A - Z of Interior Design Accessories – Eyelet Curtains

E is for Eyelet curtains

Easy to hang and incredibly stylish eyelet curtains can be used successfully in most styles of homes. Like many ready made curtains there's a plethora of colour and pattern choices, along with a variety of different weight fabrics, although sheers, voile and medium weight fabrics are the most commonly used.

Eyelet curtains form their own wave effect pleats when open or closed. They're not as full as pencil pleat curtains making them the perfect choice for modern and contemporary homes. Looking their best when full length this style of curtain also looks chic when just skimming the floor – when too long the wave effect pleats can easily become lost.

Image: seamlessgem

A - Z of Interior Design Accessories – Duvets

D is for Duvets

A fabulous invention which does away with the need for heavy and stifling blankets, duvets are now common place and there's a variety of different warmth (tog rating) for each of the seasons. However, a duvet on its own is not very stylish nor hygienic and that's where a duvet cover comes into play.

There's so many different plain, patterned, colours and designs available it's easy to find one to suit the style of your bedroom and your colour scheme. Go for duvet sets which have matching pillow cases to give your bedroom a sense of continuity and flow.

Image: Alex Saunders2008

A - Z of Interior Design Accessories – Cushions

C is for Cushions

I've decided to go for cushions under the letter C – purely because no home would be complete without them! They can be any shape or size depending on the size of your seating arrangement. The can be used purely for decoration, leaning against, snuggling into or hiding behind when watching a scary film – whatever the reason, and you may have more than one, you simply must include these interior design accessories in your home.

It's not only the living area where cushions can be used. Today's modern bedrooms also pile on a variety of different size and styles of cushion to give beds a trendy look. Boudoir styles are becoming increasingly popular, especially those which have a famous star or designer label.

Cushions are also a great way to add a variety of texture to an area; from knitted to smooth silk or those covered with sequins the humble cushion has become an important factor is achieving chic styling in your home.

Image: cutoutwitch

Beautiful Blue & Soft Grey Living Room

Blue is often overlooked as a colour for living rooms, I assume that's because it's classed as a cold colour. However, mix it with soft greys with blue undertones and it looks stunning. This monochromatic colour scheme is perfect for modern homes, especially those which lean towards cabins and relaxed, casual living.

I love the knitted rugs, pouffes and cushions covers which give depth and texture to a living space. It's this style of room which allows you to sit old next to new without either vying for your attention or trying to be too dominant.

If you're looking for a new colour scheme for your living area consider using blues, they're not as cold as you may think.

Image: ohh_food

Pretty Summer Pastels

Pastels may not at the top of the colour charts this year. But you have to agree that there's something quintessentially British about Summer, country cottages and pastels. Of course you don't have to live in England to use pastels – French too have a passion for dainty, pretty interiors and pale colour tones.

Scout and around to see what you can find in pastels tones, if nothing takes your fancy them you can always paint your own or carry out light upholstery projects using floral patterned fabrics to bring a touch of soft colour Summer into your home.

Image: TM (via cc Flickr)

Fret & Lattice Patterned Fabrics

These medium or heavy weight fabrics are perfect for soft furnishing and upholstery projects. If you choose neutral backgrounds the raised fret or lattice pattern will show more effectively as well as giving the fabric body and substance.

When using this style of fabric allow for sufficient fabric so that you can match the pattern for a professional end result. Mismatched patterns don't look very good, so it's also worth taking a note of how large the repeat pattern is when buying your fabric – it's a bit like wallpaper the larger the repeat the more fabric you'll need. The remnants can also be used to make other accessories such as tie-backs for curtains.

Image: PoshSurfside.com

Wonderful Wednesdays: How to Buy Cheap Furniture

With the downturn in the economy you may find that you need to buy cheap furniture to furnish your home. However, cheap doesn't necessarily mean shoddy and poorly made as there are some great bargains to be had at the moment.

Consider assembling the furniture yourself:
Consumers have traditionally looked for better deals when shopping for anything on the planet, but this has become even more popular with the current global economy. One way you can save money is by assembling the furniture that you buy. While you might not be accustomed to such a DIY approach, it can help to reduce the overall costs of your furniture significantly.

Look for sales and specials:
Sales and specials can help you to save a small fortune on your new furniture. So while searching for new furniture, keep an eye out for them. They can help to reduce the cost of your next furniture quite significantly. This is particularly true in today's market, with online shopping becoming increasingly more competitive. Such sales and specials can make the difference between affordable and pricey furniture. One of the best ways to save money on online furniture is through the use of coupon codes. Like their offline counterparts, these virtual coupons provide discounts on your online purchases-such as furniture.

Buy furniture sets:
While sets of furniture will cost more than individual pieces do, the price will still be lower than if you had bought the pieces individually. But that's not all, another major benefit is that the pieces are already a perfect match. There's no need to buy a hodgepodge of different furniture pieces, while determining if they complement each other. The furniture manufacturer has already done the work for you.

Buy furniture with synthetic materials:
That includes pieces such as faux leather beds. Such furniture pieces provide the essence of those with the original materials, but at a fraction of the cost. How is that possible? For instance, while faux leather can have the same look and feel of genuine leather, it's a cinch to clean and won't absorb heat as quickly. And it's cheaper. On the other hand, genuine leather certainly has some noteworthy benefits but it also comes with a significantly higher price tag.

Shop online:
Besides saving you money, shopping online you can also save time and effort. If you want to do price comparison to buy products such as faux leather beds, the Internet is one of the top tools for doing price comparisons. The process of buying furniture is a numbers game. The more prices you compare, the more likely you'll find the lowest one that exists. Make sure to compare prices from at least three stores before buying one. But if you can compare prices from more than three stores, then by all means do it.

Whether you're shopping for faux leather beds or other furniture pieces, these above tips will help you to find them at the lowest price possible.

Friday Fabrics – Velvet

This gorgeous fabric is an ideal winter warmer and a great way of bring tactile texture into your home. Velvet is a woven tufted fabric where the tufts are cut to create a dense pile. The difference between velvet and velveteen is produced during the weaving process. Velvet's pile is made using vertical lines (warp) while velveteen is created by fill yarns (wefts).

Velvet can be made from a variety of different fibres; silk is the traditional fibre, however it can command very high prices, today's velvet is typically made from polyester, nylon or viscose making it far more affordable. The luxurious fabric is used to make soft furnishings such as curtains and drapes as well as upholstery for sofas and chairs.

                                                               (Image: Lara604)

There are 8 different types of velvet available (9 if you include velveteen):
1. Crushed: This type of velvet is made by pressing the woven fabric down in different directions or by twisting the velvet while it is wet. Crushed velvet is also used to make clothing and was all the rage in the 1970's when both men and women wore crushed velvet trousers (pants).

2. Embossed: Metal rollers are used to heat-stamp the material to produce a pattern.

3. Hammered: Hammering creates a beautiful lustrous velvet which is dappled.

4. Devore: A pattern is created by using a caustic solution which dissolves parts of the velvet.

5. Panne: This is another type of crushed velvet which is made by forcing the velvet in one direction.

6. Plain: Typically made from cotton this type is firmer, it's usually this type of velvet used to make soft furnishings.

7. Silk: The most luxurious of velvets which is softer and has a shinier finish than cotton velvet.

8. Viscose: This style of velvet is more like silk velvet than cotton velvet but considerably more affordable.