Tips & Trends

Artful Decorating

- to help you get the "hang" of artful decoration, follow these helpful tips:

- Don't use adhesive picture hangers, especially in humid areas. The best hangers are those that are attached to a wall by driving a nail in at an angle.

- Where does the hanger go? Hold the picture to the wall by the apex of its wire and mark that spot with tape or a light pencil mark. Place the hanger so that the part that holds the wire is at this spot. Then mark the place where the nail should be driven.

- Wallpapered wall? Cut a small "V" in the wallpaper with a razor. Lift the "V", and attach the hanger under it. If the picture is removed later, simply glue the flap of paper back down, and the damage to the wallpaper will be unnoticeable.

- How high or how low should you hang pictures? No more than 6 to 8 inches above a piece of furniture, or at average eye level (about 5'8" to 5'10") if not above furniture. Remember to include permanent accessories such as lamps in your plan.

- Too much space between picture disrupts the graphic effect, so use your hand width as a guide for spacing between pieces.

- Uneven number of objects are more interesting than groupings of even numbers. For example, with equal spacing between, three frames hung close together will capture interest.

- The eye craves order, so hang pictures to form at least one horizontal and one vertical line (with the exception or a round grouping).

- Never stair-step pictures unless hanging them on a stairway wall.

 

Painting Techniques

A glimpse at several options to consider before painting a room:

• Color-washing - a semi-transparent color applied in an irregular manner over a base coat - inexpensive and effective way to add drama and style to any wall.

• Textured Walls - Few building materials please the soul quite like solid plaster. You can distress plaster by combing it or applying it with spatula, mix in various extras, from pebbles to straw, not to mention tiny quartz crystals stirred into plaster - the walls literally glitter when exposed to candlelight.

• Wall Glazing. Special Effect Opal and Pearl glazes are beautifully suited to more traditional, elegant look. Pastel Translucent Color Glazes over white or very light base colors are ideal to brighten any room. Choose deeper, jewel-tone glazes over lighter base colors of a similar hue for a rich, traditional appearance

 

 

Working With Glass

Front Door Attraction: Consider Touch of Glass - enjoy etched, leaded, or stained glass panels for front doors. Front door makes a statement in any home; it creates a first impression....
 

Lighting Tips

Calculate the amount of light needed in any room by multiplying the length times the width of the room (in feet). Then multiply that number by 1.5. This gives you the number of watts required to provide ambient lighting for the room. If task lighting is needed, multiply the square footage by 2.5 instead of 1.5 to find the wattage. Ceiling fixtures should be at least 7 feet above the floor.