Tag Archives: lighting

How to Decorate Above Kitchen Cabinets

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One very overlooked place to decorate in your home is just above the kitchen cabinets. Usually between the cupboards and the ceiling is a wonderful opportunity to be artistic. Your first chore would be to install some lighting. You can get lighting bars that are great at creating low lighting.

You can treat this like any shelf. It is a great place to showcase a collection. You can use items that have a particular theme or color. For instance rows of blue glass looks great here. You can also showcase old plates, floral plates or anything that you treasure.

A collection of flower vases or crystal looks nice in this area as does rows of interesting cake pans or candlestick holders. Cake decorations or cookie cutters can also make an intriguing display.

This type of area looks nice if decorated with some unexpected greenery. Try trailing ivy along the window for a beautiful effect. You can as add balls of twine, boxes of grass and charming wicker object.

Do not be afraid to play with color. You can use fresh colors like blue and white or olive and cream to add charm to that space. Keep in mind the appearance of your counter for a great effect. For instance if you have a green and white color scheme line up all of your white and green china with a cream vase with green plants, some ivy, some green glass and some green and white candles.

One way to make this are work is to group objects in different heights. You can line similar objects up all in a row and then play with the odd numbers to arrange objects in different heights. Do not be discouraged if it does not come together the first time. Keep arranging all the objects until they look right to you.

Remember too that although the cluttered look can be tempting it is not always appropriate. Sometimes less is more.

You have a taller ceiling and more space, you want to use items that are larger in scale so that it feels balanced. If you put smaller items in a large space it will just feel cluttered. If you have a smaller area and you try to fit in items that are too large it will feel off balance. However remember too that part of make this work might be using assymettry as well.

How to Decorate A Room With Art

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This article is not so much about choosing art but how to make a room look good with the pieces you have chosen.
First of all you should make sure that artwork is hung so that it is the central focal point of the room. The picture or grouping of pictures should be at eye level. If several pictures are grouped together then they should be laid out close enough together so they look like one unit of exhibition.

It is also important that smaller pictures be on smaller walls and that you save the larger pictures for larger walls. This way everything will look in proportion.

To make sure that the art looks good when hanging it over furniture you should make sure that it is not longer than the piece of furniture itself.

If you take care to light your art well it will look more impressive. You can angle existing lights at the art or install simple track lighting. This is especially true if you are hanging it in a long dark hallway. You can use lighting to make the grouping of artwork look more dramatic or to place attention on a particular piece.

Art shelves are also becoming all the rage. These are simply shelves, sometimes ornate that are more like ledges and serve to hold knick knacks. A work of art or a group of works of art always look great held over this type of shelf. You can also mount objects behind glass, frame them in box like frames and hang them over a fire place or bed. This type of object display under glass if fast becoming an alternative to hanging paintings.

It is also good to choose artwork that falls in with the theme of your décor or even what you are interested in, in life. If your room is pastel try to choose art that goes along with that delicate theme. Any art you choose should always underscore the mood or theme of your room.

If you want to make a dramatic sweeping statement then choose one large piece of artwork and hang it over a fireplace or dining room table. This can sometimes look better than cluttering up the room with many smaller works.

If you have a small room you can help open it up and make it seem less claustrophic by hanging landscapes or oceanscapes on the wall.