Top Green Decorating Trends For 2010

2010 has arrived, and the styles of the last decade are in the process of being refreshed and challenged by a whole host of new eco-friendly decorating trends, so check out this handy guide and discover what will be hot in the year to come.

It's a new decade, and time for your home to go green, and we don't mean painting your walls - in 2010 there will be a huge number of environmentally conscious ideas for the home, that will allow you

This recycled bath makes a great sofa

Bamboo flooring is predicted to be a huge hit, both in terms of style and as a truly eco-friendly product. Bamboo grows at a phenomenal rate, and by using it to replace more slow-growing trees, forests can be protected. Look out for bamboo ornaments and accent pieces to harmonise your new bamboo floor.

Bamboo flooring is both stylish and eco friendly

Energy efficiency is a real concern in the modern world, and with the arrival of the new decade, designers have begun to produce new heating and lighting options for your home that combine an emphasis on sustainability and efficiency with a real eye for style. For information on eco friendly heating, check out the Green Consumer Guide's report on heating.

Recycling has really taken off over the last few years, with almost all of us doing our bit to re-use our plastics, glass and paper, but recycling as a style choice has arrived - check out Web Urbanist's guide to some cool retro pieces that are entirely made from materials as diverse and overlooked as pens, shopping trolleys and tin cans.

One of the hot new trends predicted to take off in 2010 is the use of room dividers to separate areas off, so you can have a sofa and coffee table in one part of the room, and a desk and shelving in another, without the place appearing cluttered. Tinydecorblog.com has a fantastic piece detailing how to find eco-friendly room division ideas, so why not get ahead on a hot new fashion and do your buit for the environment, all at the same time.

read more...

How To Use Floors To Enhance Your Furniture

The choice of flooring can totally define the look of a room - when visitors arrive, the floor will dictate how they perceive the size, shape, function and style of your space, and by selecting the right flooring choice, you can make sure that your furniture is properly presented and your home looks its best.

Choose a flooring option that is
sympathetic to your furniture's style

Changing your floor is not as expensive as you might think- there are a huge range of options to suit all budgets. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Although they aren't as hard wearing as traditional carpets, foam-backed carpet is very cheap, and allows you to make a quick, cheap impact on a room. Make sure that if you have heavy wooden furniture you invest in some rubber or foam pads for the bases to prevent them from permanently marking the carpet.

Carpeting can stifle the style of modern furniture, especially if the carpet has a bold pattern, but when combined with more traditional pieces can help to create a warm, cosy effect.

Modern furniture relies on clean lines, and to reflect this, it works best with a sleek wooden parquet floor. If you want a wooden floor, but haven't quite got the money to spare, try installing some click-system, wood-effect laminate - it's cheap, and properly fitted it can be almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Make sure you place any large items of furniture, such as coffee tables or sideboards, on top of rugs or rubber pads to prevent them from marking the floor.

If your room is split into different areas for differing purposes, like an open-plan kitchen with a lounge area or a lounge/dining room, then it can be very effective to vary the flooring according to function, using ceramic tile for kitchen areas, carpet for lounge, and laminate for dining. This also allows you to create differently styled areas within the same room - a sleek contemporary dining set nestled at the end of a more cosy carpeted lounge, for example.

Make sure you consider the consequences of your new flooring choice - Ceramic tiles have the benefit of being easy to clean and totally waterproof, but they can become dangerously slippy, so make sure to use rugs to provide grip and warmth. Likewise, laminate flooring looks great, but can quickly deteriorate if used in a damp environment like a bathroom or kitchen, or in hotter rooms like conservatories.

A real wooden floor is great in any room, and really brings out the best in any type of furniture. It's a practical option too, as the wood can be sealed against moisture, and can naturally expand and contract with changes in temperature. The only drawback with wooden flooring is the cost and difficulty of installation.

If you're feeling adventurous, and think you've got what it takes to lay your own wooden floor, check out this youtube video which will show you exactly how it's done and warn you of some of the most common difficulties you may run into.

read more...