Objectives

1. To inform individuals of trends in styles, materials and ways of using pillows throughout the home.
2. To use good decision-making skills in selecting and using pillows to create an attractive updated home decor that meets expectations for the time and money spent.
3. To develop awareness of good consumer practices when shopping for decorative and functional pillows.
4. To provide individuals with quick and easy ideas for making pillows at moderate cost.

Introduction

Pillows come in all shapes and sizes to add color, texture and a finishing touch to a decorating plan. They help to carry out a theme for the room and add beauty and unity to a room through repetition of color and pattern. A pillow provides a bright accent color to add life to a dull room. It can also furnish an unexpected or humorous design for a touch of whimsey or surprise.

Introduction

Congratulations on taking the first step towards opening your own home décor store. As a home décor store owner, your days will be filled with beautiful products, inspiring projects, and people who appreciate fine merchandise. Within these pages you will discover what you need to know to about this exciting and rewarding business.

When you open a home décor store, you will have the opportunity tocreate a successful business providing beautiful and functional items for the home. You likely are already familiar with home décor products and have shopped in home décor stores. You may even have worked in a store selling products for the home. But while it can be fun to shop or work in home décor stores, nothing quite compares to the rewards of having your own successful store.

The Home Décor Industry

THE SECRET LIFE OF ROOMS explores the true fundamentals of interior design. Color and proportion and furniture styles are the heart of interior design, but its soul lies in the relationship of people to things and spaces. Our video describes this human aspect as “the secret life of rooms”.

The Secret Life of Rooms explores:

1. Why interior design and decoration is far more than creating a pleasant space.
2. Why “people” is the starting point for all design and styling.
3. How the appearance and design of rooms actually changes behavior.
4. Why a chair far more than merely something to sit on?
5. What is the difference between style and design?
6. Can a well designed interior can lack style and a stylish room lack design.
7. How interiors are status symbols even in the most humble of apartments.
8. Why a room that is unused is not necessarily useless.

10 Ways To Save on Furniture

1. Never pay retail! Most furniture brands can be purchased at 50% to 80% off retail at factory outlets. I found factory owned factory outlets for about 99% of all major furniture brands, including Thomasville, Henredon, Drexel-Heritage, Baker, Hickory Chair, Bernhardt, and Century.
2. You’ll get the best deals (50% to 80% off retail) if you go to the outlets in person, most of which are located in North Carolina. The average travel cost to fly to North Carolina and stay for the weekend is $450. The savings on just one sofa or armoire can more than cover the expense of traveling to North Carolina. In general, if you’re buying more than two pieces of furniture, you’ll get the best deal overall if you go to North Carolina personally.

Living Room Decorating Southwest Style

You are considering decorating your living room in a Southwestern style but are not exactly sure where to begin. A Southwestern decorating style is certainly an excellent choice regardless of whether you live in Phoenix or New York. It is known for bringing warmth and coziness to any room, which is certainly something that you would want for the space in your home where you welcome guests, your living room.

When considering how you will incorporate Southwestern styles into your living room, it is important to first consider how you interpret this style of decorating. Keep in mind that Southwestern decorating can be viewed from many different perspectives. Some people automatically associate Southwestern decorating as influenced by Spanish or Mexican style. Others see it more heavily influenced by Native American art. Still, others often think of Southwestern decorating as being more western and rustic. Stop and consider what you think of when you think of this decorating style. What visions come to your mind when you think of Southwestern decorating? This style of decorating can be highly personal, which is one of its many advantages. However you see this style, allow that vision to guide you in selecting the elements that you will choose for your living room.

A Few Decorating Budget Tips to Get You Started

The first thing you should remember when decorating is that there are no rules except those that you set for yourself. However, having a plan is always a good idea and will help you to keep on budget.

Below are a provided a number of tips that will help you get started.

1. Trust yourself
   Remember, you will know more about what looks good for your home than you think.
2. Focal Points
   Select the most important element in a room, say a fireplace, and make this the focal point. Then place furnishings and objects around it to draw a person’s eye towards it. You could, if you want, direct the person’s eye towards, say, a window, which then directs them to look outside into the garden.