When decorating your home, do you tend to get so wrapped up in the latest styles or trends featured in design magazines that you forget to add some of your own personality to the design? You should be able to step into any room in your home and know that it reflects your unique personality and style. If you’re looking for some ways to add your own personality to the rooms in your home, then consider the following tips.

Focus on a Hobby or Collection of Yours
A focus on a favorite hobby or a special collection can be a great way to add a personal touch to your décor. You can decorate a room with collections of such things as dolls, airplanes, specific figurines, and hats. Consider using one of these collections to create a focal point in the room—placing them on a fireplace mantel or even a large shelf on the wall. If you like to knit or sew, consider displaying some of your finished pieces in a room, such as a quilt thrown on the back of the couch or an embroidered picture hung on the wall.

Use Family Photographs to Decorate
Family photographs are a great way to add that personal touch to any room. If you don’t want to use recent ones, then try displaying old black-and-white photos of some of your ancestors. Or if you want to stay current, choose a few of your favorite photos of your family and friends, and arrange them in frames on the wall. This is a great way to establish a personal touch in a room, plus it also might serve to add some interest to a wall.

Use Your Favorite Colors to Decorate
When decorating a room, you first want to choose what colors you want to use and then go from there. Rather than picking out a fabric or accessory first, look for them in the color you’ve selected.

Do be sure, however, that the color you pick is practical, one you won’t get tired of within a few months. You’ll need to pick colors for the walls, trim, and furniture. You might want to go with different shades of your favorite color or pick out two or three favorites that are complementary.

Create Your Own Art for the Room
No matter how creative you are, you can create a piece of art to include in your décor. This could any of a variety of artistic outlets, such as a painting, collection of items, or photograph you take. Adding your own artwork to a room creates your own sense of style and personality. It’s best if you create using a medium you like and are interested in, rather than just trying to create something to match the existing décor.

When you add your own personality into your décor, what will result is a home that feels entirely your own.

Do you want to be able to change the décor of your home to correspond with the changing seasons? Seasonal decorating doesn’t involve any major changes like painting the walls or getting new furniture. With some smaller decorating changing, you can definitely have your home looking like springtime or winter. Here are some simple ways to change your home’s décor so that it reflects the different seasons throughout the year.

Switch Up the Slipcovers
By switching your slipcovers you can create a décor to go with every season. Dark, rich fabrics such as black velvet or dark green chenille work great for the winter. You want to go with a lighter fabric and color/pattern for the spring and summer. Then you can bring in the colors of the outdoors for fall with a brown or brown-and-orange patterned slipcover.

Change Furniture Accessories
When you change the slipcovers on the furniture, you might also add or remove different seasonal accessories. Heavy throws and blankets slung over the back of couches and chairs are a great addition to any décor in the winter and then can be removed in the warmer months. Decorative pillows can also be switched out according to the seasons. As with the slipcovers, lighter fabrics work best in the warmer months and darker, heavier fabrics fit more with a winter theme.

Change the Window Treatments
Window treatments can be used to either block out the sun or allow more light to come in according to the different seasons, depending on your preferences. In the winter, you might want to consider lightening up the window treatments, which will allow more sunlight to come in and warm the house. Then in the summer, shades or blinds can help block out some of the strongest rays that can make the house too warm.

Rotate Area Rugs
If you have area rugs as part of your home décor, they can also be changed according to the different seasons. A great idea to consider is to remove them altogether in the warmer months, simply leaving a hardwood or tile floor. Then you can bring them out again in the fall and winter. It’s always nice during the colder months to have a warm area rug on the ground to warm up the room.

Change Up the Small Accessories
Small accessories that go with the different seasons are a quick and easy way to create a seasonal décor. For instance, in summer you might want to put out vases of fresh flowers and containers filled with seashells. For the fall, you might change things up with some fake gourds or fall flower arrangements in wicker baskets. While winter is always a time for holiday decorations, you can also choose to decorate for winter in general with things like candles and snowmen. New flower arrangements and some bright knickknacks for the shelves can have your whole house feeling like spring. You might even consider rotating the artwork on the walls according to the different seasons.

With a little research and creativity, you can create an attractive and functional décor for each of the different seasons. With some simple changes here and there, you can transform the look of the room more than you might think.

As those of you with teenagers very well know, decorating a teen bedroom isn’t the easiest thing in the world. With some teens, it’s not a matter of figuring out what exactly they want; it’s whether you can afford it or not. Other teenagers just don’t care what their room looks like. For those of you who keep coming up short on theme ideas for your teenager’s bedroom, here are some great ideas to consider.

Theme Ideas for a Teen Girl’s Bedroom
Some teenage girls consider the color scheme the most important part of their bedroom décor. For a girl’s bedroom, popular color schemes include: turquoise and brown, pink and brown, and purple and white. You will be able to find plenty of fabrics and accessories in all of these color schemes for your daughter’s room.

One popular theme for a teen girl bedroom is the glamorous style. This décor might sound rather expensive, but you can actually find accessories, furniture, and other glamorous décor items that won’t break your budget. Look for anything with jeweled or glittery accents. For an instant glamorous effect, try a fake glass chandelier or a leopard-print lamp on the nightstand.

Another popu;ar theme to consider for your teen girl’s bedroom is the modern or funky style. If you go with this style, you will definitely need some input from your teenager. A modern style usually consists of unusual or contemporary artwork, designs, and patterns on the walls, and bright colors. Do be sure to not get too trendy or out there with the décor, though, as you don’t want your teen tiring of it within a few months.

Try some of these other ideas for your teenage daughter’s bedroom:

• French theme
• black-and-white theme
• stripes-and-shapes theme
• floral theme
• romantic theme
• cheerleading or dance theme

Theme Ideas for a Teen Boy’s Bedroom
Most teen boys don’t tend to be too interested in the décor of their bedroom, throw in a couple of oak nightstands and wooden bookcases and they’re satisfied, the exception being when they are truly passionate about a hobby or activity. Chances are that your teenage boy will simply want to choose a color scheme for the room and then leave it at that. Fortunately, there are many color options beyond just black or blue. You can add interest and color to the room by involving other colors such as turquoise, green, red, yellow, brown, and orange.

A very popular teen boy bedroom theme is a sports-related décor. One way to go is with a general sports theme, or you might concentrate on just one sport, such as football or hockey. You could also decorate the room with their favorite professional or collegiate team. Sports themes are usually pretty simple to incorporate into a room. Just be sure you don’t go too overboard and clutter the room.

Some teenage boys might go for a car theme in the bedroom. This theme can be implemented in a variety or ways, from an old classic car theme to a focus on current hot racing cars. You might want to hang framed pictures of cars on the walls or, if you’re really creative, paint a mural of a speedway.

Consider these other great teen boy décor ideas:

• music theme
• skateboarding theme
• technology theme
• surfing theme
• camouflage theme
• wilderness theme

Both parents and teens should have fun decorating a teen bedroom. Suggest some of these great theme ideas to your teenage son or daughter; you might just end up scoring some parent points with your teen.

Designing a room isn’t a quick process but rather takes planning and care. Much planning is needed in order to create a great room that you will love. Following are five important factors to consider when planning and designing your own room for your home.

Colors Used in the Room
An important factor that comes into play when designing a room will be your choice of colors. The colors you choose should always reflect the style or theme of the room. If your décor is country, for example, then you don’t want to use vibrant colors such as bright yellow or orange. Instead, use colors that fit the decorating style, such as blue, cream, red, and brown. If you’re still unsure about your colors, then locate a prominent piece in the room, such as an area rug or furnishing, and then base your color scheme off that.

Space in the Room
You want to take measurements before you purchase any large addition to the room,  like a oak dining table or wood desk, as you want to have enough comfortable space in your décor. When you plan accordingly, taking into consideration the space you have, you will be able to make your interior space more efficient and practical. Unless it’s the style you’re going for, you don’t want your space to look completely empty, nor be crammed with items. A room is inviting and comfortable when the space flows well.

Use of Lines in the Room
An important thing to consider when designing a room is your use of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines. Your room will flow well in all aspects when you take into consideration all the lines involved. This way you end up with the best-looking space possible. When considering the lines in your décor, remember that vertical lines will add height to a room, while horizontal lines work to make a room look wider.

Textures Used in the Room
Texture is a really important aspect of any room’s décor. There are many different sources of texture in a room, from the furniture to accessories. When used correctly, texture can make a room look more appealing both to the eye and to the touch. Texture requires a certain balance. You don’t want too many conflicting textures, nor do you want your textures to be too much of the same. For a great room design, you need to strike a healthy balance.

Lighting in the Room
An important aspect of any room is light. Light can either come from natural sources such as windows and doors, or from artificial sources like light fixtures and lamps. Lighting affects both color, in terms of how colors actually appear, and the overall mood of a room. When designing a room, be sure to consider both sources of light when deciding on window treatments and light fixtures.

Designing a room on your own is never an easy task. This process requires careful planning, and all of these aspects need to be considered for you to come up with the best décor for your home.

The Barn Furniture (1949) on Sepulveda Blvd. one block south of Victory Blvd.

This picture, taken in or around 1949, shows some of our early efforts to meet the needs of residents who were adventurous enough to move way out to the San Fernando Valley, CA. That included our brave soldiers who had just returned from the war, who could scoop up a brand new track home for a few thousand dollars.

Those that made the San Fernando Valley their home could buy the ladderback chairs seen here for $1.49 each or they could splurge on the kidney bench, seen in the foreground, for their wife to sit on while she did her make up. The Directors’ Chairs, on the left, were a very hot item with such close proximity to Hollywood, although without freeways we were still quite remote. Note that the front of our store was unpaved and unroofed at this time. You can’t see the small barn, set back from the street, where we stored the merchandise at night.

Make your bedroom a relaxing getaway with a beach themed bedroom. There are so many different decorating ideas when it comes to making the perfect beach theme for your bedroom. The key to decorating your bedroom in any kind of theme is to make sure that it fits your personality, and style is some place that you want to spend a lot of time.

The Basics of a Beach Themed Bedroom
Before you start buying anything for your bedroom, you need to decide on what type of style you want for the room. A beach theme is very wide open when it comes to decorating.

For one person, a beach theme may mean seashells, sand and water.  While for another person, a beach theme may involve more of a luau or Hawaiian theme with surfboards, waves, and fish. What type of direction you take in decorating for the beach theme all depends on your own personal style and what you picture your perfect beach theme looking like.

Colors for a Beach Themed Bedroom
No matter what type of style you are going for in your beach theme, the color blue has to be somewhere in the room. You don’t have to necessarily paint your walls blue, but be sure to incorporate blues into your color scheme.
For a nautical beach theme, concentrate on the colors of red, white, and blue while adding other neutrals like tan and brown into the mix. For a tropical bedroom, you can choose more vibrant colors like yellow, pink, bright blue, and purple. If you want the ultimate beach resort getaway bedroom, choose neutral tones like white, tan, light blue, and light pink or coral.

Furniture for a Beach Themed Bedroom
Lighter furniture works better with most beach themes. You want to be sure to keep things light.  When you think of the ocean, you usually think of the light colored sand and blue skies. Incorporate such woods as wicker, driftwood, and bamboo into your furniture if possible. Accessorize your furniture with such things as white or sheer fabric draped over the poles of the bed to add that beach feeling to the room.

Accessories for a Beach Themed Bedroom

The exact accessories that you use for your beach theme bedroom is going to differ depending on the style that you choose for the room. Here are some common accessories that can be used in your bedroom:

• Sea shells
• Paintings or pictures of the ocean or beach
• Boats
• Water features such as a fountain
• Sand
• Sea animals and fish
• Surfboards
• Lighthouses
• Sea grass
• Rocks and pebbles
• Tropical flowers

A beach theme also goes well in other places of the home such as the living room or even your child’s bedroom. Simply take the suggestions and incorporate them into a child-friendly bedroom or into a functional living space.

Your bedroom should be your getaway in the home as well as a place of comfort with style. A beach theme is a great idea for a bedroom, as it radiates an easy and peaceful feeling that a bedroom should have.