Winter Holiday Safety

Winter Holidays are a time for families and friends to get together. But that also means a greater risk for fire. Following a few simple tips will ensure a happy and fire-safe holiday season

HOLIDAY DECORATING

• Be careful with holiday decorations. Choose decorations that are flame retardant or flame resistant.
• Keep candles away from decorations and other things that can burn.
• Use lights that have the label of an independent testing laboratory. Some lights are only for indoor use or outdoor use, but not both.
• Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Connect no more than three strands of mini light sets and a maximum of 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs.
• Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so the cords do not get damaged.
• Keep decorations away from windows and doors.

HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING

• Test your smoke alarms and tell guests about your home fire escape plan.
• Keep children and pets away from lit candles.
• Keep matches and lighters up high in a locked cabinet.
• Stay in the kitchen when cooking on the stovetop.
• Ask smokers to smoke outside. Remind smokers to keep their smoking materials with them so young children do not touch them.
• Provide large, deep ashtrays for smokers. Wet cigarette butts with water before discarding.

BeForE HEadiNG tO Bed 
Blow out lit candles when you leave the room or to go to bed. Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.

FACTS
>>December is the peak time of the year for home candle fires.
>>Roughly two out of five home fires start in the kitchen.
>>Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires.

Ways to Find Apartment Decorating Inspiration

Whether you’re in a brand new apartment or looking to spruce up your present one, most of us are on constant lookout for design inspiration.

But where to find it?

Read on for some places to find the decorating ideas you’ve been waiting for.

Do you have an emerging style?
Look around your apartment. Do you see a look that’s trying to get out? Perhaps you have several pieces that share the same era, color or style. What about the color, fabric or design of your bed linens, window treatments and wall hangings? You might discover that you have subconsciously been collecting items that create a style of their own, but it’s one that has been buried by the mish mash of other looks you’ve decorated with. Remove these unaffiliated pieces and accessories and replace with others that match your existing theme.

What are your hobbies?
Or let’s say you’ve got nothing but a hopeless hodgepodge for your look. Then it’s time to get down to some serious apartment decorating repair work. How do you find a look that reflects the real you, one that you enjoy looking at and living in? Let’s start with some soul-searching. What do you love? Look to your hobbies and the interests closest to your heart to develop some decorating ideas.

Are you a golf fanatic? Perhaps you’d enjoy the trappings of the Florida scene with a palm tree motif, plenty of greens and browns, rattan or dark wood furniture and vintage golf accessories. Do you love to travel? Posters from faraway places or of planes, trains and automobiles are a great way to underscore your theme. Antiques often deliver an old-world flavor. Do you like to garden, cook or build kites? Look for patterns, paintings, posters and colors that represent your passion and let your imagination run wild.

Inspired by art
Do you have a favorite painting or photograph, or a much-loved period of art? That information could make a great starting point for your apartment décor. From the Renaissance masters to modernism, a powerful framed piece can set the stage for an entire room. Go quirky or classical, depending on your favorite hanging.

Look to nature
Perhaps you have a favorite climate or geographic locale. Are you a beach lover or do the mountains call your name? Do you long for the Mediterranean life? Whether you want to create a beach cottage, an Italian villa or an alpine cabin for your apartment look, there are many nature-inspired apartment decorating ideas to fuel your design journey.

The world of design
Modern media is obsessed with design. From magazines to entire television channels devoted to interior design, there are literally countless resources at your disposal. Are you drawn to the modern look or do you prefer country rustic? Whatever your persuasion, you can find a Web site, show or publication that will feed your interest. Why not try the public library for books on apartment decorating, or browse the newsstand at your local grocery store and pick up several magazines to take home with you. The most exciting aspect of apartment decorating is combining styles to create your very own.

Design inspiration can come from virtually anyplace. If you’re short on decorating ideas, you need only look around you. Be open and inventive, and you’ll soon be living in the style that suits you best.

Fall Decorating for Your Apartment

Leaves are turning and there’s a chill in the air — clear signs fall has arrived.

You don’t have to let Mother Nature have all the fun.

Fill your apartment with fall flavor by decorating with autumn decor. Take your cues from the great outdoors and transform your interior before the first frost.

Changing colors
The color palette outside is transforming, and so should your apartment decor. Bring your favorite fall colors inside by adding accents of red, gold, orange, forest green and brown. The easiest way to shift your apartment color palette from sunny summer to festive fall is to replace inexpensive accessories. Swap out your spring-colored throw pillows for more autumnal colors such as hunter green. Put out new table linens in warm tones like orange and red. Store your brightly-colored cotton throw rugs and bring in brown and gold wool versions. Adding traditional fall colors to your existing apartment décor will make every day feel like a harvest festival.

Embrace the Earth
Fall decorating is also the perfect time to add an outdoor element. Go for a walk outside and notice the natural items that you could bring inside (for free!) There are a lot of creative options for table centerpieces that you can make yourself with leaves, dried corn and miniature pumpkins. (If you can’t find all of these items outside, hit the local grocer or farmer’s market.) Invite friends over for a decorating potluck where everyone brings their favorite autumn item to use for a craft project. Try making a few different fall centerpieces for the dining room table, coffee table and end tables.

Go cozy
Now that there’s a nip in the air, warm up your space by making the most of your fireplace. Dress it up with fall decor by adding a garland of gorgeous leaves that weaves its way through colorful red and gold candles. This creates a nice cozy atmosphere for fall entertaining or relaxing on your own at the end of the day. And when you are picking out candles for your fall apartment decorating, think beyond color to your favorite smells of autumn. Choose favorite scents that remind you of harvest time, for instance. Scents like pumpkin pie, apple orchard and candy corn will get you in the mood for the cooler days ahead.
Take it outside
Don’t limit fall decorating to the inside of your apartment. Bring autumn accents into an outdoor hallway by adding a wreath on your door or a leafy swag around the doorframe. Set out a trio of different sized pumpkins or a Jack O’ Lantern near your front entrance. Decorate your apartment patio with fall-themed window boxes and strings of tiny orange lights. You might even want to add a Halloween or Thanksgiving themed doormat to welcome guests.

‘Tis the season
In addition to all-purpose fall decor, add some holiday-specific items to help you get geared up for Halloween parties and Thanksgiving dinners. You can go classic with witchy napkins and cornucopia centerpieces or blow it out with an inflatable turkey and fake tombstones. Remember that for some folks, football season is a national holiday! Proudly display your favorite team colors around your apartment. Be bold and hang a sports-themed flag by your front door to let your neighbors know which team you’ll be cheering for on game day.

The cool autumn sky’s the limit when it comes to decorating your apartment for fall. Window shop the stores and

browse home decor magazines for ideas,

then go wild with fall color and nature’s bounty

Avoid These Apartment Decorating Mistakes

You might think decorating your apartment will be a piece of cake: Throw some paint on the wall, add some throw pillows and hang a few photos, and you’re done. But be careful, decorating haphazardly could lead you to make some classic apartment decorating mistakes. Here are some tips to help you get your apartment decorating off on the right track and avoid apartment decorating mistakes.

Decorating Mistake # 1: Ignoring the walls
Even if you pick the right furniture, accessories and window treatments for a room your decorating scheme can fall flat if you ignore the walls. You don’t have to pick a bold color for your walls or attempt a difficult finish, but if your walls are looking flat, do something. Whether you paint them or hang paintings on them your walls could be an amazing accent to your decorating scheme.

Decorating Mistake #2: Doing too much
You may think you are never finished decorating a room. But adding too many decorative elements in a room is just as bad as adding too few. Too much of one color, for instance, can be overwhelming to the eye. Break up monotonous color schemes with a flash of bold color. Use accessories wisely. Sometimes a clean, elegant look is the best way to go.

Decorating Mistake #3: Bare windows
Window treatments are a great way to add a focal point to your apartment, accessorize an existing decorating scheme or hide unsightly views right outside your window. The good news is that there’s no shortage of options for window treatments. Whether you choose blinds, shades, curtains or draperies, you’re covered.

Decorating Mistake #4: Too much clutter
No matter how well-decorated a room is, if it has too much clutter it will look messy. So get organized, clear out the clutter and keep your apartment looking neat.

Decorating Mistake #5: Using the wrong size furniture
Furniture that is too big for a room can make it seem tiny. The reverse is true as well: small furniture in a large room can make it seem sparse and under-decorated. So think of scale when choosing furniture pieces for your apartment.

Decorating Mistake #5: Looking outdated
Your room can look 90 percent perfect, but one badly outdated piece of furniture or design element can bring the whole room down with it. Get rid of outmoded furniture or accessories. If the offending piece is not in style anymore, your room won’t be either.

Avoid these common decorating mistakes and you will be able to decorate your apartment with style and ease.

Ideas to Get You Cooking in Your Small Kitchen

You don’t have to have a cavernous apartment kitchen to make it work for you. Even if your kitchen is the size of a ship’s galley, there are plenty of creative small kitchen solutions you can employ to store your stuff and enlarge the usable space.

Create visual space
Drawing the eye upward is a great way to create space in a vertically-challenged kitchen. With the okay of your landlord, consider a repaint of your kitchen using neutral colors near the floor and bright, energizing colors for top cabinets. With approval, consider removing cabinet doors, a kitchen decor trick that creates depth and openness, making the kitchen seem less confining. (Store the doors for future use, of course.)

Brighten it up
Shadows detract from space, so banish them with better lighting. Keep window coverings as sheer as possible and don’t let knickknacks hog the space. If your counter space permits, try a lamp or LED lights (tap lights, for instance) that can be mounted under cabinets with adhesive or a bracket, giving you a brighter, more welcoming work area.

Hidden storage space
Do you eat in your kitchen or another room? Many times, the kitchen table is a redundant piece of furniture, one that takes second place to a dining room table. If yours is getting ignored, get rid of it! You’ve just created an empty wall, available for a hutch, shelving unit or cabinet that can store many of your kitchen wares.
You don’t have to store all of your kitchen items directly in your kitchen. Do you have a nearby closet that could serve as a pantry? With more shelving, you can even store away your small appliances and create more counter space. Perhaps you have some free wall space? A dish shelf can help you display bright, collectible pieces and free up cabinet space. You can also mount stemware or store coffee mugs under your top cabinets to free up shelves for other items.

Keep it clean and clutter free
Even in a spacious kitchen, a cluttered countertop is a dismal site; in small kitchens, it’s a “keep out” sign. Be sure to clean and store your dishes after every meal, as well as all tools and ingredients. If you’re running short on space, make time for some kitchen organizing: go through all of your cupboard and drawers, and discard items you’re not using often. (We’ve all bought dishes and tools that seemed like a must-have at the time, but have never seen the light of day since.)
Ready to reclaim your kitchen? You can accomplish a lot in a modest space with some smart storage and space usage.

Living Room Decoration for Beginners

Regardless of where you’re living, there are basic decorating rules you should follow to avoid your living room looking too small or overwhelmed, or even too open. Just remember these basics:

•Paint. Nothing makes a room stand out so quickly than throwing some color on the wall, covering up that neutral light beige every landlord uses.
But be careful: You don’t want to overwhelm the room, so consider reading tips on how to add color to your apartment. For instance, painting just one wall makes it an eye-catching accent wall and focal point of the room, but you can keep the walls neutral and paint your furniture instead, making it stand out. You can even add texture to the walls to really make it pop.

•Dark colors in a small room make the room look smaller. So if you’re eyeing painting the wall and your living room is tiny, consider going with a bright, light color. It makes the space look bigger and brightens the room as well. Apartmentguide.com has some tips for small spaces that are useful for decorating small living rooms.

•Furniture that is too big can overwhelm a small room, but if you have room to spare, make it count. Essentially, don’t buy a couch that’s too big for your living room. But if your living room is big, play with the space. Finding living room furniture to fit your space doesn’t have to break the bank either. Some tips on finding inexpensive furniture include checking online, shopping at the thrift stores and even renting.

•Keep the color in check. Painting your living room red may be a great idea, but if your living room furniture is also dark and red, as are your curtains, it could overwhelm your decorating scheme. Instead, place bold colors in smaller doses: Instead of a bold wall color, use a neutral and then accessorize with color in curtains, throw pillows and rugs.

•Light it up. Apartments are usually lacking in light, so don’t be afraid to add lamps — floor lamps, table lamps, even hanging lamps. Not only does it brighten smaller spaces, but it also allows you to add subtle color through the shades.

Personalize
Even if you never do any of the beginning living room decoration, there are other ways to spice up your living room:
•Add photos or artwork. Frame them and then hang them. It brings the eye to the walls and adds a nice homey touch to your living room. You can even display them on tabletops.
•Make your living room decoration breathe by strategically placing evergreen plants around your apartment. Just make sure they have enough light, among other plant needs .
•Accessorize, either with throw pillows or blankets, or even just books and knick knacks placed around the room. Make these items fit your personality.
Decorating your living room can be as simple as throwing some paint on the walls and hanging photos. Whatever you do, just make it reflect your style and tastes.