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James T. Allen - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
James Allen is GREENCulture's Communications Manager.
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- Choosing The Right Living Room Furniture
[Home-Improvement:Furniture] The main furniture components that make up your living room are sofas and chairs, coffee tables, end tables and console tables. A good combination of these pieces should leave you with a well put together living room that is both livable and aesthetically pleasing. Overdo it and pick pieces of furniture that are too large for your room or try to cram too many pieces into your space, and you'll quickly ruin your living room.
- The Origins of the Area Rug
[Home-Improvement:Flooring] The rug has been around for a long time. Exactly how long, we're not entirely sure, but since the oldest specimen recovered carbon dates back to the 5th century and is anything but simple and crude, we can assume the craft goes back hundreds of years earlier than that.
- Other Uses for Area Rugs (Not Really)
[Home-Improvement:Flooring] Some call them rugs, some carpets. Whatever your preferred way of referring to these handy floor coverings, one's things for sure - there are more uses for area rugs than meets the eye.
- One Rug's Story
[Home-Improvement:Flooring] I sit motionless day-in, day-out, just lying around pretty much. I let people walk all over me. But really, I don't have much choice in the matter. Its not that I'm lazy, that's my job, it's what I do. I provide a little comfort and warmth for tired feet, while at the same time protecting a home's most valuable asset.
- What To Look For In An Area Rug
[Home-Improvement:Flooring] The many different area rug styles can make shopping for one of these home necessities less than fun. There are numerous styles, materials and shapes to keep straight, not to mention the sizes. Well, we can't help where the sizes are concerned, but we can go over some of the popular rug styles and what to look for when you are shopping for a new area rug.
- Area Rugs Serve Many Purposes
[Home-Improvement:Flooring] A new area rug is an easy way to breathe some life into any room in your home. Besides the aesthetic aspect a new rug brings, they can also provide solutions to some basic challenges every home faces.
- Natural Area Rugs an Ideal Choice for Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Flooring] Area rugs can do a lot for a room. They can add some color to a drab floor and walls, they can protect high traffic areas from stains and wear and tear, and they can provide some warmth to cold, hard tile or wood floors. Rugs can also bring a little bit of nature and the great outdoors into your home if that rug is one of the many types made from natural materials.
- Composting is Fun for the Whole Family
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Looking for an activity the entire family can participate in that is educational, good for the planet and fun? Look no further than composting. Starting a compost pile in your backyard is one of the best ways to make a positive impact on the health of the environment and, on a smaller scale, the health of your plants and garden.
- Start Composting Today and Reduce Landfill Waste
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] If you're looking for another way to make a positive impact on the planet, in addition to recycling, look no further than the wonderful world of composting. In basic terms, composting is the act of breaking down organic food and yard waste into a potent soil amendment called humus.
- Inexpensive Ways to Spruce Up Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Here are some inexpensive ways to make a big impact with furniture and decorating fixtures in your home. No need to go into debt or live off ramen noodles for a year if you just think small and refine the details.
- Torchieres are Elegant and Space Saving Light Fixtures
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] The torchiere is a lighting fixture that has gained much popularity over the last ten or so years, with its slim elegant design and availability in a wide range of prices, it's easy to see why.
- Tips for Energy Efficient Lighting
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] Home lighting is an area where we can really make a difference as far as energy conservation goes. A few simple technological advances that are really neither all that technological, nor advanced have given us options to make our lighting more energy efficient and thus, more cost-effective as well.
- Wall Lighting for Every Room in Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] Wall light fixtures, such as sconces and wall lamps, are often overlooked when lighting purchases are made. Everyone wants more room for family photos, trinkets, and even plants on their end tables, and wall lighting is a great way to get this space while still adequately lighting a room.
- Modern Light Fixtures Serving Double Duty
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] Contemporary light fixtures often do more than simply provide light. Many also serve as beautiful display pieces, not unlike a sculpture or other works of art.
- Energy Star Lighting - Make a Difference Today
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] Choosing Energy Star light fixtures is an easy way to make a positive impact on the environment while also saving money. Make your next lighting purchases Energy Star qualified and do your part to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases.
- Contemporary Ceiling Lighting Options
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] This article explores the wonderful world of ceiling lighting and how you can use these versatile light fixtures in your home or apartment.
- Outdoor Lighting for Any Size Yard
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] Summer is here and that means one thing - (no, not rolling blackouts) it's time to go outside and enjoy your yard or patio. This is easy during the day, when the sun is shining and natural light is plentiful. If your outdoor areas are not properly lit, however, the setting sun can be like a countdown to pack up and head back indoors.
- New and Improved Solar Powered Path Lights
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] If you're looking for an easy and inexpensive way to add some outdoor lighting to your front or backyard, then some solar powered path lights just might be what you need. Most of these great lights are mounted on narrow poles that easily stick in most terrains, from soil to rock.
- Outdoor Lighting and My Visit to McAfee Coliseum
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] The point to this rambling, if there is one, is that if you have a yard worthy of being seen in the daytime, it is probably deserving of some great outdoor lighting so it can be shone off in the nighttime as well.
- Outdoor Lighting for the Backyard Sportsman
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] The point is that many of these hotly contested battles are waged into the evening hours when the sun begins to set and our once infallible vision begins to blur with the lack of light. The solution to this problem is to add some outdoor lighting to your ballpark, err... backyard and keep the games going long into the night, or at least until your neighbors start to complain.
- Outdoor Lighting is Versatile and Easy
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] Looking for a way to liven up your backyard or patio that's both easy and fairly inexpensive? Check out the often overlooked and underappreciated world of outdoor lighting fixtures.
- Let Your Personality Color Your Home Decor
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Setting out to decorate a new home or redecorating your current abode without a plan can be like driving around an unfamiliar city without a map-you may end up somewhere, but it's probably not where you wanted go and you may have no idea how you got there. And you may just end up somewhere pretty ugly.
- Bedroom Furniture Designed for Function and Beauty
[Home-Improvement:Furniture] If your bedroom decor warranted you spending more time in it with your eyes open, don't you think you probably would? Relaxing with a good book in the afternoon, watching a little TV before bed, or even doing a little internet surfing on your laptop, all of these leisurely activities are more enjoyable in a room that's aesthetically pleasing and more conducive to such activities.
- Teen Bedroom Furniture Solutions
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] While it has yet to be scientifically proven, studies have shown that the furnishings surrounding the teen in their private quarters have a direct influence on their overall demeanor and success. While a teen's room is often cluttered and messy, it is often not the intent of the teen, nor is it their fault.
- Furniture Shopping Made Easy, or at Least Easier
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Walking into a furniture store can be a bit overwhelming (IKEA, anyone?), especially if you aren't armed with a solid game plan. There are a few things you need to decide and/or figure out ahead of time before you step foot in a store or browse a website.
- The Dining Room Table-Make it a Family Gathering Place Again
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Does your dining room table get used less frequently than your treadmill? Are nightly dinners where the family sits and eats...together, a rare occurrence? Most of us probably wish we had more family dinners together, but oftentimes schedules conflict and life just seems to get in the way of this.
- Cottage Style Furniture and Decorating Tips
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] There are three keys to successfully furnishing a Cottage-style room: white paint, slipcovers and creativity. White paint breathes new life into mismatched, old and discolored furniture and creates a unifying theme that lets all sorts of style blend well into a room.
- Cottage Style Decorating Adds Warmth and Comfort to Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] The cottage style is a style where everything old is new again! If you're a champion bargain hunter who loves to navigate flea markets and Grandma's attic for that perfectly charming wagon, hat box or antique plate, and you want a style to match your passion for quaint decor and your casual lifestyle, then the cottage look may be perfect for you.
- Looking For a New Platform Bed?
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] If you're one of the few yet to be swept up in the platform bed hysteria, consider yourself, well... unlucky. A new platform bed is an easy and affordable way to give your bedroom a new look while adding some contemporary style and Far East influence.
- Contemporary Coffee Tables Add Style and Flair
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Whether you're looking for a place to rest your feet after a long day at work or a stylish piece of furniture to add some sophistication and a modern flair to your living room, contemporary coffee tables can deliver.
- Versatile Bedroom Furniture Chests
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] The chest of drawers has long been a staple piece of bedroom furniture all over the world. This functional piece adds much needed storage while also providing some display area for photos and trinkets and the like. There are alternatives to these ho-hum pieces of bedroom furniture that can add some style and flair while still serving the purpose of storage.
- Youth Bedroom Furniture Options
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Picking out furniture for your child's room can be both fun and exasperating. The trick is to balance the scales somewhere near the middle of fun and practical.
- Get an American Country Look in Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Create a country cottage look in your home by following one of these guides, or mix and match the styles to create a look entirely yours. There are no rules when it comes to these eclectic American designs.
- Oriental-Inspired Furniture Adds Style and Sophistication
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] If you're looking for a sleek, exotic look perfectly suited for smaller apartments and living spaces, Oriental-styled furniture is a definite option to consider. Bedroom furniture pieces such as the platform bed and futon, as well as stacked chests and trunks are examples of Asian-inspired furniture that is practical and compact, and at the same time stylish and sophisticated.
- Inexpensive Bedroom Furniture for the Contemporary Look
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] If cost is holding you back from purchasing new bedroom furniture, there are alternatives out there that will let you update your look without putting you in the poorhouse.
- Get a European Country Look in Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] If you find traditional furniture too formal for your lifestyle or home and contemporary furniture too… well… contemporary, you might consider a country look.
- Sofa, So Good-The Tale of an Underappreciated Piece of Furniture
[Home-Improvement:Furniture] Choosing a new sofa can be as agonizing as choosing a new car. What kind of upholstery do I want? What color? Any special features? Am I going to like it a year from now, how about five years? Once I'm brought home and put in my assigned place, though, I'm all but forgotten.
- Are You Ready For a New Bed?
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Are you tired of your plain old boring metal bed frame? If you're on the prowl for a new look in your bedroom, make one of these beautiful beds the centerpiece to your bedroom furniture.
- Your Mattress and Bedding May Be Keeping You Up at Night
[Home-Improvement] If you're an allergy sufferer and you wake up congested each morning, your mattress and bedding may be the culprit. Most cotton bedding has been treated with some degree of harmful chemicals in the processing and dying phases of production, while standard innerspring mattresses can make excellent homes for dust mites.
- The Colonial Look Returns You to a Simpler Time
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] The Colonial look is steeped in tradition, but with distinctly American undertones. Here are some tips and guidelines to make this look a reality in your home.
- Create a Tropical Island Retreat in Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] The tropical look provides an island retreat awaiting you as you walk through the front door. Some simple and inexpensive furniture and fixtures can help you achieve some level of this relaxing look.
- Create a Tuscan Retreat in Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] The Tuscan look evokes pastoral simplicity and an inviting atmosphere that recreates a country retreat inspired by nature. Pick pure, simple colors that remind you of Tuscany at sunset, the inspiration for this popular country style.
- How to Get a Decadent Victorian Look in Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Victorian style is a traditional look that is the result of a medley of influences, including classical, Oriental, Gothic and Italian. Victorian style is synonymous with bold color and arresting combinations.
- Bar Tables and Stools Add Versatility to Your Patio
[Home-Improvement:Patio-Deck] If you're looking for a hip and unique way to add some life to your boring patio, consider mixing things up with a few bar table and stool sets. This is an excellent alternative to cookie cutter patio sets and will give you more options when entertaining family and friends.
- Quality Furniture Starts at the Joints
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] A telltale sign of quality furniture is what kind of joints are used to combine the different wood elements. Avoid furniture that uses simple butt joints, where two pieces of wood are glued or nailed edge to edge without overlapping.
- Get an Antique Look without the Antique Price
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] With the exception of unfinished furniture, pretty much all of the solid wood and all-wood furniture on the market is treated or 'finished' in some way. Most of the woods used to manufacture furniture take stains and lacquers very well, meaning the color and texture can be altered greatly in the finishing process.
- What's Under Your Upholstered Chair or Sofa?
[Home-Improvement] A quality chair or sofa will employ some type of inner spring system, usually in the back as well as the seat area. These systems add comfort, as you might expect, but they also work to take some of the stress off the joints of the frame.
- Low-Profile Platform Beds are In
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] A new platform bed is the ideal choice if you're in the market for a bed. Besides adding some contemporary flair to your bedroom, you'll save anywhere from $200-$700 by not having to purchase a box spring.
- The Transformation Of The Sleigh Bed
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] If the term 'sleigh bed' evokes visions of a winter wonderland and causes sugar plums to dance in your head, you're probably not alone. Traditional sleigh beds can look like they're more sleigh than bed, with their scrolled foot and headboards and enclosed bodies.
- Is Your Mattress Keeping You From a Good Night's Sleep?
[Health-and-Fitness:Sleep-Snoring] A good night's sleep can set you up for a great day, just as a night of tossing and turning or waking up sore and achy can make the day ahead seem almost unbearable. Your seemingly comfortable mattress could be the culprit.
- Quality Furniture Starts with the Frame
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] The frame is the single most important component in determining whether or not a piece of furniture is going to stand the test of time. Read on to learn what to look for in a quality piece of furniture.
- Kitchen Lighting Options
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Perhaps no other room in your home provides as many lighting options as the kitchen. Just about any type of ceiling or wall mount can work here, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Having this many choices at your disposal could be dizzying.
- Dorm Room Decorating Tips
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] The college dorm room is perhaps the single most difficult room to furnish of all. Nowhere is real estate more valuable and in need of being maximized to its fullest potential.
- The Tiffany Lamp-An American Icon
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] If you're looking for a lighting option to add a touch of class, style and sophistication to any setting, look no further than an exquisite new Tiffany style lamp.
- Bathroom Lighting - Think Outside The Bar
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] When most people think of bathroom lighting, an image of a standard, wall mounted fixture above the mirror pops into their heads. While this is a very common form of bathroom lighting, it's definitely not the only option out there.
- Take Your Patio Furniture to the Next Level
[Home-Improvement:Patio-Deck] A backyard truly worthy of entertaining is a rare but wonderful thing. We'll guide you through some patio furniture options sure to add some class to your next gathering.
- Choose Furniture Wisely for Your New Apartment
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Decorating an apartment can be an enormous challenge. One normally has more ideas than space to work with, making the challenge to whittle down those ideas into a design that works.
- Mission Style Furniture - Get this Classic Look in Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] If you like your furniture built solid and built to last with no frills or needless embellishment, then Mission Style furniture is what you're looking for.
- Decorating Tips For Your Home Office Furniture
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] For those lucky (or smart) enough to work from home, or the rest of us who are just looking for an area to pay bills, play on the computer, or get some extra work done, a home office serves an important role.
- Tips to Tame a Teenager's Bedroom
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Organization is key for any room, but is especially important for a teen's bedroom. Restore order to your teen's bedroom by adding usable storage.
- Add Some Insolence to Your Home With a New Armoire
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Besides having the snootiest name in the furniture kingdom, the armoire is, in fact, a very useful and practical piece of furniture. Ideal for both the bedroom and living areas, armoires make great use of space as they are tall and narrow, as opposed to the square footage-hogging dresser or chest of drawers who have been plopping their wide bodies in bedrooms around the world for centuries.
- Contemporary Bunk Beds Save Space In Style
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] If you have children that share a room, a modern bunk bed is the absolute best way to maximize space and "open up" a crowded, undersized room.
- Wood Furniture - The Many Types and Definitions
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] The new incarnations of wood - particleboard, MDF, and hardboard shouldn't be feared. They often make stronger pieces of furniture that resist warping and cracking.
- The Simple Beauty Of Arts And Crafts Furniture And Lighting
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] The Arts and Crafts look doesn't rely on elaborate curlicues and fussy formality, but gains beauty and function from unparalleled craftsmanship, functionality and simple, elegant lines.
- Change Your Light Bulbs Today to Save Energy and Money
[Home-Improvement:Lighting] The light bulb Thomas Edison invented and made famous may be on its way out in the coming years, at least in the Golden State.
- Bedroom Furniture Decorating Tips-Unify Your Look
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Ditch the rag-tag yard sale look and unify your bedroom furniture with a new bedroom set.
- Bedroom Furniture Decorating Tips-The Canopy Bed
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Give your bedroom an air of nobility and classic style with a new canopy bed.
- Bedroom Furniture that Won't Break the Bank
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Update your bedroom furniture for a fraction of what you would expect to pay.
- Use Your Bedroom Furniture to Maximize Space
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Maximize the space in your bedroom to create a more inviting and relaxing atmosphere.
- How to Create a Warm, Inviting Traditional Look in Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Traditional style provides a homey refuge away from the bright lights and hard edges of the modern world, full of soft curves, lustrous wood and warmth that remind you of visits with Grandma.
- Decorating Tips to Achieve an Authentic Southwest Look
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Turn your home into a retreat that speaks of the beauty and color of the Southwest landscape and culture.
- Give Your Home a Fresh, Clean Scandinavian Look
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] The Scandinavian look is a bright, airy style that makes you feel like you can breathe easier just by stepping into it. This look is carefully constructed to give the illusion of light and sprang from Sweden's harsh, long winter evenings.
- Patio Furniture Options As Spring And Summer Draw Near
[Home-Improvement:Furniture] With spring and summer right around the corner, its time to replace your old, weathered patio furniture and spruce up your yard or patio. Here's the information you need to make an informed purchase.
- Switch to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs to Save Money and Energy
[Home-Improvement:Appliances] Change out your incandescent bulbs for energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs today and make a difference in the environment and your monthly energy bill.
- Is Transitional Furniture And Lighting Right For You
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] If you find traditional styles too gaudy and outdated, and at the same time see trendy, impractical furniture and lighting options as cold and boring, then transitionally styled furnishings may be right for you.
- Spruce Up Your Bedroom For Less With A Platform Bed
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Give your bedroom a sleek, modern look and save money at the same time with a stylish new platform bed.
- The Benefits of Home Composting
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Along with fuel efficiency, water conservation, and reduction in meat consumption, home composting is one of the most environmentally beneficial activities of modern society.
- Composting Do's And Don'ts
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Though all organic matter can be broken down naturally, some materials are just not suitable for the home compost pile.
- How to Get a Contemporary Look in Your Home
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] A home with a contemporary look features bright, airy and sophisticated living spaces that revel in all things current and chic, yet still offers quiet escape and comfort.
- Make A Responsible Furniture Purchase
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Make an informed, responsible furniture purchase that is good for the environment - it's easy and won't cost you any extra money.
- A Guide to Help You Pick Your Next Piece of Furniture
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Picking out a new piece of furniture can be a daunting task. This article will give you some insight into the technical aspects of furniture and what to look for when making your next purchase.
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