Home Decor Blog

Cross Country Furniture’s Contemporary Kitchen Cart With Drop Leaves can reduce kitchen clutter and provide another surface to do kitchen prep, cutting, storing utensils and the rest in a completely portable and attractive way. Easy to send to an appropriate corner, nice to look at on its own and about as handy as any kitchen gadget known to man, this actual piece of kitchen furniture strikes the right tone for those who have a need for either cabinet space or a desire to work on a patio in the air or just for a radical change in food preparation. This very practical contemporary kitchen cart has two drop leaves, one on each side, a working drawer providing storage for utensils. Dishes, pots, or glasses can be conveniently stored in the cabinet within the two lower doors. This solid wood kitchen cart is the perfect mobile cart for any kitchen and can be easily moved when needed with the smart and functional casters. This is an impressive and revolutionary step for many of us who desire room or simply a different method of storage and preparation.

For user reviews and product information with optional carts available, click here.

The RoomMates Cherry Blossom Peel and Stick Appliques are removable, repositionable and reusable wall stickers which can offer an extremely understated, artistic aspect to any room. It can also enliven a kid’s room or game room with riotous effects, by using any of the numerous other applique designs. The Cherry Blossom motif shown here is the “artistic” portion. Understated and elegant, it adds dimension and art to any wall.

Applied by almost anyone – one can stretch the distances between the matching pre-designed arrangement or tighten them at will. Repositioning the small articles can yield effects with which one can surprise oneself.

Naturally, there are an abundant list of other themes, but this Cherry Blossom theme does indeed stand out as a gentle but arresting work. Beautiful and appealing to the eye with its softer effects, this gorgeous arrangement also comes in a variety of colors and styles – Asian and Japanese themes especially, but also some kinds of country decor. What a great way to impart one’s own significant artistic impact inside the rooms of any home.

For more product information and a look at alternative appliques – click here.

The Bush Stanford Computer Desk brings an antique touch, blended with the deepest contemporary natural wood colors of Cherry into the home with a gentle and simple design. The lower front drawer allows the stack to be hidden while the elegant and rich cherrywood top hosts the keyboard and screen itself.

Elegant, simple yet still nice to look at, this computer desk allows functionality to blend with beauty. There are few things which can be quite as jarring as the ultimate messes which a rangy tangle of wires and computer paraphernalia can present to a room. This unit gives the possibility of containing the mess in a tidy yet still-attractive fashion. With drawers for storage and retrieval of paper work and additional accouterments of computing, the essence of a neat and reasonably tidy home can be heightened and even accented by a beautiful computer desk. In this case, the rich wood texture and the deep black coloring of the desk itself combine to make a very sensible remark all on their own.

For user reviews of this interesting item and for more product information, click here.

So, you had a room makeover. Perhaps you went with a unique decor theme, or just achieved a beautiful result and you want to show off. You pull out your state-of-the-art digital camera. And now what?

Home interiors may be static, but that doesn’t mean photographing them is easy. In fact, if you want to get professional quality pictures, you probably need a professional home stager/photographer.

But even without the professional gear and lightning, and even if you use a simple mini digital camera,  you can improve on your pictures quality following these simple tips:

A Clean Look – make sure the room is spotless and de-cluttered. Tidy up and hide away any clutter so that the viewer can focus on the beauty of your design – not on your dirty dishes.

Bring in the Living – once the room is clean and surfaces are clear, bring in some life. You don’t want the room to look like a lifeless museum. If shooting a dining room, set up the table and even add some food and drink. Shooting the kitchen? Set up an aesthetically pleasing cutting board and fresh shiny vegetables. In the living room or bedroom? Add some books or magazines casually lying around and waiting for their readers.

Use Natural Light – If possible, let natural light flow in by opening all doors and windows. Try and time your photography session to have it on a sunny day.

Let it Be Lighting – light sources bring your picture to life. Turn on all the lights in the room, especially the ones that you used in your design to emphasize certain elements. If you can, add a burning candle or two as well.

Try a Wide Angle Shot – If your camera allows for that, try a wide angle shot that will let you include more of the room in the image and help create a sense of depth to the image.

Take Lots of Pictures – That’s the beauty of digital photography! Point and shoot, lots of times, from various angles and aiming at different objects. Then you have a variety of pictures from which to choose the good ones.

Edit and Crop – If you feel comfortable with it, edit your pictures on your computer. Photoshop experts can actually “clean up” surfaces and move objects around, but even if all you know is how to crop an image, you can still change the perspective and focal points of your image.

Asian style decor does not have to be all Chinese reds, majestic dragons and antique fans. In fact, many prefer the very stylish modern Japanese interior design style. Contemporary Japanese home decor style retains the sense of harmony and balance, and the neutral color schemes. The idea is to create a peaceful harmonic environment in the room, while incorporating exotically unique touches of Japanese art and objects.

This style focuses on a clean design, clutter-free  with well lit spaces setting the stage for a few chosen object des arts. Many rooms end up with a minimalistic look, which should contribute towards a zen-style sense of balance rather than alienate. To achieve the right effect, be prepared to invest in a few well-chosen items that will set the tone of the entire room.

Here are a few options for you to consider. All of these items can be ordered from Amazon with the provided links and delivered to your doorstep anywhere within the continental US, so go ahead and bring the Japanese magic into your home.

This Classic Japanese Shoji Screen allows you to install an instant wall in your room, possibly delimiting the Japanese styled area, or simply assisting in creating separate living areas in a larger space. It’s versatile enough to fit into any room, as you can order a combination of three to six panels. With other shades available, you can custom fit this into your color scheme, always retaining that distinct sense of natural materials and a balanced clean look. Click Here for the Japanese Shoji screen on Amazon

This classic tatami floor mat provides a clean chic Japanese touch to any room. The contrast between the natural woven grass shades and the sheer black border makes this item a great match to any modern Japanese room design. It’s also eco-friendly and fairly inexpensive, so definitely an item worth considering. Click here to read more and buy it online.

This gorgeous wall clock encompasses the clean de-cluttered look of contemporary Japanese style.  Large and metallic for an added modern edge, it has Japanese symbols in lieu of numbers. With the chopsticks like arms, it clearly conveys a sense of that unique look you’re going for. Click here for full specs, price and availability.

For your choice of furniture, try to stick to black solid items, with clean lines and a minimalistic look. This black table is a wonderful example of modern Japanese furniture. Use it as a living room table, or as a mantle piece on which you can display artwork, plants or even a small minimalistic zen garden. Click here for the Product page.

Last, but not least, consider introducing a natural element into your room setup. Goldfish will add to your feng shui design, but certainly require looking after. If you prefer not to have to deal with goldfish care, a plant is always an option. For the easiest low-maintenance element, a quality artificial plant works best, and you can’t go wrong with a couple of potted  Japanese bamboo plants. Click here to see details and price.

Finally, for more information and inspiration about Asian design do check out this site: Feng Shui Decorating.

Enjoyed these ideas? Do leave us comments and let us know what you think about this decorating style.

This is a sweet way to make your lighting feel more organic. The 67 inch tall lamp has five colored heads arranged like a bouquet of flowers, or a tree. The whimsical arrangement makes a good focal piece for a rooms decor, and blends well with other garden themed decor. You could even go for a retro themed look with this lamp, while not succumbing to cheesy stereotypes.

Having light thrown in multiple directions can be very useful, as well as beautiful. This would make sense if more than on person in the room needed additional lighting to work by. It is also a pretty piece of art in its own right.Can you see this in your living room, where you entertain guests?

The lamp uses 40 W bulbs.

Can you imagine this lamp at the end of a hallway? Try to picture it in your dining room, solving the need for a soft lighting scheme with its colorful array. Does your bathroom need something special to make it feel more soothing?  How about the kid’s room? Could they use the light for reading while they sit on separate bean bags, or at separate desks?

In which ever way you chose to use it, this lamp will improve the look of the room.

Click here for price and more details

Here’s a neat way to outline a window, archway, ramp, or pillar. Look around your home. What is the most interestingly shaped design feature? Would it look beautiful if it were outlined in the dark by tiny white lights?

Try running this tube lighting along the lines you wish to accentuate. This would be especially pretty along the arch of a bridge in a garden pond, or overhead along archways in the room’s architecture. An atrium lit this way would be especially pleasing, as would the ceiling of a dining room. You’d feel as if you were picnicing under the stars.

This clear PVC tubing encases small light bulbs that are built in. The light bulbs last for 35,000 hours, and the diameter of the tubing is only 3/8 of an inch. This means it is easily used in places where you would trip over something larger that protrudes farther. That’s why it is often used to light walk ways in gardens, or steps in theaters and restaurants.

The rope comes in different lengths, although the one shown here is a close up view of part of the shortest (6 foot) model. They can be attached end to end to make a long continuous strand.

Click here for price and more deatails

Here’s an excellent idea for decor that helps your Feng Shui. This gorgeous glowing decor accent piece is made from real slabs of natural salt crystals, and hand carved to preserve the beauty of the crystal’s color. No two are exactly alike, so you can make a row of them, without the arrangement looking fake.

Since Salt crystals are of the earth element, this Feng Shui cure would be perfect to place in the center of your home or clinic in order to promote health by raising the Chi (vital force) in your health zone.

Imagine lighting a hall way, or a child’s bedroom with these as night lights. If you have a favorite meditation corner or room, these salt crystal lamps will make you feel as if you are perched atop one of the Himalayan peaks, drawing strength from the Earth, and give you a focal point to help calm and still your mind.

These also make romantic dining room lights, and promote amourous feelings with their soft colored glow.

Each lamp comes with a 6 foot power cord that is UL listed, and has an on-off switch, polarized plug, and a 15 W bulb.

Click here for price and more details