Monthly Archives: March 2011

Complementary Colour Scheme

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One colour scheme that is widely used in decorating a room is using a complementary scheme.  In this  room the decorator has used a primary colour, (blue) and a secondary colour, (orange) to produce an interesting look.

Blue – Using the colour blue induces a calming feeling.  Blue is perceived as the colour of intellect.

Orange – Using the colour orange increases drama in a room.  Orange can be overwhelming as it is so vibrant.  It might be wise to use shades of apricot instead of bright orange.

When blue and orange are married together in a room the intense drama of the orange is offset by the calming feeling of the blue.  The orange will still retain its vibrancy.

Decor Pad Blue orange Room

www.decorpad.com

About

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Welcome to my blog.  My name is Christine Lalonde. I live in Midland, Ontario.  I am a wife and a mother to two very active boys.  I currently work as an accountant in a Chartered Accountants’ firm.  My passion is to work as an interior decorator, redesigner, and or stager.  I have always been interested in design.  I am constantly torn between my creative side and my analytical side.  I believe that you can have a career you love and find exciting every day.

Definition Of Home:

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The definition of home is not only a structural building but can also be a state of “being”.  A home embraces are need for comfort, love and it gives us a greater meaning to our lives.  A home expresses our interests and beliefs and tells a story about how we interpret the world even when we are not home.  There is great attention these days to how a home looks but not how it makes us feel.  How can we make a home warm and welcoming? It is not about spending a lot of money.  It is using light, air and colour.  Natural light stimulates your happy hormones.  Keeping windows clean and sparkling and letting in as much natural light as possible.  If you have a dark room with not much natural light you could paint the walls a soft warm yellow.  This will give the illusion that the room is warm and bright. Good lighting at night is also important to give a room a homey, cozy feeling.

Using essentials oils in your home such as tea tree and lavender can improve the air quality in your home.  They both have natural antibacterial and disinfectant properties. Lavender also induces sleep and is often recommended for insomnia. 

Recipe for Stress Reliever Room Spray:

Pour 1 cup of distilled water into a glass spray bottle.  Add 4 drops of lavender essential oil and 3 drops of rose essential oil.  Shake spray bottle before each use.

Recipe for Mood lifter Air Freshener Spray:

Pour 1 cup of distilled water into a glass spray bottle.  Add 4 drops of chamomile essential oil, 3 drops of orange essential oil and 2 drops of ylang ylang essential oil.  Shake spray bottle before each use.

Choose citrus oil like lime, lemon, grapefruit or mandarin to create a fresh, lively atmosphere.

For a gentle uplifting scent, rose, sandlewood and jasmine.

Hazardous paints

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With so many paint products in the market today you can now choose environmentally friendly products relatively easy.  Benjamin Moore now produces VOC- free paints.  These paints are just as durable as older paints but have low VOC emissions and reduce impact on your indoor air quality.  Paint that is not environmentally friendly releases harmful chemicals into the air.  These chemicals can cause headaches, nausea and other health problems.  The chemicals continue to be released into the air even after the paint has dried. 

When you paint you should always have the area well ventilated and remove all pillows, cushions, curtains, blankets and rugs from the room.  These soft materials absorb the chemicals released into the air. 

If you want to help the environment you should be extremely careful when disposing of paint.  Throwing it out or dumping it down the drain is extremely harmful to the environment as the chemicals are going into the earth’s groundwater.   You could keep leftover paint and use it to paint accessories for your room or donate it to a charity. Habitat for Humanity charities are always looking for donated materials.