Install A Selfrimming Bathroom Sink Into An Old Countertop

Self-rimming sinks are easy to install.

Self-rimming bathroom sinks are among the most common sink designs. They are available in a variety of materials, including cast iron, porcelain and stainless steel. Self-rimming bathroom sinks are easy to install in existing countertops. The sink rests directly on the countertop, with a number of sink fasteners used to hold the sink in place.

Instructions

1. Trace a cut-line onto the countertop with a pencil. Most sink manufactures provide a template to mark the cut-line. Position the template on the countertop and trace a line around the edge of the template with a pencil. If no template is available, rest the sink upside down onto the countertop and trace a line around the edge of the sink. Lift the sink away from the countertop, then trace a second line approximately 3/4-inch inside the first traced line.

2. Drill a 3/8-inch pilot hole just inside the line you've drawn on the countertop. The purpose of the pilot hole is to provide an access point for the saw blade to enter to start the cut.

3. Cut along the traced line with a reciprocating saber saw. If a template of the sink was not available, use the saber saw to cut along the inner line.

4. Insert the sink into the opening of the countertop to make sure the sink fits into the cut space. Ensure that the entire lip of the sink rests flat against the countertop. Trim the countertop in small increments with the saber saw if necessary.

5. Attach the sink's rim fasteners to the bottom of the sink. Self-rimming sinks utilize a number of fasteners to secure the sink to the countertop from underneath the sink. Note that each sink fastener has a single bolt with a slot in the bolt's head. The design of the bolt allows it to be tightened with either a nut driver or a flathead screwdriver. The bolt on each fastener is used to press against the bottom of the sink, so position each fastener with the bolt facing the sink. The hooked portion of the fastener clips onto channels which surround the lip of the sink. Hook the fasteners to the channels and use either a nut driver or a screwdriver to tighten the bolt on each fastener to complete the installation.

Tags: each fastener, around edge, bathroom sinks, bolt each, bolt each fastener, bottom sink

Duct A Bathroom Vent Fan

Bathroom exhaust fans move warm, humid air from the bathroom to outside a building via a duct. As this warm, humid air leaves, it allows cooler, drier air into the bathroom from other areas of the building. Without proper bathroom ventilation, the warm, humid air causes condensation on the interior surfaces of the bathroom. The condensation leads to mold and mildew buildup and possible rotting of wood surfaces. Select a spot on the outside of the building for the flexible duct to exit. The location should be between two studs and no more than 6 feet from the exhaust fan.

Instructions

1. Cut a hole in the side of the building using a 4-inch hole saw. You may need an extension ladder to safely reach the location.

2. Fasten the stub that comes with the hood to the hood with foil duct tape and slide the duct stub on the vent hood through the hole from the outside of the building.

3. Cut a foam gasket to fill any spaces between the wall cap and the siding.

4. Apply a bead of silicone caulk to the siding and gasket and push the vent hood tight to the siding.

5. Screw the vent hood to the siding with 1 1/2-inch stainless screws.

6. Measure the distance between the fan and the vent hood stub and cut a piece of aluminum flex ducting with your aviation snips at that measurement.

7. Attach the aluminum flex ducting to the stub of the vent hood and to the exhaust fan with foil duct tape. Your exhaust fan should now be properly vented to the outside.

Tags: vent hood, outside building, warm humid, aluminum flex, aluminum flex ducting

Eliminate Urine Odor On A Hardwood Bathroom Floor

Remove urine odor from your hardwood bathroom floor with a vinegar cleaner.

When you have a hardwood floor in the bathroom, urine can often come into contact with the floor and leave behind a strong smell. The smell can quickly take over the entire bathroom area and make the room seem unclean and uninviting. To get rid of the urine odor, use something that deodorizes and actually breaks up the enzymes in the urine. Do this with an inexpensive cleaner made from household items.

Instructions

1. Mix 1 gallon water and 1 cup white vinegar in a large cleaning bucket. Agitate the bucket to mix the two ingredients.

2. Dip the cleaning mop into the bucket and wring the mop back out. The vinegar naturally breaks up those urine enzymes plus disinfects and deodorizes the area.

3. Let the bathroom floor air dry and let the vinegar odor dissipate. Examine to see if any more urine odor is present and if so, repeat the cleaning process.

4. Let the floor air dry and use this as your all-purpose bathroom floor cleaner to keep the hardwood odor-free.

Tags: bathroom floor, urine odor

Information On Old Bassett Dining Room Sets

Bassett supplied lumber for building the U.S. rail system before manufacturing furniture.

Foreign imports come and go, but domestic companies with deep roots remain central to America's commercial history. Among entrepreneurs creating that legacy is the Bassett family, owners of a Virginia sawmill in the 1800s. The family supplied lumber for crews building the nation's rail system, extending their sales territory beyond their headquarters in the Blue Ridge Mountains. While on the road, founder John David Bassett had an epiphany: the future, he decided, belonged to furniture rather than lumber, so he came home to launch Bassett Furniture with his brothers in 1902, selling beds for $1.50 and dressers for $4.75.

First Came Bedroom Sets

Bassett established its reputation for quality furniture by producing bedroom sets made from the natural abundance of oak growing in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Labor was cheap since Appalachia was home to impoverished people. The brothers took advantage of both the raw material and manpower to build an empire. Bassett didn't start making dining room furniture until it was 20 years old. That's when the family chose to introduce their first dining room collection in one of that era's most popular patterns, the Art Deco Waterfall design.

New Name; Same Quality

Adding to the collection of Waterfall-inspired dining room pieces, the Bassett family quickly made their first million dollars, but success had come at a price: the enterprise had become so huge, there were now three separate Bassett companies. When the stock market crashed in 1929, Bassett couldn't afford this much diversity, so the company was renamed Bassett Furniture Industries in 1930 to consolidate holdings so they could survive the Depression. Most people weren't buying dining room furniture -- or any furniture -- at this point.

Dining Room Design Expansions

Until World War II ended, Bassett and other furniture companies did their best to stay in business by all means possible. Near the end of the Depression, the company brought a carload of Virginia hams to their headquarters for employees whose wages had been drastically cut. After the war, the nation was eager to buy new homes and furnish them, so Bassett began churning out beautiful dining room sets in myriad styles to meet the demand. Included in the new library were Danish Modern, Early American and updated Waterfall furnishings handcrafted of oak and other domestic woods.

Bassett Danish-Modern Styles

When Danish Modern, with its sleek lines and no-nonsense silhouettes, became a 1950s trend, Bassett began to make buffets, china hutches, tables, chairs and breakfronts relatively devoid of any accents. Squared-off edges, graceful drawer knobs and pulls, unadorned legs and straight chair backs followed Scandinavian design principles and appealed to Americans eager to move into the future.

Rediscovering The Past

In addition to making postmodern Danish dining room furnishings, Bassett was in a financial position to expand its design library in the 1960s when a more nostalgic segment of society that didn't care for Danish Modern clamored for earlier styles. To compete with other furniture makers, Bassett introduced French Provincial and Early American galleries to satisfy consumer wishes for scallops, railings, curved tables and antique chair backs atop upholstered seats covered with floral and check textiles. Bassett called its vintage-inspired furnishings the Americana Chimney Corners Collection, debuting it in the early 60s. The design remained a popular and best-selling dining room furniture style for the company well into the 1970s.

Tags: dining room, Danish Modern, dining room furniture, room furniture, Bassett began, Bassett family, Bassett Furniture

Hang Bedroom Lights

The ceiling lights in your bedroom are there for a specific purpose, obviously: to provide light. But they are also a decorative element, affecting the look of the whole room. If you're remodeling or redecorating your room, the new lighting you choose should be an important part of that project. Replacing old lights with new ones is surprisingly easy, as long as the new ones are at least as wide at the base as the old ones (so you don't have to touch up the ceiling paint around the perimeter of the new fixture).

Instructions

1. Shut off the electricity to the existing fixture at the circuit box.

2. Take out the screws holding up the existing fixture. Pull it away and disconnect the wires behind it. There will be a white wire, a black wire and a bare copper grounding in the electrical box.

3. Install the mounting plate that came with the new light, using the provided screws to attach it to the electrical box.

4. Wrap the end of the ground wire around the green ground screw on the mounting plate. Tighten the screw.

5. Connect the black and white wires from the new fixture to the black and white wires on the the electrical box (black to black and white to white). Make the connection by setting the two exposed wire ends next to each other and twisting a wire cap over them.

6. Raise the fixture to the mounting plate, while tucking the wires up into the electrical box. Line up the screw holes between the light and the plate. Set the provided screws in place to secure the light.

7. Turn on the power.

Tags: black white, mounting plate, black white wires, existing fixture, provided screws, white wires

Paint A Tween Girl'S Bedroom

Paint a Tween Girl's Bedroom

Tweens are hovering at the age between childhood and teen. Room designs for tweens should look forward while holding on to a little bit of childhood. Since paint colors are easier to change than complete design makeovers, painting a girl's room can reflect her age and personality as she grows. Tweens are learning independence and self-expression so make sure you consult with yours before you make changes. Be open to her color interests and ideas. Incorporate some or all of these paint choices in her room.

Instructions

1. Paint a mural on one wall, or paint a mural that goes around the room from floor to chair-rail level. Make this a joint project. Sketch the mural out with pencil before you begin, and put a dab of paint in each feature of the mural, so helpers know what colors to use.

2. Use green or black chalkboard paint on one wall. Hang a basket or build a shelf next to it for chalks, erasers and chalkboard cleaner.

3. Create an accent wall by painting it a vivid color with shiny enamel paint. Use muted colors on the other walls, so the bright color doesn't make the room look small.

4. Tell your tween it's okay for her and her friends to write and draw on one of the walls. Paint it matte white and provide her with colored markers. This is an idea that carries well into the teen years and also is easy to change by repainting

5. Check your tween's favorite clothes and accessories to see if there are themes like diagonals, polka dots, plaids or flowers. Pattern the wall paint after these themes.

Tags: Girl Bedroom, Paint Tween, Paint Tween Girl, Tween Girl, Tween Girl Bedroom, wall paint, your tween

How Warm Up The Light In My Dining Room

How Can I Warm Up the Light in My Dining Room?

Dining-room light is integral to enjoying food and is a key component in interacting with guests. No one wants to dine in a room where they can't see their food, and, in contrast, harsh or fluorescent-type light makes things, and people, look unappetizing. The goal would be to provide soft directional lighting and also to control ambient light --- available light that comes from all directions --- in order to create a soft, warm effect.

Instructions

A Variety of Light Choices for Your Consideration

1. Assess the lighting situation. Take a photo of the light you currently have or draw a sketch of where the light emanates from --- indicate both artificial light and natural light.

2. Determine what the problem is with your dining room light. For example, "...early dinner parties between 5 and 6 p.m. receive too much light from the windows." This problem would be solved by diffusing the light using sheer window shades, which would bring in a softer light.

3. Install a dimmer switch. Perhaps the light you have is already sufficient but too harsh. A trip to a home improvement store for a dimmer switch and some directions may be all that you need.

4. Place a chandelier over the table. If you have an extremely long dining table you could place two chandeliers over a table and use lower wattage bulbs. Twinkling crystal chandeliers will create light patterns and shine when lit; chandeliers with bowls or globe lighting will be a softer, directed light source.

5. Use sconces. There is a lot of impact as well as a kind of task lighting when sconces are placed flanking a buffet table. Depending on the type and wattage of the bulb, you can play with the light display.

6. Think about a freestanding uplight fixture. A tall lamp that is put into a corner with a light bowl facing upward is basically what an uplight is all about. They are generally highly decorative (see photo), but bounce light off the ceiling for a soft, diffused effect.

7. Choose a lantern for light that can be moved around the room as needed. Lanterns can be glass-sided or paper lanterns similar to Chinese lanterns. The Chinese-type lanterns create more of a glow as the light is cut by the frosted paper shade.

8. Hang picture lights over oil paintings or modern art. They are meant to highlight just the art and the wattage is controlled and very low so as not to damage the piece but the effect is very soft.

9. Directional or task lighting targets the light over a specific area and, in a dining room, that may be a bar area, a buffet, or even inside niches where art or flowers are displayed. Directional light can be cans --- recessed lights --- or even track lights or pendant lights. The light shines on a particular object.

10. Pick candles and candle holders for the softest, most romantic light yet. Think about placing individual candles on each plate (see photo), or group them in threes with the centerpiece. Another very beautiful display for light is to purchase floating candles and place them on top of a water-filled crystal bowl where flowers are also floating.

Tags: dimmer switch, Light Dining, Light Dining Room, light that, over table, task lighting

Design Your Bathroom Online

If you are having trouble visualizing a new bathroom design, there is an easy way to test drive your ideas before making any commitments. The Internet offers a variety of different two- and three-dimensional bathroom design planners that require a little effort and a lot of creativity. Following are some tips on using one of these online planners.

Different Planners

There are many different online bathroom planners you can choose from if you want to create a makeshift blueprint for your design. You can find these bathroom designers at the Kohler, Armitage Shanks, Big In Bathrooms and the Bathroom Furniture Guide websites. For this walkthrough, the William Wilson Big in Bathrooms site will be used.

Depending on which planner you use, you may have to download the latest version of Adobe Flash or Macromedia Shockwave. Some older operating systems may not be able to support these plugins; when you try downloading either plugin, you may get an error message if you are using an old operating system. You may need to shut down your Internet browser to download Flash or Shockwave, so make sure you bookmark your page before closing.

Floor Plan

After you have downloaded all of your plugins, you will be directed to an interactive online bathroom planner. At the William Wilson website, you will see what appears to be a small grid on the left (which is your 2-D view), and a small blank box on the right (this is your 3-D view). Make sure you have your bathroom measurements available.

Begin by creating walls. To do this, simply click on a point on the grid and trace the outline of your bathroom with its approximate measurements. Once you have completed this step, a 3-D version of your bathroom will appear in the box at the right. You can view this image at different angles and zooms by click-holding on the image and turning it with your mouse.

Designing

To change the color of your walls, double click on a highlighted wall. Under your grid, you will see an option to change the color. Once you choose your color, you can simply click on a wall and choose "Apply Current Color" for each wall.

Proceed by clicking on "Next Step." You will be given several different items to choose from: doors, windows, WC (toilets), basins (sinks), baths, showers, radiators and units (medicine cabinets or shelving). The "Generic" tab allows you to design your bathroom using scalable boxes instead of products. Choose your products and place them wherever you would like them to appear in your bathroom. The items will flash red if they are incorrectly positioned. As you place items, you will be able to see them appear in the 3-D view as well. Once you are finished, you can save and print your file.

Tags: your bathroom, bathroom design, change color, choose from, items will

Clean Seal & Paint A Concrete Bedroom Floor

Concrete Floor

Concrete is one of the most versatile and durable building materials. Composed of sand, water, gravel and cement, it is used for creating walls, floors, ceilings and foundations. While many people have concrete floors in their homes, the surface is often covered by carpet, tile or similar finish materials. As modern and industrial home decor is becoming more popular, however, more people are choosing to leave their concrete floors uncovered. To pull off this look, the surface must be properly cleaned, sealed and painted, especially in living areas such as the bedroom.

Instructions

1. Patch any existing holes or cracks in the surface before you begin. Mix a bag of ready-mix concrete with water, then use a trowel to fill and smooth out cracks and voids. Scrape away any excess material and allow it to dry overnight before proceeding.

2. Clean the floor using a solution of trisodium phosphate, or TSP, and water. Blend these materials in a bucket according to the instructions on the TSP package. Use a mop to scrub the floor with this solution, removing dirt, grime, grease and stains.

3. Apply a concrete sealer to the floor after it has dried. Use a paint roller to spread the sealer in a thin, even layer. Choose a sealer made specifically for indoor applications.

4. Wait 24 hours for the sealer to dry before proceeding with paint installation.

5. Select an epoxy-based paint in a color that matches your decor. Choose a variety that is meant for use on concrete. This type of paint is available at most home improvement stores.

6. Line baseboards, receptacles and other floor-level items with painter's tape to avoid staining them.

7. Use a paint roller to apply the paint to the sealed concrete. Start at one corner and work your way across the room in rows. Allow the paint to dry for 2-to-3 hours before applying a second coat. If you are using a darker color, two coats should be sufficient. With lighter colors, you may want to apply up to 5 coats for best results.

8. Avoid walking on the floor as it dries. After it is fully dry, remove the painter's tape to complete the project.

Tags: before proceeding, concrete floors, paint roller, painter tape

Stepbystep Dining Table

The base of an old sewing machine makes an interesting dining table.

No need to spend a fortune on a clever dining table for a small space. Some imaginative recycling and savvy shopping will turn a castoff into an original table that doubles as a conversation piece. Apartment Therapy featured a table made from a vintage cast-iron sewing machine base and a cheap ready-made tabletop that's the perfect bistro size for a dining alcove or the corner of the kitchen. You could put your own spin on it with a beautiful piece of wood, a glass top or mosaic tile-covered plywood.

Instructions

1. Set up a work area in a yard or the garage. Choose a well-ventilated space with good light out of direct sun. Cover the floor or ground with a plastic drop cloth or painting tarp. Tape plastic drop cloths over any walls, furniture or upper areas that spray paint or spatters might reach. Open windows or a garage door for cross-ventilation if you work inside. Use a paper dust mask to avoid breathing in any paint spray or sanding dust.

2. Clean the base of a vintage wrought iron sewing machine. Use an ordinary, all-purpose household cleaner and a sponge to wipe down the base. Remove any soap residue by rinsing the base with clear water and a clean sponge. Dry it with a clean towel or rag.

3. Sand the base lightly, once it's dry, first scrubbing with a metal brush to remove any flaking paint or surface rust. Go over the piece with fine-grade sand paper to create a rough surface the new paint will adhere to easily. Wipe the base free of sanding dust when you are finished.

4. Paint the sewing machine base with a rust-inhibiting primer. Don't sand between coats---once the primer is dry, apply a top coat right over it. Use a metal paint and brush it on for a thicker, lasting finish and good coverage. Don't work in direct sunlight. Watch for any drips and work them right back into the wet paint with the brush so your base coverage is smooth. Let the table base dry while you tackle the table top.

5. Choose the table top and size to suit your space. A narrow rectangular top will accommodate two chairs. A round or a square top allows room for four chairs. Find an inexpensive wooden table top in a thrift store or home improvement center or select a quality piece of attractive wood. Wash or wipe down the table top with a household cleanser and sponge to remove any surface dirt or dust before painting

6. Paint a ready-made or second-hand tabletop to match the table base or use a lighter shade of the base color. Use a glossy water-based acrylic for a surface that will be easy to wipe off.

7. If the top is unfinished wood and you want to stain it, lightly sand the wood with fine-grade sandpaper to provide a good surface for the finish. Wipe off the dust. Paint a coat of wood conditioner on the tabletop with a cheap brush and let it dry for 15 minutes before applying stain with a new brush. Stain will stain you, too, so wear gloves. Brush the stain on with and against the grain and, for a light color, wipe it right off, with the grain, using a clean rag. For deeper color, leave the stain on five to 10 minutes longer before wiping it off.

8. Once the tabletop is dry, paint or spray on a protective coat of clear lacquer.

9. Set the top on the base once both pieces are dry. Use a pencil to trace inside the holes in the base for screws, marking the spots on the underside of the table top. Remove the top from the base and lay it flat. Tap a nail a fraction of an inch with a hammer into the wood at each mark as a guide for the screw.

Casual Dining Room Decorating Ideas

Add a fruit basket for seasonal and colorful appeal.

When you want a comfortable place to eat, decorating your dining room casually is one way to get the effect that you are after. A casual dining room allows you and your guests to eat comfortably. Achieving a comfortable yet attractive aesthetic is something that requires a little bit of work, but is completely worth the effort.

Light and Easy Styles

One way to keep things casual is to keep things light, both in color and illumination. Place breezy curtains over the windows to get the most light into the room. Paint the walls pale shades of blue and green, accenting the room with stronger versions of the colors to keep them grounded. This creates a Mediterranean effect that welcomes diners and keeps them comfortable.

Elaborate Tables

When you are planning your dining, keep things simple. Do not clutter the area with overly elaborate centerpieces or art. Instead, choose to make the table the focal point of your dining room. Choose a heavy table with good detailing to ground the room, and then leave the rest of the room simple. Paint the walls white to put the focus on the table. Use wood tones in the room to keep the theme going.

Mix and Match

A casual style for your dining room can still be fun and eclectic if you mix up your styles. Combine ultra-modern chairs and tables with a simple, traditional cabinet or breakfast island. This is a good way to vary the visuals in the home, so combine the traditional with the contemporary for a fresh, casual look. Take advantage of the rougher traditional textures and the smooth contemporary textures to create a comfortable look for your dining room.

Natural Furnishings

Use natural materials when decorating your dining room to achieve a casual grace. Use a square sisal rug under the table to give the room some texture without overwhelming it, and place a basket of lemons, limes and apples in the center of the table to offer some natural color. Choose dining room chairs with cane bottoms and which are constructed from woods with a natural, slightly roughened finish.

Tags: dining room, your dining, your dining room, keep things, decorating your, decorating your dining

Homemade Child'S Bedroom Doors

Your child will cherish a homemade door you create together.

Neglecting the door when you decorate a room is like leaving a 2 1/2-foot by 6 1/2-foot hole in your design. Finished doors give your wall treatments a cohesive look while offering a place for creative finishes that don't affect furniture placement. This surface space is as important in a child's room as in any other. You and your child can work together to create a homemade bedroom door that inspires creativity and fun.

Chalkboard

A chalkboard makes your child's bedroom door an ever-changing canvas for any drawing her imagination conjures. Apply the chalkboard paint over a magnetic primer to turn the door into a magnetic chalkboard. Paint the entire surface, or, if the door has panels, paint only the panels and treat the trim as frames for your child's art. Nontoxic low- and anti-dust chalks are available in pastel and vibrant colors.

Peel and Stick Mural

Paint a simple background scene on the door, either freehand or using stencils, then purchase repositionable, peel and stick wall decals your child can use to make the background come alive. You'll find the decals in a wide variety of themes, sold individually and in kits. For example, you can combine a large castle decal with a kit that has people, animals, trees and other designs your child can use to create all manner of imaginative scenes. Swap out one theme for another if your child grows bored, or extend the mural onto the bedroom wall to give him more space to evolve his artistic expressions.

Coloring Wallpaper

Choose a color-in wallpaper, hang it on your child's door, then let her go to town coloring it in with markers or paint. Although this project is geared more toward older children who have the coordination to use a step stool to reach the high sections, removing the door from its hinges and working on the floor, makes it safe for younger children.

Change It Up

A little wood trim, paint and a roll of wallpaper are all you need to transform your child's plain door into a designer masterpiece that enhances the rest of the room's decor. Use the trim to create faux panels on the door. For example, create a rectangular frame a few inches in from the edges of the door, and treat the inside area as if it were a panel. Attach the trim to the door with finishing nails. Wallpaper the panel inside the frame, and use paint for the trim and the rest of the door.

Tags: your child, your child, bedroom door, door into

Bathroom Decorating & Painting Ideas

Whether your bathroom is large, small or somewhere in between, a fresh coat of paint and a change in theme can add new life and personality to the atmosphere of the room. There are many decorating options for you to consider, such as wallpapering a single wall or stenciling a border around the room; just use your imagination and creativity.

Theme

Even before choosing paint colors and accessories it is important to choose a theme or style of decor for your bathroom. Ask yourself the following questions: Is this a child's bathroom, or is it mainly used by all family members? Do you want a feminine or masculine feel to the room? Do you want it to fit in with the rest of the decor of your home? For instance, your home's decor may be modern, country or traditional, and you might want the bathroom to continue in that manner of decor.

Your children's bathroom can contain bold colors, and the theme can relate to what the children love, such as a favorite cartoon character, their favorite sport or a theme from their favorite book. A guest bathroom might be more traditional and painted in neutral colors. If you want a masculine feel to the bathroom, you might consider dark tones such as a navy, deep red, hunter green or chocolate brown.

After you have a theme, you can then concentrate on the color scheme and wallpaper or stenciling options.

Paint/Wallpaper

You will need to determine if you are going to paint all the walls or if you are going to use wallpaper on a partial wall or on one wall as a focal point. You can also use two complementing wallpapers. Remember that light colors will help to make a small bathroom look larger, and darker colors will close in a room.

Stenciling is another option to consider. You can stencil a border around the room or around a doorway. A child's bathroom might have the alphabet stenciled around the top of the room.

Then, you are ready to purchase your paint. Paint comes in flat, semigloss and enamel. Semigloss and enamel wipe clean easier than a flat paint, so if this is a children's bathroom it would be a good idea to paint in semigloss or an enamel.

Accessories

Accessories such as towel bars, shower curtains, towels, rugs, soap dishes, mirrors and pictures will add personality and character to the room. These can be purchased to match the theme of the bathroom. If you have chosen to paint the room in neutral colors, the towels can match that neutral theme, or they can be bold/bright colors chosen to make a statement and match a shaggy throw rug.

Artwork can be as simple as framing some of your children's pictures and displaying them on the bathroom wall. You can even have the kids paint something specific to match the theme of the room and then frame and display those pictures. Family photos of a vacation framed and displayed are also a nice touch.

Your bathroom decor and paint will reflect your life style, your interests and your personality. If you need a little inspiration, check out the many home decorating publications; they are loaded with ideas and recommendations.

Tags: around room, bathroom might, border around, border around room, child bathroom

Interior Design Ideas For A Master Bedroom

Homeowners can consider contemporary, French country or traditional styles for master bedrooms.

While the design styles of all the bedrooms in a home are important, the master bedroom is a special place for the head of the household and the design can help set the tone for other rooms in the house. Designers and homeowners have several options when decorating a master bedroom, including contemporary, French country and traditional.

Contemporary Master Bedrooms

Over the past several decades, contemporary design has become a popular choice for homeowners, especially in master bedrooms. The contemporary style is centered on creating an open and functional space. Contemporary master bedrooms will often use low-height beds and dressers and simple wall decor and accessories. When designing contemporary master bedrooms, homeowners and designers will often use simple light or dark wood furniture items and accent the space with pops of bright color. Bright color can be added to a contemporary master bedroom through wall color as well as accessories, including artwork, rugs, mirrors, candles and vases. Designers can work with homeowners who want a contemporary look by helping them research and buy furniture items, paint colors and accessories.

French Country Master Bedrooms

Another popular interior design idea for master bedrooms is French country style. The French country style consists of furniture and accessories that might be found in a traditional French cottage. The furniture in French country master bedrooms is often distressed, a design technique that manipulates furniture to look as though the wood has been chipped off. Designers and homeowners can accentuate a French country bedroom with toile wallpaper, a unique style of wallpaper that often depicts a repeated scene or floral image and comes in red or blue.

Traditional Master Bedrooms

Homeowners who like a more classic look might choose to design their master bedroom in a traditional style. Traditional master bedrooms will often feature furniture items that are adorned with elegant woodwork and carvings. Popular furniture items in a traditional master bedroom can include a sleigh bed, poster bed or a roll-top desk. Matching furniture sets are also popular in traditional bedrooms. When choosing color in a traditional room, designers and homeowners will often pick white or neutral colors.

Tags: French country, master bedroom, furniture items, will often, master bedrooms, bedrooms will

Install Lighting Fixtures For A Dining Room'S Height

Double chandeliers mounted in dining room

Dining rooms are often designed to showcase a beautiful chandelier. Frequently the room may be vaulted or built with a special type of ceiling to add to the drama of the space. Additional ceiling height or special details add to a room's volume; it is important to consider the amount of volume when choosing the size of the chandelier, since the light fixture should address or fill that volume visually without being too large for the space. The volume measurement of a chandelier is the height of the fixture from the top mounting ring to the lowest hanging part of the fixture.

Instructions

1. Measure the room from the floor to the ceiling at the highest point. Chandelier height is frequently calculated at a rate of 3 inches per foot of ceiling height. However, the visual weight of the individual fixture and the square footage of the room must also be considered.

2. Measure the length and width of the room. If your room is 10 by 12 feet, add these numbers together for the approximate width of the chandelier (in inches) that would fit the room. In this case that would be 22 inches wide. If your dining room has a huge vaulted ceiling of 30 feet, this formula might suggest a fixture that is 90 inches tall. You would be hard pressed to even find a fixture of these dimensions. What you need to do is fill the 90 inches of space while maintaining the small width of the fixture.