Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Create a Healthy & Gorgeous Home
My Decorating Plan
www.mydecplan.com
805.933.0222
When you start planning your next home "re-do" - think "healthy". Consider innovative home decor products that are both beautiful AND eco-friendly.
Today we face environmental health threats not encountered by earlier generations. The materials used in the building of today's homes contribute to indoor air pollution that has never before existed in the history of the human race.
Significant changes have occurred considerably with regards to construction and building practices, particularly since World War II and the energy crunch of the 1970's. The modern invention of adhesives, synthetic carpet, synthetic paints, etc., all contribute to a virtual chemical soup within our living space.
Studies have shown that the air pollution found within our homes can be up to 10 times greater than that of outdoor air pollution due to the out gassing process of the materials used and the tighter, more energy efficient structures.
When materials age and degrade, gases are released. These gases are called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Though not all VOCs are harmful, such as water, many can negatively affect our health. (That new car smell is a prime example of out gassing from the synthetic materials used).
We make better choices with nutrition and exercise but fail to understand that food is not the only element being ingested. Through our furnishings alone, formaldehyde, ammonia, insecticides, and many more toxins are breathed into our systems as they outgas.
Many of us suffer the effects without connecting a possible cause. Many symptoms such as headaches lethargy, and anxiety can be traced to out gassing chemicals within our own safe havens, our homes.
The good news is that we DO have choices. Going back to nature allows us more durability and longevity in building and furnishing materials. Fewer toxins create an improved air quality thereby creating an improved quality of life. By acting consciously for a healthier home environment, as we do for a healthier mind or body, we create Home, in the truest sense of the word. And when we start at the heart, the benefits travel outward. Our choices affect our lives and those of our loved ones, and finally, of the planet that sustains us.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Give Your Home Personality
My Decorating Plan
www.mydecplan.com
805.933.0222
When we think of a person as being dull or bland, we often describe that person as "having no personality". In the same sense, a room or an entire home that lacks personality can also be dull or bland. It is the personality that we create for our own spaces that make those spaces different and uniquely "us".
To create a personality for a single room or entire home, start by analyzing the traits of the people who live there. What are their personality traits? Are they aggressive or shy, gregarious or reclusive, serious or fun loving, practical or impractical, and so on.
Once you have discovered the personality traits, decorate to those traits. For example, a fun "loving person" may prefer a room with whimsical accessories and brightly painted walls. On the other hand, a person that is "serious" may prefer a dark mahogany paneling and uncluttered spaces.
If you are decorating an entire house, you will likely have personality differences between family members. In that case, take the home room by room and decorate each room to reflect the personality traits of the person that spends the most time in a particular room. If the space is commonly used by multiple members of the household in equal amounts - then this is definitely a matter of compromise and trade offs. The best recourse is to create a decorating scheme that uses colors and furnishings that all household members can agree on.
As a final hint, although you may like your neighbor's home, it is not your home. Your home should reflect You.
