How to Make a Volleyball Themed Bedroom

How to Make a Volleyball Themed Bedroom

Whether your little one is aspiring to be a future volleyball player, or your teen is a member of a volleyball team, decorate her bedroom to illustrate her love of the game. A bedroom decorated with a volleyball theme is inspiring for the future or current athlete and allows her to showcase her personality through a sport she loves. With some decorative accessories and creativity, you can create a volleyball-themed haven.

Things You'll Need

• Paint
• Decorative accents
• Linens
• Locker
• Bench

Paint the walls in colors that match the hues of a favorite volleyball team. For example, if the colors of the preferred team are green and blue, paint two walls green and two walls blue. Create a striped effect to feature the colors on a focal wall and paint the remaining walls a neutral tone.

Blow up a large image of a volleyball team's logo and display it on the wall behind the bed. Blow up images of volleyballs and display them on the remaining walls of the space.

Display pictures of the room inhabitant playing the sport, or pictures of favorite volleyball players, in frames and set them out on tabletops, dressers and shelves. Install drawer pulls that resemble volleyballs on the dressers in the bedroom. Set out volleyball-themed decorative elements, such as statues of volleyball players, nets and actual volleyballs.

Place a white circular shaped throw rug at the foot of the bed, or next to the bed to resemble a volleyball. Bring in a locker to use as storage space and place a small bench in front of it to create the look of a locker room.

Display books related to the sport on bookshelves. Suspend volleyballs at alternating heights from the ceiling to add an unexpected, whimsical effect to the room.

Make the bed with a comforter that features images of volleyballs, or a comforter that's the same color of a preferred team. Set white, circular shaped throw pillows on top of the bed.

How to Decorate a Living Room Ledge

How to Decorate a Living Room Ledge

High, built-in wall ledges, common in newer homes with vaulted ceilings, large great rooms or split level entries, provide interesting architectural detail but can be perplexing to decorate. Think big when filling empty space on a high living room wall ledge. Bold colors, rich textures and varied forms with height bring a tall ledge down to size.

Create Dimension With Color

Emphasize the depth of a wide, built-in ledge by painting the wall behind it a darker shade than the surrounding walls, which will also make it appear closer. Repeating the bolder shade on a second wall such as one surrounding a bay window or containing a fireplace helps balance the room. If you want to try a different color altogether, pull an accent color from an area rug, throw pillows, curtains or upholstery to tie the color in with the rest of the room.

Use Wall Art

Create dimension with a large piece of wall art on the back wall of the ledge. Avoid heavy, framed art encased in glass, as reflected light from nearby windows or ceiling fixtures may obscure the image. Instead, opt for lightweight sculpted metal, canvas or a fabric tapestry.

Include Varied Height and Forms

To help fill visual space, place tall accents on the ledge where they are easier to see, such as:

Silk trees

Topiaries 

Lightweight folding screens

Tall candleholders

A lightweight folding screen, which can be adjusted to fit the size of the ledge, provides a textural backdrop for smaller items placed in front. Tall faux greenery such as narrow trees and topiaries bring in a natural, earthy feel with varied forms and texture. Measure the width of both the container and the foliage at the widest point to ensure the plant will fit and sits stable and secure along the ledge.

Create additional interest with large pots, jars, urns, vases or baskets in different materials, heights and shapes. Fill some with reeds, twigs or wispy dried weeds to extend their height and add texture. Choose lightweight metal or faux stone containers made from fiberglass to ensure a manageable weight.

Group Objects and Include Space

Objects grouped in odd numbers of three or five create the most visually appealing displays. Stack three lightweight trunks or vintage suitcases as one grouping. The folding screen, silk tree, twin baskets and urn with reeds could be another. Keep an asymmetrical look by overlapping items and varying the space between grouped objects. Be sure to include empty space as part of the overall design. Without a place for the eyes to rest, the ledge can easily appear over-cluttered.

Design a Room Expansion

How to Design a Room Expansion

It’s amazing how much extra room you can find in a home. For example, you can extend your living room by five or six feel by enclosing a front porch. Or, you can extend a bedroom by four feet into a double-car garage. Look around for wasted space or over-sized rooms that could yield space in other areas. If a room seems too small, look on all sides of it to find room to expand.

Things You'll Need

• Measure tape
• Yardstick
• Claw hammer
• Putty knife
• Various saws
• Lumber
• Drywall
• Joint compound
• Tile
• Particle board sub-flooring
• Plywood
• Electrical wiring
• Outlets
• Light fixtures

Decide if a room is really too small. Notice if furnishings are misplaced or too large. If not, figure out where to borrow space for a room expansion. You can take as little as 18 inches from an adjoining room to create a wall system for a TV, books, desk and computer work area. If you can’t find this room, you might want to build space onto the outside of your home. Make sketches to see what is feasible.

Figure out how to move a wall to save the expense of adding on, if possible. One way to move a wall is to go inside another room and frame a new wall. Don’t remove the old one. Just build framework inside to make it into a wall system as described in step one. Your old wall is just the front of the wall system, so to speak.

Knock out a wall to expand into another room, if there is space for this expansion. Make sure the wall is not a load-bearing one that is holding up roofing weight. If the wall is load-bearing, you will need to construct the wall to include a large overhead beam and side beams within the framework. This new construction will re-distribute the weight of the wall.

Framing a new wall and removing an old one is not that complicated. But, it does make a large mess. You will need to figure out how to make the floor match if you expand a room. One way to re-do the floor is to create a section of newly-installed tile work. Or, you can install carpet to make the new exposed area of floor tie in to the room that’s expanded.

Consult an expert if you decide to expand a room onto a porch. Removing an exterior wall is complicated. If your home is brick, you will need to take off brick from a wall being removed. You can sometimes use interior windows between your porch and house on a future exterior wall. Save windows as you remove a wall. Install them on the exterior of the space you will enclose on the porch. Floorspace on the concrete surface of your porch will become part of your new room's floor. Install tile or carpet in the expanded area to match the rest of the room.

Hardwood Carpet in a Living Room

Hardwood Carpet in a Living Room

A living room is the most common area in a house or apartment. For example, an individual may watch television with family, have parties or welcome guests in a living room. Thus, choosing between installing wood flooring or carpet becomes an important decision. Although choosing between the two flooring options ultimately depends on a person’s personal criteria, advantages and disadvantages of both can factor into the decision.

Advantages

Carpet provides warmth and comfort in a living room. For example, during cold months, carpet provides a natural barrier between an individual and a cold floor. Also, an individual who likes walking barefoot may want carpet installed for comfort. Carpet consists of synthetic fibers made of olefin, polyester, acrylic (art wool), recycled material or wool. Before carpet is installed, padding is placed between the floor and carpet. Wood flooring also provides warmth to a room, but instead of comfort, its warmth comes from its aesthetic or natural look. The product doesn’t need padding as carpet does. Wood flooring options include hardwood such as birch or oak and softwood flooring such as pine.

Maintenance

Carpet and wood flooring require different amounts of maintenance. Thus, deciding between carpet and wood flooring depends on the amount of maintenance work a person wants to do. For example, carpet isn’t easy to maintain. Carpet requires vacuuming because it quickly gathers allergens such as dust. An individual who has carpeted a living room may have to develop a regular maintenance schedule depending on the amount of foot traffic and soiling. Wood flooring doesn’t require as much maintenance as carpet. Wood flooring is also stain-resistant and easy-to-clean, reports House-Energy. For example, spills may permanently damage carpet, but can be easily wiped off wood. Also, tough stains such as candle wax and paint can be scraped off the wood floors.

Cost

The prices of wood flooring and carpet differ. Purchasing standard solid-strip wood floor costs approximately $8 to $12 per square foot or about $1,150 for a 12- by 12-foot room as of 2006, cites Cost Helper. The cost doesn’t include custom wood patterns, odd-shaped rooms or ripping out old flooring. Decent carpeting and padding can usually be installed for $19 to $38 a square yard, or $300 to $600 for a 12- by 12-foot room as of 2006, explains Cost Helper.

Considerations

Some stores offer free padding when they install carpet. However, an individual should ask questions about the type of padding offered. Good padding typically assists in the life span of carpet. Wood flooring can be easier to maintain as long as the floor isn’t neglected. For example, wood flooring can last a lifetime when it’s properly maintained. However, carpet may last--on average--12 years before it needs to be replaced.

The Living Room Rules for a Sofa and a Loveseat

 Living Room Rules for a Sofa and a Loveseat

Sofas and loveseats are typically found together in the living room of most homes. The decor of both pieces of furniture either matches or complements one another, and allows for family and friends to sit together (or apart) in numerous configurations. As a rule, living room furniture should facilitate conversation, relaxation, entertainment and harmony. Sofas and loveseats should be arranged so that individuals sitting on either can face each other easily and effortlessly.

Focal Point

When arranging a sofa and loveseat, set up either the sofa or the loveseat facing the focal point of the room, whether it's a television and entertainment center, a painting, a window, a bookcase or an archway.

Arrangement

Place the sofa and loveseat perpendicular to one another, along adjacent walls. The sofa and loveseat don't have to actually touch the walls, but they should line up parallel to the walls of the room. If one wall is shorter than the other, place the sofa on the long wall and the loveseat on the short wall.

Doorways
Keep doorways in mind when considering furniture placement. Sofas and loveseats should face toward doorways, not away from them. Guests entering a room should be welcomed by either the front or side of a sofa or loveseat, but never the back.

Spacing

Spacing is one of the most important points to consider when deciding how to arrange your sofa and loveseat. You must keep enough space around each piece of furniture for comfortable room traffic; household members and guests should be able to walk by easily without turning to the side or feeling squeezed in. Conversely, furniture should be close enough to facilitate comfortable conversation in quiet tones, and close enough that a person sitting on the edge of the loveseat can pass something to a person sitting on the perpendicular edge of the couch without having to get up. Also, keep heating and air conditioning in mind; if a sofa or loveseat rests along a wall with an air vent, pull the furniture a few inches away from the wall.

In Easy Reach

Keep sofas and loveseats near coffee tables or end tables. People sitting on your furniture should be able to easily reach remote controls, snacks, drinks and books.

How to Create a Pirate Themed Bedroom

Create a Pirate Themed Bedroom

Little boys love pirates, so what better way to celebrate boyhood than giving your child his own pirate-themed bedroom? With a little bit of creativity, you can turn any child's bedroom into a hideaway for small buccaneers, while still maintaining your budget.

Things You'll Need

Paint

Fabric

PVC pipe

Wooden chests and crates

Rope

For starters, paint the walls in various shades of blue. A darker blue along the bottom gives an oceany feel and lighter blue above it gives you a definite horizon line. Give your little pirate the sensation of being out at sea, by painting fish, sunken chests, sharks and shells under the waterline and add clouds, small islands and seagulls above it.

Next, consider turning your child's windows into the foredeck of a sailing vessel. By using some PVC pipe and sheets of canvas, you can make a mast and sails. Cut a length of black 3-inch PVC pipe the height of the ceiling, and mount it to the ceiling and floor with plumbing flanges, to make the mainmast. Next, take a 1 ½-inch length of PVC pipe and cut it to the length of the windows. Mount this on the mast crosswise, above the windows, to create your yardarm. Finally, cut two sheets of lightweight canvas or duck cloth to make the sails, or curtains. Sew a sleeve at the top, and slide each one over the end of the yardarm. Attach lengths of rope so that the curtains (sails) can be raised and lowered, and mount a cleat on the wall so the rope can be tied off.

Remember that storage is important too for any pirate bedroom. Find some old wooden chests to store toys in (make sure they won't accidentally latch shut when your pirate climbs inside them), or stack wooden crates on their sides to form shelves. Mount a pulley to the ceiling, wind a length of rope over it, and hang a fishing net from it for stuffed animal storage.

Turn the bed into a ship as well, by mounting a ship's wheel on the headboard. You can usually find these at craft stores. Make a giant treasure map bedspread out of an old comforter. Cover the comforter on one side with a plain, cream-colored sheet, and use fabric paint to paint a map; don't forget, a nice big red X marks the spot.

Don't forget to add small accents around the pirate room. Use a hot glue gun to attach a length of cording around the wall at ceiling height, creating a border. Place hooks on the wall so your little pirate has a place to display his swords, captain's hat, and eye patch. Shop at your local party store and pick up some island-themed décor for your pirate room, such as parrots, palm trees, and hang framed maps and a Jolly Roger flag on the wall. Finally, don't forget to put up a sign on the door, that says "Captain's Quarters" or "Pirates Only! No Landlubbers Allowed."

Interior Decorating Ideas for the Living Room

Interior Decorating Ideas for the Living Room

Of all the rooms in your home, the living room is the most exciting to decorate. Imagination, creativity, and functionality are the keys to an inviting room, which you and your guests can enjoy. Begin with a clean slate by removing all clutter. Choose colors you like and decor you prefer. Experiment with different accessories until you find the look you like.

Clutter and Arrangement

The first step to decorating your living room is to remove all the clutter. Throw away the piles of magazines; clear off the coffee table and end tables, and remove all small collectibles. You can bring the collectibles back once you decide how the room is going to look, but for now, you want to remove any objects that distract you from designing your room. Rearrange the furniture, so you have good traffic flow and no objects interfere from that flow. You should be able to move to the couch and chairs without moving around objects. Create an area for conversation. Arrange your furniture, so you can easily talk with visiting friends or family.

Focal Point and Accessories

Choose an area of the room for your focal point. This could be a large set of windows, a couch against the wall, a fireplace, or an entertainment center. Once you decide on the focal point, choose color, accessories, and lighting to enhance the point. Colors that contrast or complement the focal point are good choices. Decorate around the focal point. If your focal point is a fireplace, add large, tall candles to the mantle. If the focal point is the couch, add colorful pillows or a throw, and try placing books piled askew on the coffee table. Place a plant near the focal point for added interest. Avoid too many small objects. Stick with odd numbers such as three or five for the mantle top, pictures on a wall, or objects on the entertainment center.

Lighting

Lighting adds mood, functionality, and brightens the focal point. If the focal point is a window, consider window treatments that let in the natural light. Track lighting works well if you want to spotlight a piece of art. Floor lamps are excellent choices for added decor and function. Always make sure you have plenty of lamps for reading, as well. Consider putting your lights on dimmer switches to create a mood.

How to Paint a Bedroom Gray

How to Paint a Bedroom Gray

Gray is not a somber color in the bedroom. It comes in a myriad of paint choices and intensities that range from an icy mist to deep shadow. Gray works in a light-hearted floral bedroom, a new-baby nursery and in a dramatic contemporary retreat. Test large swatches of gray in the changing light of a bedroom to verify the color you choose works from day into night.

Architectural Detail

An attic room with a dormer becomes a sleek, sophisticated hang-out when the slanted ceiling and dormer alcove are painted gray. Keep the rest of the walls white to bounce light around the space and opt for polished light wood or white-painted floors, or a pale neutral carpet. Go for contrast by using pewter or battleship gray paint, cover windows in filmy white sheers and mix light gray and white bedding on a wrought-iron bedstead. In a bedroom with an arched alcove, paint the arch and the alcove walls and ceiling the same shade of gray to set it apart from a different color wall treatment in the larger, main room.

Classic Color Treatment

Paint your bedroom in a style as classic as a button-down shirt. Keep the crown moldings and ceiling pure, snowy white. But cover the baseboards, all walls and interior doors -- closets and the bedroom side of the main door -- in warm or cool silvery or tarnished-silver gray. Just ensure that any other colors or tones in the room match the warmth or coolness of the gray color -- warm gray will have some yellow in it; cool gray will have some blue with a flat paint finish is richer and appears to have more depth. Wax or polish natural wood floors to show off their grain and time-worn irregularities. Keep bedding simple and neatly tucked in -- white sheets and pillows, chamois pillow shams and a darker gray bedspread with hospital corners.

Cozy Cave

Color wash or faux-suede walls in medium-gray to soften the look in a European-style bedroom with high ceilings and casement windows or French doors opening to a balcony. Gray the ceiling between exposed beams as well, but pick out the detail of window muntins, sills and lintels in antique white or cream to emphasize the room's innate style. Cover a window seat and platform bed, frame and bedding in gray linen, velvet, suede and gray-and-white ticking for added interest that doesn't detract from the grotto-like effect of all that muted gray. Or capture Provence-like romance with floral bedding and flouncy ruffled cushions on the bed and upholstered chair.

A Shock of Yellow

Gray and yellow couldn't be more at odds, but the two pair wonderfully in a bedroom with ghostly hues that needs a jolt of color to enliven it. Paint walls the softest silvered gray -- any intensity from misty cloud to antique candlestick. Add lots of white in curtains, bedding and bed frame, incidental furniture and a light rug or white-painted floor. Anchor the bedding with a charcoal quilt or duvet. Then bring on the lemon, yellow-green, chartreuse or ripe pear. A yellow lampshade next to the bed, yellow-and-gray throw rug, and yellow pillow shams or a yellow pouf will flatter the soft gray tones predominant in the room. In a gray nursery, paint a bookshelf and a rocker in matching light yellow and hang a yellow kite from the ceiling.