Author Archives: Jennifer

More Window Covering Ideas

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Not sure how to dress up your windows? Here are some creative window covering ideas that can help transform a window into a fantastic designer showpiece.

 

To make a living room window look more formal try adding layers. Start with sheer casement curtains that hang from the top part of the window. Over that overlay a thicker heavier drape in a heavier fabric such as velvet or damask that hang from a high valance. A nice touch is to have the thicker heavier drape lined with a fabric that compliments your sheers. From here on in you can add a dramatic piece of cloth that twists around the valance or a fabric covered swag. Other nice touches are thick corded tiebacks with heavy tassels.

 

To make a bathroom look clean and crisp consider installing vertical or horizontal blinds. Most of them are made of materials such as polyvinyl that make them very easy to clean. Polyvinyl is also able to withstand the high humidity levels that are found in a typical bathroom. The reason that blinds can work so well in a bathroom is that you can buy them so that they open only at the top instead of the bottom. This allows you to keep the top of the window open while obscuring the view inside.

 

For an unusual, dramatic look try installing Roman shades. Roman shades are made of flat slats that are covered with your choice of fabric. This means you can match your shades exactly to the fabrics on pillows, furniture or bedding. These beautiful shades can also be augmented by swags that drape down to soften the look of them.

 

Not all windows need a real curtain, especially if you live in the country and the window is high enough. However a window without a curtain can sometimes look a bit naked. In this case you might just consider decorating it with a colorful swag or simply draping a vivid fringed scarf that is folded in half over a curtain rod to perk up the look of it a bit.

 

If you have a complicated looking window, like an arch or a casement that needs covering then you can always dispense with the idea of shades, blinds or curtains altogether and consider affixing laminate translucent paper to the window instead. This not only strengthens the window in case it breaks but it also allows a nice white soft light inside the room while still maintaining your privacy.

Decorating With Arched Doorway Kits

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If you want to completely change the look of your home then consider buying an arched doorway kit. These kits add a decorative curve over any entrance in your home. You don’t have to cut into the wall or anything invasive. Arched doorways are elegant, affordable and easy to install for most people because they are more tacked onto the door and covered with drywall. There is not a lot of altering of your home to do.

 

Until these archway kits appeared in our lives you would have found yourself paying a contractor to install this type of decorative touch in your home. The great thing is that enhancing the doorways like this really does make it appear like you have spent thousands on renovations when you really have not done anything of the kind. The really amazing thing is that you can get these arch kits for about thirty bucks and also install it in about half an hour. What a great way to add an architechtural touch that adds value to your home.

 

These arches have been associated with all kinds of classic architechture in the past including Spanish and Roman styles. You also seem them identified with more Gothic styles of décor.

 

Doorway arches have been associated churches and museums for many years. When you replace your square door frames with arched doorways you also get an architectural effect that is more Spanish or Graeco-Roman in effect. They are also associated with medieval buildings so if you are into a more Gothic style of décor you will love the look that doorway arches give your home.

 

There are several different styles of archways. The ones that arc up in a half circle are called “half rounds” and give a Spanish flair to a doorway, Elliptical shaped archway kits have a gentle raidius in the center with a tighter radius in the corners and are reminiscent of the Edwardian style of design. Eyebrow arches are square and sharper in appearance and have a more contemporary post-modern feel.’

 

If you like you can buy pre-fabricated doorway arches but these arch kits are the way to go if you really want to do things cheaply. Prefabricated doorway arches can cost anywhere from $60 to $500 depending on how decorative they are in style. The other thing to remember is to keep it simple! The simpler the arch the easier it will be to install by yourself!