Arranging Bedroom Furniture

!±8± Arranging Bedroom Furniture

When it comes to your bedroom and arranging your bedroom furniture, there are a lot of things to think about; this is the room in which you will be spending a significant portion of your life, after all. Of course, the way you arrange your furniture can mean the difference not only in a good night's sleep, but also in the functionality and style of your room.

Probably the first piece of furniture to consider is the bed, as it is the center piece of the room and most likely the largest piece of furniture in the room. The bed is your focal point. One way to start off rearranging your furniture is by measuring your room with a tape measure. Draw your room to scale on a piece of graphing paper. Don't forget to measure the distance between windows, heaters and other similar objects. Next measure your furniture and create cut outs. Using these you can arrange and rearrange your furniture without having to actually touch anything. It also gives you good grip on the layout of your room; using a scale model allows you to see what works and what doesn't.

When it comes to the bed, usually this is placed against the first wall you see when entering your bedroom. The headboard should face you, as this is the main focal point. There are other things to consider when placing your bed. The bed should be arranged in such a way that it doesn't create any obstructions. If your room is on the smaller side, try pushing it against a wall to save space. Also, be sure not to block any doors; you don't want to make it difficult to get to your clothes, for instance. While placing your bed near a window may sound romantic, it can actually end up being a bad idea. You're likely to catch a cold from drafts, and the extra noise and light you'll experience may disturb your sleep.

Be sure to avoid odd angles or spacing, especially if your bedroom is on the smaller side. Leave room on either side for a nightstand. Dressers and bureaus should be placed on an adjoining or opposite wall, so as not to add to much weight to one side of the room. Consider how much storage you need. If you have a closet, try to maximize that so as to avoid too much furniture clutter. You can place smaller chests or storage boxes at the foot of your bed. Also consider storing seasonal clothing under the bed.

If you do have a TV, think about where to place it without adding to the clutter. TV sets can take up a significant amount of room, unless you have flat screen, which can easily be hung on the wall opposite your bed. Otherwise try placing the TV at an angle, or if you have a large armoire, consider placing in there, so you can store it when it's not in use.

If you do have extra room, you can add a nice, comfy chair or two, in a corner or near a window. Remember, when it comes to bedroom furniture, you have to make sure that you avoid clutter. Leave yourself some space to relax and put your things.

Arranging Bedroom Furniture

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Bamboo Furniture - A Look at the History, Properties, and Care of this Popular Wood Alternative

!±8± Bamboo Furniture - A Look at the History, Properties, and Care of this Popular Wood Alternative

Bamboo and Bamboo Furniture:

Wood is a top choice when it comes to outdoor furniture materials, but unfortunately for many, it doesn't come cheap. A single chair rarely goes for below 0, and an entire set can easily cost a few thousand dollars. But if you're just after the look and feel of wood, there are also much cheaper options, such as bamboo. In fact, if you don't consider furniture a big investment, bamboo may be much more practical. Read on to find out more.

History of Bamboo:

The Chinese were, and still are, the top users and producers of bamboo. Not surprisingly, the earliest bamboo products found--mostly household items and weapons--belonged to the Chinese some 7,000 years ago. Before paper was invented, the Chinese wrote on slips of bamboo, making it a key component in the spread of Chinese culture and language. Bamboo was also used for shoes, tiles, and coats, and remains a key ingredient in Asian cooking.
In the West, people were finding more interesting uses. Alexander Graham Bell's first telephone was made of bamboo, and Thomas Edison used a bamboo filament to create the world's first light bulb. Bamboo mats, bowls, blinds, and ornaments also became popular. Today, the use of bamboo has spread to the arts (sculpture, musical instruments), construction (doors, floors, houses), and even alternative medicine (bamboo shoots and juice).

Uses and Properties:

Bamboo is actually a type of grass with a hard, woody stem that reaches full height within a year or so. This makes it an ecologically sound resource; that is, heavy harvesting has virtually no impact on the environment. It is one of the fastest-growing plants on earth, which is why it remains abundant despite being used extensively for the last few thousand years.
The bamboo stem can be treated to form a lightweight but extremely tough wood-like material. When the strips are glued together, the resulting material is ideal for building structures, such as pillars and scaffolding. Many traditional houses are made entirely of bamboo, and bamboo suspension bridges are still found in parts of Asia.

How It's Grown:

Bamboo grows in an invasive manner, with the roots quickly forming an underground network that is mostly self-sustaining. Nutrients from the leaves pass down the culms (visible stems) right down to the rhizomes, so that the grove remains alive even if the bamboos themselves die out. In fact, the effort is often on controlling bamboo growth than propagating it. Bamboo growers either prune the culms or install a physical barrier to keep it from invading adjacent lots.
The culms are the parts commonly used in manufacturing. After harvesting, the stems are cut lengthwise, boiled, and milled at the edges to flatten them out. The strips are then glued together, either edge to edge or face to face. In the former style, they are usually laminated together in three layers to make them thicker and sturdier. Finally, they are given a final pressing and milling to ensure structural bonding, and sometimes carbonized--exposed to high temperatures just below burning--for a richer, darker finish. The natural color is pale yellow to medium brown, and is equally attractive.

Bamboo Furniture:

Bamboo furniture has a light, earthy feel that is perfect for open areas like porches, patios and balconies. When properly constructed, it can have the same structural integrity as many hardwoods, but being a grass, it is much lighter and more versatile. Bamboo is a great choice if you like to move your furniture around or redesign your room once in a while.
Because of its high resistance, bamboo makes great storage pieces such as bookshelves and cabinets. The lighter varieties are commonly used for stools and dressers, while sturdier ones are made into larger tables and sofas. Many people accent their existing furniture with bamboo veneers, mats, and curtains.
The price of bamboo furniture has risen in recent years because of importation costs, as well as increasing demand from environmentally conscious buyers. Some varieties cost almost as much as wood. If you want something cheaper, try bamboo veneer furniture--these come with a solid wood interior and a bamboo outer layer.

Care and Maintenance:

Bamboo is sensitive to water, so take care not to over-wash it or leave it out in the rain. Clean it occasionally with a dry or damp cloth, and remove dust and grit with a mop or vacuum cleaner. Wipe off spills immediately to prevent stains and water marks. Also avoid scraping with steel wool or any abrasive--they can scratch the laminate and make it brittle.
You don't have to be a serious conservationist to appreciate bamboo furniture. Its natural beauty makes it stand out even against the most expensive woods, and its neutral tones allow it to fit in with almost any theme. As long as you choose well and take good care of it, your bamboo furniture can give you excellent value for your money.

Bamboo Furniture - A Look at the History, Properties, and Care of this Popular Wood Alternative

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Design Styles - Shabby Chic

!±8± Design Styles - Shabby Chic

For those whose homes were in need of a little tender loving care, shabby chic was the design style from heaven. Starting in the UK in the 1980s and spreading around the world, the style was pounced on by those who were looking for an alternative to minimalist white boxes. All of a sudden old furniture and scrubbed walls were in and we couldn't get enough of it.

Unfortunately for those of us with decaying run down homes, the designers quickly pointed out that this new interior decorating craze had to be a fusion of shabby and chic and that mere shabby just wouldn't do. There was a certain irony in this as the inspiration for the design came from the grand old houses of the aristocracy where items such as chintz chairs were expected not just to last for a lifetime but for several generations. In these homes faded materials and patches were signs of thrift and tradition.

The earliest shabby chic style was rather grand in manner, using large pieces of furniture to make a statement. Nowadays it has transformed, becoming softer and more feminine but still aiming to tell a history of the property or piece.

When decorating your home in this style the easiest place to start, particularly in an older home, is with the walls. Often you will find that they have had a succession of paints or papers. Carefully peeling layers of these back allows you to expose the history of the house and the changing styles that it has experienced. However, this layer peeling should be done by an interior designer or someone with an artistic touch. Mere ripping of paper can just leave your home looking like a building site.

Often the wall layer will provide the inspiration for the colour balance of the furniture and fabrics. This is truly where the chic or style comes in. Again in a contrast to modern minimalism with its pure white or strong colours, shabby chic loves soft pastels, linens and floral patterns. It is important that each room should be designed as an entity with furniture being carefully chosen to match. Choosing any old furniture and dropping it in your home at random can lead to your home having the appearance of a tasteless junk shop rather than a monument to old style.

On a word of warning, the popularity of this interior design form has lead to a growing market in faked furniture. Items such as chairs or dressers are made to look old by sanding, staining and selective painting. Often several layers of paint are applied and then irregularly sanded off to give the appearance of a much older piece of furniture. Whilst there is nothing wrong in buying a new piece of furniture that fits in with your design style, don't be fooled into paying over the odds for a seemingly older piece that is in fact new.

In a way shabby chic has transformed how we look at our homes from being mere conveniences to places with a history. It has helped us to love and care for our buildings and has encouraged respect and restoration rather than replacement. Sitting happily alongside other interior design styles, shabby chic gives us a window on the past as well as a choice in how we decorate our homes.

Design Styles - Shabby Chic

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