Mix It Up
As I said in my last post, no one has a room in which all the furniture matches the walls and decor, with all of it being within the same style of interior design. Average people just work with what they have, sometimes replacing things here or there. Thus, there must be ways for different styles to work together.
Even if you believe you are one of those people who supposedly does not care how your room looks, you unconsciously arrange your furniture in an attempt to make things go together. I do not have much time so shortly:
1. You can match similar colors.
2. You can match colors that compliment each other. This is left to opinion on which colors actually go well next to each other. But as a general rule, I stick with cools go with cools and warms go with warms. The cool colors are things such as purple, blue, and green. The warm colors are the other ones, such as red, orange, and yellow.
3. On the issue of walls vs. furniture, almost anythings goes. The only thing that really stands out is if the walls of a room are completely different in style than the furniture. You can have many different styles on your wall, even if they do not all match the furniture. However, having all one style on the walls, while the furniture is one (or multiple) different styles, creates an odd “doesn’t belong” feeling.
That is all I have time to write today, I am sorry this post is so short! 
Stylish
If you want to redo the inside of your house, or just one room, and you google interior designers, you always see pictures of beautiful rooms. All the furniture matches in color and design, and in turn matches the wall colors and the wall decor like a photo out of a magazine!
But let’s be honest here. Who has all matching furniture? And who, normally, has the money to buy all new furniture? No one I know. Chances are you have a bunch of mix-matched furniture, all different colors and style.
What do I mean when I say style of furniture? Well to give an example, a lot of furniture you would see walking around Ikea is considered contemporary. Different sources will have different names for the same style. I chose the names I thought were the most simple to understand. Contemporary may not sound that easy, but that is the only style I have found that has the same name on every source. This is probably because contemporary is the most common style. It is described as “lifestyle-simple” and “easy-care.” However, some consider temporary to be the same as modern. Do not be fooled.. Some other styles are old world, such as antique furniture, or modern, which is more abstract and simple. The modern style is often for those who are space-conscious, such as city-apartment dwellers. 
Remember, there are often fuzzy lines between different styles so sometimes it will come down to the particular interior designer’s or maker’s opinion.
Which style is this room? It may be a style I have mentioned, although I think not. I will leave it up to you to decide.
One style can, of course, be split up into many categories. For contemporary, I have my own subsections I defined. One is kid-furniture, which is the big plastic things, or the simple-to-use objects (often cheaper). In my room, I have two plain while shelves and one cabinet which I consider kid-furniture. I would love to get rid of them and replace them with what I consider middle-contemporary. 
This furniture is often used by teens and the younger half of adults. It has a modern look to it, as opposed to an antique look. Generally it is cheaper, such as from Ikea, as this age group is sterotypically poorer. I would put my bed into this category, as well as the modern style category, as it is a black metal bunkbed whose design is a bit abstract. The final group of contemporary is, you might of guessed it, often used by the older half of adults, or those with no kids and/or financial stability. It is generally nicer furniture and thus more expensive than the last two categories but it is still “lifestyle-simple.” However, it is ranging into the more sophisticated styles, such as cottage or even old world. My dresser in my bedroom may fall into this category, minus the stickers covering it, because it is entirely polished light-brown wood and definitely does not match the rest of my room.
I just had to put this picture in here. I like the furniture and I think it goes quite well together. I love the walls and think they go nicely with the display against the back wall. But my goodness, this furniture with these walls is an interior designing disaster! This is modern/contemporary mixed with old world/Victorian. I really just do not think this works.
So what if your room does not match, such as mine or such as this one? No worries, this is most peoples’ situation. In my next blog, I will talk about mixing different furniture styles. For now, have a good end of march this weekend!
Stylish
If you want to redo the inside of your house, or just one room, and you google interior designers, you always see pictures of beautiful rooms. All the furniture matches in color and design, and in turn matches the wall colors and the wall decor like a photo out of a magazine!But let’s be honest here. Who has all matching furniture? And who, normally, has the money to buy all new furniture? No one I know. Chances are you have a bunch of mix-matched furniture, all different colors and style.
What do I mean when I say style of furniture? Well to give an example, a lot of furniture you would see walking around Ikea is considered contemporary. Different sources will have different names for the same style. I chose the names I thought were the most simple to understand. Contemporary may not sound that easy, but that is the only style I have found that has the same name on every source. This is probably because contemporary is the most common style. It is described as “lifestyle-simple” and “easy-care.” However, some consider temporary to be the same as modern. Do not be fooled.. Some other styles are old world, such as antique furniture, or modern, which is more abstract and simple. The modern style is often for those who are space-conscious, such as city-apartment dwellers. Remember, there are often fuzzy lines between different styles so sometimes it will come down to the particular interior designer’s or maker’s opinion.Which style is this room? It may be a style I have mentioned, although I think not. I will leave it up to you to decide.
One style can, of course, be split up into many categories. For contemporary, I have my own subsections I defined. One is kid-furniture, which is the big plastic things, or the simple-to-use objects (often cheaper). In my room, I have two plain while shelves and one cabinet which I consider kid-furniture. I would love to get rid of them and replace them with what I consider middle-contemporary. This furniture is often used by teens and the younger half of adults. It has a modern look to it, as opposed to an antique look. Generally it is cheaper, such as from Ikea, as this age group is sterotypically poorer. I would put my bed into this category, as well as the modern style category, as it is a black metal bunkbed whose design is a bit abstract. The final group of contemporary is, you might of guessed it, often used by the older half of adults, or those with no kids and/or financial stability. It is generally nicer furniture and thus more expensive than the last two categories but it is still “lifestyle-simple.” However, it is ranging into the more sophisticated styles, such as cottage or even old world. My dresser in my bedroom may fall into this category, minus the stickers covering it, because it is entirely polished light-brown wood and definitely does not match the rest of my room.I just had to put this picture in here. I like the furniture and I think it goes quite well together. I love the walls and think they go nicely with the display against the back wall. But my goodness, this furniture with these walls is an interior designing disaster! This is modern/contemporary mixed with old world/Victorian. I really just do not think this works.
So what if your room does not match, such as mine or such as this one? No worries, this is most peoples’ situation. In my next blog, I will talk about mixing different furniture styles. For now, have a good end of march this weekend!
Pink With Passion
I was reading through the comments on my previous posts (they are great by the way guys, keep them coming, I really love the feedback) and I have decided to dedicate this post to responding to some of those comments. A common theme in these comments is zebras, or more specifically my so-called obsession with zebras. It is true, I am quite passionate about zebras. Another theme I saw in the comments, especially on this last post, was my passion for interior designing. Several people were surprised that I had not chosen this career for my career project. And finally, this one specifically referring to my previous post, all the comments mentioned how they enjoyed my decorating ideas for Valentine’s day. Hence, the title “Pink With Passion.”
Zebras. I love them. 
As anyone that is acquainted with me will tell you, I incorporate them into pretty much everything I do, including interior designing. I have google-imaged zebras so many times, I now have a hard time finding a picture I have not used in this blog. But there is always a new picture I find, just with a little extra scrolling. Every single zebra is different, with an individual stripe pattern that is unique to them, so there is always a new picture to discover.
This is part of what thrills me about interior designing. No two rooms are the same, and no two rooms ever have to be. Even hotel rooms are unique, with different wall decorations or placement of furniture in each room of a single hotel.
Look closely and you will see the differences in these two hotel rooms, despite having the same set of beds. Chances your own bedroom has changed over the years. I seriously doubt you have the same bed you had when you were 5, or all of the same wall decorations. And I am sorry to tell you, but your room will never be the same as it was.
Rooms and houses are constantly changing, just like nature. But unlike nature, the owner of the house or room can change it whenever and to whatever he/she wants! Do you want a pink room for Valentine’s day?
Or how about a green room for St. Patrick’s Day?
My point is that you can do whatever you want with a room and it will never turn out the same. My future in interior designing? Undecided. It is definitely still being considered as a career. Passion is certainly essential in enjoying your job/major and, according to the comments, people believe I have passion for interior designing. However, all of my posts are about what you could do with a room, with an emphasis on always following your tastes and guidelines. An interior designer’s life is not so glamorous. We are tied down to whatever the customer wants and although we can incorporate some of our own creativity into it, the room will primarily be what the customer wants. That is, of course, great for the customer, but not so enjoyable for me. So most likely I will continue interior designing simply as a hobby. I am hoping to eventually build up enough decorations to decorate my entire house (or dorm or where ever I am living) during each holiday! Check out these awesome ideas for Christmas!
Meanwhile, just a quick story. My cousin came to visit us a few weeks ago and, of course, I had to show him my room. And while describing my wall decorations to him, I realized each one of them has its own story, some more meaningful than others. My Taylor Swift poster was a birthday present from a good friend of mine. My “live, laugh, love frame was one of the last things to go up because I stepped on it and had to get it fixed. It made me realize that wall decorations and furniture makes your room so much more enjoyable if they have stories and memories associated with them. Pictures are self-explanatory, as they are a memory frozen in time. A bed has been that place where you collapse after an essay or a place you cry after a tragedy.
Every single thing you put in your room has a story that goes with it and that story will build up with time. So take a minute and look around your room and see if you can think of a funny, sad, happy story that goes with a wall decoration or piece of furniture. Or even the color of your walls! I’d love to hear what you remember from your room(:
By the way, fun update about zebras: A school council of Briston, UK has painted three zebra-print cross-walks in an effort to make it safer for the young kids to cross the road. The theory is that the zebra print will catch motorists’ attention and thus cause less threat to the kids. Proof that zebra stripes can be helpful not just to zebras. Until next week! Don’t forget to look around your room!
More Than Just Houses
What do interior designers do? Well, obviously, they design interiors. Mainly, or the general perception is, they design mostly houses. It is true that many interior designers that work for firms or independently are called upon during a building of new house or a remodel of an old one/part of an old one. However, in addition to help choose colors, furniture, lighting, etc., interior designers also work with architects in the construction and layout of the house/building. One example of this would be purely for the individual customer’s satisfaction if they are having a house built for them. Another example is a company hiring an interior designer to work with an architect on a new office building. Interior designers have to ask themselves: how many people will be working here? What kind of lighting is the most efficient and within the company’s budget? The same kind of questions can be applied when working with individual houses or even events.
Yes, you read that right. Interior designers also work with event planners. Take weddings as an example. Although wedding planners know how to set up a room for, say, a wedding reception, interior designers are sometimes called in to design the set up of the room. What kind of lighting would make the guests feel comfortable? (yes, lighting is actually huge when designing an event or house) What colors match the bridesmaid dresses or what color theme has the couple chosen? How many guests will there be? Occasionally, an interior designer will work for an event planning firm. But generally event planners have enough knowledge to set up a room for a temporary event, while interior designers mainly deal with long-term building designs.
Meanwhile, Valentine’s Day is approaching fast. You guys can practice your designing skills by decorating your room in pink for the holiday! 
You can use a room to do something sweet for your better-half, or someone in your family you want to give a special thanks to. Many of these ideas involve rose petals on a bed or on the floor. But you can also just make a sign and tape it on a wall.
Or, if you are like many people and think the day is pointless, decorate your room in an entirely different color and lots of “single” or “non-love” quotes. Whatever you do, there are lots of temporary decorations you can put up around the house to celebrate (or not celebrate) a holiday. Have fun designing!
In the spirit of Valetine’s Day, to celebrate love:
Changed
In my last post, I posted pictures of my own bedroom and described changes I had made or wanted to make. Good news: I finally got and put up everything on my walls! Look at my previous post for reference to see how things have changed but here is my new room.
So tumblr would not let me post my own photo so I will just post some pictures of rooms that I like:
Both of these rooms have a great deal of color in them, which, obviously, appeals to my taste. The second one, of course, has a fair amount of zebra print in it because it, again, appeals to my taste in room decor. Always stick to your personal tastes when designing a room solely for you, such as your bedroom. When designing rooms for multiple people or for common use, you have to make the theme more neutral, as to appeal to all tastes.
When hanging things up on your wall, a good first step is to visually plan it.
This is exactly what I did with my room. I taped pieces of paper together to roughly form the size of the frame and then proceeded to tape these papers all over my walls. It helped me to also draw on the papers so I could remember which wall decoration it represented. Once you have your walls planned out, you can hang your decor!
In addition to putting up a variety of frames, quotes, and one zebra mirror, I also put up a bunch of mini posters. Some are zebras and many are old disney posters. All of these mini posters are, in fact, old calenders that I cut up and taped to my wall. I just happened to be putting up my frames during the new year, when I was switching calenders. Then the idea came to me. If you have old calenders in which you like the pictures, you can do the same thing. The pictures are not too big, and are already glossy which makes them look even better on your wall. I used almost all of my disney poster calender, but only used four pictures from my old zebra calender. I am planning to hang up more higher up the wall, next to the ceiling. If you have no old calenders, magazine cutouts or even just pictures printed from your computer on normal paper work perfectly fine. Fill your room (in this case, walls) with the things you love. Surrounding yourself with things (or pictures of things) that you like can actually calm you down and make you happier, in the short term and long term. Inspirational quotes are also great things to hang on your wall, if you like those types of things, of course. In addition to my plans to hang up more zebra pictures, I plan to print out, or write, some of my favorite quotes and tape them around my room. Scotch tape worked perfectly fine for me in hanging up all my posters and papers and has lasted. Do not, however, use duct tape, masking tape, etc. because these can pull the paint off your wall.
I also put up zebra curtains on my windows in my bedroom. But because of this, I had to take down my white Christmas lights because they were wrapped around the curtain rod I had to use. So I now need to find another place for my lights. Any ideas? This is the kind of question interior designers might be called upon to answer. Say I need hooks to hang up this string of lights. Well, what kind of hooks should I use and where can I get them? This is also information that an interior designer is required to know. If you find yourself staring at rooms or buildings and wondering what could be changed..or if you find yourself drifting towards the home decor section in Target (every time), then interior designing might be for you! It is not an easy job and I will probably just end up doing it on the side of my actual job when I am older. I can help friends design their rooms and design rooms in my own house, almost like a hobby. This way I can still use my creativity, instead of having to yield to customer demands 24/7.
Have an awesome week and keep designing! 
Want a change?
For the past few posts, I have talked making small changes to your bedroom, or any room you like, if you feel your room is empty or plain. Say your room is not empty or plain, but you still want a change? This is my story. Last time, I described how I put up curtains and christmas-like lights in my room and how these small changes already gave me a better
feeling about my room. These are the curtains I put around the bottom of my bed and the lights I put up. In the time since my last post, I was given some pictures that need hanging and acquired some frames that need some pictures and hanging. This has given me the goal of completely redoing the decorations on the walls of my bedroom. As you can see, I have various cat posters on my wall which have been there since I was in elementary school. I am definitely overdue for a change in my room decor. As mentioned before, I do now have some frames. Some I filled with a picture or pictures and others I still need to fill. I also found some hooks and other room decor at Icing at Valley Fair. I had no idea that a jewelry store carried stuff like that but apparently they do. It just proves how easy it is to start redecorating your room! The only changes I have made to my room since the last post is putting up a poster, a picture, and a set of hooks.
Both the frame around the picture and the hook set are black. All of my new frames, besides one which is just glass, are black, with a similar thickness. Personally, I like the black frame theme. It adds emphasis to the wall color of light pink and also to the photos in the frames. In addition, it adds to the soft-lighted, fairy tale feeling I am trying to create in my room. However, many people like to mix and match the types of frames they use and some people prefer to use no frames at all. Whatever fits your style and your room is perfectly ok!
Now, of course, these changes I am doing still have to do with wall decor. Since the walls are a huge part of a small room such as a bedroom, they obviously make a huge impact when changed. In a larger room, such as living room, the walls still have an impact, but it is less than a small room. The biggest impact in a larger room is the furniture. If on a budget, or if you just want to make small changes, replacing furniture is probably not a good option. However, if wanting to make a major change, furniture is definitely something you should be looking at. In a bedroom, perhaps a side table that actually matches your bed or dresser? In a living room, maybe you should get that new TV shelf that has all the compartments for remotes and game systems. When buying new furniture, make sure to at least ask an interior designer’s opinion if you want your room to look nice or put together. They have interior designers at almost every furniture store. Going back to the small changes, if you do not want to buy furniture, try switching the furniture around. Change up the arrangement of the room. In a bedroom, if your bed is by the door, move it to the opposite side of the room. Beds are usually against a wall, as that allows you to use the rest of the room space efficiently. But if you really want a change and are adventurous, try moving your bed in the middle of the room and your furniture around it. I have never tried this before but it seems as if it might be fun. You never know. In a living room, perhaps make a semi-circle with the couches instead of half a square. Just remember to face the TV away from the window so there is not such a glare on it. You could change the color or material (or both) of the curtains or blinds on the windows. You could replace the pillows on the couches or the sheets on the bed. A room is all about the small changes! Each and every thing adds up to what you see when you walk into a room. Even if you do not notice some small thing until later, it makes a difference when you first obtain an impression about a room. So be adventurous (like a ZEBRA), try something new, and have fun designing!
Do they seem plain?
Trying to change a room on your own, but find yourself stuck? Last post, I did talk about trying changing some simple things on your own, but did not give many specific suggestions.
The first thing to do before you start adding changes is to think about space. Where are you going to put everything? We all suffer from lack of space in our bedrooms, no matter how big or small they are. The #1 solution to space problems (if you cannot get rid of anything) is shelves. You can have a few, or you can have many. They can be hung in your closet, on your wall, or not hung at all (non-permanent shelves, similar to dressers). 
Shelves not only help with your space problem, but can greatly add to a room, as they can be any color you want and usually take up wall space. 
Shelves, of course, are not the only solution to a space issue. Dressers are very useful for clothing. A tip for those with a lot of clothes: you can use a big plastic box to keep your summer clothes in during winter (and vis versa) and store this box in a closet, garage, or attic. That way, clothes are not taking up all your space. Of course, always have a laundry basket or hamper to throw your dirty clothes in so they do not end up all over your room. Now, some of us are just plain unorganized. I know when I get home from school, the first thing I do is throw all of my stuff on my floor. This stuff can accumulate until you cannot see the floor anymore. Then it is a pain to have to clean my entire room. If you are one of these people, as many teenagers are, one idea is to get a few big bins, boxes, hampers, or whatever you want, to throw your stuff in. Have one for clothes, one for shoes, one for miscellaneous, and ect. Although eventually these bins will get full and have to be cleaned out, at least the stuff will not be hogging up your living space. A similar option is a stool that doubles as a storage place.
Once you have thought about space, you will want to imagine what you want your room to look like. If that is too far a step for you, begin with a feeling you want your room to give you or a theme or color scheme or even something as simple as your favorite color. Identify what it is that you do not like about your current room or what is it that you want to change.
Does your room have an empty feeling yet you do not want to or cannot put in any more furniture? Perhaps it seems to plain to you. Simple things such as adding things to the wall or curtains around or over the window can solve these problems. If you have a lot of empty wall space it can make your room have an empty, incomplete feeling. You can fill this wall space with posters, wall stickers, pictures, mirrors, and more. Posters are nice because they do not need to be framed and can still avoid appearing sloppy. 
Wall stickers come in all shapes and designs, from simple geometric designs to animals.
Certain pictures are also able to go without frames, or just have clear frames. This zebra picture below may also be a canvas picture, which does not need a frame.
Obviously this picture would require a lot of wall space, which most of us do not have. Smaller pictures, such as of friends and family, are also great space fillers and are a very nice way to keep memories in an accessible place. If you are more adventurous, another option is to paint a design right onto your wall. There are thousands of stencils available if painting is not a strong point for you. You can even make your own stencil out of cardboard or newspaper, or print one out from the web. These wall space ideas are not limited to patterns or animals. Many people have quotes painted or stuck to their walls. It is whatever appeals to your taste. It is your room; design it to your liking. You can also add curtains to the walls or windows. Curtains can enhance a room, as well as get rid of that empty or plain feeling. Curtains can be added around a bed, ceiling, window, mirror, door: just about anywhere! 
They can be simply for decoration or can also be utilized. Curtains are able to block off spaces such as a bed or corner, and can also block out light, such as on windows, or entries, such as in doorways.
These are basically misquito nets and are often used as decoration around beds. They hang from the ceiling and are very simple to install inside of a room. Although not very popular with guys, they are very enjoyable for girls and also add to the decor of the room. I used to have one above my bed before I got a bunk bed and I loved it. They come in all colors and some have designs on the top such as the one in the picture.
Curtains can also go around beds in this way, although these are much harder to put in. If you just want simple changes to your room this is not the way to go, but I put it in as an example of what you can do with curtains. If you have a bunk bed you can install curtains in a similar way to this, just around the bottom bunk. As mentioned in my last post, I did this on my bunk bed and the bright pink of my curtains brings out the light pink color of my walls and adds to the fairytale feeling that I want my room to have. Curtains, as mentioned earlier, can also be placed on the ceiling.
In this picture, it is not clear how the curtains are held up. You can, however, achieve this affect with several hooks spread around your ceiling and hanging the curtains from these. In this picture, the “curtains” are simply big pieces of fabric. This is a great idea! You do not have to use real curtains. Large pieces of fabric can be a fine substitute for any of the curtain ideas I have given. Although for window curtains, it is better to buy actual curtains that fit your window and can be easily installed to move across your window. Now, in the first picture of curtains (the purple zebra design), the entire room seems to be purple zebra. This is the extreme of an effective interior designing technique: matching certain elements of the room to the curtains.
Here is a less drastic, although not as subtle as one would normally do in a bedroom, example of how matching curtains can complete a room. The part of the curtains that match in this picture are much smaller than the first picture, thus making the effect less drastic.
The technique of matching curtains is very commonly used by interior designers. As you can see in this picture, it gives the room a sense of unity. Try to imagine the curtains in this picture a color other than green. It makes the room much less appealing. So, as explained, there are many many things you can do with curtains or wall decorations that can add to a room. All of these changes have one thing in common: they are all up to you and your taste. I talk about a room feeling complete, not being plain, or having unity. However, if you truly do not want your room to have unity, then you do not have to make your curtains match. If you are ok with empty wall space, then you do not have to fill it. If you do want your curtains to match, or do want to fill that empty wall space, then you still have the freedom to chose everything. Remember to always cater to your own happiness and opinion, as it is your room and you are the one that has to live with the choice you make. Also, do not be afraid to take chances. If you feel like painting your own wall, go for it. It can always be painted over. So good luck and have fun designing!
Say you do not need to fill any wall space or do not want to add any curtains. Perhaps you do not think that your room has an empty feeling, but you still want to change it. I will have solutions to this problem next post so keep reading!
In past posts, I have mentioned that there are three different species of zebras. Over the past few weeks, I have received many questions about the differences between the three species. There has also been, since I began this blog, criticism of my decision to write about zebras. Some people have the nerve to call these spectacular animals plain! How ridiculous.
The three species of zebra are the Mountain Zebra, the Grevy’s Zebra, and the Plains Zebra. The Mountain Zebra is the smallest in size and the Grevy’s Zebra is the largest. Plains Zebras have the shortest legs of the three species and is the only species which has stripes covering the entire back and belly of the zebra. The other two species have white bellies. Some Plains Zebras have shades of gray between the black stripes, known as shadow stripes. Mountain Zebras’ stripes are wider, especially on the back, while the Grevy’s Zebras’ strips are narrow and closely set.
A newborn zebra, known as a foal, has brown and white stripes. A mare gives birth to a foal about 12 months after mating with a male. 
The mother keeps other zebras away from her newborn for at least two days so that they can learn to recognize each other’s stripe patterns. Foals have legs almost as long as an adult’s so that one hour after birth it is able to run fast enough to keep up with the herd. With Grevy’s Zebras, a foal is taken care of by its mother only. 
In the other two species, however, foals are cared for by the whole family unit, including the stallion and the mother. So, do zebras seem plain now? Personally, I do not think so. They are amazing animals, with a fabulous pattern on their bodies. 
What if you don’t have style?
In the past, I have always emphasized the importance of designing your house to your own tastes and making it fit your style. It has now been brought to my attention that many people claim that they do not have good taste in interior designing and could not possibly begin to design a room, let alone a house! Let me set the record straight: everyone has style. There is no such thing as good or bad taste in something such as interior designing. If a home is to be designed for your living and liking, your style becomes the most important factor. Your style becomes good taste. However, many people do not have confidence in their ability to interior design and/or get overwhelmed by all of the decisions necessary. This is where interior designers come in. Their job is not to design for you, but to guide you through the designing process. Of course, if you have absolutely no idea where to start, interior designers are there to give advice as well. They will warn against clashing colors or unwise lighting choices, but in the end, it is always your opinion that designs a room or house.
Now, what if you happen to one of those lucky people that feels confident enough to try a little interior designing yourself? Or perhaps you do not want to hire a professional? If you want to, I say GO FOR IT! There is no harm in making little changes here and there - sometimes that is all a room needs. For major changes, I do recommend at least consulting a professional, even if it is just a Orchard Supply Hardware worker on paint color. A big change, such as painting a room, is hard to reverse once done. But things such as putting up non-permanent lights or decorations are things you can do on your own if you feel the need for change. I did exactly that with my own bedroom. My bedroom walls are painted a faint pink and i have bright colors all throughout my room, with a black metal bunk bed against one wall. Over this past summer, I felt the need for a change in my room. It was, in fact, brought on by a visit to Ikea. While there, I bought cheap sheer pink curtains meant for tall windows or showers and an even cheaper reel of sheer blue fabric. I cut these fabrics up and made curtains for the bottom half of my bunk bed, which i can tie back with some bits of fabric I found lying around my house. At Ikea, I also bought a string of white LED lights that have the appearance of Christmas lights. I put these on the top of my window and wound them around the railing on my top bunk. These two simple changes made my room so much more enjoyable for me. The pink in the curtains adds to the brightness of my room and also makes the pink in my walls come out more. The lights provide a large amount of light while not taking very much energy, being LEDs. When turned on, this string of lights, along with the curtains and pink walls, gives my room a fairytale feeling.
This living room is not badly designed. The windows provide plenty of light but can be blocked sufficiently by shades so it does create a glare on the TV. There is a consistent theme of neutral colors, with the different shades of brown and the white couches. And even if the fireplace does look somewhat out of place, the room is overall not bad, simply a bit boring. What if someone was to put a large rug on the floor between the couches and TV, maybe even slightly going under the couches. With that and some pieces added to the mantle above the fireplace and this room would be much more interesting. A few small changes can truly make a big difference to the feel of a room. So do not be afraid to try interior designing at home. Stick with small things unless more experienced. Remember that if you do not like the result, you can always just reverse it (if you stick to small changes). This does not only apply to bedrooms, but to all rooms in a house. Add a picture to the wall or a rug to the floor, such as in this living room. Here, there is a zebra rug under the coffee table and an artistic picture of a zebra on the wall. Try to imagine the room without them. It would be much plainer. If you absolutely do not trust your own opinion on interior designing decisions, bring a friend (or five) in to give some input. Be brave - take a chance, try new things - you might end up being really happy with the result!
Last post was very disappointing because I was unable to add any information about zebras. But don’t worry…As mentioned before, there are three types of zebras. 
Two of them, sadly, are endangered. The Grey’s zebra lives on the grassy plains of Africa and is the most untamable of the three species. A few decades ago, there were more than 15,000 Grey’s zebras living in Africa. Due to overgrazing by livestock, there has been a significant environmental degradation, and there are less than 2,500 Grey’s zebras living today. The second endangered species of zebra is the Mountain zebra, which inhabits the dry areas of Southern Africa. 
The only way that I have found so far to help these endangered animals is to support and/or donate to organizations that work to preserve their habitat. I have yet to find an opportunity to adopt a zebra, similar to adopting a whale. If I find such an amazing opportunity, I will certainly write about it. Meanwhile, try some interior designing in your house, dorm, apartment, or wherever you might live. Have fun!
Would you stay?
Bedrooms are your own personal space and thus, of course, must be designed to your particular tastes. The rest of the rooms in the house do not hold quite as much freedom in design. A room’s design must match its purpose. Take a living room for example: they are usually used for lounging about, watching TV, and receiving guests in. Thus, a standard living room has a couch, a table, and a TV. However, as you most likely have observed, every single living room is different.
Personally, I split living rooms into two categories: livable or for-show. The question that determines the category of the living room I am in is “Would you stay?” In other words, would I willingly stay in this living room; does it invite me in? Of course, my answer to that question is completely based on what styles of living rooms i like best. A for-show living room is much more appearance than it is comfort. Everything is perfectly coordinated and the colors are generally white and neutral tones. The couches look nice and match the room, but are usually not very comfortable to sit on. And one would never dream of jumping on them! I do not like what I consider to be for-show living rooms purely for this reason: I find that the couches are usually not comfortable. I always feel as if i could never have any fun in such a room. However, there is nothing much wrong with fancy, matching living rooms. Millions of people have them and use them comfortably: yet 
even more evidence that your house needs to adhere to your tastes and style. Some, if they have two living rooms, will do one of each style. This living room here is beautiful. The chandelier is stunning and the carvings on the top of the walls are absolutely gorgeous. This is a room that I would consider a for-show living room because, although it is lovely, could you imagine a teenager lounging across the couch with a bowl of popcorn? I could not; it simply does not fit the room. In contrast,
I would consider a room such as this livable. The close proximity of the furniture, the warm colors, and the carpet make this room much more inviting. This would definitely be a room I would want to stay in.
Going back to the function of a room coinciding with its design, recall that one of the main functions of a living room is to receive people in. The style of living room you have, as shaped by your personal tastes, has a huge impact on your guests. However, a living room is not about trying to please others. It is about the impression you want to make on your guests. Never forget to put your style and preferences first - it is your house! With that in mind, here are some tips for living rooms: more color and close proximity of furniture give the room a more “lived-in” look, along with more decorations (such as things on the walls or tables). Black and neutral tones and spread out furniture give the room a fancier, more sophisticated look. Add this to less decoration on the walls and tables and you have what I consider a for-show living room. If you have multiple people living in your house, and depending on how much company you have over, it would probably be best to have a bigger couch, or multiple couches. Do you want a big Tv, a small TV? Mounted to the wall or on a living room shelf complex which can hold movies and remotes? There are many things to consider when designing a living room, but there is no need for alarm. Answer one question at a time and you will soon have a complete living room. And always remember to put your style before others’!
