The first rule for buying art is to love it.  The second rule is to be able to pay for it without taking out a bank loan.  And, rule #3?  Feel good about what you paid for it.

So, how do you know that a piece of art is worth the asking price?  If you love it, and can afford it, should you buy it?

We asked over one-hundred interior design professionals for some help.  We asked them to review pieces of art and tell us what they think about the quality of the work and the asking price.  Each designer chose five pieces of art to review from over 4000 original and limited edition artworks created by independent, fine artists whose work is available at www.DiscoveredArtists.com.

Designers were asked to comment on how they might use the art in an interior room design, and were asked to only review artworks that they felt were worth the asking price.  In other words, would you recommend that your client buy this piece of art at that price. Here’s what they said:

Terry Symington is principal designer and owner of T. Symington & Co. Interiors in Brenham, Houston, and Austin Texas.  She is a big fan of using art in her interior designs and suggests that “For rooms lacking a proper focal point, an oversized painting makes a great statement!”  Read more...

Moroccan home decor allure, charm, grace, seductiveness should be enough adjectives to describe the coastal style of countries occupying the northern & southern side of the Mediterranean Sea where this decorating style originates. Moorish influence, the demands of it’s climate, available materials and maturity over time have set the tone for this design and decoration that has spread outward from the region. With bright colors you could get easily with a Moroccan-themed room.

As a much loved regional decorating theme, especially in south of Spain and north of Africa for the tradition it represents, moroccan style will always have an important place. Beyond, it is being altered by the popularity of other decoration themes having shared similarities. Mediterranean will remain an influence for sure as several themes merge into a new form. Already, in America, it’s purity has been lost in a blur of influences and mutations. But, that is all pure speculation. What authentic Moroccan decoration means today is cause enough for enjoyment.

Wall Texture

Walls are predominately textured. It is what gives that pre-requisite aged appearance. An over-all application of neutral sand paint supplies a good base. It’s easier than working with tinted sand paint at a later stage. There are prepared burnished Venetian plaster paints on the market that provide lots of texture. These can be used when working with color accents.

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Home is amongst the most important assets of one’s life that is preserved for lifetime. Home is also where comfort and relaxation is achieved. As such, interior decor is given high importance by almost everyone. So what small or big changes you need to introduce this year? Let’s know what the top interior decor trends of 2009 are!

Nature Connect: With everyone speaking about environmental protection and going organic, everything that is natural, eco-friendly or has connection with nature will take prime place. Linen and cotton textiles for home furnishings are top picks. However, eco-friendly fibers such as soy, hemp and especially bamboo will be there right in the front. Art works used for decorating will also reflect nature with paintings focusing on nature with trees, flowers, rural and natural landscapes.

Color Palette: Bright colors and metallics with low luster levels will prevail. Gold and silver will give way to platinum, rose gold and copper. Also, yellow ( zesty lemon, orange, and lime hues) will hold strong. Purple will continue to remain popular with a shift towards red shade. Paintings will be seen with bold uses of primary and other bright – reds, greens, yellows, blues and so on.

Patterns: Bold geometrics will dominate the interior decor scenario. However, symmetry will be maintained to bring balance everywhere. Florals will also be there. As far as art work is concerned, watercolor techniques and cheerful wildflowers are the prime focus. Flowers would be seen in 3-D bouquet like embellishments, sewn onto furnishings.  Read more...

Framed Friendship Poem is a lovely Home decor gift. An Inspirational Friendship poem like, “Angels Are Friends” makes a wonderful gift for a special friend! The first verse of this poem reads “Angels are all around me, Some I cannot see. Always near or by my side, Gently helping to be my guide.” The poem goes on like that to end with the last line reading “No need for wings, my ‘Angels’ Are Friends.” Expressing a friend as an angel with out wings is to show true appreciation. Sometimes, saying “Thank You” is not enough to express your gratitude. At times, most of us find it difficult to find the right words to show our appreciation. So giving a gift is another form of appreciation and the poem in that will express the appreciation in words. My inspiration in suggesting this lovely Home decor gift came from my Dear Friend Isabel!

A table lamp will also make a great Home decor gift. There are many exquisitely designed table lamps at incredibly low prices. Some of these lamps are inspired by treasured antique Tiffany lamps. The sculpted base and stained glass shade of a table lamp lend warm light and a graceful glow to your home. This table lamp comes with a metal base with glass shade. It uses one 60 watt bulb and is 14 inches diameter by 20 inches high.

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Looking forward to change the look and feel of your bathroom? If this is what you are looking for then you might consider a complete bathroom makeover. Simply choose some of the innovative bathroom renovation ideas and get prepared to feel the beauty and elegance. This is probably the most overlooked part of home where people spend many hours of their lives.

In reality, a bathroom is easily the best place to begin your home improvement project. Therefore it is always advised to do some research before heading forward with your bathroom renovation project. Doing research will enable you to go through every option that is available to you. Since bathrooms are smaller in size compared to your living room, undertaking a bathroom renovation project is relatively easy in comparison.

Replacement of certain components such as floor tiles and wall tiles generally form the central part of bathroom renovation ideas. Introduction of new fixtures and fittings are also done to spice up the overall look and feel of your bathroom. And if you are planning to increase the area of your bathroom you can simply remove a dividing wall or an adjoining closet.

Since you have finally decided to give your bathroom a classy and elegant look, it is now time for you to summon up courage and implement your bathroom renovations ideas. If you are unable to carry out the bathroom renovation on your own, simply hire a bathroom renovation professional to get the job done. Hiring a professional renovator will let you observe the various aspects of this job. You can also come to know about various power tools, which are used by professional bathroom builders for their jobs. You can gather detailed information about these tools from the internet too.  Read more...

Wall units have come into general use relatively recently – in the end of twentieth century. These furnishings usually consist of several detached pieces that are attached to a wall. Wall units considerably vary in style, there’re plenty of modern as well as traditional ones, which makes the process of choosing a wall unit for you room extremely easy. One of the modern wall units, that are available in numerous furniture stores and on the Internet, will surely match your house decor embellishing the room in which it’s installed.

Wall units are most often made of different species of wood such as cherry, oak or maple. Sometimes wood veneers are also used in the creation of modern wall units with adjustable shelves. But apart from employing wood, glass and metal is also often used in wall units’ manufacture. These furnishings are perfect when used as a surface for cooking and food preparation on the kitchen or as storage for entertainment equipment such as television or stereo. Spacious and stylish shelves may help you beautifully arrange your books, family photos and extensive collections of DVD and CD.

Furnishing one of your rooms with a modern wall unit has many advantages. First, you get storage space for the stuff you have always dreamt to put in order, at the same time enriching the room with style and significantly improving its look, as modern wall units usually come in very alluring designs and colors. Modern wall units featuring capacious shelves and drawers are not only functional and space-saving way to store various things; they are also used as decorative furniture items. Wall units are easy to install and will excellently accommodate a room of any size; the only thing you have to do is to decide on the wall.  Read more...