Today's home decorators are not limited by stereotypes. They do not limit their creativity and design ideas by trends or styles. Instead, they incorporate a little of everything into a room that evolves into an expression of their lifestyle and personality.



This has pushed decorators and furniture companies to stretch the boundaries and bring in innovative combinations, color hues, and creative ideas to bring a modern feel combined with a homey atmosphere to the average home.

Current trends have seen furniture that combines leather and fabrics to create a completely new feel. The furniture grew in size, and was over stuffed, and then returned to a more manageable size. Today's furniture is taking on a more natural look. The modern designs in plastics and glass have given way to leather, natural fabrics like silks and cottons, and hand painted designs on wallpaper.

This trend toward natural is reflected in wall treatments. Grasscloth is a beautiful, natural fabric that lends itself perfectly to Feng Shui or natural fabrics. The wall murals and repeated patterns are giving way to natural fabrics, grass, silk, embroidery, and wood. Other new innovations are panels.

The most popular for this year is a plum red, stark, bare apple tree, with rich red blossoms, on a pumpkin background. This beautiful hand-painted silk panel wallpaper is meant to replace both wall treatments and artwork.

However, homeowners do not need to invest thousands of dollars on a wall. The mass market manufacturers are bringing out paper versions of these wall treatments. They are also bringing out silk surfaced wallpapers.

DIY, Do It Yourself, has been growing for years. This lends itself perfectly to recent home decorating designs. A few hours research on the web and through high-end home decorating magazines, will eventually reveal the mural of your dreams. Once that is found, it can be drawn onto large sheets of paper and traced onto the wall, then hand painted.

Oriental painting is very simple. It only requires a few complimentary colors, and incorporates large brush, smooth even strokes with minimal shading. A few hours practicing on newspaper will give any DYI enough skill to paint a mural.

A Demask stencil, stucco, and a stiff sponge brush is all that is needed to add texture to walls. This is technique has been around for a few years. A new twist involves buying sand from a pet shop, the kind used for fish. Buy natural, sterile sand. This will reduce the risk of bringing mold spoors into the home.

Once a thin layer of stucco is applied to the wall, then use a stiff brush to apply sand into the stucco. The stucco should be colored. In 2005 the stucco would have been a burnished gold color. In 2007, the colors would be red/browns, plumb reds, gold tone neutral hues, and greens, depending on the room.

Contrast is added with polished metals. This rests the eye, and draws it through the room. Home decorating with textures is about minimal and simplicity. Just add a little in out of the way places. Place textures behind large furniture. Add texture to lamps, in carpets, and lighting.

This will let home owners decorate their homes, keeping them up to date year after year, without needing a full-home renovation to add life to their home.