Is Transitional Furniture and Lighting Right For You?

Consequently, transitional furniture is no single extreme, but a harmonic blend of styles that can be adapted to an individual's preference. Comfort and practicality are key aspects to transitional furniture, with many pieces made to meet the demands of the active household. Durable materials found in this type of furniture include contemporary media like metal and glass, but also sophisticated, lush fabrics. Within the elegant curves of this style are two sub-categories: eclectic and casual.  Eclectic style furniture borrows from several furniture styles freely. A cluttered, disjointed look is avoided by unifying color or textures, while casual furniture is classically inspired with today's family in mind. It's comfy and perfect for entertaining friends and family without formal airs.

Pick out furniture that is sturdier in dimension than contemporary pieces, but lacks the sometimes oppressive proportions of traditional items. Juxtapose traditional curves with contemporary straight edges. Avoid anything that may seem "overdone" or too formal, shying away from elaborate carvings and sticking with unfussy ornamentation. If something seems too "cold" and modern, move on to something that imparts more warmth and comfort.

Transitional lighting avoids overworked metals and opulent decoration. However, it's not as stark and simple as some contemporary fixtures, which may only have a single halogen bulb behind a frosted cube, for instance. Most transitional lighting employs metals like steel and iron, and the shapes are curved and definite, but avoid crossing the line to a web of intricate knots, loops and curlicues. James Allen, author / Article source: Expert Articles

Sprucing Up Your Front Yard

The weather is very hot and the lawn is turning yellow. The front yard does not look inviting for any prospective buyer - for that matter - it doesn't even look inviting every evening when you drive home to it.

The small amount of money that can be spent to enhance a front yard is a really good investment. Some of the larger trees and shrubs can be more expensive, but only two or three of these will be needed. Smaller plants that can be grouped around them, and a few well placed rocks will swell the garden foliage without swelling the bill too much!

Three of the most important factors to consider when trying to improve any yard are color, variety, and design definition. Design definition could be qualified as the use of paths or gravel areas or fencing. Also, areas of foliage contribute to the feeling of varied levels of elevation. Any of these will give 'form' to your yard. Variety will be found by use of different mediums and different textured plants.

Sometimes, the simple act of cutting a pathway and placing two trees in large pots each side of the front door can make an immediate difference. However, the pathway must have neat edges to look really effective (this applies to curved pathways as well). A simple manual edging tool (rather like a half moon on the end of a stick) is very cheap to buy.

A boring front yard can be broken up by things other than flower borders and pathways to have some interest. A rock wall or a rock garden are easy to build; the rock garden being by far the cheaper and easiest of the two. It will be even cheaper if you make it a fun project to scour the water's edge and country-side for some of your smaller rocks!

Sometimes a whole cluster of smaller shrubs and rocks placed in front of a tree will offer sufficient interest in a yard. Many people plant a small tree and sink dozens of daffodil bulbs around it to bloom each spring.

Ground cover shrubs are very practical for a front yard, they provide variation and color (many have white or red striped leaves) and they will spread to take up a large patch where grass would have been.

If you feel that your neighborhood is a secure one, you can buy a bird bath and place it on a circle of an attractive circle of gravel or stones to make a focus point in your front yard.

Keep your garbage bins well out of site, and do not let the kids' toys accumulate in the front yard. Finally, a small thing like always keeping the grass cut and watered, can make a huge difference to the look of your front yard. Josh Sloan, author / Article source: Expert Articles

Home Security: Windows and Doors

It has been constantly reiterated that we have to keep watch over our windows and doors to avoid sneaky thieves from breaking into our homes. Burglary is a crime of opportunity, and unlocked doors and windows are great opportunities for burglars and thieves.

First off, make sure that all your doors are solid and strong. Once that’s settled, you’ll only need to worry about the locks. Once you’ve moved in your home, whether it be a house, condo, or apartment, and checked the durability of your doors, make sure to check and change the locks immediately. The reason for this precaution is because people can easily make copies of keys and the previous owners and tenants may have done so. There’s also the possibility that they’re not the only ones who have copies of the keys. It’s also a good idea to change your locks now and then. This is especially a good precaution when you have a lot of people over to your house, like the repairmen or a housekeeper. It would be tedious and a lot of hassle. But it’s better than being a victim of a burglary. Windows are much harder to secure than doors. While doors are made solid and strong, windows are commonly composed of glass which is easy to break. Window locks are now popular options. Levers and bars can easily be dislodged by burglars so these are not very dependable. Window locks, however, can only be unlocked by a key, which gives you more control over the locks and a sense of security knowing that the burglar has no option around the window locks (unless he/she would just break a glass which is not a good option for them).

One should especially watch out for the ground floor windows, since these are where the burglars get the easiest access into your home. For these, make sure that you have solid window locks and that they are kept locked at all times (except, of course, when you’re in the room). Upstairs windows should also be kept closed if not used. Burglars might find a way to get up to the second floor and use the windows. There are lots of types of locks for window security. Deadbolt locks are the most used because of their sturdiness, and it can be secured to the top and bottom of the window (especially a sash frame or double-hung window). Pin locks are also commonly used to join the bottom and top sash windows through a hole where the lock is inserted through. For sliding windows, a pin and a jam should prevent the slide window from being opened from the outside. Don’t just use a pin and jam, of course. It would be better to add locks for a layered security. Locks aren’t the only options you have for your windows and doors, of course.

There are some other security measures you can use (some are quite expensive). Replacing the glass of your windows with tempered glass is one. This will make your windows more difficult to break. Window bars can also be used, but there is a risk that you may not be able to get out of your home when a fire breaks out. The best option a homeowner can have to have a secure and safe home is to have a home security system, wherein the windows and doors are hooked up to the alarm through the use of sensors and detectors. Sean Hattaway, author / Article source: Expert Articles