star wars wallpaper border

Update Your Home With Some Easy Wall Decorating Ideas

Now might be a good time to turn your thoughts back to those wall decorating ideas you had in mind before the kids broke up from school and your plans got derailed with busy summer-time activities.

It's easy to update living areas by putting a fresh coat of paint on your walls and paint doesn't have to be just a solid color anymore. There are also all kinds of faux decorating techniques you can try such as sponging, ragging, faux marble, faux wood, faux animal prints, just to name a few. Hand painting a wall mural or a faux scene is another creative wall decorating idea to add originality and interest to your walls.

If you don't feel adventurous, or if painting is not your style, there are other imaginative wall decorating ideas for you to consider, like decorating your walls with some beautiful designer wallpaper. Wallpaper has come a long way since yesteryear and there's a style and a price range to suit everyone.

Adding a chair rail or opting for a wainscoting or paneling project, which will require a helper with a few carpentry skills, is still another way to dress up those tired old walls. Doing something simpler like covering a less than perfect wall with fabric or just making a decorative curtain wall to cover the entire space is another alternative. Walls decorated with an interesting fabric are practical, good-looking and flexible and can also be used to complement other fabric items in your room.

There are also a variety of decorative stencils on the market that have become a very popular way to decorate your walls.

You can stencil your own border across the top of the wall or as a border halfway up the wall or stenciling can include allover prints. You can choose from the embossed look to beautiful mosaic stencils, contemporary styles, art nouveau and architectural styles just to name a few. When it comes to imaginative wall decorating ideas, stenciling has to be high on the list.

If you're looking for even something faster and simpler, there are a number of temporary stick-on decals and wallpaper cut-outs that are ideal for decorating children's walls. They can easily be removed when your child grows older and you suddenly want to update the room with an entirely new look.

Speaking of wall decorating ideas for a kids room, wallpaper cut-outs are a great way to establish a theme; for example an animal theme, a nursery theme, star wars, favorite movie themes or rock bands.

Wall treatments can be as detailed or as simple as you want them to be. Consider the time you have, drying time, cost of supplies and skills needed when thinking of what you might want to do. As you've seen on the do-it-yourself shows, nothing is impossible and there are a lot of shortcuts that can be utilized if time is of the essence.

When considering wall treatments and the wall decorating ideas you have in mind, it is also important to keep in mind what the room will be used for and what type of ambience you want to create. For example, when it comes to choosing a color scheme, research shows that red will not be calming, but will excite those who enter. Blue or tan walls are more calming and relaxing. With bold colors, you may choose to do all the walls or just one accent wall. Be careful choosing lighter colors. You may want to splurge and purchase a washable paint if little hand prints might be a permanent part of your décor.

A good way to decide which wall treatments are the best for you is to browse through catalogs and decorating magazines or to attend open houses to get some great wall decorating ideas that will be just perfect for your home.

When you use your imagination, your choices are endless. In just a short time and a little elbow grease, your rooms can look like something out of a magazine and all because you found some creative wall decorating ideas and wall treatments to beautify and add value to your home.

Because my daughter Caryn and I have had so much success finding beautiful wall decor online, we wanted to start our own web site so we could recommend and share all the wonderful resources we've found to others.

Caryn and I have been in the home decor and window treatment business for 15 years selling and working with retailers and interior decorators in the beautiful State of Florida.

coffee wallpaper border

Create a Hotel Inspired Guest Room

Hotel rooms have a way of making a guest feel welcome and comfortable, primarily because of their overall simplicity and attention to detail. If you think back to your last hotel stay, you can probably remember having everything you needed, and yet the room seemed spacious, well-organized and uncluttered. You can use the same decorating principles that hotels use when creating a guest room in your own home.

Keep the Room Uncluttered
By keeping the room uncluttered, you will allow your guests to use the space for their own belongings and uses. A few well-placed pieces of wall art such as a framed art print can definitely add to the charm of a guest room, but try to avoid too many knick-knacks. A simplistic look will also give the room a relaxing and serene look.

Stick with Neutral or Light Shades
Selecting light or neutral shades for the room's overall color palette will create the best overall look. Light colors will make a room look larger, which is a good effect for a guest room. Add overall interest to the room by wallpapering one wall with a textured paper, or use a wallpaper border around the top edge of the room. This will allow you to add a bit of design to the room without adding too much visual clutter.

Good Furniture Choices for Guest Rooms
In addition to the bed and nightstand, add a few useful pieces of furniture that will make your guest's stay more enjoyable. A small table or desk will give your guest a place to write or work, and a loveseat or chair will give them a place to relax. A small entertainment center or stand with a television will also be appreciated by your guest, and always include a chest of drawers and a low table so that they have a place to store their luggage, clothing and other items. If the guest room has a closet, make sure that it is empty and provides ample space and spare hangers to hang clothing.

Useful Accessories for Your Guest Room
When adding accessories to a guest room, try to think what items you have used most when staying in a hotel. Place an ironing board and iron in the closet in case your guest needs a quick wardrobe touch-up, and include a few large plastic bags for your guest's dirty clothing. A small coffee pot and microwave oven are also nice to add to a guest room, as is a small cube-sized refrigerator. Be sure to stock the refrigerator with an assortment of bottled or canned beverages, such as bottled water, soda and juice.

Sit a basket of coffee, tea bags and other supplies close to the coffee maker, and be sure to provide coffee mugs and glasses. Add a few snacks such as individually wrapped crackers, microwavable popcorn, or breakfast bars to the basket for a nice welcoming touch. Create a list of area features that your guest might need, such as a dry cleaner or area parks and walking trails, and keep a local phone book in the room for easy reference. Your guest will feel as though you've thought of their every need.

sports wallpaper borders

Decorating Ideas for Your Teenager's Room

While it may seem that your teenager is from a different world, it will pass - eventually. In the meantime, the best that you can hope for is that you survive this metamorphosis into adulthood. When your teen comes to you and says they want to redecorate your room, you might as well prepare yourself. It is pretty much guaranteed that you'll be bugged about it until it happens. Here are some ideas to make this massive redecorating project a success.

Allowing Freedom of Expression - Within Limits, Of Course

If you are lucky, your teenager will want a room that is somewhat normal. However, as we all know, teenagers are normally not normal! If the room isn't shared with another sibling, there isn't much harm in letting your teen decorate as they want to - within some limits. For example, destroying a closet or a wall isn't acceptable, but perhaps painting a wall black is. In terms of colors, if it makes them happy, so be it. Just relish the moment that they aren't decorating the rest of the house, too!

Some teens have great decorating ideas. Perhaps you have a few of your own, but in most cases, your teen probably won't want to hear them. Now, not all teens are quite so hardheaded, but by the time they hit fifteen or sixteen, they know what they like. You may be surprised at what a wonderfully decorated room they end up with!

If they do come to you for ideas, consider what your child excels at. It could be sports, arts, fashion, or theater. A room decorated in musical notes, posters, and pieces of framed sheet music is a great idea for a music buff. On some of the decorating sites, you'll find wallpaper borders with music notes, a modern rug with a musical motif, or a lamp with a treble clef design for the base. Old vinyl records can be cut to make unique light switch covers or placed under a glass overlay on a desk.

While music is certainly one of the most popular interests of teenagers, sports comes in at the top, as well. For the baseball lover, consider helping him find posters of his favorite player or team. Autographs should be displayed behind glass and you can use baseballs in a number of different ways. They are great for a pull on a ceiling fan, as a doorknob, or cut in half and secured on a wall in a pattern. There are number of great rugs for sale online for any of the major league teams.

A Few Final Thoughts

Redecorating a teen's room does not need to mean a huge argument. If you simply cannot allow one of their ideas, then compromise on another one. Every teen needs to feel like they have their own space. While it does not mean that every teen will create something odd, strange, or just downright weird, some will. There are more important things to care about than what color your teen's curtains are!

fruit wallpaper border

Apple Kitchen Decor is Fresh and Fruity!

Brighten your home with the vibrant look of apple kitchen decor! Whether you live in the big city or on a country farm, apple kitchen decor is the perfect way to bring a dull room to life.

The scent of a warm apple pie brings back memories of childhood years at grandma's house. Using apple scented candles shaped in the form of a pie are a perfect accent for apple kitchen decor.

Some other accents to spice up your kitchen are a fruit-filled wicker basket containing bright oranges, red and green apples and bananas. Used as a centerpiece for the dining table, this creates a warm, country look and feel to the room. A richly colored wallpaper border decorated with a fruit pattern livens up the walls, leaving them anything but boring!

The addition of ceramic or porcelain accents adds even more delight. There are many useful pieces such as apple decorated salt and pepper shakers and canisters that will add to this charming look. A cookie jar and spoon rest are some other items you will find useful, along with adding even more color and freshness to your kitchen.

For the walls, you might consider a vibrantly colored apple clock framed in a country wood or wrought iron frame. Richly hued pictures containing various fruits such as deep purple grapes, red apples, pears and bananas will add charm and color to the walls. There are endless accents you can find to decorate the busiest room of your home in apple kitchen decor.

Some other useful and beautiful items you can use are apple-themed dish towels and dish cloths. Add a richly colored tablecloth and curtains to the windows, using colors that coordinate with your pictures and accents. The addition of fruit themed chair pads add even more country charm.

As you can see, using apple kitchen decor gives you endless options for brightening and refreshing the look and feel of your kitchen. Get busy and decorate your kitchen with fresh and fruity style!

girls wallpaper border

Girls' Decor is More Than Sugar and Spice

That old nursery rhyme about little girls being made of sugar and spice surely needs to be updated for the 21st century. Little girls still like frilly, but they also like sports, horses, the outdoors, and much, much more.

The best place to start looking for a theme for your daughter's decor is to talk with her. What are her favorite interests? Is she a girly girl? Does she excel at soccer, gymnastics or dancing? Whatever catches her imagination is the place to start looking for decor ideas.

Don't be afraid to steer her in the direction of a less-expensive decorating scheme if the budget is an issue in these tough economic times. Kids are a lot more perceptive than we give them credit for, but they don't need to know all the details. Just explain that you'll be working within a decorating budget, and that you'll get to make choices together.

Beach Gal: If you live near the ocean, or she delights in retelling tales from your seaside vacation, consider a beach theme for her room. Think ocean blues for the walls, sandy colors on the floor, and a bright blue sky with puffy clouds. Look for a wallpaper border full of seashells or a beach-themed area rug and key the color scheme to it. Some real seashells or an art print will set the mood for beach-house-style furniture.

Star Bright: Not many urban kids get to see stars on a regular basis, so decorating your daughter's room with stars could be both unusual and educational. Instead of a wallpaper border, consider sponge-painting a star border around the room. Enhance the starlight romance with a couple of starry mobiles and perhaps a star-shaped area rug. Or go deeply into the night by painting the ceiling midnight blue and adorn it with glow-in-the-dark stars. A moon-and-stars cutout on the bed's headboard, along with star fabric and a quilt will complete the look.

Fantasy Favorites: Something about fairies, elves and other magical creatures has engaged the imaginations of little girls for generations. If your little girl loves fairies, then deck her room soft pastels of pink, blue or lavender. Add art prints or figurines of fairies with their delicate, diaphanous wings and throw some sparkle on the walls with glitter markers or silver paint. If it's elves she loves, then opt for some pastel woodland colors in greens, browns and beiges, again with appropriate prints or other decorations. Tie all the decor details together with a matching pastel-colored area rug.

Fairy Tale Cottage: When the decorating scheme includes some gently used furniture, consider turning her bedroom into a fairy-tale cottage. You could give her an all-white room, including painting the furniture, and then add interest and variety by changing out the room's accessories in different colors periodically. Be sure to use a semi-gloss paint on the walls for easier clean-ups.

Fluttering By: There's no doubt about it: Butterflies are big with little girls. What's more, in the past few years butterflies have become big in home decor as well. That makes it easy to transform your daughter's bedroom into a butterfly sanctuary. Turn her walls into a garden scene with dozens of butterflies and chose butterfly designs for window treatments and bedding and a butterfly area rug for the floor. Here's a nice touch: Get some butterfly hair clips and attach them to her curtains, lampshades and other places.

vintage wallpaper border

Customizing Walls by Decorating with Wallpaper

Picking the kind of wallpaper to use not only depends on the liking of the homeowner, but also the location where the wallpaper will be installed, the amount of human traffic, those who will frequent the area and the activities that will transpire in the room. These factors must be taken into account when redecorating walls with designer wallpaper and wallpaper borders.

Low-traffic and low-activity areas like master bedrooms, dens, and babies' rooms may be pasted with standard wallpapers since these areas are not prone to damage or stains. However, high-traffic and high-volume areas such as the kitchen, bathroom, and children's rooms must be fitted with vinyl wallpapers and wallpaper borders, because they are easy to clean and are more durable than standard designer wallpaper.

As mentioned before, the design of the wallpaper also depends on those who frequent the area. The bedroom for instance, serves as a haven for every member of the household and for those whose room is to be wallpapered, they will most likely want to decorate their bedrooms to express their style and personality.

Teenagers are very creative --- when it comes to decorating their walls, they tend to be very passionate in expressing themselves in nearly every aspect of their room be it the murals, wallpaper borders, or other wall decors. Teens typically like loud, animated wallpaper designs and murals. However, there are no exact trends in decorating a teenager's bedroom since most of them will end up highly individualized in terms of colors and themes.

The nursery room is a peaceful place. As such, the colors and patterns of their walls should be very comforting but still exhibit vibrant, light colors. Colorful designer wallpaper, murals, and wallpaper borders that are based on nursery rhymes are a great decorative choice for nursery rooms. Do stay away from colors or pictures that are too loud for the little ones. Strike a good balance between colors and design for stimulation and comfort when choosing nursery room wallpaper.

For kitchens, the best way to enliven the walls is to use kitchen wall décor and wallpaper that match and complement each other. You can choose from a wide array of themes: country, American, contemporary, toile, and a lot more. Typical kitchen wall décor have farm or barn animals, cooking or silverware, topiaries, fruits and vegetables, flowers, clocks or jars. There are also those with French-worded recipes, Victorian motifs, lattice and other vintage-inspired designs. Faux finish designer wallpaper also goes well with kitchen counter tops. They should match the color scheme of the rest of the kitchen to create a classy kitchen look.

To give your bathroom the illusion of having a larger space, go for bathroom wallpaper that gives an airy impression. Colors like white, yellow, or any neutral colors can do the trick. A bathroom wallpaper mural placed on the largest wall also helps in making a small bathroom seem bigger. For standard bathrooms, the taffeta-themed papers are also a good choice since currently, they make up the latest wallpaper trend.

Modern wallpapers today cater to the needs and likes of every individual. If you are the kind to deviate from the norms, you can opt to hang wallpaper with fun-themed schemes in your den. Comic strip wallpaper and wallpaper borders in your kitchen can also give the place the reflection of being deviant. Wallies, a brand of wall embellishment that's increasingly popular is also the perfect way to liven up any room. It is easy to apply and reposition, and can further personalize a room.

Walls truly play a central part of a home's splendor. Wallpapers, if chosen well to fit harmoniously with the other fixtures in a given area, can definitely beautify the interior of an abode. The colors should match and complement each other so as to radiate that aura of beauty and style.

nursery wallpaper border

Ideas For Decorating the Nursery Walls With Baby Borders

Baby wall borders are no different than any other wallpaper border. Borders in baby themes may include pretty pictures of baby products that would only be interesting to the proud parents of a newborn. Beyond that you might say that border is just plain border, nothing new there at all. That might be the end of the discussion except for the fact that there are so many cute baby borders and it can even be fun to make your own border patterns to use on the nursery walls.

I choose a baby wallpaper border in much the same way as I would pick wallpaper for any decorating project. I take a piece of fabric to the store, I pick border in colors and designs that strike my fancy, I buy my material, paste the border at the desired height on the nursery wall and in very little time, the job is done. This no frills method of applying border to the nursery walls is extremely effective, but it's also pretty repetitive and boring.

I'm often asked whether I prefer pre-pasted wallpaper borders or would I rather decorate nurseries using stenciled designs. The answer to this question depends on how much time I have to complete the project and whether or not I can find suitable border at the store or online. I know that if I buy border, it will save time, but it may add a few dollars to the customer's bill as the purchase of border may be more expensive than if I had stenciled the baby's border. To paint the border using a stencil will take a little more time than hanging wallpaper border, so the amount that my customer saves in material cost evens out in labor fees.

There have been times that I got lucky and found some really fine baby wallpaper border on sale at a super discount. I always made certain that my measurements were exact before buying border from sale bin. It would be horrible to run completely out of wallpaper border and not be able to complete the project because the pattern had been discontinued.

A painted border can be much more interesting than hanging a border in the nursery. Painting my own wall borders is the best method of color matching that I have found. It's a great way to get an exact color match to the rest of the room. While we are discussing ways to get cool results by doing it yourself, you can also make your own stencils that you can reuse time and time again. I have made my own decorative stencil patterns for many nursery decorating projects and the parents loved the fact that their design was an original.

If you'd like to try painting your own nursery wall border but you wonder if you are artistic enough to complete such a project, don't worry! Baby designs are some of the easiest patterns to make. Take some pictures of your baby's foot and hand prints and use them to make your pattern. Once your nursery wall border has been painted and your nursery walls look fabulous, explore more ways that you can use your personalized baby stencils for other nursery decorations and craft projects.