1. Reflect your personality. If you're a playful person, put art in unusual places or display your clown that you bought in Mexico. Show off souvenirs from vacations that make you smile, art you bought on your honeymoon; or items with sentimental value that fill your heart with love, like the old sewing machine you inherited from your grandmother.
2. Highlight your possessions. Leave space around your furniture to show it off; hang your art to its best advantage; display your treasures so you can appreciate them.
3. Art, accessories and furniture need to work with each other in vignettes. Think of each part of the room as an outfit. You can have expensive clothes, but if they don't coordinate, the outfit doesn't work.
4. Create a functional home. Do you need a reading chair in the family room? Do you want a spot to do your arts and crafts? Do you have a favorite TV-watching chair?
5. Think outside the box. How can your space work better? Could the dining room that never gets used be an arts and crafts room? Could the large living room be a family room and the smaller room be a quiet adult sanctuary?
Creating a home you love can be life-changing. In my redesign business we only use what people already own. And the reactions are incredible.
Some people confessed they'd been embarrassed to have guests. Many hadn't entertained in years. After the redesign they couldn't wait to invite people over.
Some are shocked that their home could be so beautiful without buying anything new. They look in disbelief and say "these are my things!"
Some cried tears of happiness when they saw their 'new' home. One said "I even care what I wear now."
One woman told me she hadn't wanted to get out of bed in the mornings, but after I did the redesign she excitedly leapt out of bed. Another said she knew she needed to move on with her life but couldn't seem to do it. After the redesign she ended a negative relationship and is now happily married to a new man. She credits the redesign!
Relationships in your family will even be better. One woman said her teenagers sat around the table to eat dinner “for the first time in ages."
What is most rewarding in taking the time to create a home you love is that you will feel warmth every time you look around your home; you will be proud to invite people into your home, and your entire family will benefit.
Tips for giving your home personality
• Display only pieces that are special to you.
• Less is more. Eliminate everything that doesn't add to the feeling of the room.
• Put like items together in one spot instead of all over the room. Art, plants and accessories make a statement when grouped in collections.
• Create vignettes with a theme. For example, hang a contemporary piece of art with a pewter frame over your glass and pewter table. Accessorize with pewter items, or items that pick up the colors or theme of the art.
We need to take back our power. Your home is about you and should reflect you, not page 35 of a decorating magazine. It's time to get back to basics and be creative with what already exists in your home. It can be life-changing.
Creating A Home Network
Getting in shape is on the minds of many individuals these days. Some choose to obtain gym memberships whereas others would like to have the convenience of working out at home. For the latter group of individuals, creating a home gym might be the perfect option to bringing the optimal exercise atmosphere home to you. If you are interested in creating a home gym and making working out as convenient as can be, the following will provide some tips on how to make your dream of a home gym reality.
Figure Out Where the Home Gym Will Go
The first step to creating a home gym is to figure out where it will be placed within the home. If you have a separate room which you can set aside as your workout location, this is ideal. However, for those who have limited space within the home, it is completely possible to create a home gym in a room which is used for other purposes as well. Take a good look around the home and determine which area would be most suitable for your home gym location.
Determine How Much Space Is Available
When creating a home gym you also want to determine how much space you will have available. Doing so in the beginning will help you to decide what type of workout equipment you want to buy for your home gym. Before making any equipment purchases, take down some measurements of the available space as this will prove helpful when shopping for workout products.
Peruse Different Types of Gym Equipment
Some individuals will know exactly what types of gym equipment they want to buy for their home gym whereas others may need to peruse the options before deciding on particular types thereof. Try searching various equipment options online and in fitness magazines to see which ones peak your interest. Also, if you are interested in working out specific portions of the body try searching for equipment which will work out those areas in particular.
Shop for the Home Gym Equipment and Furnishings
Once you have a good idea as to what type of home gym equipment and furnishings you wish to buy, the next step is to make the desired purchases. Buying items at sporting good stores and fitness retailers will often provide one with the most options. Try visiting your local sporting good stores so that you can view the equipment in person and even try it out. Later, if you figure out what brand equipment you want and have tested it out in the stores, look online for the items as these may yield the best prices. However, just be sure that the online retailers ship for free as these products are often quite heavy which can make for extremely expensive shipping costs.
In addition to the fitness equipment, you may also want certain furnishings in your home gym. Items such as a chair, towel rack and even a television for viewing while working out may be good purchases. Consider what extra niceties might fit perfectly within your new home gym and check out options with regard to those as well.
Time to Set up the Home Gym
Once everything has been decided upon, purchased and received, the final step is to set up your new home gym. Prior to setting the equipment up you should already know where everything is going to go as it will be difficult to move things around too often due to the weight of a lot of exercise equipment pieces. Since most equipment will need to be assembled, try to do so in the home gym room as this will make for an easier time getting everything set up and ready to go. Once you have it all set up, you are ready to get started working out in the convenience of your own home.
Both Val Sharp & Brian Waspi are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Val Sharp has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management. . Val Sharp's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.
Brian Waspi has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management. . Brian Waspi's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.
