It is surprisingly easy to make a striking statement with an all-white theme.

White can also help your home feel lighter and brighter and can give the impression of space, airiness, clarity and purity.

It can be a difficult colour to live with as it is obviously unpractical if you have children, pets or live in a muddy area.

White can also sometimes make a room look sparse or cold.

However, if used in the correct way, white can be a highly successful theme.

Here are a few tips for using white:

1)     Add interest in ways other than colour. Choose unusual pieces of furniture and mix different styles.

2)     Look at different variations of the colour white. There is obviously bright white, but you can also go for a more muted white or even branch into creams and greys. These can take the edge of the starkness which can sometimes result from an all white theme.  

3)     Add some neutral colours to the floor or window treatments. Wicker and wood are good at warming up your white design scheme.

4)     Go for floaty voiles for your curtains and match with light furniture to give an airy impression.

5)     Texture is very important. Mix smooth and glossy furniture with fluffy rugs and cushions.

6)     It can also be a good idea to add some colour, while keeping the overall theme white. An accent of red, purple or even black can make a bold statement.

The combination of black and white together can leave you with a dramatic look. Using black to accentuate certain accessories, light fixtures or furniture can sharpen any decorating scheme and add elegance.

If you think a completely black and white theme is a bit too dramatic, then try adding touches of another colour such as pink, yellow or purple, while still keeping black and white the prominent colours.

A further advantage of having a white theme is it’s an extremely good base for any future decorating ideas. It can be simple to subtly alter the overall look by ading a colourful rug, changing the window treatments, or adding throws and cushions. A white theme is one which can be continually updated without having a complete overhaul of your house.  

Most interior designers work their rooms around where the light comes from, so if you’ve got a window, chances are  it’s a focal point. It is imperative, therefore, that you dress your windows properly, considering a number of factors before you make your final decision. Below is a short guide to help you make the right choice for your curtains.

Tone

The first consideration you might make is the overall formality or intended casualness of the room. A formal living or dining room with elegant furniture requires equally well-dressed windows. Classic drapes in silk damask or velvet with swags or tie-backs over sheer netting is appropriate for this level of formality, whereas a simple, natural, slouchy Tab-top would better suit more laid-back surroundings.

Detail, Coordination & Contrast

Silk fringe or rosettes, and other fancy trimmings are often used in living and dining rooms, but if you prefer a clean, simple line, then by all means use what you like. If you’re a minimalist, you won’t be happy living with fussy details.

For a more casual, but still sophisticated room, panels or drapes of natural silk in colors which coordinate with the floor coverings and upholstery make a nice statement. Wool blends and linen are also chic in this setting, and should meld with your chosen furnishings. For example,  a softly draped wool panel is superb with an overstuffed couch, and dark polished wood tables.

Materials

You’ll need to decide what fabrics and materials best suit the environment, tone and function of your room. For example, if you’re furnishing a bathroom window, it is wise to select a material that is fairly water resistant, like cotton, wool or hemp. If you’re decorating for a bedroom, consider a blackout lining and a heavier fabric to block out the light. Drafty hallway? Interline your draperies with thermal lining to lock in the heat and save on your energy bills. Think carefully about light too. Silk curtains, for example, fade easilly when exposed to harsh sunlight, so if you are going for the luxury look in a naturally illuminated area, be sure to line the material carefully.

Exhibition or Privacy?

A fourth factor to consider is the windows themselves. Think about how you plan to use the windows. Is there a beautiful view, and lots of natural light that you would like to make use of? Or do you live in a city with a view of an alley, and a need for privacy? Voiles and semi sheer fabrics are the chicest way to get the ‘net curtain effect’ with an element of style, allowing you to see out, but preventing others from seeing in.

Tastes, Preference & Fashion

A fifth factor is your own personal likes and dislikes. If you like an eclectic, or even eccentric, look, use the colors and fabrics that you like the best. If you choose colors in the same value, that is all pastels or all brights, and patterns in the same size range, you can mix and match fairly easily. Busy room? Go easy on the paterns and stick with block colour.

Houseplants are a great addition to any home. As well as serving to beautify your interior, houseplants provide oxygen and help to clean the air. Specially selected plants are even used in orbiting spacecraft because of their beneficial air purifying properties. However, keeping houseplants healthy and fresh can be a troublesome task. That’s why we’ve listed a top number of tips to help you keep your greens green and hassle-free.

The first step is to select the correct plants for your climate region and your specific home.

Plants are fascinating life forms. They utilize photosynthesis to create organic compounds from carbon dioxide, unlike animals that need to consume other living organisms to produce energy in order to survive. However, plants use light as their energy, to transport water up through their stems and extract minerals from the soil using their roots.

Different plants need different levels of light. Choose low light plants for areas that are far away from the window, or suffer from a particularly dark seasonal climate. You can use shadows to measure the strength of light in a particular area. For example, if the shadow of the plant is hard to detect, then the light in that area is low. If the shadow is detectable but not sharp, then light is medium strength. If the shadow is sharp, then light is bright and plentiful.

Think about using sheer curtains to increase the amount of light entering the room. However, you should be careful about placing plants between a curtain and a window during cold weather spells, especially if the plant species is not very tolerant of low temperatures.

Plants tend to bend towards the direction of light, ao make sure you turn the plants regularly to keep them growing in an attractive shape. Note that some plants do not tolerate excessive sunlight, so it pays to do your research before ordering.

Plants that come from rainforest environments are often the easiest to grow indoors because they are adapted to living under a canopy with limited sunlight. Such plants include the Ficus, Cheese Plants, Rubber Tree Plants, Dracaeana and Begonias. However, these plants are also adapted to plenty of moisture as they come from the Rain Forest, so they will need frequent watering.

As  many houseplants are tropical species, they tend to like humidity. They also prefer warm environments. However, generally humidity is more important than temperature, so you will need to take this into consideration when thinking about the right environment for your plants.

If your houseplants are losing leaves or yellowing, then lack of humidity may be the cause. Heated rooms tend to be dry, although steam and water heaters are less drying than air heaters. The correct humidity for most houseplants ranges between 50 to 70 per cent. To raise the humidity in a room, increase the number of plants you have (each plant generates humidity of its own). Placing jars of water in the room will also work, or you can set plants in a tray full of wet gravel. Misting plants regularly is also beneficial (unless they have fuzzy leaves). You should mist at least once a day, and for many plants several times a day is better. And, if you’ve got the cash to flash, purchasing a humidifier that pumps water vapour into the air may be the answer.

Never allow temperatures to dip below 50 degrees F, as most houseplants are not adapted to cold weather. Also remember that windows tend to be colder than other areas of the room because of poorer insulation. You might want to consider double glazed windows for their extra insulation.

Soil is another important element in keeping houseplants healthy. Make sure you use fresh soil and only use fertilizers that are specifically made for houseplants. Use fertilizers only during the spring and summer, a bit in the autumn, but not in the winter. You can also groom plants by trimming off withering parts, or faded flowers to keep them in good-looking shape, and encourage re-growth.

Keeping your houseplants fresh is fairly simple once you have taken time to learn about specific types, and have started a regular routine. The benefits however, both aesthetic and health-related, are well worth the effort!

Since the beginning of time, mankind has endeavoured to add a sense of individuality to their living environment. Today, we have many spaces we call our own where we can express our personal taste. The interiors and exteriors of our homes are a great potential canvas for our personal creativity. Occasionally, however, we’re out of ideas. Mentally blocked. Completely stumped. While using the colour ‘black’ to perk up a room may seem like a daunting prospect, it’s actually far better decorating option than perhaps it seems. 

 Black is best used to add drama and contrast to a room, and is frequently the colour of mystery, sleekness, and elegance. While many shy away from using large amounts of the colour on walls and panels, it can be a great way to add a luxurious, modern touch to a room, providing it is well illuminated and in a large, open space; it is not advised for small, dark places as it will enhance that hemmed-in feeling.

Black also makes a great accent colour. Accent colours can be picked up in throw pillows, curtains, rugs, and other decorative accessories. Black shutters, accent trim, and front doors can also makes an excellent accent to your exterior paint colour, diffusing borders and highlighting show-off areas.

Black is frequently used in conjunction with white to make the ultimate monochrome contrast. The vibrant pop of primary colours used in contemporary styles aids a room by creating the impression of depth when used alongside black, just like the vivid hues of a sunset against a black landscape. Rugged black iron work can add a whimsical touch to an eclectic interior. Black also works great against any paint colour from soft pastels to jewel tones.

Each room of the house can benefit from a black decorative piece. Black curtains in a bedroom can add a sexy richness to the room. Black curtains also have the added benefit of letting less light in for the late sleepers. Really, black curtains can be used to great effect in any room. The bathroom can be updated with black towels and toiletries. Black appliances give a kitchen a clean, modern look. Lamps with black bases or black shades make excellent accent pieces in any room of the house. A black blown-glass bowl set on a side table can be a great conversation piece.

Searching for the perfect black focal piece can be an adventure in itself.  The Internet provides a great variety of choices, and you can also shop for the best price. Other great places to look are interior decoration stores, home improvement stores and department stores. If you are looking for a deal, try flea markets and garage sales. Hunting for a find at these venues can be like treasure hunting; a productive and exciting way to spend a Saturday morning.

Try decorating with black. Don’t be scared of it. Adding small black accents to update your style, or think ‘big and bold’ to really create a statement. After all, it does go with everything.

Whether you treat your home as your refuge from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, or use it as an office for a small business, your interior environment plays a much more important role in maintaining your physical and mental health than you might think. While there are several ways one can enhance their own well-being from their surroundings - see our blog on decorating according to colour psychology below - one of the best ways is getting in touch with nature, and bringing the outside into your home. House plants offer a range of benefits to the occupants of any living space. They can lift your spirits, purify and detoxify the atmosphere, and generally improve your quality of life.

Plants act as a filter for pollutants that can otherwise harm health, promoting cleaner air in the space they occupy. They increase the oxygen content of the air you inhale, allowing you to breath more easily and think more clearly. Simply having plants around and caring for them  too can be very therapeutic, and has found to reduce stress in human beings.

Think back to science class, and you might remember that all plant life survives and grows by taking carbon dioxide from the air around itself, incorporating the carbon into organic substances for itself and returning pure oxygen back into the atmosphere. We humans as well as other animals breathe in oxygen from the atmosphere and utilize it in our respiratory cycles to burn food for energy and create organic molecules of our own. In turn, we exhale carbon dioxide. Plants utilize it for their own purposes, and thus the cycle continues. Oxygen is a key component in a healthy lifestyle, if an obvious one. If we don’t get enough, breathing becomes more difficult, slowing down our bodily functions and inducing feelings of fatigue.

Harmful pollutants such as micro particles, airborne chemicals and allergens may be present in the air we breath; some have the potential to cause ill health. Many homes, regardless of when they were built, contain traces  - sometimes dangerous levels - of benzene, ammonia, carbon monoxide, trichloroethane, xylene and other industrial chemicals. Research has suggested that having a variety of plants in your house can reduce respiratory diseases, tiredness, and illness by stripping the air of dust and other contaminants.

Flora at home can create a harmonious sense of well being and create a more natural, peaceful, and nurturing environment that is more conducive to productivity and serenity. Studies have shown that simplybeing around other living things can liven your mood considerably. Much like pets, plants make us feel connected to nature and the natural world we are intended to be a part of. Living in a completely sterile and mechanized environment can have an alienating effect on a person.

So, which plants should you incorporate into your surroundings? Of course, it is a matter of choosing in accordance with your own personal tastes, in addition to where you live and your own unique micro climate. For instance, if you want more of a house tree, a Ficus Benjamina might be something you’d be interested in. It survives well in a diverse array of environments. Similarly, Peace Lilies are both attractive to the eye, and are great at purifying air. Spider Plants, Boston Ferns, and Palm Trees are also common and popular choices to spruce up your home. Whatever your choice might be, make sure to take care of them on a regular basis, and check that their species is compatible with the climate of the room you intend them to live in.

Making houseplants a welcome addition to your family can improve your life on a variety of levels.  They can increase the quality of your health, sleep, and general mood. Aside from the pleasant aesthetic of vibrant colours and the organic feel of living things to offset the unnatural indoor environment, they are great for your peace of mind and your body as well. Why not take a trip to the local greenhouse or find seeds online today and plant your own? Happiness is just a shoot away. 

Everyone knows that kids are notorious for putting things in their mouths. And, if your child suffers from allergies, you know just how challenging it can be to protect them from the various environmental hazards that constantly crop up from nowhere. Your child spends a lot of time in their own bedroom. It is where they sleep, dress and play. Finding hygienic and safe fabrics and furnishings for decorating children’s bedrooms is an important, but often challenging task. Just knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Panic not. With a bit of know-how you can transform your child’s bedroom into something that is not only aesthetically appealing, but also good for their health.

Flooring

If hygiene is a priority for your child’s bedroom, then flooring should be your first port of call. Most homes come furnished with carpeting. However, it is the least favourable floor covering, and is excellent at trapping and hiding allergens. Dirt, dust mites and germs can live in the pile and padding for a very long time, so the best thing to do is get rid of your carpet altogether.

Other healthier and more affordable options are available. Choose a nonporous flooring material such as tile, wood or bamboo. Bamboo is also a highly sustainable material, making it environmentally friendly and an added eco bonus for the ethically minded. Pay attention to the installation process with all types of flooring. For example, wood flooring can be installed using various methods, including toxic glues. Instead, choose a product that floats on the subfloor and snaps tightly together with no additional adhesive to irritate sensitive lungs.

Cork is another material that is ideal for children’s rooms. It is not only hypoallergenic, but also soft and easy to walk on. Surprisingly, despite the spongy nature of the material, it doesn’t harbour dirt, dust mites or allergens. It is one of the most hygienic options for decorating your children’s bedrooms.

While using hard flooring material is better for keeping things clean, they can be boring to look at. One of the best ways to freshen the space is to add a throw rug. Choose the material carefully. You want the rug to be able to take the abuse that the kids will surely give it, but also be able to be laundered easily so that little nasty things aren’t trapped inside. The best choices are natural cotton or linen. They are both durable and easy to clean. Cotton rugs can be thrown into a washing machine, whereas linen is hypoallergenic and naturally resistant to germs, hence why linen sheets are used so frequently in hospitals, and linen is one of the only natural materials used in the human body during operations.

Furnishings and Bedding

Once you have taken care of the flooring, it’s time to think about furnishings. Again, natural materials shine in this area. It is possible to buy dressers, beds and other furniture that is either unfinished or naturally finished with things like mineral oil. This type of furniture can be harder to clean than a varnished product, however, so keep plenty of Magic Erasers on hand if your child is a budding interior designer himself. You also may want to look into metal. Metal is an easier to clean choice and doesn’t hold dirt. However, be sure that all edges are rounded and that there is no possibility of the piece coming apart and exposing the child to sharp corners.

The bedding in your child’s room is probably the biggest culprit when it comes to matters of hygiene. Your child is in contact with the bedding every day. Dirt, dust mites and allergens thrive and multiply in the warm, moist environment. Choose only natural, hypoallergenic bedding materials, such as silk, bamboo, cotton or linen. Linen, bamboo and silk naturally kill most common allergens and can be mixed with other fibres, such as cotton, to make a more comfortable and durable bedding material. Cotton is ideal because it is easy to launder and is naturally free from allergens when processed properly. It is also available in dozens of styles, colours and patterns, making it the ideal choice for children’s bedding. These fabrics are also perfect for other applications in your child’s room, such as curtains and pillows.

Whichever material you choose for your child’s bedding, it is important to launder it regularly. Aim for once a week as a minimum. If your child has more severe allergies, you may even consider laundering or airing it out several times a week.

Toys and Accessories

Making sure your child’s toys are safe is extremely important. Toy manufacturers often neglect to make their products hypoallergenic and germ-resistant. Luckily, after care products are readilly available to help you manage the muck. Soft toys like teddy bears can be laundered with solutions to make them less likely to hold allergens. Hard objects can be regularly soaked or wiped down with an antibacterial wipe. While more and more companies are tapping into this niche cleaning market, wood toys are making a comeback. Also, keep an eye out for items that are made with natural materials or pre-treated to repel allergens. Certainly worth a google-search!

PART TWO

It’s no secret that the colour of a room has an incredible affect on the way we perceive our interior surroundings. Equip with paint and brush alone, we have the power to manipulate the size of a space, artificially create the appearance of sunlight, conceal flaws and accentuate stand-out features. But have you ever thought of the psychological impact the hue of your home has on your overall well-being?

From lurid yellow, to not-so-grisly grey, here is Part 2 continued from ‘Shades To Suit Your Mood’

Yellow
The colour of natural warmth, cheeriness and optimism, yellow can create the natural impression of sunshine, even where it doesn’t exist. Fantastic for use in an office, study, or, indeed, in the kitchen, research indicates that yellow can increase the metabolism and enhance concentration. However, it is one of the more difficult colours for the eye to take in, and can be overpowering if overused. Subtle furnishings and decor in this shade is advised. A bunch of sunflowers, a yellow-hued painting, or a single wall can really work to your biological advantage. Think saffrons, golds, ocres and creams if the thought of lurid lemon scares you. However, beware. According to science, people lose their tempers more easily in yellow rooms, and babies have been shown to cry more. Avoid in the bedroom.

Orange
Much like yellow, orange can cheer up the darkest room, and provide a welcoming sense of warmth and vivacity in a dull interior. Symbolic of wealth and joy, splashes of apricot and rich terracotta goes fantastically in the kitchen and dining areas. Chance in any north-facing room to cosey-up the walls with a Mediterranean twist.
Green

Symbolically the colour of nature, green is calming and refreshing, and great when used as a relaxant in bright, large spaces. People waiting to go on TV often wind down in the ‘Green Room’ before making their on-screen entrance, while hospitals frequently use the colour to calm patients down. Green is the easiest on the eye, and opticians even suggest that green environments can improve overall vision. Jades, limes, willows and forest, greens are ideal for lounge rooms and living areas.
Purple
Purple denotes luxury, wealth and sophistication. As it is rare in nature, purple can often appear artificial to the eye, so when choosing for the home, it is best to select subtle hues of heather or deep, iris shades. Avoid deep violets and purples in the kitchen, office and living areas, as studies have shown the colour to induce feelings of fatigue. Use deep rich flashes to accent and luxuriate a cream backdrop. Why not a try a panel in the hallway, or a sumptuous throw over a natural cotton bed spread?
Brown
Solid, reliable and abundant in nature, brown can be used anywhere and with any colour. Light shades can imply genuineness and honesty, and thus oats, flaxes and foals are very good for furnishing an office environment, or calming down the busy colours of a jam-packed room.
Grey
Grey, like brown, has the power to harmonise with all colours, and is a great background to use in a richly saturated environment. It has a calming, neutralising effect on the mind and is a designer’s favourite for use in bedrooms and living areas. Best used in combinations however, as grey alone can appear cold and dull the atmosphere. Warm up subtle silvers with with deep greens, ocre yellows, and rich purples.

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Whatever the fashion in terms of colour or pattern, products in subtler tones such as white, cream, soft fawns and beiges act as the foundation to the latest interior trends.  The Natural Curtain Company’s simple philosophy is perfectly in line with this.  Offering unfussy fabrics in understated colours, its made to measure curtains or roman blinds will provide the perfect backdrop to your 2009 decorating scheme.

White has always been the colour of choice for interior designers.  It represents calmness and tranquillity and provides a blank canvas which you can dress up or down according to your preference.  Simple white curtains provide the perfect basis for a clean and minimal room.  Team with white furniture and walls, adding small splashes of colour with carefully selected accessories.

To make a statement, combine fresh white with black or charcoal grey for a dramatic monochrome look.  Simple eyelet curtains in white linen offer a contemporary look and provide the perfect antidote to a striking black wall.

For simple, understated style, visit The Natural Curtain Company - and with a whole new range of fabrics to choose from you’ll be spoilt for choice.