The Furniture Room

Small Dorm Rooms require Big Impact

It is that time of year again as young adults are headed back to college and often their new dorm room. For some, this means that they will be away from home for the first time, as others are looking forward to reuniting with friends. For the freshmen, it should come as no surprise that your dorm room will be small and most likely shared with a stranger. This is why as much as you would like to make it your own, your roommate will have something to say about it- compromise is the name of the game.

Now, if you are a freshman or going back as a seasoned student you have almost certainly had a busy couple of weeks gathering essentials (and you are sure to miss some), picking out bedding, and making sure you have enough clothes to last until your first break.

Dorm decor may not be up on your list, especially because of the roommate situation, but you should be prepared to show them something that will blow them away and win you some cool points off the bat. Of course I am talking about WALLTAT Wall Decals for dorm decor, and no I don’t mean college logos or mascots (if you must get those at your bookstore).

Most college dorms have rules against painting or making any permanent changes to the room and the fact that WALLTATs are removable, leaving no marks behind, makes them ideal for this purpose.

So browse our dorm decor suggestions and keep in mind that you can customize size and color. Pick out a couple of great designs and see what your roommate has to say. WALLTATs are easy to apply give small spaces the depth and dimension that is necessary for big impact.

Unless you’re well-acquainted with the field of home decorations and tile, “travertine mosaic” is probably not a phrase that’s a normal part of your vocabulary. Nonetheless, you can create a truly sophisticated look for your kitchen or bathroom by knowing this phrase-and incorporating it tastefully.

Travertine mosaic refers to a stone tile material used on walls and floors. As we mentioned, you’ll most often see it used in the bathroom, or on kitchen walls (and even back-splashes) and wet rooms.

If you look hard enough, you can find travertine mosaics in a variety of rich tones and colors and in various fine finishes. Consequently, you can successfully complement almost any bathroom or kitchen design.

What is especially loved about travertine mosaics is the aged look it has, and yet it’s polished to give a truly glossy look, even while suggesting age. A travertine mosaic will provide a unique design for your home and even increase the home’s value.

Let’s talk about how to incorporate a travertine mosaic in your home. It’s as easy as the following steps.

1) Step 1: Choose your design. As you’re making your selection, keep in mind where the mosaic will be located and which colors or designs you want to match. Shape is also important, especially in a smaller room where it will be more noticeable. After you have the concept in your head of what you’re wanting, diagram it on a piece of paper.

2) Now gather the tools you’ll need to put in your mosaic. The tools you’ll need include the mosaic materials, wood or craft glue, a wash cloth, a sponge, premixed grout, and a bowl of water.

3) Now arrange your travertine tiles on the surface where you’ll be creating the mosaic. Folow your diagram that you prepared earlier. After you have the tiles in place in an eye-pleasing manner, start gluing each tile to the surface. You should allow it to dry for 20 or more minutes.

4) Next, once the tile has dried to your surface, start spreading plaster generously into the spaces between the tiles. After you’ve filled all crevices and cracks, use your sponge or damp cloth to remove the excess plaster. Make sure you don’t get the sponge or cloth too wet, otherwise it will even take out plaster between the tiles (which, of course, you don’t want).

5) Check for any last-second adjustments needed and make them. Then let the mosaic dry for a few hours (or even better, overnight). As it dries, use your damp cloth to make sure the surface of the tile is cleaned off and fully expose.

Except for the drying, this entire process should take no more than a couple of hours. Just remember that the main goal is to create an atmosphere that is more pleasant for your entire family, so be sure to get their input along the way. After your tile dries, you’ll have a beautiful travertine mosaic that will make your home more enjoyable and possibly increase its re-sell value.

Learn more about travetine mosaic tiles and travertine mosaics.

Nothing adds beauty to a house like natural stone tile. But of course it can be expensive, and just think after years it became scratched and dirty! This is why everyone should keep natural stone tile clean and dirt free with a few simple steps, which may mean pulling out the bucket and getting down on your hands and knees, but will take no time to incorporate into your daily life.

Improper care can ruin this natural beauty, and though we may think natural stone tile is “hard,” we’re not completely correct. Natural stone tile is porous, meaning that it will absorb anything that’s spilt on it’s surface. Sealing the stone with these steps will keep your messy kids, (let’s face it, their always spilling something,) from damaging it. First, gather a few supplies, including: a cotton cloth, dish washing liquid (be sure they are free of bleaches and dyes,) one bowl of warm water, another bowl with cool water, an old toothbrush, and a drying cloth.

Step One:
First, add a few drops of dish washing liquid to the bowl of warm water you set aside. Get the old toothbrush, or anything you can stir the dish washing liquid into the water with. Now dip the cotton cloth into the water and wring it out thoroughly.

Step Two:
You should begin by wiping off your natural stone tile with circular movements. Keep turning the cloth over continually while in the same spot so as to avoid the stress of creating scratches accidentally with the leftover grime that might be on the natural stone tile.

Step Three:
Next your going to rinse the cloth out in the cool water and then wring it out. Again wipe in circles the area where you started with the cool cotton cloth. This is going to seal even the smallest porous areas in your floor, remove all the soapy residue, and is going to pick up left over dirt from the cotton cloth.

Step Four:
Let the area you were cleaning dry, then go over again in a circular motion with the dry cloth to get rid of water spots.

Four steps is all you need to make your natural stone tile last for many years, and maybe the best part about it is that cleaning it didn’t cost you a dime! Of course you can find products made specifically to restore the look of your floor at flooring companies and at most stores. But just to make your job easier, always pick spills up quickly, but never rubbing them, only blot them, and always sweep the area clean of dirt before beginning these easy steps.

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When you remodel or upgrade your bathroom, something as simple as a new faucet can completely change the bathroom’s overall look. In fact, there are so many designs and types of faucets that you could build the room around the faucet!

Keep in mind four things when you shop for your new faucet. These four things are ease of installation, the finish, the warranty for the faucet, and the design of the faucet.

Ease of Installation: There’s little sense in getting your faucet home if you’re not sure that you can even install the thing. Take a good look at it before you bring it home. If you’re buying for a physical store, sometimes you can even pull out the instructions to see how involved it is. It’s even better if you’re shopping online, because you can almost certainly do a Google keyword search on the faucet model and find information about it.

The faucet’s finish: There are several different kinds of finish. Some of the common ones include polished brass, chrome, satin nickel, brushed nickel, French bronze, weathered copper, and others. When you decide on the perfect finish, before you commit your credit card to it, try talking with someone at a home improvement store and see if he can tell you if that model has any disadvantages you’re not aware of.

The warranty: The better faucets, though a bit more expensive, will usually come with a lifetime warranty. Even if your chosen one doesn’t come with a lifetime warranty, it probably offers a fairly substantial one. Make sure you read the warranty papers and understand what kind of coverage you’re getting. Don’t be afraid to shop around to get the best for your money.

The faucet design: The four chief designs pertain to the holes drilled in the sink for mounting the faucet. There is a single hole faucet (with just a single handle for adjusting the water temperature), a four inch center set (with three holes in your sink, and featuring a spout and handles attached to a metal base), a four-inch mini spread, with each spout and handle mounted to one of three holes, giving an appearance of a wider-spread design, and a design with holes that are eight inches apart from each other, and each piece separately mounting. You’ll usually find this on larger sinks, and it can go up to a 16 inch spread.

The best way to decide which design for you is to speak with someone from the store or website, explain your sink habits, and ask them to advise you.

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To really add some flair to your bathroom, consider buying and installing a glass vessel sink. They are elegant, functional, and not that expensive. Here are some tips to keep in mind, though, before you pull out your credit card.

1) Do some research about sinks. One of the most important bits of information to research is the durability of the sink that you’re considering. Glass vessel sinks are 5 to 7 times stronger than regular glass because they have been tempered. They’re also relatively thick, so if you get a good model, you can take care of your normal bathroom business without worrying about breaking the glass. Just make sure you’re getting a truly durable model and not the cheapest one you can find.

2) Decide how much space you have for the sink. Most glass vessel sinks are around 20 inches from one side to the other (or about the length of a computer keyboard). They’re also around 6 or 8 inches deep (about the length of your hand). Be sure to check ahead of time that you have the room in your bathroom for these measurements. You should also have a foot from your sink to your counter.

3. Think about how much traffic you have in your bathroom–and who comprises most of that traffic. For instance, if you have several small children, you might want to reconsider getting a glass sink since they’re more prone to breaking things.

4) Decide how much you have to spend. A glass vessel sink can run anywhere from $90 to a few thousand dollars. As you’re deciding which one to get, your decision should be balanced between getting the one you love the most (but can’t afford) and getting the cheapest one (which looks ugly and is not so durable). Go somewhere in the middle, getting the most beautiful and durable one that you can honestly afford.

5) Don’t be afraid to shop online. Truthfully, there is a far better selection available on the Internet than you’ll usually find at your local home-improvement store. And because there is so little overhead, online retailers are usually able to offer glass vessel sinks at an extremely competitive price. And if you’re worried about shipping glass products, don’t. These retailers know their product and know how to pack the items so that they arrive to you safely and intact.

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One of the most frequently used rooms in your home, aside from the living room, is probably the bathroom. When you wake up in the morning, when preparing for work or school and before going to bed, this is where you will spend time doing the things that you need to do. This is exactly the reason why you need to spend the extra time and effort in making sure that the toilet and bath are both spacious enough, and are designed to suit your needs as a family.

For example, if you are a newly married couple, the bathroom in your master’s bedroom may be big enough – but it is usually better to have his-and-hers vanities so that your toiletries will not be mixed with that of your husband’s. On the other hand, the vanities and the way that the bathroom in the guest’s bedroom is designed should be simple enough to suit the needs of guests who may be staying overnight.

Here, we will take a look at some of the options that you have if you are looking for modern bathroom vanities – depending on the decorating theme that you have for a particular room.

Home Decorating Ideas for Modern Bathroom Vanities

Before dishing out decorating ideas to create that modernist look in your bathroom, let us first define what modern bathroom vanities are. The difference between the traditional, usually bulky vanities with the modern ones is that the latter has sleek, clean lines, a no-fuss design and modern colors. If style is what you are after, modern bathroom vanities will give you a lot of shapes, colours, patterns, designs and styles to choose from.

Next, what are modern bathroom vanities composed of? Basically, modern bathroom vanities are made up of the following elements:

- Mirrors
- Open or closed storage cabinets
- Sinks
- Vanity tops

When looking for bathroom vanities which have a modern style, you can take your pick from a wide array of materials and finishes. If you’re looking forward to creating an elegant, hotel-room ambiance to your bathroom at home, opt for vanities which have a brushed nickel or chrome finish. If you want to create a warmer, homier look yet still retain a modern feel to it, there are modern bathroom vanities which are made from wood or stone – but make sure that the lines are clean and sleek when you look at the structure from afar.

In addition to the modern bathroom vanity itself, you can add unique touches and details like overhead lighting and matching accessories like towel rails and additional mirrors.

Finally, make sure that the material that the modern bathroom vanities are made of can stand the heat and moisture for when you’re using the shower. To get the most value for your money, make sure that the quality and brand of the bathroom vanity that you will buy are good, although not necessarily expensive.

By following these tips, you can get the perfect modern bathroom vanity that will suit your needs as a family and the theme of the décor that you have in a particular room of the house.

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City life is becoming more and more busy and complicated. As a result, more and more homeowners are choosing simplicity over complex designs. Just take the bathroom as an example. The bathroom is a place where you spend time almost every day (at least once). So for sure, you want the bathroom to look pleasing to you.

When it comes to bathroom designs, there are many types of looks you can play around with. For instance, if you prefer a more solid look, you can have your bathroom vanities made from stone. But if you prefer simplicity, then modern bathroom vanities will be ideal for you. Here are some common characteristics that you can expect to see.

Simple shapes.

Don’t expect to see many curves on the vanities. They mostly come in simple shapes such as square, rectangle, circular, or oval. You won’t find any complexities here. Everything is kept simple.

Minimalistic approach.

In addition to keeping shapes simple, the minimalist approach is also adopted. That means there won’t be flowery designs on the vanities. Instead, you get a very functional set of bathroom vanities - a mirror, the sink and tap, and a row of drawers underneath.

Wall mounted.

This is what makes modern vanities different from other types of vanities. Mostly, the furnishing is mounted on the wall. There will not be any legs supporting the furniture. The cabinets look as if it’s floating in the air. This creates an illusion of additional space. In other words, the bathroom tends to look more spacious than it really is.

Variety of designs.

Although the shapes are mostly kept simple, you may be surprised at the variety of designs that you get to choose from. Various designs are created using just simple shapes. Ultimately, you choice will depend on a few important factors.

Number 1, is it a design that you like for a long time to come? Usually, modern vanities come with more lasting looks because the designs are more classic.

Number 2, is it functional enough for you? For instance, the cabinets will have about 4 drawers. Is this enough for the whole family? What about the size of the drawers? Do you need larger (or smaller) compartments to store your personal items?

Number 3, is the price within your budget? Most modern vanities are available at affordable prices. Many can be bought for less than $1,000. Don’t let price be your sole deciding factor though. Always remember to keep in mind the other 2 factors - design and functionality.

The difficulty is always in balancing between the design and the practicality of the furnishing. Large set pieces may look more elaborate and attractive. But is it really practical to install such large items in the bathroom? Do you really need the space? These are issues that you need to consider before purchasing modern bathroom vanities.

Learn more about bathroom vanities and bathroom remodeling - www.homedesignoutletcenter.com

Mosaic itself is just a name given to a specific pattern. When you hear the term “mosaic”, you tend to think of the little squares that you so often see in bathrooms. If you are looking to redesign or renovate your bathroom, perhaps you may wish to consider using mosaic tiles. In general, there are 3 types of tiles that you can consider using.

Type 1: Travertine mosaic.

Travertine, like marble, comes from limestone. So you can expect the properties to be similar to marble. You can’t expose it to highly acidic fluids. Otherwise, the tiles will be damaged. You can also expect the appearance to be rather similar to marble. In fact, Travertine can be more versatile when it comes to textures and colors. You can easily find the type of color and texture that you are looking for. For instance, the tiles can come in ivory, gold or beige. You can also choose to have texture tiles or polished tiles (smooth surfaces) for your bathroom.

Type 2: Marble mosaic.

As mentioned, marble comes from limestone as well. So in many ways, it is similar to Travertine tiles. You can also find polished or tumbled surfaces (tumbled gives a rougher matte look) for marble tiles. Regardless of whether you decide to use marble or Travertine, you will eventually have to make up your mind on the type of tile surface that you want to use. Smooth and matte surfaces can create drastically different looks, mainly due to the fact that a matte tile doesn’t reflect as much light as a polished tile.

To make a decision, you need to be clear about the type of look that you are looking for. Some homeowners prefer to have a brighter looking bathroom. So they choose polished marble mosaic tiles. For example, let’s say you are going for the luxurious look. You want your bathroom to look like it’s built for a king. In this case, you can choose to use marble of Travertine mosaic tiles with a polished surface. You should also choose beige or gold as the primary color. That way, when light gets reflected on the smooth surface, it looks as if the entire bathroom is made from gold!

These are definitely ideas that you can play around with. Remember that you will be spending a lot of time in the bathroom as you use it everyday. So it’s important that you choose a design that you like.

If you are not the kind who enjoys flowery displays, then perhaps you may wish to adopt a more modern approach. Modern designs involve simplicity. You can choose polished black marble tiles, and match them with modern bathroom vanities. The overall look will be one that is simple, clean and classic.

Type 3: Glass mosaic.

Finally, you can choose to have glass mosaic installed. Usually, glass tiles are used for contemporary bathroom designs. They come in many different colors such as grey, brown, beige, and even green. If you don’t like the natural patterns on Travertine or marble, glass would be your best choice.

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Marble is a very unique building material. For years, contractors and builders have used marble tiles widely in many different ways. You can use marble tiles in living rooms, dining rooms, resorts, hotel lobbies, and bathrooms. This is a statement of the versatility of the marble as a building material. It can be used almost everywhere and the effects will be great. If you are considering marble as a possible bathroom tile, perhaps having a basic understanding of the stone will be useful.

Marble comes from limestone, and is extracted using commonly known quarrying methods. It is available in many different parts of the world such as Turkey, France, India, Brazil, China, Spain and the United States. Because marble comes from limestone, you can expect it to have similar characteristics as limestone.

For example, if marble is left unprotected, it can be easily stained by anything that is acidic or alkaline. Fortunately, this problem can be easily overcome by applying a finish, which acts as a protective layer, over the surface of the marble tiles.

The marble tile that you see in the market for bathrooms are actually polished tiles. Polished marble tiles reveal a smooth and sparkling look. In fact, some tiles can be so well polished that you can even see your own reflection in the tile. That is the reason why when you walk into a posh hotel, you get a grand and majestic feeling. The chandelier in the lobby can create interesting effects that you have never seen before.

As a homeowner, you probably don’t need such stunning effects. Simplicity, practicality and affordability will most likely be what you are looking for.

You will come across two sizes - 12″ by 12″ and 18″ by 18″. You may be surprised to learn that using larger tiles cost just about the same as using smaller tiles. The price difference applies when there is a difference in quality, pattern, or country of import. Obviously, marble from China will most likely be more affordable than marble from European countries.

Marble tiles come in interesting patterns and colors. You will come across colors such as crema marfil,emperador dark, lotus beige, honey onyx, or white carrara. The color that you choose depends very much on the overall design of the bathroom, as well as your own personal taste.

Honey colored tiles tend to give a more expensive look because the tiles look golden. Grey will go with almost anything, and white can be used to create a modern and classic look.

Due to the unique characteristics of marble tiles, it is very difficult to duplicate the look. That’s why, after all these years, marble has been able to hold its prices quite well. That means homeowners still like marble tiles very much, and marble is still in demand.

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What are Travertine tiles? Travertine is the name given to a stone that comes from limestone. Marble is another type of stone that comes from limestone. Usually, when deciding on building materials for your bathroom, you will come across these 2 types of stone. In terms of characteristics, both are very similar.

For instance, it’s helpful to know that both travertine tiles and marble tiles don’t go well with anything that’s acidic or alkaline. That means if you are considering using such materials for your bathroom, you shouldn’t be storing acidic liquids in your bathroom. Sealers will offer a certain degree of protection. But it is still better to avoid having acid liquids come into contact with the stones.

So what is so special about Travertine tiles and why is it gaining popularity with homeowners?

Travertine, after processing, comes in many different colors. You can find tiles in such colors - ivory, beige, walnut or gold. The finishing can be very different too. A finished tile can be matte or shiny. A tile with a polished surface will reflect the most amount of light, while a tile with a matte (textured) surface will reflect the least amount of light. You can use the different surfaces to help you create the look and feel that you want. Here are some tips that you may find useful.

Tip 1: Consider the lighting.

Due to the reflective nature of the tiles, light plays a very important role. The bathroom can become too bright if you have strong lighting, coupled with polished Travertine tiles. If you have strong lights, it’s best to downplay the light a little by installing textured tumbled travertine tiles.

Tip 2: Use different tiles for different purposes.

The surface of the tile can serve practical issues as well. For instance, for floor tiles, many homeowners like matte tiles better as there is more friction. Friction can help prevent unwanted accidents in the bathroom. You don’t want your flooring to be slippery, especially if you are in a hurry during the morning rush! In this case, you can use the polished surface for the construction of your bathroom vanity, and use the textured tiles for the flooring. By mixing the two types of tile, you create a different look, and a more functional bathroom.

Tip 3: Consider the colors.

The surface is just one important element. The other crucial element is the color of the tiles. What color do you think is most appropriate for your bathroom? Remember, you can choose from these colors - gold, beige, white and grey. These are the most common colors. The entire bathroom can be constructed with one single color, or a few colors. It is advisable to keep to just 2 colors. More colors will just complicate the design. Choose matching colors for your tiles and your bathroom vanities and you will get a great looking bathroom!

Learn more about natural stone tiles and travertine tiles - www.homedesignoutletcenter.com