• area rugs

    Why I Decorate

    I am a firm believer that your surroundings are a reflection of who you are. It is commonly said the individual is a culmination of the people that they spend the most time with, but what about physical belongings? Could material possessions possibly play a role in someone’s overall quality of life? I believe that to be true. You are both everyone and everything that surrounds you. More so, the way in which the individual decorates their living space has a very specific impact on who they are as a person.

    Growing up, I never put any effort into the decor of my room. In fact, my room was often so messy that walking from the bed to the closet without tripping became a task. I now realize that the condition of my room had a direct correlation with my mental health. I spent a lot of time in my room during my high school years as a means of separation from the negative people I regularly had to interact with. The irony of the whole situation was that as a result of being in such a messy room, I was constantly bombarded by negative influences. According to a study conducted by Darby E. Saxbe and Rena Repetti of the University of California-Los Angeles, women studied who were satisfied with the condition of their home in regards to levels of clutter and overall appearance did not feel as depressed throughout the day as women who lived in a cluttered and visually appealing household (Saxbe & Repetti “No Place Like Home: Home Tours Correlate With Daily Patterns of Mood and Cortisol” 2009). I was not aware of this in my younger years.

    Today, I make careful strides towards improving my quality of life. That does indeed include cutting off toxic friendships and surrounding myself with high-quality people, but it also includes decorating my own space in a way that will have a positive impact on my well being. Every day when I wake up, I make the active decision to do better. I am still a recovering mess maker, but I am gradually changing as I endeavor on the process of getting rid of objects that no longer serve me and replacing them with cute pastel-colored flower pots by the windowsill, or the sleek black picture frame by my bedside that just so happens to broadcast images of the people I love the most. I am what surrounds me, and that isn’t such a bad thing.

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  • area rugs

    Southwestern Rugs and Adding Southwestern Style Decor To Your Home

    Southwestern decor is more popular now than ever. The history of the Wild West awakens the imagination with visions of cowboys, Native Americans, rugged frontier lands and pioneers installing new towns. Many people dream of the moment of adventure and the freedom to explore a new land as the pioneers of the Wild West did. This story of the Old West has become even more popular with movies, T.V., and books that show us a glamorous and exciting story of the Western lifestyle. Horse lovers make up the largest group of people who appreciate Southwestern-style decor, but anyone can enjoy the look of a Southwestern theme in their home.

    Southwestern Rugs Are The Foundation of your Western Decor

    Sometimes, the most difficult part of any home decorating project is the decision of the theme you want to exhibit. To begin, you can consult home decorating magazines, books, samples of home projects and the Internet to help with ideas that are of interest and use as a basis for your creativity. There are many varied Southwestern themes to choose from and some of the most popular themes are related to horses, cowboy lifestyle, Native American culture, ancient ghost towns, mountains and nature, wagons and pioneers, old farms and ranches and Southwestern art. Most of the best ideas for decorating your home in the west can be very simple to start small and accumulate over time at a low cost. Look for images of your landscape or favorite Southwestern theme and create a rustic frame that you can build with pieces of wood or other similar elements that you may have in the house.

    Everything is fine when you create your own style and personal touch, and what better way to show your artistic style. Many other simple ideas for home decoration are finding old items used in a garage or in a sale of goods. Another great place to find unique items and ideas is in the antique shops and flea markets, where you can find inspiration for decorating your home plans at a very low cost. Once you start decorating the Southwestern theme, you can continue to add more as time and money allow and create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all your family and friends to enjoy.

    For Southwestern-style home decoration, you can use a fabric that is not exquisite, but rough, sturdy and somewhat coarse in texture. Try to avoid using shiny leather and settle for matte finishes that fit well with the era. If you have to put some brightness, use them sparingly. Skins, woven rugs, denim, and tweed are essentially Southwestern in nature and are best used for fabric ideas and can also be used for upholstery.

    Southwestern ideas of home decoration suggest an accent on anything that is ancient and ancient but resistant in appearance and nature. That also applies to your private corner. Your room can have furniture and bedding that look wild and rough, but that is cozy at the same time. For instance, the first place I would recommend starting with your Southwestern home decorating would be picking up some Southwestern style area rugs from SouthwestRugsDepot. Southwestern rugs are the foundation of any respectable Southwestern home.

    Leather strips, dried flowers, quilts, mirrors in branch frames, rawhide screens as accessories can figure in Southwestern home decor ideas. With wood floors, the fireplace and mantle with liberal bronze artifacts are prerequisites for a Southwestern-style living room interior with works of art in oil, vintage photos, and paintings.

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    Regeneron and ITNAmerica

    ITNAmerica is proud to recognize Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as a corporate sponsor committed to helping raise awareness of the challenges associated with vision impairment, low vision, senior mobility issues and the shortage of locally-available transportation options for seniors. As the National Pharmaceutical Eye-care Services Sponsor for ITNAmerica and our affiliate communities, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is proud to support ITN’s mission to promote safe senior mobility. Visit Regeneron at www.regeneron.com.

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