Some Pointers in Decorating & arranging the house * Wipe the slate clean.
-In other words, completely empty the room, if possible. I know this can be hard, especially in a cramped, city apartment, but it is sometimes impossible to visualize a fresh new look unless you begin with a blank palette. * Decide on your focal point.
Every room needs one. This is the defining element in your room. It can be a something as simple as a fireplace or a unique piece of furniture or artwork. Your furniture should be arranged to take advantage of your focal point. For example, in the living room or bedroom, the sofa or bed should face the focal point. * Identify traffic patterns and avoid setting up an obstacle course. For example, if you must cut through your dining room to get to your kitchen, you won’t want to dodge a huge table and chairs just to get a drink of water. * Decide on the use of the room – intimate gatherings, entertaining large crowds, sleeping and playing (like in a child’s bedroom) or sleeping only? Your main piece, especially in a large room, will help define the purpose and use of the space. * Don’t block doorways, windows or views to other rooms, if possible. Consider these factors before you begin moving your furniture in. * Use remaining furnishings to define areas.
This is very important in a large room, but it is just as important in a small space. The remaining furniture and decor should enhance and work around your main piece and your focal point. If a smaller piece won’t fit or it won’t compliment these two factors in your room, it doesn’t belong in this space. * Consider scale and proportion of your pieces and how they fit into the existing scale of your space. A too-small chair next to an overstuffed sofa often feels awkward; so does a tiny picture hanging on a large wall. When in doubt, go larger rather than smaller. * Pull some furniture pieces out from the wall. This is a great way to define certain areas of a large room. It also keeps a small room from feeling like all of the furniture is squished against the wall. * Every object has a height, depth and width. To add visual interest to any space, incorporate a variety of furniture with different characteristics. If you're going for a serene, unchallenging area for rest or recovery, keep the furnishing volumes in a room similar. * Use Scaled Pieces to Create Balance
-The size of pieces relative to one another and the size of the space is their scale. Similarly scaled pieces are more serene when used together, but a nice balance of pieces creates a harmonious atmosphere, utilizing the differing physical qualities of height, depth and width throughout a room. * Form a Healthy Relationship
-The relationship of items to one another to form a pleasing whole is called balance. There are two forms of balance: symmetrical and asymmetrical. Bilateral symmetry is like the human body: There are two of everything. Asymmetry refers to an imbalance, such as two candles of slightly different sizes. * Use an Artist's Perspective
Look at your space as a painter looks at a work of art. There are visual tricks that painters use to create the appearance of depth in a space. * Create Depth in Artwork
-The second trick painters use is the creation of depth in artwork, which is a two-dimensional medium. Paintings often have a foreground, midground, background and vanishing point. Stand at the threshold of your room. Place a chair, perhaps at an angle, in the foreground closest to you. * Think Gestalt
-All furniture arrangements have a certain gestalt, or "totality," a "form." Large rectangular spaces can be dealt with by dividing the "form" of the space into another form. A long, narrow living space, for instance, can be split in two by creating zones of function.
ORGANIZING & CLEANING THE HOUSE
1.PRIORITIZE YOUR HOME CLEANING NEEDS
First up: figure out which rooms are most in need of being cleaned. If you are having friends over for game night then clean rooms that your guests will actually be using and going in, like the bathroom and the living room. By choosing only a few rooms to clean, you will save yourself a ton of time and stress.
2. ENLIST HELP
Get the kids or your mate to help you tidy up by taking all of their toys, games, books and clothes to their bedrooms. This will speed up the cleaning process and narrow down what you need to clean.
3. DO THE WINDOWS
It may seem a thankless job but Windexing your windows and other glass surfaces will make your home shine, especially if you have dogs and kids. Fingerprints and nose marks are a dead giveaway for spotting a mess!
4. DUST OFF THE TV
Ten minutes may not give you enough time to dust your whole home, but you do want to at least dust the one place people will notice the most – the TV. If you have a dusty television and entertainment console, it screams "please, please, clean me." So to have your guests thinking what a fabulous housekeeper you are, grab a Swiffer and get your dusting done in a jiff.
5. PICK UP THE PET HAIR
Swiffers are also great for picking up dust and pet hair on hardwood or tile floors, which is ideal when you don't have time to vacuum. Use the Swiffer on baseboards and floors to pick up any dust bunnies or pet fur that might be floating around.
6. WIN THE BATTLE OF THE BATHROOM
Clean all the mirrors and get rid of any splash spots or toothpaste gunk. Remove all clutter from the bathroom counter, and put it under the sink or in the vanity cupboard or wherever it initially came from and do a quick wipe down with a disposal wipe. Remember to wipe down the toilet seat as well. Grimy bathrooms are one of the least pleasant places to find yourself sitting in.
7. TIDY THE TOWELS
Replace all bathroom handtowels with clean ones. If you have kids and your handtowels are covered with, well everything, toss them in the laundry and put a few fresh ones out. No one likes wiping their clean hands on unidentifiable stains.
8. DO A QUICK DE-CLUTTER
Put like items together; for example, if you have magazines and books everywhere, stack and pile them together on the end of a bookshelf until you can get to them after your company has departed.
9. LET YOUR KITCHEN SHINE
Wipe down your kitchen counters, the sink and the faucets. A shiny faucet looks so much nicer than one covered in water spots. Be sure to also straighten up your countertop kitchen appliances and décor, or continue your de-clutter mission by putting some of them underneath the counter for a cleaner look.
10. STOP AND SMELL THE AIR FRESHENER
Febreeze your gathering area to give your house a fresh smell. You can also burn some mild-scented candles or boost your essential oil diffuser. A nice smelling house comes across as a clean house.

ART & PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO HOME DECORATION
UNITY
In home decorating, unity refers to the blending of all elements and principles of design. Unity exudes a feeling that all objects in a room look like they belong together.
You see unity when you enter the room of an artist or a writer. Almost all of the designs in his of her room reveal his of her inclination to arts or literature. Usually, the arrangement of the furniture and other objects in the room is in a manner that allows him or her to draw or read or write as often as freely as possible.
BALANCE
Balance refers to the arrangement of objects that create an even feel in a room. It brings equilibrium to the space. This means large and small items in the room should be distributed evenly. The entire room should be comfortable to the eye. There should be nothing annoying or awkward. If something seems out of place in the room, take it out.
Balance in home decorating is of two kinds – symmetrical and asymmetrical. * Symmetrical balance is present when two objects in a room are exactly the same and are placed equidistant from each other and from other elements. It is visually pleasing. An example of this formal type of arrangement would be an armoire against a wall with a candle sconce hanging on the wall on each side of the armoire. * Asymmetrical balance is seen when two objects fight for equal attention due to the location where they are placed. It is a little tricky to arrange, but can be pleasing to the eye if done properly. An example would be a console table with floral arrangement on one end and a grouping of candlesticks on the other. While the items are not the same, if they are of the same scale as the floral arrangement when grouped together, they will balance each other.
To maintain balance, large heavy pieces of furniture should be placed around the room and not grouped together on one side of the room.
CONTRAST
Contrast is best explained in the cliché, opposites attract. It is achieved in all elements of design by using one element that differs in color or shape among objects. Contrast can be used to create interest in a room. The décor in your room should maintain the same style but vary in the elements of color, pattern, size, and others.
When you put one rough-textured furniture in a room full of smooth textured ones, you achieve contrast.
Interior designers are sometimes become too pre-occupied with monotone colors for area rugs, sofas, and drapery or matching all wood finishes. Contrasting colors can be pleasing to the eye if done well, especially if combined with textures in furniture and accessories. Some examples are contrasting dark wood furniture with white or ivory colored and textured fabrics. Adding texture to fabric or furniture also tones down the contrast effect. A rattan- or banana leaf-woven chair with a white herringbone tweed-covered cushion is not as cold in a room as a black lacquered chair with white polyester cushions.
EMPHASIS
Emphasis is the focal point or center in the design. It is the object which receives the most attention than the other objects in a room.
There is emphasis if you put briefly colored pillows in a solid colored sofa.
PROPORTION
Proportion is about the relationships of one object to another, and how they look when placed near each other. This is achieved when taking into account the scale of the room, remembering that the people who will use the room will also be part of that scale. If you want large comfortable seats in a small room, you need to reduce the number of other things that will be placed in the room and make sure that the other accessories seem correctly proportional in relation to one another. Some items or furniture, or paintings, look good next to each other, and some don’t.
RHYTHM
Rhythm refers to the movement which follows a regular pattern. When a room is harmonious, all the elements in the room relate easily to each other. When a room has rhythm, it means that the colors or patterns are repeated in a way that stimulates the eye and mind. Remember, however, that too much pattern in a small room can be overwhelming.
Rhythm is synonymous to harmony, just like in a song. In many cases, rhythm is “felt” intuitively and not immediately apparent to the person. But it is an element that makes a room right.
There are some ways to bring rhythm to your room: * Repeat lines in the room, just like a musical beat. Repeat circles in various forms around the room, or curves, or even vertical lines. * Arrange items from small to large – in groupings of home accessories, placement of tables and picture frames. * Make the room “flow” by putting curved lines in the room which lead the eye smoothly from one element to another. * Add a little contrast by not repeating shapes, lines, patterns, and colors.