Have You Considered These Space-Saving Bed Designs To Maximize Your Interior Decorating Space?

Vertical and functional space planning are two of the most overlooked areas in most households interior design layout. In this article we'll discuss how to double the functional space in the bedrooms of your house.

Think Vertical

Effective space planning and interior design requires that you plan in three dimensions - so start thinking about the space above your head and higher up on the walls. There are great functional bedding and storage solutions you can use to easily double your floor space in a bedroom and its functional storage space.

Futons for the guest rooms

Why waste the functionality and floor space of a designated guest room when it can normally operate as your den or library? When guests are expected, simply fold down the futon and make it into your guest bedroom.

Loft beds for older children

Loft beds are excellent functional solutions for older children that also want to use their bedroom as a social hangout or study room. A loft bed allows you to place a sofa or study desk underneath the bed. This also creates a great atmosphere under the bed that is private and quiet.

Bunk beds for the youngsters

When there is more than one child in a bedroom bunk beds are a logical solution for using more of the vertical space available in a room, and also creates more space on the floor for playtime.

Murphy beds for studios and 1 bedroom apartments

Murphy beds are a great bed design to incorporate when space is on limited supply. Installing a Murphy bed will instantly open up the room floor space. In small apartments, installing a Murphy bed can have the effect of feeling like you've just added another entire room! Murphy beds are also a great option for adding to dens or studies to create a guest room.

High platform beds for more storage

Platform beds are becoming very common now as bed designers switch from using bulky box springs to sleeker and more durable platform supports for bed designs. The old space of a box spring easily creates another vertical foot of potential storage space under your bed. For a regular king size bed, this will create an additional 42 square feet of storage space under the bed.

Air beds for emergency guest rooms

If your spare rooms in the house are dedicated to other functions that you really don't want to give up, then consider getting an airbed to use when having house guests stay over. Air beds are portable, inflate quickly, and have good support and functionality. You can also get air beds that quick inflate themselves from a small duffel bag.

Trundle beds

Trundle beds are great to have in kids rooms to pull out for sleepovers and can operate as a second temporary bed if the need arises. When not in use it simply slides back under the bed. If you have a trundle bed then you can free up more space in your storage room by getting rid of any fold out cots or beds.

Day beds

Day beds are a functional bedding alternative that also creates a sitting area during the day. Great for apartments, girls rooms, or dens and guest rooms.

Captain's beds

To maximize storage space in your child's room consider a captain bed. With so many drawers under the higher bed frame you can do away with separate dresser drawers to free up more floor space.

Decorating a Child's Room - 8 Simple Strategies to Make You Both Happy!

When it comes to decorating a child's room, your approach should be much different from decorating an adult bedroom.

For kids, their bedroom is where they play games, read, listen to music, day-dream, or just go to be alone sometimes. So use these eight strategies to help create a space that will make you both happy:

1. Talk to your child. Find out what activities and fantasies he or she enjoys; what their favorite color is; and what's unique about their personality that a theme could be built around.

2. Allow your child to help. Let them have a say about colors, fabrics, and how they want to display their collectibles.

3. Make the room multi-functional. Since children use their room for many activities besides sleeping, it should have several different zones, such as a play area, reading area, and entertainment area.

4. Make storage a priority. Try shelving, large decorative wicker baskets, plastic see-through containers, and closets that contain plenty of shelving and racks.

5. Keep window treatments simple. Avoid long draperies. Shades, blinds, and shorter curtains are safer choices. The fabric should be versatile, and patterns should be repeated in other items in the room, such as in pillows, quilts, lampshades, bed ruffles, etc.

6. Choose the right lighting. A child's room should include both task lighting for homework and reading, and soothing light for quieter times. A nightlight is also important.

7. Use wallpaper or paint to add color and texture. You can apply whimsical borders along the top edges of the walls, and clouds or stars on the ceiling. Make sure walls are washable, so if you are using paint, choose a semi-gloss or gloss finish. Kids love bright colors, but you should limit any strong color to only one wall.

8. Allow your child to select the design theme. Here are just a few: firehouse fun room, starry night, angels, rainbows, unicorns, baseball, a bedroom for a princess, underwater scenery, outer space, race cars, airplanes, trains, jungle motifs, wizards and dragons, and dinosaurs.

Decorating with your child offers a great opportunity to display your playful side, while doing some memorable family bonding, so have fun with it!

Decorating Tips For a Small Kitchen

Does your home have a small kitchen that you want to redecorate? Below you will find some decorating tips for a small kitchen which will hopefully help you achieve the desired result.

When redecorating a small or compact kitchen it can be quite a challenge as not only do you want to maximize the space you have available, but you also want the kitchen to live up to its full potential. The real key to making this work is to simplify as much as possible and hopefully the list below will help.

1. Only use smooth lines and simple patterns as they will help to create the illusion of space in the kitchen.

2. If at all possible align the appliances flush with cabinets so that you have one continuous unbroken surface and reduce the number of visual elements in the room by using simple cabinet styles. On the top cabinets, think about replacing the plain doors with glass fronted ones or do not have any doors at all. This can help to reduce the feeling of being boxed in those solid wood cases.

3. When choosing a color scheme, go for something in a neutral or pastel tone and limit the number of colors and patterns that you use in the decorating. Where at all possible keep the color of the cabinets, walls and floors similar as this also helps create the illusion of space in such small areas. Use bolder colors only as accents in the room.

4. Also, if at all possible, make sure that you have shiny work surfaces and diagonal patterns on the floor as these also create an illusion of space.

5. Remove all clutter. Do not place anything on the surface of your refrigerator. Some kitchen companies can make panels to match cabinet doors for your refrigerator which will make it almost disappear. If you want to display items, then place them on top of cupboards rather than on the counter tops. Any small appliances, recipe boxes and spices should be placed inside cabinets.

6. To expand the volume of the room further using light and windows. Certainly a kitchen full of light is more appealing and easy to work in. Expand this further if at all possible by placing either opposite or close to the window in question a mirror which will help to reflect more light into the room.

As you can see just a few simple changes will soon help to make your small kitchen look bigger and brighter and thus more welcoming to the user.

Kitchen Table Dining Nook-Make Your Kitchen Beautiful

The area of 'Dining Nook' is usually located in a corner of the kitchen in our homes. Normally, it is used for the family dinners but other times for entertainment, playing games, indulging hobbies, homework and as an additional kitchen work space. The dining kitchen nook is usually the most useful corner place in any home, being a family favorite for its variety.

As a standard in the past, the nook is generally composed of a table, bench, and chairs. However, consumers are now using this little area to spice up the kitchen, whether using a bistro set, pub table, or a smaller version of your favorite dining set, the nook is now getting a face lift.

When taking the plunge and designing your nook, a helpful tip is to be aware of your available space and what you will be using the space for. For the adventurous, there are a number of different sizes to choose from and accessories to match. If adventurous is definitely not you, interior designers are able to assist in space planning and designing. With so many shapes and sizes in the market; whether square, rectangular, oval or round, there is bound to be one that is a perfect fit.

Another item that is becoming a staple in the kitchen and kitchen dining nooks is the Pot Rack. Pot racks should be a necessity in your home for their various uses. For instance, original pot racks not only give you more cabinet space, they also add pizazz to your kitchen with their charming designs.

Once used strictly to hang pots for easier cooking and storage, pot racks are taking on different functions. The newer styles are now including bookshelves above the racks for storage, as well as different shapes to hang virtually anywhere in the home. So whether storing kitchen tools, fruits, vegetables and other things like spoons, utensils, or using it for just securing pots, you will soon find pot racks as a must need in your home.

Some of the highest qualities of pot racks are available in the market today. Carved out of wrought iron, wood, stainless steel, brass, chrome and much more, each rack is turned simultaneously and joined for heightened strength. Some known brands are: Premier Cookware Racks, Decor Collection Pot Racks, Pot Racks & Utensil Racks, Elite Deals Pot Rack Selector and Essentials Collection Pot Racks. These pot racks lend high class status and style to any kitchen.