Archive for October, 2011
October 22nd, 2011 | 
Author: Live plants can transform your living room into a more livable space. Aside from their aesthetic characteristics, they also purify the quality of air in your home. Mixing the appropriate furniture, fixtures and plants in your living room can give it an impressive appeal.
Choose the right type of plant
This is the most essential element when decorating your living room with plants. Live plants are of different varieties and a few will easily grow by just hanging them on your veranda. Others, however, may not live long when placed inside your living room. Nevertheless, there are some types that are categorized as house plants and would tolerate the climate indoors. Belonging to these category are palms like Areca and Reed. They are absolutely adaptable and thrive well in moderately lighted areas. Another type of indoor plant that can grow easily are rubber plants. They are attractive and resilient and work well when placed in the corner of your room. Ivies are the most ordinary house plants that are ideal to be hung above the windows.
Where to position the plants
To create a more relaxing and comfortable ambiance, you need to position them appropriately. Lighting is a vital factor to consider when positioning them in your living room. You must know the plants’ lighting requirements so you would know where to place them. Plants are better situated against a plain backdrop like a white or cream-colored wall. Hanging them above or in front of the windows is another good area to place them. A common choice of homeowners is having an authentic indoor home garden. They are placed in a particular spot of the living room that consists of hanging and potted plants. Whatever your choice is, always make certain that they get the proper light that they require.
Choose plants that can disinfect the air in your room.
Disinfecting the air inside your home is one of the benefits of having indoor plants. To make this possible, have a plant that is situated every 8 – 10 feet. A few homeowners group them together with a distance of 8 – 10 feet to take full advantage of their efficiency in disinfecting the air. Although there are plenty of plants that can enhance the quality of air in your home, English Ivy and Bamboo are among the favorites because they can be integrated easily in your seating room.
Choosing the plant color
It is likewise necessary to choose the appropriate colors when putting indoor plants. Those that have colored buds must blend with the colors found in your room. Consider the color scheme that you have adopted and choose their colors from this scheme. It is cheaper to buy a new plant rather than change your furniture.
To make sure that the plants you will have are good air disinfectants, you can check the web for these suitable plants. NASA recommends some plants that are ideal for this purpose.
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Family Heirlooms
Most any children are thrilled to receive a family heirloom whether it be passed from many generations or something that they remember getting as a gift as a child. It can also be something that they cherished when they were young.
The stories they tell have a special meaning in some way or another. It could be a gift from Aunt Martha or Uncle Jim or it may be something that the child has remembered in their parents or grandparents home while growing up. Who hasn’t wished they had that toy, book or special piece as they watch the antique show on television.
If it is an item that is passed from generation to generation, take the time to get as much information on the piece as you can. Countless stories can be told of an heirloom piece that was handed down from a prior generation but no one can remember who it came from, the approximate date or the value. When this information is preserved with the heirloom piece, it makes the item so much more valuable.
Even if the piece is only 10 to 20 years old and you remember it from your childhood days, the item may still have a sentimental value. Passing to a future generation will eventually add decades to the piece. It may not be an antique piece now, but in 20 years it will be. An example of some beautiful pieces are Tiffany Lamps made by Louis Comfort Tiffany. If one of his lamps is sold at auction, it can easily bring thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.
If you think an heirloom piece is valuable and do not know its worth, do not hesitate to get a professional to assist you in appraising the piece. A museum or a library is an excellent place to start. Most all museums have a curator who may appraise pieces or be able to direct you to the right person who can appraise the piece. Many libraries have books available on antiques and heirlooms. Appraisals are important as knowing the value of an item, the age, the time period when it was used. It can also assist you in what you should have the piece insured for. The insurance company will need to know the value and most likely ask you for an appraisal.
Heirlooms are an important part of history. Without history, we would not be who we are today. We have evolved from the simple life to the technological age. With heirlooms, we know where we came from and how we became who we are today.