one at each corner of the bed, try drawing a long panel of fabric through each one. Be sure one end of the panel at each ring goes all the way to the floor. With four panels of luxurious fabric draped above and down the sides of your bed, the look is very elegant.
You can really use any type of fabric you want to create a beautiful canopy bed. Traditional fabrics for canopies are chintz, silk, velvet,or tapestry. But you can achieve a fun look for a country setting with muslin or gingham or charming calico. You can also use sheets that coordinate with your bedding to construct the long panels for a uniform look.
For ease of use and simplicity of style, bed hangings are generally cut to touch the floor when hung. If you prefer a luxurious look, cut the panels 4″ longer and “puddle” the fabric on the floor at the edge of the bed. Be sure to lift the panel when you need to vacuum the floor.
For a truly professional look, more body, and longer wear, add lining to the panel of fabric or use a coordinating print or solid for the back of the panel. After all, the inside and outside of the panel will both show when you swag it. Add borders, fringe, ribbon trim, and cording. Coordinate trims with tiebacks, adding color, texture, and body. Remember that a tieback will pull the fabric off the floor, so cut the panels slightly longer.
Go on to see more views of beautiful canopy beds and swag treatments. You’re sure to see a style that will give a wonderful romantic look to your personal sanctuary.
Find a style of canopy bed that will fit your decorating style and budget and create a really romantic bedroom just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Posted on 10 December 2010

Bunk beds are one of the best ways to make best use of childrens bedroom space. Kids love bunk beds, they’re so much fun, and parents love them because it allows them to house 2 kids in one bedroom, and the kids are happy.
But although bunk beds are some of the best things you can do for a childrens bedroom, there are some bunk bed safety issues. You need to be aware that, if used improperly, or set up improperly, kids can hurt themselves. Do it right and you should have years of safe fun for your kids who will love their bunk beds, both for sleeping and playing.
Bunks are a great choice when looking for great childrens bedroom furniture. Kids adore bunk beds, they can have so much fun. Hang a sheet from the top bunk and you’ve got so many options for fun for kids.
And for parents buying bunk beds there are some huge advantages, they give you multiple options for best use of space in kids bedrooms. Bunks take up far less space than 2 single beds, and kids are much happier if you put 2 in a bedroom using bunks than if you put 2 kids in a bedroom with less room because of the 2 beds and they sleep in single beds.
Here’s a few things to remember about bunk beds.
1. Make sure that the top bunk has a railing right around the top. Ideally it should have a railing around the entire top of the bunk, however it is essential to at the least have a railing around the open sides. If there are to be 3 open sides then you need a railing around 3.
The railing should be fixed and not removeable. It’s possible if a railing can be removed that kids can remove it, and if they do then they can fall off. It should be solid and fixed.
There should be no gap wider than about 3 inches between the top of the mattress and the bottom of the railing, because it has been known for kids to fall through the gap between the bottom of the railing and the mattress. So make sure there is very little gap.
And the top of the railing should be reasonably high, I would prefer 10 inches at least, above the top of the mattress. A railing that’s 2 or 3 inches high isn’t good enough. You can get double railings which are great.
Make sure the mattress is the right size for the bed, mattresses come in different sizes and should fit the bed correctly so that there are no gaps for kids to fall through.
Don’t get a bed with a corner post (or anything else) that sticks up on it’s own. It’s possible for kids to catch clothing on anything that sticks up and fall off, hanging from the post.
Don’t get a bunk bed with loose slats for the mattress to sit on for the top bunk. It’s perfectly possible for some bunk beds that can be taken apart easily and put together easily to have loose slats that are put in place for the mattress to rest on. However if there is a child underneath who pushes on the slats and moves them then the mattress, and all the bedding above, can fall onto the child below.
And even better, get online and search a little bit more about bunk bed safety, and learn more before you buy, and you, and your kids will absolutely love their bunks to sleep in.
Posted in Kids
Posted on 22 September 2010

Bedroom is one of the most desired rooms for retirement. A quiet respite, the space should instantly help you relax and feel at home the moment you enter the room. Bedroom furniture can help you in organizing a space and also fulfilling the needs of a soulful night rest away from the hustle of work and everyday life. Getting a good night sleep is one of the prime concerns when working out a color or furniture scheme for bedrooms.
You get bedroom sets with closets, cabinets and armoires that allow you to stack up extra items. These storage units offer you that extra space to put clothes and other articles conveniently in drawers and shelves. There are armoires that can be used as entertainment centers, and many other viable options. You get dresser and nightstands along with beds as suites where each unit aptly compliments the other. There are bookcases and shelving systems as well to help you stow away the extra stuff lying around. But overall, it helps to work out a theme in-line with your comfort level. Blues, greens and pastels are considered retiring colors, and you could match it all up to harmonize a space with décor articles like paintings, furniture, fabric, accessories and curtains. Work out on relaxing themes and jell it with your personal taste.
Apart from organizing a space, bedroom furniture can be fashioned in the most appealing manner to allow a collage of art and function. You get beds in different materials—leather, wood, wrought iron and a combination that allows you to invest in comfort within your budget. A storage bed, for instance, is great for storing extra linen, sheets and pillows. A leather bed bestows a room with a suave modern looks that is all great; but you must match it up with some great modern furniture pieces or even think out of the box and create an interesting fusion of old and new to infuse your bedroom with a great harmonizing balance and energy.
You get modern beds in different styles. On basics of modern interior design, the trend follows easy lines, open spaces and muted, textured colors and shades. Tones towards the bolder versions are here, but there are beiges and browns too for a serene ambience. You can add depth to any color, and add pieces and accessories in complimenting shades and tones to further accentuate the overall décor. Hang paintings in complimenting frame colors and retiring tones, wall papers are great too, and textured designs can help you personalize a space to suit your taste. Planning helps in fashioning bedroom furniture that compliments the overalls in the most harmonizing way. Measure the space and evaluate your storage needs on a practical level. Also, it is important to have some space around for you to move about in the room.
There are different kinds of beds available, some of the most popular ones being listed here,
Types of beds
Trundle Bed : Trundle bed is normally a pair of beds. One of the beds is slightly smaller than a twin bed, which is on rollers or casters so that it may be put under the upper twin bed for storage. Designed to be used for extra guests when needed, trundle beds allow you to use the extra bed/s separately without occupying extra space.
Sleigh Beds : A classic sleigh bed looks modern and comes with headboards and footboards. Sleigh beds can be opted for along with a set of side drawers for more storage space.
Platform bed : Bedroom platform beds come without springs. The bed is actually designed to be elevated on the legs or the support frame. Great for comfort and has a clean, neat and simple appeal, good for avoiding stuffy looks.
Sofa beds : Sofa bed is a versatile piece of furniture. It can be used in the day time as a chic sofa and converted into a bed with the help of easy click-clack mechanism. These days you get sofa beds in the most fashionable designs to suit the urbane lifestyle. A great combination of function and style, it is a great solution for smaller spaces too.
Child Bed/ Bunk Bed : Child bed is designed at a level lying very low to the ground, so that the child can climb up and down safely. Look out for safety features—rounded edges and other available features that make the beds safe. Bunk beds are twin beds fashioned to accommodate two kids. Arranged one on top of the other, the upper bed can be accessed with the help of a ladder. There are many different designs and styles available that allow room for storage and study. Designer kid’s bunk bed suites are great for scheming up a room in different color schemes and styles.
Posted in Kids