Thursday, 18 April 2013

How to Make a Bedroom Look French

French bedrooms have a soft, natural feel that incorporates many Old World decor elements. Natural materials like wood, cotton and iron are used to create this look. Soft lighting and a simple room complete it. Use elements from French design to create a room that is both modern and classic. French rooms have a soft romantic appeal, which is perfect for bedrooms. Does this Spark an idea?

Paint the walls a soft, muted color, such as off-white, pale pink or blue. Use a whitewashed painting technique to give the room a French country appearance.

Install flooring that looks like traditional hardwood or terracotta. Use laminate flooring if hardwood is too expensive. Add throw rugs made from natural fibers, if desired.

Select furniture made of natural material like iron or wood. Paint wood so it appears whitewashed or limewashed. As with the walls, use soft colors like off-white and blue. Do not overclutter the room. Add a bed, armoire and chair.

Dress the windows in soft sheers that reach the floor and even pool on the floor. Use wrought iron window hardware.

Install a chandelier and wall sconces for lighting. Choose Old World-style lighting such as those made from wrought iron. Lighting that mimics candles is ideal.

Make the bed up with high-quality linens with lace accents. Stay with the theme of soft, muted colors. Blankets and quilts are more traditional that modern duvets.

Ways to Paint a Room to Make it Look Bigger

Almost everyone wants a larger home than they have. But if you can't afford a larger space, then make the space you do have seem larger through a few simple painting techniques. Painting is a cost-effective way to make your home seem larger, whether your goal is to live in the home and enjoy its faux airiness yourself, or whether you plan to sell it and wish to make the best impression possible on would-be purchasers. Does this Spark an idea?

Choose Light Colors

Paint the walls and the ceiling of your room a light, bright, reflective color, such as a light blue, a light green or even white. Such colors reflect light and give the appearance of a larger space.

Paint Trim a Lighter Color

Paint base trim and any moldings one to two shades lighter than the walls and the ceiling. This tricks the eye into assuming that the walls are further away than the woodwork, making the room seem bigger.

Coat Your Wall with Polyurethane

Finish your walls with a coat of satin polyurethane. This will give your walls a bright sheen that will make them appear brighter and further away.

Add Stripes

Choose a wall that is the focal point of a room. This is the wall that the eye is first drawn to when entering the room. This wall may have a fireplace or a bookshelf or some other object that draws the eye to it. Paint 3- to 5-inch vertical stripes on the wall in complementary colors so that the stripes are barely noticeable. Like wearing striped clothing to make you look thinner, subtle stripes on a wall can make a room seem larger.

Wednesday, 17 April 2013

How to Make a Bigger Render on a Newtek Layout

Newtek is the maker of the Lightwave, which is a 3-D modeling, rendering and animation application. The process of rendering an image in Lightwave involves the program calculating what a scene you have created would look like given the lighting conditions and camera position you have specified. The default render image size in Lightwave is relatively small. However, it is easy to make this render size bigger, although keep in mind that bigger and higher resolution images take longer to render.

Start the Lightwave application. Select "File" from the menu at the top and click "Open." In the dialog that appears, locate and open a scene you want to render.

Hold down the "Shift" and "C" keys at the same time. This will open the "Camera" panel.

Change the "Width" and "Height" in the panel to what you want for the render. When you render, you will get this bigger size.

How to Make a Small Room Look Bigger by Using Flooring

Floors visually form a fifth wall for a room, therefore the flooring choice you make affects the room's look dramatically. The first impression in a small room shouldn't be about the meager size, it should focus on the attractive decor and overall appearance. Choosing the right type of floor covering helps optically enlarge a room's appearance. The color, pattern, layout and the available lighting all come into play when deciding on the perfect flooring for the room. Does this Spark an idea?

Look at the lighting in the small room. Adequate lighting enables even a room with dark floor coverings to look spacious if you use the right pattern and layout. If you have little lighting via windows or fixtures, a light color works best in small rooms.

Inspect any tile or hardwood you are considering for a small room. Lines that intersect and are busy diminish the size of a room. If the tile or hardwood pattern may be repeated twice without intersecting lines, it visually increases the size of the room.

Lay tile diagonally or at a 45 degree angle to make a small room appear bigger.

Draw a layout of the room on graph paper and then sketch in the pattern of the flooring. This enables you to experiment without laying out the flooring in a way that decreases the visual size of the room.

Pick tile grout for your ceramic flooring that closely resembles the color in your tile. The intersecting grout lines -- particularly in small size tiles -- visually decreases the size of the room.

Tips

- Choose neutral colors for your flooring if you enjoy changing furniture styles or colors often.

- Keep in mind that contrasting colors of grout -- such as dark grout with light tiles -- emphasize the geometric pattern. If highlighting the pattern is important to you, consider buying larger tiles or laying them diagonally or at an angle.

5 Great Techniques to Make Your Bedroom Look Bigger

A bedroom, when cluttered with too much furniture and accessories, makes a space seem less comfortable and inviting after a long day away at work. Using a few techniques to make a bedroom look larger than it is allows the work weary individual to feel relaxed rather than oppressed in a limited space. Declutter you bedroom and incorporate some layout tricks to make your space look bigger. Does this Spark an idea?

Use Small Furniture

Oversize furniture not only decreases the amount of space in your bedroom, it also makes the room look disproportionate. Go with a smaller scaled furniture to make navigation easier and to accommodate all the necessary pieces you need for your bedroom. Instead of having a dresser or wardrobe closet in the room, consider outfitting your closet with storage to fit more clothing. Even going down one size in your mattress, from a king to a queen for example, can free up space for much needed end tables or to provide easier access to the bed.

Limit the Accessories

Too many accessories makes a room look busy and unorganized. Get rid of the clutter to free up space and to make a bedroom look cleaner. A few well placed accessories can have a stronger impact on a room than one that is overloaded with knickknacks. Replace over sized lamps or giant pillows as large accessories might overwhelm the room and take away from a spacious feel. Instead of using a thick or puffy comforter, use a thinner quilt. Use a couple of smaller accent pillows that matches your decor instead of a larger quantity of pillows that can overwhelm your room/

Let in Light

Dark spaces make bedrooms look brooding and small. Encourage the feeling of space by letting in natural. Avoid using heavy draperies; opt for simple sheers or a transparent valance. If you need darkness in your room when you sleep, consider investing in some blinds that block out unwanted light. Use multiple sources of indirect lighting to give a bedroom a well lit glow. Opt for halogen light-bulbs as opposed to fluorescent lighting as these mimic the hue of natural light and create soft shadows.

Paint the Walls

You don't need to keep walls stark white to make a bedroom feel spacious. Warmer hues like ivory, light taupe, pale yellow or a pastel blue lends a hint of color without closing in the bedroom. If you are set on a bold color, consider painting a single wall as a signature statement. Keep the rest of the bedroom furniture light, both in style and in color, to avoid dominating the room. Or paint the walls with a pale color and use bedding and accessories to bring out the bold color you love.

Go Modern

Sleek and molded furniture demonstrates efficiency and simplicity. Make your bedroom instantly bigger by updating your furniture with a more contemporary design. A bed frame without a head or foot board creates more space than a traditional framed design. Glass tables or shelving makes things look more open than heavy, opaque pieces. Chairs and tables with a simple design provides functionality, but does not add to bulk.

Interior Paint That Makes Small Spaces Look Bigger

Even small spaces can appear more roomy if you make the right choices when decorating. The paint provides the background for the other furnishings in the room and can make a significant difference in how large the room looks. While you will not gain physical feet in a small space, you can give it the illusion of being larger than it is. The color and how you apply the paint can give a room the appearance of extra height or of having more overall space. Does this Spark an idea?

Monochrome

Choose a paint to match the flooring and the window treatments to create a monochromatic scheme. This gives the appearance of space in a small room. The eye travels easily between elements of the same color. Do not neglect the ceiling when painting. It should be the same color as the walls to achieve the best results from using a monochromatic scheme.

Cool Colors

Light shades of colors will make a room seem larger than the same color in a darker shade. The choice of color will make a difference. Opt for cool colors such as blues and greens because even the lighter shades of warm colors like oranges, reds and yellows will make a small room seem smaller. Pale blue or green colors or shades of white, tan or cream will optimize the size appearance of a room.

Patterns

How you apply the paint can make a room seem larger or smaller. Vertical stripes can make a room look taller. Use wide vertical or horizontal stripes to give the illusion of width, but instead of painting the entire room with the pattern, use it on one accent wall. The accent wall should be behind the focal point of the room such as the bed in a bedroom or the fireplace in the living room.

Ceiling and Wall Tricks

The ceiling of a room can be the same color as the walls and flooring, but for rooms with sloping or low ceilings, choosing a different color for the ceiling can add height to the room. Paint the ceiling a lighter shade than the walls to give the illusion of height in a room. Narrow rooms can look wider if you paint the longer walls a lighter shade than the two short walls on the ends. The lighter paint pushes the closer, long walls away from the eye, and the darker shades at the end pull the ends toward the viewer.

How to Make a Waistband Bigger

Stress, holidays, pregnancy and lack of exercise all lead to an expanded waistline. It can be expensive to purchase new clothes for a temporary condition, especially if you only need a little breathing room. For pregnant women, expanding the waistline of snug pants will save you money on maternity clothes while waiting for your baby bump to become a full-fledged pregnancy belly. Most waistbands don't come with a seam you can let out. However, with a little crafty magic you can make your waistband bigger. Does this Spark an idea?

Buttonhole Elastic

Purchase buttonhole elastic. This crafty material has buttonholes every inch, allowing you to expand the waistband to an unlimited size so long as the rest of your pants fit.

Cut a piece of elastic with at least four button holes. This will allow you to expand your waistband up to 3 inches. If you think you will need more later, cut more.

Sew a button on the inside of your waistband. Make sure the button is only slightly larger than the buttonhole on the elastic so that the button will be secure. This step is optional if the pants have an existing button that will fit into the elastic buttonhole.

Sew 1 inch of elastic to the inside of the waistband, opposite the button. Sew a seam at the end of the elastic and the outer edge of the waistband to prevent the elastic from pulling away from the waistband fabric.

Quick Fix

Thread one end of a rubber band or hair band through the buttonhole of your pants so you are holding a loop on either side of the waistband.

Insert the loop on the inside of the waistband through the loop on the outside and pull tight.

Loop the hair band over the button on your pants to secure.

Tips

- Look at the placement of the button on your pants. If you only need to let out the waistband an inch or less, you may be able to move the existing button over or add an additional button at the edge of the waistband.

- For pregnant women who are not inclined to sewing, use an elastic headband instead of a ponytail holder for even more room.

Tuesday, 16 April 2013

How to Make My Front Door Look Bigger

If you have a small front door, the only option to make it bigger is to reframe the entire space and create a new opening. This can be a costly and difficult procedure. However, with accessories and the right colors of paint, you can make a small front door look bigger. In doing so, you will increase the curb appeal of your house and make your front door look more inviting to guests. Does this Spark an idea?

Paint the front door a light color. Light colors make an area look larger than it is, while dark colors will close in an area. White works best for making a door look bigger, but you can also use ivory or a light pastel color for the same effect. If your door is metal, use a paint intended for metal, because regular latex paint may peel and crack.

Place two small flower pots on either side of the front door, and choose flowers or plants that do not grow past 10 inches in height. Do not use large pots, because this will accentuate the narrowness of the door.

Lay a small entry rug in front of the door. Again, the idea is to use small accessories to make the door look larger than it is. The entry rug should be smaller in width than the door by at least a few inches on either side. This creates a visual impression that tricks the eye into thinking the door is bigger.

Reduce the appearance of any large architectural elements by the door. Any large posts, railings, or columns near the door will dwarf it and make it look small by comparison. Paint these elements with a dark color to make them appear smaller and shift the focus to the door.

How to Make a Room Look Bigger With the Flooring Pattern

A flooring pattern is just as important in making your room seem more open and spacious as the furniture arrangement and wall coverings. Whether you are using marble or another type of tile, a decorative design in carpeting, vinyl or linoleum, selecting the right-size pattern helps to enlarge the room optically. Even hardwood flooring positioned in the correct manner appears to increase room size. Wall color is a factor consumers must consider before choosing flooring. Does this Spark an idea?

Pick an oversized pattern for your flooring rather than one that is tiny or busy. This makes rooms appear larger than they actually are, as suggested by the World Floor Covering Association.

Install ceramic or other types of tile in a diagonal direction on the floor. This makes it look intriguing and draws the eye visually across the length of the room.

Pick a pale or light neutral shade for the flooring if the walls are an intense color to visually open the room. This method works in the same way if you select dark flooring for a room in which walls are covered in a pale paint or wallpaper. This provides contrast and interest in the space.

Lay hardwood flooring in a manner that enhances rather than detracts from the room size. Install the planks so that they go in the same direction as the longest section of the room, as suggested by The Money Pit.

Tips

- Don't choose tiles that are so big that the pattern does not repeat itself in the room. This results in an incomplete look that has no continuity, rather than enhancing the space in the room.

- The color of the grout around your tile is another factor to consider. An abundance of intersecting lines in small tiles may cause the flooring to look busy, thus diminishing the size of the room.

How to Make It Look Like There Is Grass in Your Eyes on Picnik

The popular photo editing and sharing website, Picnik, allows users to create free accounts for uploading, editing and adding fun special effects to photos. If you want even more options for touching up or adding special effects to photos you can purchase a premium membership. This premium membership will give you the tools to create a variety of special effects. One fun effect that is sure to get attention, is the addition of grass to your eyes.

Login to your Picnik account. If you don't have an account, you'll be prompted to create one upon visiting the website. In order to access the premium content on the site, you will need to upgrade to a premium membership. You'll find the link to upgrade in the upper right corner of your membership screen.

Click the "Upload Photo" button from your Home screen to select a photo from your hard drive to manipulate in Picnik. When it comes to making it look like there is grass in your eyes, you'll want to select a headshot. The bigger your face is in the photo, the more clear the effect will be.

Click on "Create" in the upper menu bar of your Picnik window to access your special effects options. To find grass, select " Stickers" from the menu on top of your image.

Scroll through the available sticker collections on the left side of your screen until you find the Spring collection by Picnik. Within this collection is a sticker of growing grass.

Click on the grass sticker to add it to your photo.

Drag the image over the center of your eyeball and resize it as necessary so that it fits within the iris region of the eye.

Repeat the above steps for the other eye.