Placing Plants Throughout An Interior

Written by creatingyourspace on April 4, 2017. Posted in 4 Seasons of Decorating

It is always a good idea to add plants to any interior space. Indoor plants supply interiors with improved air quality. Indoor air quality is often poor, due to inadequate circulation. The air can become stale if the doors and windows are not opened often. Have no fear, plants can easily solve this problem. This read will give you some ideas about how to place plants in specific rooms.

The kitchen is a great place to have an indoor herb garden. Fresh herbs smell amazing. They make cooking fun. There is no need to spend a fortune on fresh herbs at the grocery store. Herbs are pretty easy to maintain. They thrive in pots and simply need to be watered daily. If there is a window over the kitchen sink, this is the perfect place to add little pots of herbs. Even if you don’t cook, herbs will provide your space with clean air and a fresh smell.

Showcase larger potted plants in the living room. This space is where family gathers and entertains. Where there are higher ceilings, add some height with plants. This could be a potted tree or even bamboo stalks. Put plants in attractive planters and place them on the floor. Just make sure there is a tray under the planter if there is drainage. A tray to catch the runoff water is a necessity. Nice leafy plants look attractive in larger spaces. Smaller succulents, that don’t require lots of water or light, can be tucked into shelving or book cases.

The bedroom is at great place for a nice rosemary plant. This herb gives off an amazing relaxing smell. It also doesn’t need a lot of maintenance. Rosemary is used in linen spray and bath balms because of it’s ability to soothe the senses. Bamboo stalks can also be used in bedrooms they require little water and light. You can place stalks in any kind of planter and enjoy them as they grow!

Deciding where to place a potted plant basically can be determined by how much maintenance it requires and if the space has adequate natural light. Do the research and find a potted plant that fits the need for any room!

Don’t Forget to Clean These Things for Spring

Written by creatingyourspace on March 8, 2016. Posted in 4 Seasons of Decorating

While spring cleaning is underway, don’t forget to clean these everyday items. The following things are commonly over looked, and get very dirty!

Start with the electronics. Use a cleaning wipe to disinfect the computer keyboard, tablets, cell phones and remote controls. These items have become such a big part of our daily life. We share these items with other members of the family and they are constantly being handled by dirty hands. These items need to be cleaned more than once a year, try cleaning them at least once a week.

Upholstery and throw pillows attract dust mites, mold and allergens. Upholstery and throw pillows are constantly in contact with skin and airborne allergens. You can clean these things best by removing the covers and hand wash, if the items are washable. Do not dry them, let them air dry. If the covers are not removable, then use a vacuum cleaning hose on them.

Disinfect all of the trash cans in the house. The lids and interiors of trash cans harbor the germs from the trash they come in contact with. You can clean these out by spraying them down with a hose and dish soap. After they have dried then return them indoors. Alternatively, you can use disinfecting cleaning wipes on the entire can. These also should be cleaned more than once a year. Clean trash cans at least every season, to reduce the amount of germs your family comes in contact with.

The coffee pot and it’s working parts should be cleaned every couple of months. The inside of the machine is damp and grows mold. You should run a full pot of water with coffee machine cleaner through the machine to clean the interior. After that place the pot, lid and filter holder in the dishwasher to disinfect.

There are so many things in the home that we use daily and share with the family that are forgotten. Try and stay on top of these dirty items throughout the entire year. Don’t just wait for spring to clean.

How To Keep a Potted Hydrangea in its Pot Long Term

Written by creatingyourspace on February 20, 2016. Posted in 4 Seasons of Decorating

Hydrangeas are exquisitely beautiful flowering bushes, but they are demanding little dears! If you want to plant one directly in your yard it’s not such a big deal. You’ll only have to fuss over it long enough to let it grow a strong root system. At which point you won’t have to water it nearly as frequently. But what if you really love the way hydrangeas look in a pot, and you simply must have it as part of your newest garden design? Well, then, you will love this neat trick! Here’s how to keep a potted hydrangea potted without allowing it to become a daily nuisance.

Find a large pot that will allow it to grow. It will get much larger and it has an aggressive root system. It’s important that the pot has very large drainage hole. Place the pot in a flower garden bed or an area where there is bare soil. During the first year your hydrangea will function as if it’s potted indoors so you’ll have to ensure that you water it consistently. During the second year however, the roots will find their way through the drainage hole and begin growing into the soil. Now you’re in business. Your hydrangea is setting up permanent residence in its pot by way of easy access to the rich soil below the pot. With its roots now in the ground it will require far less watering. It’s also a cold hardy plant so you won’t have to baby it every time temps outside are bit on the low end.

All of the time and attentiveness you showed it in its early phase is now paying off. Want to go on vacation? Pack those bags and send your hydrangea a post card. It’ll be just fine when you return as long as it’s not an exceptionally long trip. Hiring a neighborhood kid to stop by and water should suffice. In other words, if said teenager doesn’t exactly handle their responsibilities as you’d expect, you’ll still have pretty flowers when you get home.

So what happens if you want to move it? Well, it’s unlikely this will be a friendly encounter if you want to change pots. However, if all you want to do is move the location of the pot, you’re in luck. This is how you can keep a hydrangea potted. Simply cut the roots right below the pot and transplant it to its new location. Potted hydrangeas aren’t stubborn about change, and they’re even easier to move when they’re dormant. Voila! It has a permanent happy home and can move it around to your heart’s content.

Spring Has Sprung!

Written by creatingyourspace on April 16, 2012. Posted in 4 Seasons of Decorating, Design and Decorating

Spring Has Sprung

It is officially spring! It’s time to put away your winter accessories and bring out bright and cheery accents to celebrate the changing of the season. While many of us will decorate with pastel tones for a traditional Easter theme, there are many other options for you to think about after Easter!

Use yellow and orange. If your furnishings are neutral you can easily switch throw rugs, decorative pillows and draperies for a springy pop of color.

Layer your area rugs. Use a neutral on the bottom and then add a bright green smaller rug on top. See how they used flowers, apples and plants to carry the green theme throughout the room.

Use natural elements such as adding a fresh touch with a display of fresh fruit or vegetables. Infuse more color by mixing in floral-printed towels and striped green window treatments.

Get cozy with tons of pillows. Choose subdued shades of your favorite colors and lots of white to keep the look light and airy. Put down braided rugs.

These simple tips will make changing out your winter look a piece of cake. Goodbye winter!

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Using the Four Seasons to Inspire Your Decorating: Winter

Written by creatingyourspace on August 4, 2010. Posted in 4 Seasons of Decorating

The Four Seasons of Decorating: Winter

In spite of the cold and slippery streets, for many people winter is their favorite season. If you love winter, how about giving yourself a room that brings the best of winter into your home year-round?

Think cozy and comfortable for your winter space. For flooring, carpet is the best choice. Floors are so much cozier with a soft surface under your stocking feet. Whether you choose a deep plush or patterned option, carpeting warms up your space.

For window coverings, how about velvet curtains? Selecting a floor to ceiling length helps keep the cold out and adds to the richness of your space. Don’t hesitate to combine winter shades in your fabrics. Dark greens, rich maroons and deep golds echo the holiday feel of winter while further warming your space.

With shorter days, prepare for darker evenings with a selection of lamps to brighten your space without losing all the shadows. For parties, pull out a wealth of candles to add light and warmth. If you have a fireplace, now is the time to highlight it. Angle the furniture to encourage people to sit and watch the fire.

When the season comes, accessories can reflect the holidays; be sure to include one or more throws to curl up in when the evenings get chilly. When the season turns cold, your warm winter room will help you weather the storms.

To learn more about decorating for the other seasons, click here.

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Using the Four Seasons to Inspire Your Decorating: Summer

Written by creatingyourspace on August 2, 2010. Posted in 4 Seasons of Decorating

The Four Seasons of Decorating: Summer

Is summer your favorite season? You can bring it into your home all year long by decorating a room with summer in mind. These simple steps can help you turn your home into a summer space.

For flooring, tile evokes the season with its cool touch on your feet. This easy-clean choice handles the demands of summer, from little wet toes running in from the pool to the easy wipe-up required after a troop of kids and a watermelon meet. To really connect your flooring to the outdoor life of summer, consider extending your family room tile across the patio, making the two spaces feel more like one and creating the sense of an outdoor room.

Grab the vivid colors of summer and scatter them through your space with cotton pillows in all the yellows and oranges of the sun, or possibly just a collection of blue and white patterns, reflecting that clear blue sky. To complement the colors, make your furniture summerhouse simple with the addition of washable white canvas slipcovers.

Let’s wrap up with a trip to the beach. Driftwood and shells make the best summer accessories. Scatter them on tables or pile into glass jars and baskets. Whether you pick them up yourself at low tide or buy them at an import store, they will invoke summer memories for everyone who walks into your home.

For the other seasons, click here.

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Using the Four Seasons to Inspire Your Decorating: Fall

Written by creatingyourspace on July 29, 2010. Posted in 4 Seasons of Decorating

The Four Seasons of Decorating: Fall

When you’re starting to decorate a room, choosing a season as your inspiration can help you create a space that is integrated and interesting. All four seasons are effective, but today let’s consider autumn.

With its rich tones and elements, fall makes decorating easy, beginning with flooring. A wood floor provides just the right foundation for your space. Choose a dark cherry for its deep rich red-brown tones. Or would you rather have an oak with its strong grain and steady tans and browns? Whatever you choose, you have a good start on your fall room.

Grab any or all colors of fall leaves for your room’s fabric choices. Leaf patterns in fall colors, rich stripes of maple red and aspen gold will complement all the browns that oak leaves produce. You can go soft and dark or vivid, but don’t hesitate to combine both moods with the pops of bright color that echo a New England vista in October.

Just go outside to gather a rich provender of fall accessories. Cut a few branches covered with fall leaves and place in a vase along with some large fall blooms of chrysanthemum or dark orange sunflowers. Acorns and pine cones piled into bowls invite autumn into your space. Take it one step further with pumpkins and gourds combined with leaves to make the perfect table centerpiece. Or go simple with a bowl of apples washed and ready for eating.

Turn your space into autumn, and you can enjoy the season year-round.

For the other seasons, click here.

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Using the Four Seasons to Inspire Your Decorating: Spring

Written by creatingyourspace on July 27, 2010. Posted in 4 Seasons of Decorating

The Four Seasons of Decorating: Spring

Not sure where to start when decorating a room? How about designing a space around one of your favorite seasons? From colors to textures to materials, think about how every season provides a clear direction in each category. We’ll begin with spring.

Spend a moment considering what spring looks like to you. In color, how about the cool crisp tones of new leaves and spring flowers? Light yellows, yellow-greens and clear pastels such as pinks and lavenders say spring to the eye. Patterned fabrics such as florals and abstracts in your color choices echo the spring mood.

What about flooring? A light natural bamboo or maple floor nicely supports the spring mood, and lots of white painted moldings – baseboard as well as crown molding or wainscoting – give a fresh spring feel. Window coverings can echo the moldings with shutters in bright white, or consider just white sheers or linen drapes at each window.

Finally, plenty of flowering plants kicks the room into full spring mode. Tulips, daffodils and especially fragrant hyacinths set on a windowsill or lined up on a coffee table add the final touch.

When your rooms are fresh and light, it’s spring no matter what the season outside.