11,973 Dining Room Design Photos: Houzz.com

Many of us remember the dining room from our childhood as the separate, formal room that housed the most expensive pieces of furniture and was only used on a handful of special occasions and holidays. These formal rooms are still found in today's homes but you can also find multi-purpose rooms, informal dining rooms and even outdoor dining rooms on the patio. The dining room by nature is a simple space. The focus of any dining room is its table, while the chair choice creates the overall personality of the room. Simply add an overhead light fixture and somewhere to store linens, dishes, serving pieces, and cutlery.

traditional dining room design by other metros design-build Witt Construction

Today’s dining spaces are more inviting and personal than ever. They provide a space for a variety of functions, including doing homework, paying the bills, working jigsaw puzzles or working on a hobby. And in many homes, dining areas are connected to another room, occupying one end of a kitchen, living room or family room. In fact, many households do most of their dining on bar stools at kitchen islands or at small tables in breakfast nooks with banquette seating. Formal accents in these spaces come from accessories and place settings in lieu of dining furniture or the architecture of the room. Whatever you do, try to keep your dining table from becoming a permanent family drop zone and keep it as a soothing place for your eye to land, enhanced with a centerpiece or candles that suit the season and your personal style, whether that be a glam candelabra or beautiful bowl of fruit.
Find dining room design ideas here...more »

Design Inspiration: 13 Romantic Bedrooms (PHOTOS)

We're dreaming of... a Valentine's night spent in one of these luxurious bedrooms! With the big day right around the corner, we couldn't help but look for bedrooms that will put you in a Valentine's state of mind. From dark and glamorous to comfortable and relaxed, these thirteen rooms are sure to appeal to any style. So flip through the slideshow below, let your mind wander and get inspired to complete your own romantic makeover.

 http://www.stylelist.com/2012/02/09/design-inspiration-romantic-bedrooms_n_1266901.html?ir=Stylelist+Home#s677857

Insulating Your Home by Dressing Your Windows With Blinds

Matthew Forde

When winter comes, or simply colder temperatures, one thing many people forget is how the construction and decoration in your home can affect how much of the heat escapes your home. No house is insulated completely, and there's always going to be a certain amount of heat escaping. Doors and windows are prime locations where hot air can escape allowing the cold in, and in the case of windows, there's things you can do to help out. Insulating your home by dressing your windows is a good way to keep the interior warmer, whilst lowering your heating bills in the process.

Most windows have a single glass, and that's just not enough to keep all the cold air outside. Condensation happens along the sides, and the heat is sucked out. Then, if you don't have anything else to help insulate it, then cold air invades your whole home, forcing you to turn up the heat. One solution would be to double glaze the whole house. A feature which most new builds will include anyway. This works by trapping air between two panes of glass which acts as a very poor conductor thus slowing the heat from its escape.

Instead, dressing the window in a fashionable and functional way can really help insulate the home. For example, blinds can be a good start for this. There are many types of blind, made of various materials, each with their own inherent properties that will insulate your home differently depending on how they are used.

One type many people use is wooden venetian blinds. These are great because wood is a natural insulator, which gives a big help to your windows and house insulation. The real benefit is created by the fact that venetian blinds can be left down all the time and then tilted to allow light in so that some benefit is always there. Any type of wooden covering will help in a similar manner such as shutters or wooden vertical blinds.
Another option is using blackout roller blinds, something you find in more homes lately. The fabric used is generally made from a 3 pass fabric, where a base fabric is effectively painted twice, once black and then again with the colour desired. This extra weight gives the fabric excellent insulating properties and retains heat more effectively. The limitation is that when the blind is up there is very little benefit as the blind is completely out of the way. Next there are roman blinds which can be made with interlining between the face fabric and the lining. This then offers a very luxurious feel and brilliant insulating properties. This will stop the heat conduction and also help your home keep warm.

Hunter Douglas Blinds

The way these blinds are installed also affect how much money you'll save on heating bills. Having flush blinds help a lot, because by being flush against the window, you eliminate an extra space where air could sip in. Stats from the leading manufacturers have shown that blinds can help save up to 10-15% on heat loss, which adds up very quickly paying for the blinds themselves.

Overall, insulating your home by dressing your windows is something that really works whilst adding to the aesthetics of your home at the same time. Some blinds will add more of a benefit than others so it is important to choose your blinds carefully not only considering their aesthetic appeal or the price they are being sold for but also the insulating benefit they can create. A better quality blind can pay for itself over time so buying quality products over less expensive ones becomes a better option that are likely to last longer as well.

About this Author

Matthew Forde writes on behalf of Order Blinds Online an online UK based shop offering all styles of blinds as well as design tips, useful hints, tips and how to guides in order to help consumers choose the correct window dressings and extend the life of their current blinds.

http://www.orderblinds.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Forde