The modern home is definitely a combination of form and function.  The functional aspect of a kitchen space can be best exemplified in a commercial kitchen.  There, you will find little in the way of touches that are for appearance reasons only.  The commercial kitchen is all about performance.  You will often find stainless steel appliances because they just offer the best in the way of performance and durability.  In homes where people pride themselves on cooking, there are more and more stainless appliances showing up.  However, too much metal can make your kitchen feel too ‘commercial’ and less like home.

One option to remedy this situation is to opt for warmer colors and material choices in the kitchen.  There are other metal choices from copper to brass that could be utilized to help warm up the kitchen, while still providing the ease and functional aspect that metal offers.  You might also choose to have more wood in your kitchen.  From warm cabinet tones to even applying wood facing to your appliances, you can make your kitchen feel more inviting.  You can also extend this warmth into your flooring.

A great choice for that is bamboo flooring that is known to be quite durable and can also add to the modern home’s appeal.  It is very long-lasting and now comes in a variety of shades off of the typical light tan, natural color of bamboo.  If you have pets, then bamboo is a good choice as well.  Another flooring choice is good old oak hardwood flooring.  This one will probably never go out of style.  While trends come and go, the warmth, durability and appeal of an oak floor is probably always going to be a part of any flooring discussion.  There are also more inexpensive laminated flooring choices.  While these are probably better suited for a bedroom or other living space, they can provide another option for the kitchen.

All in all, the kitchen will be one of the most used places in your home.  It is certainly where everyone will gather when you are entertaining or having guests over.  It is just one of those places that tends to be the get-together location.  This might have something to do with where the food is, of course.  So, whether or not you are doing a complete remodel or just making your kitchen space look or feel more modern, you have a lot of places to make improvements.

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This article is about how to finish your walls to give you a very unique and pleasing look.  You can certainly achieve some interesting looks with just the various paint colors and application techniques.  There was a time when these wall treatments were all the rage in interior home design.  You probably heard terms like ‘rag it on’ and ‘sponge it off’ and other applications like these.  There were even home designer gurus on TV giving advice on how to use stamping techniques and using other elements to create more texture on your walls.

Well, this texture trend is still hot and is actually making even more of a comeback.  You can get wallpapers that have texture and create a very nice look, but as you know, once it is up, you are sort of stuck with it unless you want to go through the work of tearing it all down.  This is why painting is usually the safer way to go.  Unless you absolutely know what paper you are in love with, go with paint first and see how you like it.  You can always go back and add the wallpaper later.  There is one problem, though, with many of the paints.  That is, these paints often contain volatile organic compounds or VOCs that have been implicated in various health scares.  Because of this and other environmental concerns, low VOC paints have made a bigger impact in this area.  These ‘safe paints’ are just as easy to apply and don’t leave that harsh paint smell that we have all smelled at one time or another.

Now, over the past decade or so, there was another type of wall treatment that began getting very popular.  This technique involved wall plaster and requires a bit more skill and mastery. It is called Venetian plaster and it is a very time-intensive project.  In short, this plaster technique utilizes age old ways of applying a material containing tiny amounts of trace minerals and such to create a gorgeous finished wall.  It is applied using a trowel, this is what makes it a bit trickier to learn and apply.  In addition to this, it requires a bit of muscle to really get the nice smooth finish that it is known and prized for.

There is a similar technique used to apply another great wall treatment and that is clay.  This clay is also applied using a trowel and is dyed prior to applying it to the walls.  In this way, there need not be any harsh chemicals or agents used to aid in a drying process.  The clay itself is an all natural product as well, lending itself to being a very green product.  It is a bit more work than painting, but once it is done, you get the benefit of the clay’s inherent properties of creating a sound-deadening environment as well as the natural coloring.  So, if you get a little ding here or chip there, it doesn’t show through on the wall like darker paint does on a typical drywall wall.  So, if you are up for some experimentation with this great new addition to the wall plaster world, go for clay over paint and reap the rewards.

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However, this article is not addressing lead in paint, but rather the level of other toxic agents that are used in most paints sold for home and commercial use.  The term is volatile organic compounds or VOC for short.  This term describes what it is in the paints that causes them to be not only noxious but potentially harmful as well.  There is debate as to whether the low volatile organic compound paint is actually safer or healthier for you.  This is not too surprising.  Any time that there are health claims for or against any commonly used product or service, there are sure to be spokespeople that come forward to defend the company.  This is common practice.

Do VOC containing Paints Pose Health Problems or Is This About Common Sense?

What we are discussing here is not whether they are open to liability claims or anything for health problems, but just whether or not low VOC paints are a better idea in general.  If you subscribe to the notion that these chemical agents can likely cause more harm to the planet or the inhabitants of a home than not, then why have them in it, then we are in agreement.  The way we see it, with the strides made in the manufacturing of these low or no VOC paints, you can get them in any color and sheen that you would the more standard paints.  You may pay slightly more, but this is only a matter of time as well.  Soon, all paints will likely be no or low VOC.  Stores like Home Depot and Lowes already carry these paints available to the homeowner.

You’ll find that these paints are less toxic to work with and cause you less of a problem with the noxious fumes.  Some people are extremely sensitive to chemicals and actually have problems health-wise because of such issues.  While this may not apply to you, there are likely more benefits of a ‘cleaner’ and ‘safer’ paint than there are by using one with the organic compounds in it.  Especially if you are going to be using them in the bedroom, non-toxic is best.  Imagine all those fumes you are breathing in with this one bedroom decorating project.  This is not the half of it.  Your bedroom furniture was likely made with a lot of these toxic agents as well.  Your mattress too, you bet.  Once you combine all these compounds together, you can get an idea how committing to using low VOC paints can contribute much to the health of you and your home.

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As we’ve mentioned, there are other ways of creating a tranquil setting in the bedroom too.  One of these ways is by using artwork that is tastefully done and represents your favorite places or settings.  When you get ready to rest your head at night, the last thing you want to look at or hear is loud or obnoxious images or sounds.  This is why it is really disturbing to listen to the news late at night.  We all know that it is filled with nothing but trauma and tragedy, you know the whole ‘if it bleeds it leads’ phenomenon.  Watching television is probably the least restful thing you can do just before you close your eyes.  You can watch a movie or some performance, again, something peaceful or soothing to the mind.  If you plan on watching a murder mystery or something that is going to keep your mind active, it might be best to pass on that one and focus on the wall art.

Lighting is another key component to creating a restful and tranquil environment.  Now, this doesn’t mean that your bedroom should always be tranquil.  Again, we’ll keep the G-rating here, but the bedroom is also for passion.  The key is to keep a nice balance.  If your space is overly red and purple or bright colors and fabrics, then you will find it harder to enjoy the tranquil aspect.  Similarly, if your space is all muted tones, with no accent colors and low lighting, then you will find it more restful than playful, if you get the gist.  Lighting is key in this regard.  Softer or indirect lighting will go a long way toward helping your bedroom mood.  You can also get dimmers installed that will allow you to get brighter light during the day or dimmer light for the tranquil or passionate times.

Now, back to that bedding, the all important feature of the bedroom.  After all, it is named after the room.  By luxury, we would mean something that has a nicer hand or feel to it.  Typically, the gold standard for luxurious bedding is made with Egyptian cotton.  What makes this type of cotton so much finer is that the grain of the cotton is longer and is really only grown in a specific region along the Nile.  There are knock-offs, of course, but this is where the true cotton comes from.  If you combine this cotton with a high thread count, now you are talking about a really luxurious feeling on your skin.  The more threads per square inch, the higher the thread count.  This higher thread count is what gives the cotton a softer feel.   It can almost feel satin-like.  Speaking of which, satin and silk sheets also make for a luxurious setting.  They are a bit harder to care for than cotton, so if you plan to use them nightly, then cotton sheets are the way to go.  Flannel sheets are often a luxury in the cooler months as well.  Enjoy your restful sleep on your luxury bedding.

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