If you’ve always wanted to decorate your home in a way that’s both practical and stylish, but never knew where to start, Cymax Stores is here to help with info on the basics of interior design in your home. The main goal of interior decorating is to provide an overall look and feel for an indoor room. This is normally achieved through painting the walls, selecting furniture pieces, installing or removing hardwood floors/carpets, and choosing light fixtures.

 Cymax Stores Design Tip #1 – Spend some time thinking about what paint colours you want to apply to your walls. Depending on the room and the amount of space you have, there’s a specific shade that can transform the look of your home. If you don’t get a lot of light in your living space, and you want to brighten things up, white walls will do the trick. Neutral, earthy tones like tan, brown, and olive are relaxing tones, so they work well in bedrooms and bathrooms. Bold, deep colours (such as the primary colours) can either make a room feel cozy or wild and fun, depending on the exact shade. Your kitchen or a child/teen’s bedroom can experiment with different reds, blues, or purples.

 Cymax Stores Design Tip #2 – The right furnishings will make your interior attractive, functional, and comfortable. Try to invest most of your budget into sturdy, long-lasting pieces so you’ll never have to replace any items along the way. Spend less on trendy, of-the-moments styles, because you never know if they’re going to be replaced by another trend in the near future. Furniture comes in a variety of design styles, so opt for a traditional style if you like the antique look, modern or contemporary if you’re into up-to-date styles, and country or rustic if you’re all about the natural, unfinished look.

Cymax Stores Design Tip #3 - Sometimes, all it takes to completely change the look of your room is to replace your carpets with hardwood flooring, or vice versa. You can choose to remove your carpet or cover your flooring with carpet yourself, which is the much less expensive option. Professionals can come in and do the job for you, but remember that this can be costly. What kind of carpet should you choose?

If you’re looking for durability, nylon is your best choice. It will stand the longest against high traffic areas. However, it isn’t as soft as wool yarn, another option. If you’re looking for softness, wool yarn is the way to go, but it will not last as long in high traffic areas. The longer the fibers of the carpet are, the more it will show where the travelled areas are. Most people go with neutral beige or cream carpeting, because it is a standard choice and updated looking, but you can go with deeper hues or pure white if you really want!

When it comes to hardwood flooring, there is a war of real wood versus laminate. Basically, if you want the true look of hardwood, and are willing to pay the price and do the upkeep, go with real wood. If you want easy installation, a low price, and something that’s low maintenance, go with laminate. When it comes to the colour, it’s really all about preference. Dark flooring tends to look more bold and rich, while lighter flooring is more casual and airy feeling.

 Cymax Stores Design Tip #4 – Selecting light fixtures is an important key to the design of your home. In the kitchen, you’ll need a lot of light to see what you’re doing. Try installing track lighting over your island for extra light. Places like the dining room, bedroom, or living room could use a dimmer switch for mood lighting. The bathroom needs light that most resembles natural light, so you can see yourself clearly in the mirror while getting ready.

 The last thing you can do in your home to improve its design is simple – clean up! A home without clutter seems more welcoming, open, and inviting. Follow these tips from Cymax Stores and you’ll feel better about your home’s interior!

Win with Cymax Stores

Become a Cymax Stores Fan on Facebook (get design tips, special discounts and the inside scoop on upcoming sales) and win a $50 Gift Certificate for anything on http://www.cymaxstores.com

Don’t for get to leave a comment that you became a Cymax Stores Fan!

Celebrate America’s birthday in style with a roaring outdoor get-together, delicious July 4th recipes and a 4th of July sale!

It doesn’t matter if you’re an expert at party prepping or just starting to host – the following guide has recipes, activities, decorating ideas, and even features some great Fourth of July furniture deals. So bring out the red, white, and blue – and don’t forget to fire up the grill!

Decorations

For a classic Fourth of July look, you can always pick up paper American flags from party or dollar stores and stick them in planters, on the porch, or line them along a walkway.

Pick out red, white and blue LED lights and string them around a stair rail or from trees. Novelty napkins in the shape of the flag or stars will look great on your patio table, and you can even hang streamers from the roof or on bushes.

If you’re interested in modernizing the traditional American barbeque, choose cups or plates in one of the patriotic colours and accent them with silverware instead of generic plastic ware.

When serving drinks, you can garnish them with tiny American flags connected to toothpicks, and you can choose to string colourless lights (maybe in the shape of stars) around your backyard. No matter what your style is, sparklers are always a fun addition! Just be sure to monitor any children using the sparklers and always have water on hand in case of an accident.

July 4th Activities
Of course, when you think of the Fourth of July, you think of fireworks! Make sure to check if fireworks are legal in your area. If you’re good to go, read up on the following safety tips:

Don’t allow your children to play with or ignite any fireworks – they should only be watching this activity!

Only responsible adults should be handling the fireworks.

Be sure to read and follow the instructions & warnings that come with the fireworks.

Make sure everyone has cleared away from the spot you will be lighting the fireworks.

Do not aim the fireworks at any flammable materials (dry grass/leaves, clothing, etc).

Do not try to relight a firework that didn’t function properly.

A bucket of water should always be around just in case of a malfunction.

Before it gets dark enough for fireworks, you’ll need some activities to keep your guests entertained. Opt for the classic, all-American games like tug of war, sack races, or water balloon fights if you want to stick to tradition.

A few updated activities for you to try are bringing a karaoke machine outside and loading it with the standard American hits (like “Born In The USA” by Bruce Springsteen or “American Girl” by Tom Petty), or bringing a movie projector outdoors and screening classic American films (“Gone With The Wind”, “Casablanca”).

You can also get a bonfire started and ask any musicians to bring their instruments with them for an impromptu fireside performance.

July 4th Recipes

It’s all about the barbeque for great Fourth of July cuisine. Stick to tried and true favourites, like salad, potatoes, and ribs, and then get into the festivities with red, white and blue drinks & dessert! Brought to you from www.thefoodnetwork.com, here are some delicious recipes you can prepare for your all-American bash:

Appetizers

Chicken Wings with Red Hot Honey Glaze and Blue Cheese-Celery Dipping Sauce

Veggie Crudites with Light Dip

Grilled Potato and Green Onion Salad

Sides

Quick Thousand Island Slaw

Baked Meyer Lemon Fries

Skillet-Fried Corn and Tomatoes

Main Course

Kansas City Style Pork Ribs

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

The Ultimate Barbecued Chicken

Dessert

Flag Cake recipe

4th of July trifle recipe

Alton’s Apple Pie recipe

Drinks

Fourth of July Cocktail

Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade

Watermelon Cooler

4th of July Sale Furniture

One of the great things about holidays? The 4th of July Sale prices of course! If you’ve been looking for new furniture but you’re on a budget, now’s the time to start looking!

Bedroom sets are an economical choice because they’re cheaper than buying all of the pieces separately. Try the Lifestyle Solutions Amalfi Platform Bed and Nightstand 2 Piece Bedroom Set for a modern style room,

and the Laurier Furniture Expression Low Profile Metal Slats Bed 2 Piece Bedroom Set for a more classic, casual bedroom.

Solid Wood Platform Bed with FREE Mattress

Decorate your traditional style bedroom with the antique inspired Round Wall Mirror 50% off,

and complete your look with the Standard Milan Double Dresser – it will look best in contemporary bedrooms.

For your living room, again, it’s best to buy in sets to save money. The Finer By Design Palm Fabric 4 Piece Sofa Set 65% off comes with three seating options and a cocktail ottoman, so you won’t have to go out and buy separate pieces.

If all you’ve been looking for in your living room is somewhere to rest your feet, try the contemporary Homelegance Tufton Peat Microfiber Ottoman.

Get a great deal and complete a traditional living room with the American Drew Bob Mackie Oval Glass Top Coffee Table – Price Reduced 30%,

or even the Standard Distressed Cherry Oxford Cocktail Table.

A casually designed dining room needs a basic dining set, like the Black Pedestal Dining Table Set crafted by Home Styles Furniture.

Mac Motion Swivel Recliner it is an extra $100 off usally these sell discount at $699.00!

Whats summer without a Weber Grill at almost 20% off. It always makes sense to buy in sets to save money!

I hear that Cymax Stores is having a HUGE 4th of July sale use the coupon code JULY4TH,  your the first to know!

Happy 4th of July Sale Shopping!

Happy Fourth of July!

Nicolette Interior Design Diva