Design Post Update

Homeowners are famous for renovating and redecorating. It there's a space in their home that needs a new look, out comes the color swatches and home decorating magazines. It doesn't matter which space you decided to decorate, a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen or even a home gym. Home decorating can make improvements to any area in your home. Decorating your home gym is probably not at the top of your list but why not add some life to the room which is meant to be motivating and full of energy.

If thinking of decorating your home gym, you might first of all consider the purpose of this room. A home gym is a space used to exercise, work-out and recharge your batteries. This area is intended to be motivational and used by energetic people. With these factors in mind, decorating your home gym should enhance the space, add to the environment and improve the room's appearance.

Decorating your home gym may require some thought and imagination. This task could be difficult for you if the home gym is not one of your favourite rooms in the house. If you're not an active person or interested in using your home gym, finding ways to improve the space may not really interest you, at least not as much as decorating your kitchen would. If you're having trouble coming up with ideas for decorating your home gym, you may want to seek advice or flip through a few home decorating catalogues.

Picking a theme for your home gym may be challenging. It's not exactly a spot to put a fancy, slip-covered country chair. Simple colors won't likely fit your home gym. Decorating your home gym ought to breathe life into the space. Using bright colors and lots of lighting might improve the atmosphere, adding energy to the room. When decorating your home gym you might want to choose a modern theme. Using vivid colors and trendy furniture would definitely make the room feel alive.

Deciding on accessories for your home gym might be interesting. Pretty flowers and fancy ornaments won't bring anything to your home gym. This is a space created for working on your physical strength and appearance, not meant to be quiet and serene to work on your spiritual strength. When decorating your home gym remembering the room's purpose should be able to help with ideas for accessories. Clocks make nice additions to home gyms. When working out people are constantly timing themselves and their progress. A good stereo system might be considered when decorating your home gym. Listening to music, loud lively music, helps set the mood when exercising. A television is a must in your home gym. Watching your favorite television program is a great distraction when you are using stationary exercise equipment. You get all caught up in the program and before you realize it, you've peddled the exercise bike for thirty-five minutes.

Although initially you may have been a little apprehensive about the idea of decorating your home gym, once you get involved in the project and get your creative juices flowing, you'll be surprised at what you can accomplish. With help from other sources like home decorating magazines, this project may be just the motivation needed to entice you to use your home gym on a regular basis.

"All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites." - Marc Chagall

Decorus Beigitus
A customer wrote to us a while back, asking for some decorating ideas. "Diana" was considering some accent pieces for her home. Something was wrong with the rooms, she told me, but she couldn't put her finger on what was missing, although one glance at the first photo told me that the missing element was color. She sent me photos of her kitchen and living room, asking for ideas. "I just love the artwork you have available," she told me on the phone, "but I am not sure how to incorporate it in my home." The rooms in the photos were very elegant: rich marble countertops, parquet floors shined to a glass-perfect finish, couches in which one could dive into and never surface, a rococo glass and mahogany coffee table that looked like it had been intricately carved by hand by someone who had clearly been carving wood since embryonic stages. Silk throw pillows with delicate, subtle embroidery. (The thick, plush carpeting, off-white, was so beautiful I'd be afraid to even breathe on it; since I am always dropping things I'd have to fly around her house without ever lighting anywhere.) A beige chenille throw was artfully tossed across an easy chair that looked big enough to fit two comfortably. I won't even get into her magnificent floor-to-ceiling windows, capturing mallards outside floating gently on an impossibly aqua lake. The lake was the only color in the scene. The room was perfect. And lifeless. "How about an accent color?" I suggested. "A color you love, a powerful color, that we can use in small touches throughout the house. You can be bold, because it will be in touches, and practically anything you choose will work with your whites, creams and beiges." She started to tell me she did that already, as she had brown specks mixed in with her off-white marble counter, as well as a Chippendale chair with a brownish-burgundy cushion. When I mentioned vermilion and aqua, I thought she'd hung up on me, her pause was that lengthy. "I don't know..." she finally said, haltingly. I asked her what pieces of mine she particularly liked, and she quickly rattled off about six or seven. All of these images were boldly colored, with lots of bright, rich reds, oranges, pinks, yellows, golds. These were the colors and combinations she was drawn to, but she was afraid to bring them, these colors she loved, into her home.

She's not alone. The fact is, many people are afraid to bring color into their personal space. I truly don't think it's because people don't love color, because we are all naturally and viscerally drawn to color. Color uplifts, it heals, it delights, it impacts mood and even behavior. (Ever hear about the prison walls painted pink or the fast food places painted orange, yellow and red? The prison studies illustrated that inmates were calmer when living within pink walls, and fast food places learned that the discordant color combination forced people to eat and run. That's why most fast food places are painted in this combination.) I believe one day we will learn how powerful color really is, and use it for healing, in the form of light. Laugh if you want to, but someday, when you're being scanned by that lavender light machine to get rid of your arthritis, you'll think of me. Science is beginning to embrace the truths us color fanatics already know: color is very, very powerful. We're only beginning to scratch the surface in learning just how powerful.

The reasons for colorless homes are various, I am certain, and include tentativeness about "clashing," or preconceived ideas of what is supposed to be elegant, or easy to live with, or "proper". Painting a wall vermilion is as daring as walking around topless, no? With color, please remember one rule: there are no rules. There is only what pleases you and gives you joy. I have seen even colors work together beautifully in a room, colors you'd think would be a cacaphonous scream of an eye offense instead can look absolutely breathtaking together. Diana ended up with a glass wall mural of her favorite image ("Fire Asters" from our Dreamscape Gallery) and she coordinated the image with a Tuscany Bistro Mirror which I designed using individual art pieces of similar hues, an Ornate Serving Tray with "Fire Asters" and various glass accent tiles and similarly colored art pieces such as glass tile keepsake boxes through her home. We used other pieces throughout the home including "Dawn Field", "Golden Ladies" and "Kyoto Autumn". At my urging, she also brought in vermilion, pale gold and deep pink throw pillows, and huge, vermilion pillar candles. Her home, she says, now looks joyous and alive and she can't even remember what it used to look like.

Color Trend Slaves (CTS)
Me? I love love love purples and greens together, although I certainly know that's not everyone's cuppa. From a color theory standpoint, they are the exact perfect color opposites, or "lovers", as Chagall would say; but the two colors together have only been recently deemed "acceptable" though they might never achieve the level of respectability other color combinations, like peach and hunter green, for example, have. Or the erst popular, albeit clich, dove gray and mauve. A woman I know, one who annointed herself the last word in good taste, considers my personal favorite, and one very evident in my own home, purple and green, "too Mardi Gras," whatever that means. But then again, she's most assuredly a CTS, or Color Trend Slave.

For those of you old enough to remember '70's decor, if you can call it that, those fearsome "earth tones" were "in." Everybody had mustard yellow refrigerators and avocado green stoves. We walked on "burnt orange" shag carpets and everything was in varying shades of boring ecrus and lackluster browns. But then, In the eighties, "hunter green" was suddenly hot, and everybody was buying rich hunter green couches and bed linens with matching towels. Some brave souls, like my friend in New York City, painted three walls of her bedroom pale apricot and the main wall (her bed wall) hunter green. It was fabulous, if eyebrow raising, for the time. But bucking the current color trends is always guaranteed to be immensely satisfying. Having been a "purple girl" since birth, the level of frustration of not being able to find things in purple has only recently abated, and even then not fully. White (or off-white) isn't purple's only friend, it has lots of friends: greens, blues, yellows, peaches, pinks. And *gasp*, sometimes even red (yes, you read that correctly) works wonderfully with purple, if the red is chosen carefully (I've found that orange reds tend to work better than blue reds, depending on the purple) and used cleverly.

Today, more people are ignoring trends and choosing the color schemes that they want to live with, without regard for what Interior decorators or trends dictate. Don't choose a color scheme unless you love it and it resonates with you. That's the only thing you should take into consideration. I wonder how many burnt orange shag rugs would have gathered dust on the shelves if people had only done that.

The Big Question: art or wall?
We have had variations of the following conversation more times than we can count:
Customer: Hello. I want to buy a tumbled stone tile wall mural. My room is gold, white, off-white and has some touches of green. I would like to get (insert art piece name here) because it has the same gold color and I want to pick up some of the green, which is in the image background and matches perfectly. Do you have any suggestions for me?
Us : Since you've asked, yes. Don't buy art that matches your decor. Buy art that makes your heart sing every time you look at it.

Mural Magic
If you are considering a tile wall mural, consider some of the wonderfully creative and dynamic looks you can create for your home. For example, on our home page, our header graphic shows three versions of the same art piece but in different colors. This graphic was based on a recent project we did for a customer who loves color and is unafraid of trying unusual ways to display it in her home. Instead of one large glass tile mural, we ended up doing three smaller ones, side by side, of the very same image but in different hues. Another possibility is separating two or three murals by dividing the same image, having it flow across the wall with breaks in between. Or you can do two, three or even four different images in the very same mural. For one customer, I added the words, "hope," "faith" and "charity" in a beautiful, elegant script font (with diminished opacity so you could still see the image beneath) across "The Three Graces" for her tumbled stone mural. Bottom line? Murals are astonishingly beautiful whether you display them traditionally or not. If you like these ideas for your home, we can take any image you choose and either divide it for you to make multiple murals, or we can selectively change the colors of the art which results in a beautiful, colorful designer look, a wonderful technique that will totally remake your room.

Marvelous Mixing and Matching
Picking up your mural image and using it for matching accent pieces is guaranteed to give the "main event," the mural, even more impact. Be creative and have fun by using the same image for a piece of furniture, serving trays, placemats and napkins, wall sconces, switchplates, coaster sets, keepsake boxes, etc. You can even crop part of the image and use the cropped part instead of the whole image. Imagine your beautiful wall mural with a matching end table, console table or plant stand, custom stained and grouted. For coasters, you can take cropped pieces of the mural as well, instead of using the full image for each coaster.

Patterns and Motifs and Styles Oh My!
Patterns are simply wonderful for borders, backsplashes, floors, accent tiles. Patterns are especially good choices when you don't have a lot of space to work with, or you have a particularly narrow space (long and narrow, either horizontally or vertically). In these kind of spaces, sometimes regular art images won't work because they need to be cropped so dramatically that the image would be compromised. Though you may know we have dozens of patterns to choose from, did you know we can create one custom, just for you? Your colors, your style. In fact, we can take any image at all and turn it into a pattern. For example, let's say you wanted an art piece for a mural, or even a serving tray. We can take that image and turn it into a matching pattern to be used for coasters, border tiles, or whatever else your imagination can dream up.

Family Photos, Precious Memories
Photos fade, memories don't. Most people display their photos in frames, whether they are hung on the walls or propped on an end table or China cabinet. But even under the glass of the frame, paper will rip, stain, fade. Glass will not. Further, your creative options are limited: you have your photo, and your frame, and that's it. With our printing process for glass tiles, the image is printed on the *back* of the glass, not the front. This means that it will not fade with sunlight, or time. Since it's printed on the back, you are looking through the glass to the image, giving it a lovely 3D effect, almost like looking through the calmest of water. With glass, you can display your most precious photos in ways only limited by the imagination. Either in or out of frames, you can display them singularly or in groups on your walls, giving them a three dimensional look and beautiful texture that framed paper isn't capable of. So the next time you're going through your family albums, think of glass. Paper just cannot compare.

Vintage cane prices vary significantly depending on a number of aspects. Antique cane prices differ due to the condition of the cane, the canes materials and the age of the cane. When you are purchasing a classic cane it is important inspect these three things before committing to purchase an antique cane for your collection.

Definitions of Cane Conditions

New Cane Conditions

Antique canes listed as a cane in new condition means that the cane itself has never been used. The cane is in perfect condition and should show absolutely no signs of deterioration. Yellowing or discoloration is not uncommon when certain materials are used in the construction of a cane. It is also important to make note that a cane that is antique may be fragile because of the overall age of the cane.

Like New or Mint Cane Conditions

Vintage canes that are listed in like new or mint condition may have been used at some point but show very little signs of wear. Overall, most of the canes original components are in place in canes listed in like new or mint condition. Caps and tips may not be the original ones that the cane came with but the overall appearance of the cane should be restored to their original appearance.

Used Cane Conditions

Used is vague when involving antique canes especially with sellers that have little experience with vintage items. In order to determine a fair market value for a cane listed in used condition should be heavily inspected by the individual looking to purchase it. Examine the vintage canes condition in order to allow a value to be placed on the piece. Consider the material that the cane is created from as well as the canes age and used condition before settling on a solid price to pay for a cane in this condition.

Good Cane Conditions: A vintage cane in good condition is one that is still fully functions. It will show normal signs of wear and deterioration. Original components will make up most of the cane but it is important to note that a replacement handle, cap or tip may be in place. If you are purchasing antique canes based upon the originality of the pieces handle a cane that's handle has been replaced is probably not the best option to add to your collection.

Poor Cane Conditions: Antique cane conditions that are listed in poor shape will often show incredible amounts of wear and tear. In order to publicly use these canes users will want to restore them. Poor condition canes are hardly ever purchased to add to a true collector's collection.

For Salvage Canes Conditions: Canes listed in salvage condition should be considered part only canes. Canes in these conditions are only being sold for parts. If a collector is looking for a specific knob or badge for canes in their collections they should look for canes in salvageable condition.

To get a tattoo is a popular way to decorate the body and to change the appearance a little. The tattoo design always depends on you and your tattoo artist who should clearly understand what you`d like to ink. One of the most widespread tattoo designs is a cute bear tattoo designs which can add you a fabulous look and at the same time, they are rich in symbolism. Cute or teddy bear tattoos are the most popular and demanded to type the bear tattoos today. We all know bears as strong, powerful and noble animals but the cute teddy bear tattoo designs change a little bear tattoo meaning.

The teddy bear was created by two toy makers. Morris Michtom in the USA and Richard Steiff in Germany started to produce these little and not so little toys at the beginning of the 20th century. The Teddy Bear got its name in the USA. It was named after the US President Theodore (TEDDY) Roosevelt. After that, the teddy bear became a universal soft toy all over the world as teddies can be a cool present to both the adults and children. And mostly these sweet toys are given to girls as a gift to show love, devotion or tender attitude. For girls, the teddy bears are always special attention mark. So it isn't surprising that soon people started to wear so lovely alternatives as teddy bear tattoos instead of more common bear ones for various reasons. Someone wants to show the wonderful childhood and thus in a cute bear that, the other, on the contrary, would like to stress the unhappiest time of the life and get a teddy bear design in a horror way. But before wearing the ink everyone must get to know all symbolic meanings of such tattoo.

Symbolic Meanings of Cute Bear Tattoo Designs

A lot of various cuddly bear designs appear on the skin as the recollections of childhood. People always want to save the best carefree time of life in their memory and the best way to do that is to show this time with a symbolic teddy bear tattoo as a soft cute bear accompanied you constantly in your childhood.

The cute bear tattoos can also be a sign of love and friendship because almost everyone got the nice teddy bear as a present on St. Valentine`s Day or on birthday.

Some of us often remember the time when we fell asleep hugging our favorite toy teddy bear. We felt protection and calmness carefully caring it and closing their eyes. So, those lovely tattoos are the representatives of safety, content, comfort, and kindness. When we are upset just one look at the cute ink may change our mood.

Where to Wear So Sweet Teddy Bear Tattoos?

Looking through the most popular teddy bear inks the most favorable places to wear them are hand, back, the upper part of the chest or breast, thigh, arm, biceps, half sleeve, ribs, side, and belly. The ink place also reflects the reason the tattoo was done. As if you`d like to show your tattoo you`ll get it on any open body part. But if such ink is really very personal for yourself it would be better to hide it.

Most Striking and Awesome Cute Bear Tattoo Designs

#1: Green Teddy Bear Head Tattoo on Hand

This sweet teddy bear head tattoo done in a tender green color on the blue background looks innocently and lovely on the hand. The bearer wants to show the pleasant recollections from the childhood with such tattoo.

#2: Brown Lovely Bear Tattoo with Flower

This delicate teddy bear design is created with the help of black outline and the watercolor effect. A large blue flower with a strong stalk completes the tattoo and makes it more affectionate.

#3: Colorful Teddy Bear Tattoo on Chest

The amazingly created teddy bear tattoo done on the chest astonishes with its size and bright
colors and unites three different bear images together: a skateboarder with skate, ragged bear
with flowers and a doctor with its medical tools.

#4: Geometric Cute Bear Half Sleeve Ink

Two different styles are mixed in this creative bear tattoo geometric and watercolor. This cute bear ink looks catchy and appealing and it attracts more attention over the uncommon combination of styles.

#5: Crying Teddy Bear Half Sleeve Tattoo

Tears, sad bear, inscription and ragged wounds make this tattoo piece more realistic. The subdued colors add also the realistic effect to the image.

#6: Home Little Bear Half Sleeve Tattoo

This tattoo design gives the impression that you're reading the child`s book and looking over the child`s pictures in this book. The teddy bear that sleeps in its house on its bed and the pillow in the shape of heart amazes with a range of details. That`s why this ink looks more appealing and splendid.

#7: Cuddly Small Teddy Bear Faces Wrist Tattoo

What nice twins did on the both wrists! They are colorful and funny. Special charm to the images adds the bear noses in the form of the heart. But one bear image is full of happiness and the other image looks disappointed. It shows that tattoo bearer is a man of mood.

#8: Sweet Teddy Bear Side Tattoo with Blocks and Rattle

This nifty teddy bear holding the blocks in its hands stretches along the woman's side. The lovely tattoo looks brightly. The rattle, numbers, and blocks near the delightful bear indicate that this ink was tattooed in the honor of child's birth.

#9: Dreamy Funny Bear On The Moon Back Tattoo

The dreamy teddy bear sitting on the moon under the stars in the pajamas is done on the women`s back. Such image says us that this thoughtful bear is full of dreams and now it is evoking the sweetest memories of the childhood.

#10: Flying Cute Bear Biceps Tattoo

The bear inked like an angel on the man`s biceps appeared as the recollections of the most important for its bearer dates. A little crimson bow on the head marks that these recollections concern the loved woman of the ink bearer. The teddy bear looks so tender with the wings and nimbus over the bear head.

If you`re sure that you want to get some cute bear tattoo look over this article again and try to choose the most suitable tattoo design for you.

Author's Bio: 

Misty Jhones

In the Interior design of a home, there are many styles that are distinctive. Everyone can find a style that matches their taste, from funky and classic to casual sophistication and formal English styles. Our homes often become patchworks of different interests, ideals, styles, and cultures. More people are choosing to work with a professional Interior designer to coordinate all aspects of their home.

Have you ever walked into a room and felt it matched you perfectly? The minute you enter the space, you feel calmer and more at ease. Why does it have that effect on you? Is it the color palette, the furnishings, the flooring, the ornaments, or the structure? The goal of every home Interior expert is to design a space that creates this emotion. Before you even begin selecting fabrics and furnishings, you need to decide which style reflects your personality.

Some of the various styles include funky or classic, ornate or simplistic and bold or subdued. Although it may take some time to design your ideal room, you can see it as a progression and transformation that happens on a continuing basis. People naturally spend less time at their places of work as they get older, and consequently spend more time at home, which is why they desire a more comfortable and relaxing space that they enjoy being in.

The sense of style is typically seen in even the smallest details. Creating a coordinated home requires each detail, from lighting fixtures to paint colors and textures. This most often is done by initially taking inventory of the homes exterior. You will then need to consider various styles, such as contemporary versus classic, and American versus European. You may consider the assistance of a professional Interior designer to make your dreams into a reality that you will enjoy for years to come.

Besides the styles mentioned previously, you will also probably see Interior design services advertising "Feng Shui." Feng Shui Interior design is a concept whereby items are arranged in the home, such as color and elements, to give the space a sense of calm and well-being and help you reach your goals in life. Feng Shui involves maximizing space by clearing out the clutter and adding the five elements of nature water, fire, earth, plants and metal in varied forms and combinations to create a healthy, balanced environment. Regardless of the custom decorating schemes you select, the primary objective is to create a warm and inviting space.

Author's Bio: 

During his almost 19 years as a hotel developer, Steffen La Roche has worked with many Arizona Interior design. For architects, developers, and builders looking for a full-service design company, Steffen highly recommends Est Est for Arizona Interior designers.