Home Improvements - Expressing An Attitude
By Raynor James, Fri Dec 9th
There are many issues to address when doing major homeimprovements. The overall atmosphere and attitude of theimprovements can be a key issue.
Degree of Formality
Certain things tend to go with each other. Silk, silver,crystal, brass, china, oil paintings in gilt frames, anddraperies to the floor have an affinity for each other forexample. Leather, built-in bookcases, old books, paneled rooms,coffered ceilings, and dark wood are another group of thingsthat go well together.
A third such group might be heavy linen,polished cotton, glass and metal tables, woven baskets, andwicker. There are the usual exceptions, but things that gotogether tend to have about the same degree of formality. Theircolor and texture are important, too.
Light vs. Dark
Most people are happiest living in rooms that are bright andsunny in the daytime and are softly lit without glare or sharpcontrasts in light at night. In most rooms, lamps and indirectlighting is the way to go. Window treatments that leave most ofthe glass in windows uncovered when they are open during the dayare good for letting sunshine and pleasant views in and giveyour home a cheerful feeling.
How much sun a room gets needs to be taken into account whenchoosing paint. If a room gets a lot of sun, and you like thelook, a dark color will probably work. If the room is on thenorth of your home and has few windows, you might be happierwith a light tint of the color you like.
Small vs. Large
Small rooms can be a challenge. Window treatments, which controllight and privacy without taking up a lot of space in the room,make sense in small rooms. Fitted interior shutters, shades, andcafé curtains tend to work well. Save voluminous fabric,elaborate swags, and draperies that "puddle" on the floor forlarge rooms with high ceilings. Furniture needs to be scaled tothe size of the room, too, although one occasionally sees asmall room with a few large pieces of furniture, which lookdramatically good and serve the intended function well.
Summary
The biggest key is to know what you want before you start. Getthat answer straight in your mind and you can't go wrong.
About the author:Raynor James is with the FSBO site - http://www.fsboamerica.org- FSBO homes For Sale By Owner. Visit our "sell my home" page -http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm - to sell your houseyourself with a free 1 month listing.
Here are some more For Sale By Owner articles...
