Home decorating and design

I'm a 50 year old single male and have had the house 18 years. I'm sure you'd all have thought it needed paint when I moved in. Well now I think it needs paint. I'm sure when all the walls/ceilings are painted that will make the carpet look bad, so that will happen also. Is there somewhere I can go (on the computer) or maybe some books to read that will teach me how to choose colors, which ones go together, etc. Maybe some accepted rules on what shapes go together, as in lighting fixtures/mirror shapes. At this point I'm open to All Input. Thankyou for your time and knowledge. dudevato in southern california

Okay, I am redoing the bedroom now! I washed my comforter this weekend and the stuffing mushed up on one side and it looked terrible, so I sent shopping, lol. I found a gorgerous new Croscil (sp?)set on sale on Belk for $115 (was $375!!) and a matching sheet set that were marked way down also. I am thinking of changing window treatments to bamboo blinds, but wondering if this would make my bedroom a lot darker than the blinds+sheers I now have. Anyone out there have bamboo blinds? How much light filters through? Susan

This depends so much on the interests of the boy and girl but here's an off beat idea. What about bugs. If you used dragonflies and mayflies and such they are pretty but also can have a sportsman side to them, as in fly fishing. We have a shower curtain with a leafy pattern with butterflies all over it. We all like butterflies and birds and cats and squirrels. Our other bath has dragonfly hooks for the shower curtain. I haven't gone further with it but DH is a fly fisherman and also likes to garden to attract butterflies so it works for us. Another idea is horses since girls often like horses and boys may like the western aspect of horses. Hope that helps, Sunny

Before we get off the subject of sinks, I want to warn everyone about a problem with Corian sinks, or perhaps all solid surface sinks. My friend bought an undermounted solid surface sink and after a little while she noticed little cracks in the bottom of it. When the company came out to replace the sink they showed her in the warranty info where it says the warranty is voided if you pour boiling water into the sink. She had been draining pasta directly into the sink and it cracked. On a more cheerful note, I LOVE my stainless steel sink. It was the middle of the road choice, not most expensive nor the least. It's 9" deep and the faucet we bought is a tall one. I have so much room in my sink! I clean the sink with some stuff I bought at the grocery store called "Stainless Steel Magic" and it makes the sink look like brand new. Life is good. Happy new year! JSP

Hi, I'm attempting to redecorate my living room (on a budget). My problem is my TV and stereo equipment. I have a 32" TV and a CD/tape player with speakers. (medium size) My current stand for the TV is a corner unit (black). Something I picked up for about 100.00. It has a space for the TV and two shelves on the bottom (the space is not large enough for the stereo). I currently have a vcr player on one self and decorations on the other. I currently have the stereo on something I HATE. I have a board across two old large speakers from an old stereo set. This set up is about the size of a sofa table. It is currently placed in an area that is probably the focal point of the living room. (not a good placement). I'm looking for ways to house both the TV and stereo. My dream is an armoire so that I would have to "look" at the stuff all the time and have a top to decorate. As I said before - I'm decorating on a budget. I don't like to spend a lot - but want something that looks okay! I try to get to the flea markets and second hand shops in the area at least once a month. I've tried searching for something online - but haven't found much. I've looked at furniture stores - but most run around 1000.00. I've seen some at Target/Walmart/Shopko - but they don't have doors on them to "cover" the TV. I'm open to suggestions. Kathy

I'll hang out in the club chat room for a little while.

I'm not sure if I'm in the right topic here or anything, but I'll ask the question anyways. I live in a 100-year-old house in the suburbs. Some of the walls, and all of the floors, are dark hardwood. The living room is where we entertain most. We just took down all of our Christmas decorations and I realized how bare it is. Almost everything is brown, the beautiful mantle doesn't stand out, and it's kind of dreary. I was wondering if anyone had tips for: 1_ a cheap/D.I.Y. mantlepiece, preferably tall and symmetrical for both sides. Needs colour, but not too modern looking (it won't fit in.) 2_ any way to brighten up the room. I can't paint the walls, they're wood.. anyone else? 3_ There are backdrops beside the fireplace that are between shelves, and they're an ugly beigey colour. Does anyone have ideas that can brighten that up? I thought of a tile mosaic, but I think that's too much time and money. Any other ideas? Thanks so much, to whoever replies!

We seem to have an ongoing problem in our house, with remotes. People use them, then leave them laying where ever, for the little one to get a hold of. Trust me, she CAN hide things good (been looking for the remote for the last two days now). Either she hides them, or people use them, and they get wedged in the sectional (its like the twilight zone, when things go in there, they dont come out for a verrryy long time). What I am wondering, is if anyone has any ideas on things to do with remotes, so that I dont spend all my time looking for it when I need it????? Tracie

Angela it doesn't sound like a tourchere. Those aim the light up to the ceiling. Is the center glass like a glass chimney on an old oil lamp? OR--Go to lampsplus.com and look up Montebello Floor Lamp . Is that what your lamp is like? It has three smaller bulbs around a center bulb. And a shade. Home Depot and places like that usually carry replacement glass in the most common shapes and sizes. If it's more of an antique then a restoration supply place on the internet might have it. Sunny

I haven't seen starch in a box for years but there is a product that you could get at a craft supply that is a fabric stiffener or you could use a wall paper paste sort of watered down. Do a test sample with the fabric and or the stiffener to see if the fabric will stick to the walls with it. Rebecca