Furniture Selections
Gone are the days of aluminum and plastic serving as your only choices for bringing together the look, feel, and comfort of your patio.

Now there are many wood, metal and wicker pieces of furniture treated to withstand even the most harsh of weather. Plus, they are designed to make your outdoor living as visually appealing as possible.

Teak patio furniture is an eye-popping choice for home and patio decor. The weathered look of gray and silver teak patio furniture adds a subtle beauty that draws a gratifying smile when walking onto a patio.

Floor Covering
With the many choices of carpet, tile, stone and specialty floor covering that is available it is easy to carry the inside out. Make creative selections and your very own yarn becomes a wonderful vacation spot.

Home Away from Home
There are many means of making your yard and patio more than simply an extension of your home. Home and patio decor are a part of that package. Creative homeowners can develop it into a bit of a vacation getaway.

A hammock is another a fun way to enjoy your outdoor furnishings while snoozing or watching the beauty of the sky – and don’t forget the iced tea and a book.

Lighting
You can also create something of a tantalizing nighttime escape in the backyard of your home – patio decor simply adds to the illusion.

By stringing up patio lanterns, locating comfortable, resort-style furniture, and maybe even setting up a fire pit, you can almost pretend you are visiting a 5-star hotel instead of simply stepping into your own yard.

If that doesn’t spark your interest, create a small do-it-yourself project by purchasing a low voltage landscape lighting kit. Bring a little attention to your overall landscaping efforts when the sun goes down by illuminating it with a garden pathway.

Bonsai Trees
Perhaps you’d prefer to turn your patio and garden into a “retreat center” for yourself or family members. An attractive option might include a layout of bonsai trees for your backyard and patio decor.

Whether you go for Juniper or Maple bonsai, you can convert this portion of your property into a source of inspiration and beauty. Add a few indoor bonsai trees and your entire home can provide its guests a few moments of serenity.

Of course your choices for enhancing your home and patio decor are as limitless as your imagination. Do some experimenting (you can always return what you don’t want to keep) and find the combination that keeps you longing to visit again – in your own backyard.

If you worry about stains in your carpeting, choose a product that is stain resistant. For durability, the best type of carpet to pick is nylon. If you want a carpet that generates less electricity, choose acrylic or olefin. For fade resistance solution dyed carpets are the best choice to resisting the sun. If you have someone at home with impaired movement, try using low-pile carpets. Whatever style you decide on, match the performance of the carpet with the space requisites.

Now that you have your carpet, you must take care of it if you want it to last. Carpets easily accumulate dirt. Hence, there is a need for frequent vacuuming. Use a vacuum that has stable beater bars and with good suction. To effectively remove dirt from the carpet you are vacuuming, make sure to replace vacuum bags and filters regularly.

If you have a carpet of lighter shade, you may need to clean it more often. If there is a stain in your carpet, clean it immediately. You can use a spoon or a dull knife to gently scrape off food spills. If the spill is liquid, dab it with white cloth towels or white paper. They absorb the spill quickly. Remember not to scrub or scrape, just dab the liquid spill. If you do scrub it, it would have a fuzzy effect on your carpeting. There is also a technique in blotting or dabbing. When you try blotting the moisture, start from the outer edge toward the center to avoid spreading the spill. Later, you may wash the stain using water and the appropriate cleaning items. Again, use white towels over the wet spots to absorb the remaining wetness. You can use a heavy object to weigh down the white towels and make it absorb the moisture faster.

To summarize, what you need to clean spills are the following: white paper towels or white cloths and a detergent solution that is a mixture of a mild liquid soap and water. You may add a non-bleach dish-washing detergent. You will also need a vinegar solution, with one part white vinegar to one part water and an ammonia solution, which is composed of one tablespoon ammonia to one cup of water. Please do not use this solution on wool or wool-blend carpets. You will also need a non-oily nail polish remover, chewing gum remover and spot remover. Now, you should be ready to stop any accidental spills from completely destroying your carpet.

First, do you want self-stick tiles or ones that requiring glue? The peel-and-stick type are easier and less messy to put down. However, they are also more prone to curling edges and loosening.

Next, what size of tile do you prefer? You can get planks that resemble hardwood flooring. Tiles are often found in one square foot sizes. There is also an 18-inch size. Each size can lend a different look to the room. Also, the 18-inch size will have fewer cracks for liquids to get under and to peel up later. The one-foot size or planks may be easier to handle when laying the tile, however.

What patterns do you like? You can find many different designs. Some are simulated to look like hardwood flooring. Others may look like various stone floors. Still more are solid color. These can lend themselves to interesting designs where you alternate tiles of different colors or maybe use a different color tile to edge the room or highlight a focal point. You can also find other designs such as floral.

What is your price range? While your first instinct may be to go with the cheapest tile, this probably isn’t your best option. Vinyl tile vary in thickness and durability. If you are putting the tile in a very light traffic area, you may be able to get by with cheaper tile. If you have pets and/or kids or lots of foot traffic, then you will want to get a floor that will hold up to the abuse.

Where are you planning to put the tile? Bathrooms and kitchens tend to be high-moisture areas. In this case, the tiles that require gluing may work better since the self-stick tiles may loosen over time. Tiles coming up can also be a concern in areas that are below-grade such as basements. In fact, vinyl tile may not be the best choice for such areas.

Do you want to match a pattern? Some tiles have obvious patterns like stripes. Others may have arrows indicating which side is up, but the pattern isn’t as obvious. Getting a pattern to line up can be tricky and may not look good if your room isn’t square and your striped tile emphasizes that fact.

By taking the above considerations into account, you should be able to select the best vinyl tile for your floor.

Will the area under consideration be subject to heavy traffic? Is a sound barrier required (as in a condo)? How easy will it be to clean? Will the area be subjected to moisture as in a kitchen or basement? Does anyone in the home have allergy or asthma issues (carpeting is not the best choice)? Does the floor need to be slip resistant? What is the warranty period, cost, and durability of the material? Is the new floor suitable for the type of subfloor?

Check out the type of glues and sealers used as they can off gas chemicals that can affect some one who is sensitive. There are now materials available that have less off gassing of these harmful chemicals. Ask questions! Research is paramount here!

The main categories of flooring available are:

1 – resilient flooring, which is sheet or tile flooring. Common types are cushion, vinyl, linoleum, rubber and cork.
This flooring product is fairly inexpensive, is easy to maintain, comfortable to stand on, and easy to install. Sheet flooring is installed using adhesives. Try to get adhesives that have the lowest amount of VOC’s as possible. The negatives about tile flooring are the tiles can curl, minor scratches, holes or tears are quite visible, needing to be replaced before it gets worse.

2 – carpeting is not a good choice for bathrooms, kitchens or basements (moisture areas). It is great for bedrooms because it is warm, soft on the feet and is good for absorbing sound. People with allergies should not have carpeting in their bedrooms because they spend eight hours of their day in this room. Carpets can trap dirt, dust mites, mold and bacteria. The harder the floor surface, the better for allergy sufferers. There are also carpets on the market today that off gas less harmful compounds, than in the past. A shorter pile (eg. Berber), is more durable and harbors less pollutants. Cost depends on the quality of carpet and underpad. It is important to get a very good quality underpad, as this will increase the longevity of the carpet.

3 – wood flooring comes in many widths, colors, thicknesses and grades. Some hardwoods are birch, maple, beech, and oak. Softer woods include pine, fir and hemlock. They come in strip flooring, plank, parquet, and laminates. Most new hardwood today is pre-finished and has UV-cured polyurethane layers to protect the finish. Pre-finished flooring prevents off gassing of chemicals into the atmosphere versus unfinished flooring that can have strong chemical smells lurking in the home for months, after they are stained and varnished. Laminates are usually cheaper than real wood, but wear very well. They are a good alternative to hardwood. Hardwood will increase the value of the home. It is easy to care for, looks beautiful and lasts a long time.

4 – ceramic tiles come in many sizes. They can be glazed or unglazed. Glazed tiles are more slippery when wet and are not recommended for bathrooms. Ceramics are very cold and hard and can be less comfortable to stand on for long periods. Ceramics wear very well and are easy to clean. White or very light colored ceramics are not practical, as they always look dirty. They can crack easily if a hard object is dropped on them and can be noisy for anyone living below. This type of floor is an excellent choice for people with allergies. Water based sealers and grout are better as they have fewer emissions. Ceramics tiles can last a very long time resulting in cost savings.

Most people have a mixture of the above flooring types in their homes. It is worth putting a little extra money into good quality flooring as this can help prevent problems down the road.

As we grew older, those decorations changed. Pictures of fairies and pirate ships turned to posters of rock stars and heaps of teddy bears turned into heaps of clothes and equipment. The spaces that we own grow – from rooms we shift to houses, offices and even buildings that we call our own and want to stamp with the different flavors of who we are.
Decorations can mean anything – from wallpaper to seasonal decorations to different styles which are carried through our entire homes. Tuscan houses, for example, tend to have crumbling stone walls, marble flooring and wrought iron accessories. But these different aspects of interior decoration mean more than simply choosing a theme because these walls, floors and accessories all contribute to the feeling that one gets when you walk into these homes. The themes in houses can make everything seem calm and peaceful, bright and vibrant, wise and historic with antiques – the list is endless.
Wherever we live, we have the beauty of mountains, city lights or sunsets. Yet, when it comes to decorating our own homes, people sometimes fail to see the need for beauty and tranquility in their everyday surroundings. Making your spaces a place that reflects you can be a daunting task and for years, professional interior decorators have helped people make their homes attractive. But who can capture the essence of you and your family better than you yourself? Figuring out how to make your home a reflection of your life requires patience, planning and a good dose of compromise.
Here are three things that you should keep in mind when you are redecorating your home or a room:
1. Decide on the mood you want to evoke in the room before you start decorating.
2.Consider the decor and style of your home (make sure it doesn’t conflict with what you already have).
3.Make sure that the colors you choose are compatible with the fixtures in the room.
The need for new paint on the walls, window treatments or buying new furniture can all be justified by our desire to differentiate ourselves and have our loves ones – the people that enter our space – get a feeling of who we really are.