Divide and Conquer

Room dividers these days are such nifty pieces of home decor. They serve to give you privacy, add to the aesthetics of the room and even can double up different functions to fully utilise your living space.



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Room Divider Tips

Room dividers do more than divide rooms into sections. Decorative room dividers lend atmosphere to an otherwise dull room. Choose a theme for your room and find a room divider to fit that theme. Alternatively, use room dividers to section off rooms by adding a new twist.

Divide Large Rooms
When you have a living room-dining room combo, it may be hard to tell where the living area ends and the dining area begins. Use a decorative room divider to section the space. It may be possible to find a divider with a different design on each side to make the one divider blend in with both areas.

Section off a large living room with room dividers. Make a section for the kids' playroom while leaving the rest of the room for activities such as watching television. Or create a den with some of the living room space by choosing a couple of room dividers and joining them together.

Decorate
Use room dividers for decoration. Place them in strategic positions or up against the walls of the room. Decorative dividers can have scenes of landscapes or animals, or they can feature a solid color. Some room dividers simulate bookshelves. Place these up against the wall for a pretend library. Other room dividers have shelving built into them, providing extra storage whether they're placed out in the room or up against the wall.

Temporary Rooms
When company comes and it's time to get out folding beds, section off an area of the living room or another large room to create a spare bedroom for your guests. You can even section off a large bedroom to create two rooms if you have several guests who need privacy.

Make a removable play area for the kids when their friends come over. Corral all of the kids in one area, leaving you the rest of the house for your activities. You may get more accomplished, and the kids will enjoy the privacy while they play.

Closets
Create an additional closet using room dividers. Join two sections together at right angles in the corner of a room, and you now have an attractive broom closet, coat closet or junk closet. If you decide to make the closet permanent, you can always build a conventional one and put the room dividers to another good use.

Mad About Grass

Carpet grass is a very low maintenance alternative to add greenery to your living space. You can also use it to cover unsightly spots. Talk about sweeping it under the (grass) rug :)



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How To Lay Grass Carpet

Grass carpet, also known as indoor/outdoor carpeting, is a simple way to improve the aesthetics of an outdoor patio or plain porch. It is not too difficult to install and offers numerous other benefits for your home. Use it to cover damaged concrete, protect the bottom of patio furniture, create a place to practice your golf swing or an area to rub dirt off shoes before entering the house.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Grass carpet
Liquid carpet adhesive
Paint roller
Paint pan
Utility knife
Measuring tape
Scissors

Steps:

1.Sweep away any dirt and debris from the area where you will be laying the carpet.

2. Measure the area that you want to carpet.

3. Use the utility knife to cut a piece of grass carpet according to your measurements and roll it up with the back of the grass carpet on the outside.

4. Pour some of the adhesive into the paint pan and roll the paint roller in it until covered.

5. Roll a line of adhesive, as straight as possible, onto the surface that will be carpeted. Make sure that the adhesive goes all the way to the edge.

6. Line up the edge of the grass carpet with the edge of the adhesive-coated surface, and carefully lay the carpet down over the glue a bit at a time until it is aligned and even. Do not completely unroll the carpet. Either smooth the adhered area with your hands or, for a larger area, step around on it until it is secure.

7. Gather more adhesive on the roller. Starting against the roll of carpet, as close as possible to the section that is already laid, apply another section of glue. Roll the carpet over the adhesive and smooth it out just as you did the first.

8. Continue spreading adhesive and laying carpet until you reach the edge of the area. Glue the grass carpet firmly along this edge. Allow the adhesive to dry overnight.

In Search of the Dressing Table

You might think them a luxury, but a good dressing table can help reduce bedroom clutter. Put some thought into it so that dressing up in the morning will be even more enjoyable!





10 Top Tips - For Dressing Tables

1. There is such a wide and varied choice of colour schemes that its really important to decide on your colour theme before you start looking at all the different types of table decorations. Remember to take into the account the season and the setting. Colours such us yellow and green are great for Spring, whereas silver and white look great in the winter.

2. Once you have decided on your main colour, remember that that some fabrics and products may appear in slightly different tones due to the way they hold the colour. Also depending on the way they reflect light. For instance, lilac feathers may appear lighter in colour than lilac favour bags. Although these may be different tones this can also look very effective.

3. A good tip is to request samples of a selection of your favourite favours. You could also request samples of decorations as well so you can try out how they will look before you commit your precious budget to buying them.

4. Try to gain a visual picture of the whole table in your mind when thinking about different ideas. This is also a great tip for when you decide on your colour theme.

5. When calculating the amount of favours and decorations always add a few extra to allow for last minute guests or mistakes.

6. If you decide on not decorating the tables yourself then ensure you write a detailed list for the person who is. A good idea is to take photographs of your mock table and give this to the person who is decorating them.

7. Along with the detailed list why not put everything in separate boxes to ensure the right amount of decorations are on each table. This is also useful if you have different size tables with a different amount of people on each.

8. Setting up a mock table is a great idea. It is amazing how different the decorations and favours can look once they are all in one place. Doing a dress rehearsal will allow you time to ensure you are happy and make any alterations to anything you feel isn’t quite right.

9. Remember to use lots of colour in the middle of the tables as this will be the focal point. As you move outwards towards the edge of the table use fewer decorations to provide more subtle accents.

10. With so many different decorations and products it can be very easy to overload your table which will end up making it look cluttered. To ensure your table is stylish and elegant make sure you are selective and stick to a few key items. If for example you have selected metallic confetti and silver favours boxes then feathers wouldn’t really add to your style and would probably detract from it instead.