Easy Ways to Update Your Deck Summer 2013 Ideas

Is your deck looking drained and dull? Give it a refreshing boost with these easy updates.
Get inspired by this ideas . I hope that you will find it useful for you ... Enjoy it !!

A wooden pergola dressed in panels of outdoor fabric allows entertaining even when the weather isn't perfect. For a more sturdy covering that can stand up to heavy rainfall, consider purchasing a custom roof frame outfitted with clear polycarbonate panels.

Just like window seats inside your home, built-in benches on the deck can be made to offer ample storage space below for outdoor games and decor. Cover the top of the benches with comfy cushions upholstered in fabrics that will stand up to the elements. Comfy outdoor throw pillows add another level of comfort and style.

Before you add anything to your deck, you must first create a solid foundation. Even well-planned cosmetic changes can't hide a deck in disrepair or dirty, grimy boards. Set time each year to clean and restain your deck flooring to ensure it stands up better against the elements.

Guests and family members appreciate places to sit, and built-in benches can be made to look like original parts of the deck. Whether the benches are freestanding or attached, make them blend in by building them from the same materials used for the deck itself.

Railings can do more than enhance the safety and appearance of your deck they can also make a style statement. Decorative spindles and ball tops are among the many specialty products available to embellish railings.

If you gave up your garden to build or expand your deck, grow veggies in containers on your deck for an eclectic look and homegrown food for dinner. Start off easy with tomatoes, beans, peas, and carrots. Put the containers on rolling supports so you can move them around easily.

Add tall, evenly spaced posts around the perimeter of your deck and connect them with glass panels to block wind while retaining stunning views. For a more rustic look, use wooden posts and connect them with tree limbs.

Extend your living space onto your deck and enjoy easy entertaining throughout the warmer months. Use furnishings and fixtures to create distinct zones for grilling, dining, and lounging.

A weatherproof outdoor sound system is a party-ready finishing touch for any deck. Hung up and out of the way, these speakers decrease unwanted foot traffic on this small deck and create the perfect party atmosphere throughout the warmer months.

Before you purchase any outdoor furniture, make sure you consider all of the choices available. Furnishings made of hardy woods, aluminum, steel, and recycled plastics are some of the most common options available today. Include an outdoor rug and a fire pit to create a warm and inviting gathering space.

Give your deck a big style update by replacing tired wooden rail spindles with wrought iron ones. If you live in a wetter climate, you might also want to consider switching out standard wooden deck boards for rot-resistant composite planks that will increase the staying power of your entire deck.

Transform your deck into a luxurious oasis with the addition of a hot tub. Designate a corner or add on to the deck to accommodate the tub. To increase privacy, surround the hot tub with tall plants, mature trees, or even an add-on such as a screened gazebo.

Create an outdoor kitchen, complete with grill, sink, undercounter refrigerator, wine cooler, and eating area. Have money left over? Add a tiki bar to create a fun party atmosphere.

2013 Saving Updates Ideas To Freshen Your Bedroom for Summer

Updating your bedroom's look with these easy ideas. I hope you like it ,, Enjoy !!!

Bring Color to the Bedroom 

If you keep your bedroom's walls and furniture neutral, it's easy to add bursts of color whenever and wherever you wish. Pick one or two colors you love and then repeat the hues in vibrant artwork, bold bedding, and colorful accents.

Incorporate Textures 

Touch is a huge part of creating comfort. In a bedroom, texture becomes comfort you can feel. It's easy to alter a bedroom's texture with a change of linens use a furry throw in winter and cotton throw in summer.

Textures suit any taste. Here are a few to consider for your bedroom style:

Traditional: Hand-tufted rugs, woven wools, tooled silver, cut crystal, gilded frames, silk, china, and polished wood.

Country: Braided rugs, worn wood, rusted metals, chenille spreads, ironstone pottery, blown glass, and ticking.

Romantic: Velvet, furry throws, crystal prisms, embroidered fabrics, lace, painted furniture, and hand-hooked rugs.

Modern: Laminated-plywood furniture, plastic, smooth leather, stainless steel, terrazzo flooring, and teak.

Switch Out Accent Pillows 

Accent pillows let you quickly alter the personality of a room and shift the balance of color. They're especially powerful used in a bedroom because the bed is a natural focal point. Pillows can update a room instantly by adding volume, pattern, texture, color, and personality.

Here, a subtle backdrop of cream and blue is brought into intense focus with a collection of lively pillows. Raspberry and sky-blue accent pillows pull the wall color and accent color together perfectly. Bold striped neckroll pillows add variety and interest to the grouping.

Update the Headboard 

A dramatic headboard can add instant impact. You'll find a wide variety of new headboards available at all price points, but consider customizing your existing headboard or using an unexpected salvaged piece for a low-cost option.

Here, a large salvaged door finds new life as a headboard. Its generous size provides a bonus by blocking light, creating a cozy, private retreat.

Update Window Treatments

To set a mood, use draperies and classic swags for a formal look, curtains and shades for an informal look, and simple blinds for contemporary appeal. Consider lining room darkening or insulating that suits the treatment and your needs.

Bring In the Right Amount of Light 

General overhead lighting is less important in bedrooms. Instead focus on bedside lamps and other sources of accent lighting to turn a bedroom into an inviting, comforting retreat. And the type of light is important, too--something as simple as replacing an old light bulb with a warm spectrum fluorescent might provide just the freshness your bedroom needs.

 Try On Bold New Bed Linens 

Nothing looks and feels fresher than new bedding. If you love the idea of new bedding but are short on storage space for bulky comforters and quilts, consider a duvet, switching out the duvet cover every season.

Try a New Direction 

To give your bedroom a decorative lift without spending a dime, angle the bed from a corner. If your present headboard looks too bulky for this arrangement, replace it with a salvaged iron gate or a shorter upholstered panel.

Create Drama 

Add drama with contrasts. In this chic bedroom, drama is created through size and color.

The eye is immediately drawn to the hanging globe fixture. The large size creates instant drama. And the contrast between the rich chocolate-brown walls and white trim and bedspread is made extra striking when paired with a splash of lime green.

Paint the Ceiling 

Here's a quick and easy way to create a cozy feel in your bedroom: Paint the ceiling the same color as your walls. Without a visual break between ceiling and walls, the room feels smaller and more intimate.

Here, robin's-egg blue creates a soothing backdrop for a serene, sophisticated retreat.

Add Architectural Detail 

Used in combination or alone, trim, molding, and wainscoting offer nearly endless design options. Depending on the style of the room, the effect may be casual or formal, rustic or defined, traditional or contemporary. But in every case, millwork surface treatments can add charm and texture to a room.

In what started as a cookie-cutter bedroom, classic flat-panel wainscoting adds structural appeal to a long expanse of wall. Combined with the light wall color, the effect is subtle yet satisfying.

Mix and Match Furnishings

A perfectly matched bedroom the dresser goes with the bed and the corresponding nightstand, and bedding from the same collection--can become stale if the look is too uniform. Wake up a tired bedroom with an eclectic blend of fabrics and furnishings.

Add Pattern 

Pattern, like color, exerts an emotional pull that can jumpstart a decorating style. Whether you gravitate toward crisp stripes, bold florals, or classic toile, pattern can be used to liven up a space.

Add a dash of pattern to an otherwise patternless room by draping a quilt or duvet across the foot of the bed, as shown here. A bold, geometric pattern creates an instant focal point in the black-and-white room.

Update Closet Doors 

In many bedrooms, closet doors take up a significant amount of wall space. Why not replace the bulky, utilitarian sliding doors with something you'll enjoy waking up to every day?

Here, sliding closet doors were replaced with chic French doors. Mirrored panels hide closet clutter and give the room more visual space.

Add Wallpaper to a Select Spot

Try paneling a single wall or one section of a wall with a favorite wallpaper. It's a sure-fire way to call attention to a seating area or to add pattern without the expense of papering an entire room.

Best Tips for Drapery & Curtain Care

Maintain the quality of your curtains and drapes with these cleaning and care tips.

Caring for Your Window Treatments 

Both the selection and care of window treatments are important for the protection of your home furnishings as well as for your privacy, comfort, and personal preference. Care depends on the construction and fabric of your window treatments.

Sunlight Considerations 

Sun, as well as dust and grime, is destructive to fabrics. Light-colored fabrics generally reflect sunlight and resist fading. Dark colors absorb light and fade. To protect fabrics from the sun, use lined window treatments, blinds, or shades.

Drapery Care Tips 

Daily care of lined draperies or drapery panels is simple. Give them a gentle shaking as they are drawn closed at night. This will prevent dust and dirt from lodging in the fibers. Every month or so, vacuum with a handheld vacuum and soft brush attachment. Use the low-section setting if your vacuum has one. Always make sure that trims, buttons, and other embellishments are secure before vacuuming.

Tips for Washing Draperies 

Wash plain panel or simply constructed draperies only when they are labeled washable. 

Hand or machine wash window treatments on the gentle cycle, using cool water and mild detergent.

Don't overload the washing machine. Rinse gently and thoroughly.

Tumble dry on the low or air setting, or line dry.

Iron the window treatments on the reverse side.

When Not to Wash 

Do not wash draperies under the following circumstances:

If the drapery or lining isn't washable.

If the drapery and lining are made of different fibers. (One may shrink, causing the other to pucker and hang poorly.)

If sunlight has weakened the fabric.

If the draperies are constructed with pleats, which may not hold their shape during machine washing.

If the draperies are too large for your washing machine.

If the trims and embellishments aren't washable or colorfast.

Washing Curtains 

Check the label before laundering ready made curtains. If your curtains are washable, remove hooks, rings, and hardware. Check that the trims are tightly attached. Unless the directions instruct otherwise, machine-wash on a short gentle cycle, using cool water and mild detergent. Tumble dry on low and remove immediately, or line dry.

Ironing Curtains 

If necessary, iron on the reverse side. If seams have puckered, spritz lightly with plain water. Pull the seams to stretch back to size, taking care not to break the stitching. Reattach metal hardware only after the curtains are dry.

Caring for Lace 

Remove dust from lace curtains by tumbling in the dryer on the air cycle. Many new lace curtains are hand- or machine-washable. Follow the label directions or gently wash in cool water. Use detergent made for fine washables. For extra body, dip freshly washed lace curtains in a light starch solution. For a soft look, re-hang the curtains without starching while they are slightly damp. If you use metals hooks, temporarily place a piece of tissue paper under each hook where it comes in contact with the damp lace. This will prevent the hook from rusting onto the fabric.

Caring for Sheers 

Most sheers are washable synthetics; unless the label states otherwise, wash in the same manner as lace curtains. Dry-clean organdy sheers, which are fragile and prone to sun damage.

Comfortable Bedroom Decorating 2013 Ideas from BHG

Comfortable bedroom design is necessity for everyone to keep it happy while in bedroom and bedroom will make the atmosphere more interesting. But to design a bedroom is not a trivial thing, but must pay attention to some important points and needed some extra points. Well, in this article, I will give you a comfortable bedroom design ideas that you can apply at home.

An important point to make a comfortable bedroom design theme that is planned to implement. This design theme can be various there are modern, traditional, luxurious, contemporary, eleghant or themes inspired from the things around us. This for example theme of nature, a state in the sky, like a fairy tale theme, theme style European or Asian, and other. Well, the nice design of your bedroom so the better it look of bedroom you have. After you create a theme for your bedroom, then plan a color to be selected for the bedroom. Coloring should match the theme that you have created. A little advice from me, if you want a quiet and comfortable, wear dark colors like blue, gray, and dark green. When you want a cheerful atmosphere use bright colors such as white, yellow, light green.

The next point to make your bedroom comfortable is giving some furniture that needed it. This is because that your bedroom look more spacious and loose. So every time bedroom easily rearranged or cleared.

Get inspired by this ideas . I hope that you will find it useful for you ... Enjoy it !!