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Now, more and more people are turning their ordinary TV rooms into Home Theaters. This process used to involve a projector and a screen and was too expensive for most people to afford. Advances in technology have given people more choices for home theater setups. Some people find that a home theater is quieter and more convenient than a movie theater, and the picture and sound quality are great. If you're looking for a home theater system, you have a lot of decisions ahead of you. If you're thinking of turning your den into a fully functioning home theater, this article will help you get started. What Is Home Theater? Home Theater is difficult to define: it's really just a vague term for a particular approach to home entertainment. Generally speaking, a home theater system is a combination of electronic components designed to recreate the experience of watching a movie in a theater. When you watch a movie on a home theater system, you are more immersed in the experience than when you watch one on an ordinary television. Unique home theater seating can help bring the experience to life. To see how home theaters do this, let's take a look at the original model, the movie theater. When it comes to picture and sound, the theater can offer an amazing experience we just don't get at home. That's usually why people will pay to go to the movies, even though renting a movie is cheaper. There are a few main components that make watching TV and going to the movies very different.

Like millions of Americans, you're bringing your office home. Now that you've mastered the hi-tech world of home computers, it's time to get that monitor off the kitchen table and those files out of the laundry basket. Luckily, you don't have to face the home office dilemma alone. Regardless of the size of your workspace, our member stores have a vast assortment of home office products that are both functional and beautiful. Working from home has its advantages, no dress code and no commute, but the first step is designing and organizing a home office that works for you. When it comes to creating a home office, commercial-looking pieces aren't your only option. There are plenty of fine furnishings that can provide comfortable workspaces too. If you're a part-timer who's short on space, consider a simple writing or secretary desk. Whether your style preference is clean and contemporary or more fanciful French, a writing desk can easily serve many functions. A delicately scaled piece can tuck neatly into a corner of a room or be placed diagonally in a corner for asymmetric drama.

Apart from complimenting your newly painted walls with soft furnishings and effective flooring, home decor accessories in a room are just as equally important. Accessories ranging from flowers in a contemporary vase to art pictures hanging on your walls, all add the finishing touches to any room. Above all, accessories add personality to a room, they inject your own personal touch making your home unique to you and comfortable and inviting for you and your family. Decorating with Art Pictures You will be surprised at the important role that art pictures play in home decor accessories. Not only do pictures add your own personality into the room, they absorb noise and can actually help change the illusion of a rooms' shape if placed in the right places.

Not every family has the space in their homes to dedicate an entire room as a home office, but almost everyone needs some kind of space that is a center for a home computer, bills, receipts, mail and other important paperwork. Sometimes that space is in the a spare bedroom, the dining room, or even the kitchen. Regardless of where your "home office" space is, keeping it organized is often a challenge because most of us let those things pile up, waiting for that magical moment when we "have time" to clean it up. It'd be great if we all had color-coded folders neatly aligned and hidden in drawers. But the reality is that most of us just want something that is convenient. Here are a few suggestions to keeping your office space - big or small - organized and easy to maintain.

When money is tight, we tend to spend more time at home, so we want it to be a stylish and fun place to be. But how can you give your home a fresh look without breaking the bank? If HGTV and decorating magazines have taught us anything, it's that we can make over a room without spending thousands of dollars! There are plenty of ways to improve the look of your home without a big investment. Whether you're looking for ways to put the finishing touches on your room or just wanting to refresh your space, here are a few tricks and some well-picked accessories for under $100 that can go a long way to making your home look like a million bucks.

If a room in your house lacks character, by simply placing some fine art prints on the walls can actually make quite an impact. Wall pictures are a necessary accessory in your home and are great to tie in with the room's style and color accent. Before you go off to buy some new pictures for your walls there are a few things you need to plan and decide upon. Here is a home interior design guide on how to decorate your space with wall art. Shop for Wall Art by Room The kind of home you have and the mood, ambience and style of decor you create, should be perfectly designed to suit your lifestyle. Deciding on a style for your room should be determined by the lifestyle you choose and not by what's the latest home interior design trend.

You only have one chance to make a first impression and your foyer is just the place to do it! The foyer is where you make that all important first impression, the impression that family and friends will remember every time their thoughts drift to you and your home. We all judge books by their covers, whether we admit it or not, and when we welcome folks into our homes, the foyer is the cover of the book that will be judged. So, let's give them a cover that serves us well. Beyond making a statement, the foyer is a transition room. It takes guests from the outdoors to the interior of your home. It's a place to take off boots and hang up coats, but it's also the area that sets the tone for the rest of your home. It introduces guests to your style and gives them a taste of what's to come. First of all, remember who will be arriving and departing from the foyer most often- you! Therefore, more than a great new color for the walls or a glamorous piece of furniture, you'll want a mirror in your foyer. Start the day off on the right foot, you never know who you might meet. You want to leave the house feeling confident that you look good. A number one must-have is a full-length mirror for that last once-over on your way out the door. The next element is choosing a fabulous shade of color for the walls; a shade that is warm and friendly. Best bets are in the yellow and orange family: perhaps, a fabulous shade of cantaloupe, squash or pineapple. Not only do members of the orange and yellow color family signify a jovial and friendly personality but they will ensure that we'll be welcomed home by walls with a cheery disposition.

Today, the home represents more than just a place to crash at the end of the day. For many people, home is their favorite place to relax and unwind, read, meditate, entertain family and friends, exercise, watch TV, play on the computer, and of course, sleep. But because it serves so many functions (and especially if you have a large family), the home can quickly become cluttered and chaotic. Arguably the most important thing you can do to create a stylish (and functional) space is to buy quality furniture that is not only good-looking and durable, but works with your lifestyle as well. Today's home furnishings offer lots of options to help you clear up clutter and store as much as you can out of sight, which will make your home appear more peaceful and roomy. Go vertical! When square footage is at a minimum, look up! It may seem counterintuitive to buy bigger furniture in a small space, but one effective piece of furniture can take the place of a lot of small pieces taking up valuable room. Instead of using a small TV stand in your family room, go for a large, wall-unit entertainment center that will beautifully frame your television and smartly stow your DVDs, gaming equipment, books, and various A/V components all in one place. If you have a projection screen instead of a regular-sized television, consider adding tall bookshelves on either side of the screen or along the side walls to neatly organize all your entertainment components.

Having a beautiful home is a goal for many homeowners, but no one wants a cookie-cutter approach to decorating. Part of the joy of home ownership is the ability to personalize your space, making it a reflection of who you are and what is important to you. And think about it: the more comfortable you are in your own space, the more time you'll want to spend there and share it with your loved ones. Adding a dose of your personality to your living space is simpler than you might think. Here are a few ways you can make your home a place that is uniquely YOU.

Using bed throws and sofa throws is one exciting way to redo the look and feel of your home. These throws add the much needed flavour of colour and change to the home and make the beds and sofas look

From the runway to the living room, hot trends in home fashion can take the style of a room from simple to stunning. Incorporating trendy furniture into home decor is an easy way to add style without having to make costly renovations.

I caught screen fever at an early age. I was just a little kid, playing at my friend's house, when I happened into her dining room and spotted the most amazing floor screen standing behind the buffet. The large screen was bold and beautiful, stretching almost to the ceiling, and it sucked me in with a force stronger than gravity. Years later, when I was furnishing my own home, I knew I had to use a few screens, not only because they are stylish but also because they can be used to solve a host of decorating dilemmas. Screens are amazing decorating tools. They can singlehandedly ground a room without eating up much space or making the area feel cluttered. No matter what style you like, you'll find a screen that will make your heart flutter and bring your room alive. How about a simple wooden screen featuring louvered shutters? A regal screen featuring an Oriental motif? One that sports rustic leather veneer or tarnished mirrors? Once you find a screen you adore -- or two, or three or maybe even four, like I have -- you'll discover a million ways to use it. Here are a few suggestions:

Its not as farfetched as you think. And you dont have to have a huge house and a million-dollar budget to be able to live in comfort and sophistication. All you need is a keen sense of style and the necessary know-how.. For a more comfortable and sophisticated dwelling, you must design your home so that it has the right element of cheerfulness and style. Yet again, you dont need to have a big budget for this one. All you need is the right theme and elegant yet affordable furniture and home accessories.. You can rely on the basics of interior designing for the know-how that you need. Through interior design, you can manipulate the general feel of your interiors and its perceived space. You can make a gloomy room feel cheerful and small rooms look bigger. What you need is knowledge of the basic techniques so that you know how to use the right furniture and home accessories for a maximized use of space..

It's no surprise that computers have affected all of our daily lives in the way we communicate, handle our finances, do homework, keep up with daily events, and much, much more. While most of us have adapted to the computer age, we haven't been as quick to adapt our furnishings to accommodate this new focal point in our homes. While most family members have a need or desire to use the computer, our computer stations are not very user-friendly for the entire family. The truth is that not every family has the space in their homes to dedicate an entire room as a home office, but almost everyone needs some kind of space that is a center for a home computer, bills, receipts, mail and other important paperwork. For some, that spot is in the kitchen; for others, it is the bedroom or the dining room. So how can you create a workstation that is designed to work just as well for Mom as for little Billy? The key is to get organized! No, that doesn't mean you have to change everything about the way you work or use your desk (the vast majority of us let things pile up and hope to have a day when we can sort out the mess). But it does mean having separate areas for each family member's belongings so everyone has equal use of the space. Here are a few ideas of how to make a family workstation work well.

Along with housing and cars, furniture can be one of life's major expenses. Buying used furniture can save you big bucks while giving your house or apartment a one-of-a-kind look. * Older furniture tends to be solidly made, with all-wood construction and dovetailed drawers. And unless you're talking about the very cheapest pieces at Ikea or Walmart, even the flimsiest new stuff tends to cost considerably more than what you'd pay for used. * The resale value is also considerable. New furniture, like cars, depreciates the minute it leaves the store. If you get sick of a used piece, you can probably resell it for what you paid.

To adequately fill a room with light, ambient and task lighting are needed. Ambient light comes from a single source, like natural light, whereas task lighting is used to light a specific area such as a desk, workbench, reading chair or kitchen surface. Adding a little light to your respective living areas seems like a simple task, provided that you consider some of the factors affecting which lamp fixture you should buy. How to Choose the Right Lamp Many people choose a lamp without first taking measurements and considering both the style and the purpose of the lamp. Size, brightness, and look are very important when purchasing any type of home lighting, but lamp fixtures are especially particular because they serve the dual purpose of providing light and decorating the room. Before you go hunting for a new lamp, be prepared with a few helpful hints. The size of the lamp is possibly the most important matter to determine. This is somewhat dependant on how the lamp will be used.

When decorating a room, color affords almost limitless possibilities. Color invokes feelings and adds personality to your room. No other single element can alter the appearance of space and objects like color. In home furnishings, it can visually enlarge, reduce and even change the feel of a piece of furniture. Here are some easy tips to consider: The best color schemes are usually found in a single element: a sofa, rug, painting, virtually anything. Consider the intended use, room's size, desired mood and its lighting and exposure. Lighting and exposure affect the way color behaves. Most homes have incandescent lighting, which makes reds more vibrant and blues more neutral. Examine fabrics and paint chips under incandescent lighting as well as under natural daylight. When planning large purchases such as, carpeting, wallpaper, and large pieces of furniture, choose colors carefully since these items will not be frequently changed. Observe color relationships in photography, public places, private homes, printed fabrics and even clothing. Outdoor, natural settings can be great inspirations as well! If you aren't completely confident about a color scheme, stick to neutral, simple colors when it comes to large, expensive purchases.

Decorating small spaces in your home can be a complicated task if you're not quite sure where to begin. But there's good news: It doesn't have to be difficult at all. In any home, especially a small one, every inch of free space counts. Small shelves, tiny niches, and other unique spaces can help accent a home in a tasteful, uncluttered way. By using the small spaces wisely and leaving the larger areas open, the living space will feel larger. You may think because a room is smaller, having large furniture pieces are out of the question. Not true! Oversized furniture will not make your rooms appear smaller, but instead give them a warm inviting feeling. Of course the layout and size of a room will determine how many pieces can comfortably go into it. After all, you may be looking for drama and comfort, but you still need to be able to maneuver around. This also applies to accessories; it's better to have a few large dramatic pieces as opposed to a lot of small items, which tend to turn into clutter and dust collectors. The exception to this would be with collections. But again, you want to have places to showcase them like glass front hutches, cabinets, bookcases or shelves.

Before you begin your shopping trip, take some time to think about your requirements. This guide will help you hone in on what you need. Measure the space Home office furniture varies widely in scale, so the first step anyone should take is to measure the room, or the space within a multi-function room, it will be placed in. Don't forget to measure the doorways. Many furniture returns are made because the furniture can't be moved into its intended room. Try laying things out with an online room planner to get an idea of how you want to set up the space. Power and Connectivity Next, consider whether or not there are outlets, phone jacks, or internet ports access in the immediate area and plan your furniture placement accordingly. You will save yourself a lot of frustration if you plan for these necessities in advance. Attention to this detail will also allow you to line up power strips, battery backups and the like before you put the furniture in place. Otherwise you may end up doing a contortionist act to plug in your computer.