Decorating – Page 20

A Guide to Memory Foam Companies

Memory foam, the visco-elastic material that temporarily keeps whatever form you press into it, is mostly associated with memory foam mattresses. The most famous memory foam mattress brand is Tempur-Pedic, the very company that helped NASA to develop the material. It is one of the more premium brands, but there are at least two other quality brands worth noting.

Sensus

Sensus memory foam generally has a density of 5 pounds per cubic foot. This makes for a high-density mattress or mattress pad. It will last you at least 10 years, softening a little over time. It has an ILD (Indentation Load Deflection) of 14, which means it is a soft sort of foam. Sensus carries memory foam mattresses almost as good as Tempur-Pedic, at lower prices.

Serta

Serta is a large bedding company, formed in 1931. They decided to start offering memory foam mattresses and mattress pads in the 1990s, and their product quality is high, but their customer service is not very knowledgeable. If you buy a Serta memory foam mattress, go to a dealer or small retailer of their products, rather than the manufacturer.

Tempur-Pedic

Tempur-Pedic is the industry leader in memory foam. They offer three mattresses, each a different thickness, with different levels of firmness. The Classic is the firmest at 8”. It has a base layer of 4.3”. Air is allowed to flow through this base layer and the top two layers, with the top layer being the softest. The Deluxe is thicker at 10”, with a two-level base layer that is doubly aerated for more airflow, thus allowing for a softer and cooler sleep. The Celebrity is over 13” thick – the softest memory foam mattress Temper-Pedic has to offer. Most other companies offer these variations in memory foam mattresses, but Tempur-Pedic was the first.

A Guide to Mattress Stores

A good mattress can make all the difference in the world. After a good night’s sleep, you will feel rested, alert, and healthy — ready to take on the world. If this is true — and it is – then why do so many people continue to sleep on old, worn-out mattresses? Night after night, month after month, year after year… why do so many people suffer? The answer is often quite simple—many people are intimidated by the prospect of mattress shopping.

There are so many mattresses available and in so many different styles and price ranges. How to choose? The first step is to do some introductory research. Get an idea for what is available. After some basic research, you should have some idea as to what you like — and what you don’t.

Armed with this preliminary knowledge, it’s time to take a trip to the mattress store. Many local furniture and bedding stores sell mattresses. Many areas also have stand-alone mattress stores. These will have names like Mattress Giant, Mattress City, and Mattress King. These stores often have an excellent selection of mattresses. What’s more, since these stores only sell mattresses, their employees are usually well-versed in the features of each. This type of mattress store is a great place to start in your search for the perfect bed. They usually feature several different types of mattresses set up on display. Test them out. Lie down. Take a nap. Bounce a little bit—test their firmness, their resiliency.

Once you know what you’re looking for, the Internet is another option for finding a mattress store. Just make sure you factor in the cost of shipping when you are comparison-shopping. Overstock often offers mattresses at deep discounts over retail. They offer a variety of styles, from pillowtop to memory foam.

With a little research and knowledge, mattress shopping can be a pleasant experience.

A Guide to Kitchen Sinks

In any household, a kitchen sink is one of the central fixtures and always sees plenty of action. It is used both for preparing food and for cleaning up after every meal. It can add to or take away from the overall effect of your kitchen’s design. Durability and attractiveness are both important qualities in kitchen sinks.

More than simply functional necessities, sinks now offer more design appeal, softer lines, and a variety of finishes. Every homemaker faces the challenge of choosing the right sink for the kitchen, and the kitchen sink provides the finishing touch to any new kitchen project.

Modern sinks are not just made of a simple faucet and bowl. They come in multiple bowls of various sizes and shapes and are designed with integral drainers, cutting boards, soap dispensers, instant hot water dispensers, purified water taps, sprayers and more.

Sinks are also made of stainless steel, enameled metal, solid surfacing materials and quartz composites, and of course the traditional porcelain.

There is a great amount to consider when choosing a kitchen sink. Size, in width and depth, is of course the biggest choice you will make when choosing a sink to fit your kitchen. You also have a choice of materials used in making the sink – stainless steel, granite or copper.

Stainless steel sinks are made in many sizes and several thicknesses. Enamel on cast iron or steel sinks are made in an assortment of colors. Quartz composite sinks also come in a variety of colors and patterns.

Many people prefer stainless steel sinks because they are believed to be easier to care for. Some solid-surface countertop materials may be formed to include rimless, seamless sinks that are a perfect match.

Your sink choice is restricted by the size of your cabinet and counter top. All kitchen sinks require a minimum cabinet size. You can find out the size of your cabinet by measuring under the existing sink or where the new sink will go.

A Guide to Kids’ Shower Curtains

Decorating a kid’s bathroom can be fun. There are so many possible themes, such as Disney characters, animals, the ocean, and geometric shapes, just to name a few.

When decorating a kid’s bathroom, an important consideration is color. Many children enjoy bright, bold colors such as bright blues, reds, and yellows. Others prefer more subdued colors such as pastels. Some prefer a mix of many colors, while others prefer that one or two colors predominate.

When deciding on a theme and color scheme for a children’s bathroom, you might want to first shop for shower curtains. In many bathrooms, the shower curtain is the most prominent feature. If you find a shower curtain you particularly like, it is usually easy to decorate the entire bathroom to match.

Kid shower curtains are available in most of today’s popular characters, such as Hello Kitty, Barbie, Disney princesses, Sponge Bob Squarepants, and Bob the Builder. If you do not wish to use character decorations, many other kid-friendly themes are available as well. Ocean themes are popular choices for bathrooms. They can be fun and funky or simple and elegant, depending on colors used and the types of prints. Other well-liked styles are jungle prints, sports themes, rainbows, clouds, and nature scenes.

Another consideration is how long you need the décor to last. If you plan to change the bathroom often, it is okay to use your child’s favorite characters and bold, vibrant colors. However, if you want a style that will last, you should probably consider more traditional décor. Floral patterns, polka dots, checks, and stripes in pastels or understated colors are style elements that can grow with your child.

Like their adult counterparts, shower curtains for children are available in many different materials, such as vinyl, fabric, and plastic.

Kid shower curtains are readily available at most department stores, bedding stores, home improvement stores, and many online stores.

A Guide to Interior Shutters

We’ve all heard of exterior shutters. We see them on houses in every town in the country. Their warmth and beauty welcome us home after a long, tiring day. Many have never heard of interior shutters, though. Shutters inside the home can be just as warm, beautiful — and functional.

Interior shutters can be used inside a window in place of blinds. These offer both privacy and shade. In fact, some interior window shutters can help you save money on your energy bills. They are great in rooms that receive direct sunlight for much of the day. Additionally they look nicer and last longer than cheap mini-blinds.

Installation is relatively easy, and few tools are needed. If you prefer, many companies offer installation at an additional price. Contractors can also be hired to install interior shutters.

Interior shutters are available in either wood or vinyl. Experts say that vinyl is better for those desiring a painted look while wood is best for customers wanting a stained look. Wood shutters are available in most types of wood, from cedar to oak. Vinyl shutters are available in a variety of colors, but white is the most popular. Both traditional and plantation shutters are available.

Shutters are available in stock sizes or custom sizes. Naturally, stock sizes will be less expensive. Custom ordered shutters would offer more choices and flexibility. In historic or landmark areas, companies will even offer historically accurate shutters. This maintains the integrity of homes in protected landmark areas.

Shutters can be used in other areas beside windows. Some people use shutters on louver doors separating rooms within the house. This allows a certain level of privacy without completely shutting off the room. It also offers a unique decorating opportunity.

Interior shutters offer many advantages, including privacy, shade, and décor. For a unique and classy window cover or room divider, consider installing interior shutters.

A Guide to Home Furnishings

Function, form, fitness and fashion are the key guiding factors in choosing home furnishings. Function is the first and foremost criteria for a person to go for bare-minimum furnishings. A person buys a table, chair, bed, cupboard, settee, sofa, bookshelf, curtain, carpet, wallpaper and so on, primarily for utility or function. A bare home, bereft of furnishings, is like a stable or a warehouse, unfit for living.

Mankind’s journey from cave to condo, from hut to villa, symbolizes the progress of civilization. Home furnishings also have undergone dramatic changes over the millenniums. But some basic furnishings such as bed, chairs and tables have remained with civilized man, though their form and style have been changing with the times.

The lifestyle of a person gets reflected in his or her home furnishings. Technology, which has a direct bearing on a person’s lifestyle, also plays a crucial role in the form, content and style of home furnishings.

Earth, wood, cane, stone, metal, textile and silk, and now plastic, are materials people have used to make furniture and furnishings so that they can have a comfortable life at home and work place. Generations have experimented with material, form, technique, technology and design to come up with innovative and improved quality of home furnishings.

Home furnishing is similar to building a nest. Just as a bird collects bits of thistles, pebbles and mud to put together its nest, a person brings in pieces of furniture to make living in home comfortable. The art and craft of home furnishing are passed down from one generation to another, with each generation modifying the fixtures in tune with the times, setting new trends.

Craftsmanship, materials, and style determine the value of any home furnishing. Once you learn what to look for, you can buy wisely at auctions, estate sales, or straight off the showroom floor. Doing your homework before and during the purchasing process will pay off in a furnishing that will retain its function and looks far into the future

A Guide To Fireplaces

Fireplaces form an open recess in a wall, at the base of a chimney or flue, creating a place where an indoor fire can be built. Fireplaces produce perfect warmth and eliminate cold during the frosty winters, forming the central point of any home, where most family and friends tend to gather.

Creative additions to any room, conventional fireplaces have many parts such as foundation, hearth, firebox, facing, ash dump door, cleanout door, damper, smoke chamber, throat, flue, chimney chase, crown, cap or shroud, and spark arrestor.

A fine selection of masonry or prefabricated fireplaces, in contemporary and classic style designs, which suit every budget, is now available for both indoor and outdoor use. The common ones are wood burning fireplaces, gas direct vent fireplaces, gas ventless fireplaces, pellet fireplaces, and electric fireplaces. Wood burning fireplaces made of brick, block or stone, though difficult to install, create an absolutely vibrant ambience imparting glowing warmth against the crackling sound of burning wood.

Gas direct vent fireplaces work on a steady supply of propane or natural gas and are vented directly outdoors through a blowhole in an exterior wall. The gas ventless models function without venting to the exterior. The pellet types are sophisticated combustion appliances that burn pellet fuels, are more expensive than the wood fireplaces and often require a venting. Electric fireplaces, coupled with the advantages of wood fireplaces, are the perfect ones for short-term residents and renters.

Traditionally, fireplaces were installed in a living or a family room. However, with the advent of ventless gas fireplaces, attractive fireplaces adorn unusual locations such as the bedroom, kitchen, and even bathrooms. Two-for-one fireplaces connect two rooms with a single cozy fireplace. They are open on two sides, directing heat into the two rooms.

Regular maintenance is essential for the safe and efficient functioning of fireplaces. Further, it is recommended to install a fire detector in rooms with fireplaces to avoid the risk of fire.

A Guide to Decorative Picnic Baskets

Decorative picnic baskets come in many sizes, styles, and artistic flares. They can be packed with some basic cheeses and cracker varieties with a couple of napkins, or they can be full-on feasts for four to eight people, stocked richly with salmon, caviar, fruit, vegetables, sweets, wine, water jugs, dinnerware, silverware, glassware, corkscrews, and cutting boards.

Decorative picnic baskets tend to display their contents openly, with no lid. Sometimes, they are so full that they pop out of the basket for display purposes. For this reason, they make perfect gifts.

Everybody recognizes the classic rattan-woven picnic basket with the wooden handle and two flaps. You can almost smell the fresh bread wrapped in kitchen cloth, the cheeses and crackers, the freshly opened bottle of wine emanating from under the lids. These are often called vintage picnic baskets.

Another style of picnic basket has a body that almost resembles a wooden fence around a cottage. The handles splay out from the sides, and the goodies practically overflow from the edges of the basket. It makes a wonderful gift upon arrival at a reunion, or a great gift of thanks upon departure.

Still, other decorative picnic baskets can be more functional, as well as gorgeous. A wicker basket might have a lid that, when you open it, unveils a stack of plates held in place by a red ribbon, a lovely warm picnic blanket on the bottom that also acts as a cushion, the beautiful inlaid woodwork on the enclosed silverware — the possibilities go on and on and on.