Dreaming of A White Christmas? A white Christmas tree is a perfect option to bring a white Christmas to your home. Step away from the traditional green tree and try something new this year.

Creating a contemporary kitchen is relatively simple. While many pictures of contemporary styled kitchen may give the illusion of class and sophistication, the décor is not hard to achieve. When decorating in this style, it is important to remember the elements and principles associated with contemporary home décor. A contemporary kitchen should be simple, neutral and possess a fair amount of open space.

Elements of A Contemporary Kitchen: Simplicity

As mentioned in Contemporary Kitchen Style: The Essential Handbook for an Innovative Design, “Modern kitchens have a clean, linear look and make an inventive yet practical design statement”. When decorating in this style, a little goes a long way. Clean and open cabinet space, simple and elegant wall art should adorn the walls. Save money and eliminate all the extras, get the bare minimum.

Colors within a Contemporary Kitchen

Color plays a major role in contemporary home décor. Known for being clean and simple, contemporary kitchens are often decorated in neutral colors, black or white. If there is any color used, which there usually is, it is usually a bold accent color. This is usually in the form of the accent wall or a piece of colorful abstract wall art.

Lighting for a Contemporary Kitchen

Decorative lighting can really play up the design of a contemporary kitchen. Popular styles of contemporary lighting are track lighting and pendant lighting. These two forms of light fixtures allow decorators to use lighting to spotlight special features or play up areas of a space. Usually pendant lighting is use over areas used for cooking and preparing food so that there is ample functional lighting.
Designing a contemporary kitchen is not as hard as it appears. Once decorators gain an understanding of the elements of contemporary home décor, designing the idea kitchen flows naturally. While designing that new kitchen, remember, the internet of a wonderful resource for inspiration and ideas!

Hostess Gift Idea: Kuk Haven Flight Board

You can not go wrong with this classy round flight board.  Check out the price and features for the Kuk Haven Flight Board – Round.

Paula Grace is an interior designer servicing Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.  If you do not reside in those areas, do not fret, Paula Grace also offers virtual design services.

Some of the services Paula offers are:

• Special Occasion Design
• Nurseries
• Event Styling
• Staging
• Online Design
• Color/Paint Pallettes

The services listed above are only a few of the many services offered.

At any rate, we have taken to following Paula’s design blog.  Here home is absolutely beautiful!  Take a look at some of her spaces!

This holiday wreath features an interesting design that is sure to enhance the look of any room in your home. With eye-catching textures and a neutral color palette, this wreath will accentuate the look of any room in your home. Order yours today. Made to last using a blend of durable materials. Transitional style will accentuate most any style of home decor.

Curled Wood Wreath: Buy Now

Modern Christmas Décor: Color Inspiration

If your home is designed in contemporary or modern décor, you home likely feature lots of clean lines and open space. Traditional Christmas color and décor will likely clash with the décor throughout your home.
Here are some color options for modern Christmas décor:
• Green, Brown and Cream/White
• Brown and White/Cream
• Lavender and Silver
• Silver
• White
There is no book that says for something to represent Christmas, it has to be red. Some decorators opt to decorate solely in one color, changing said color each year. The color combinations above are a few options to get your creative juices following.

Modern Christmas Décor: Accent Ideas

Image courtesy of froufroufrilly.blogspot.com

If we are honest, tinsel does not agree with every style of décor. Although we did not check, we are pretty sure there is not requirement in the “Christmas Decorating Bible” that states “All Christmas Decorating must include tinsel.” With that in mind, skip the tinsel! Your housekeeper, or vacuum, will thank you! Instead of the traditional popcorn, tinsel and even shiny ornaments, opt for simple ornaments and accents. For example, a glass bowl of pine cones would serve as a perfect Christmas centerpiece. While browsing pictures or Better Homes and Gardens, we noticed a beautiful yet simple wreath made of white foam balls. As with other contemporary home décor projects, when designing modern Christmas décor, the saying is “Less is more”.
Although modern Christmas decorating ideas may not fall out of the sky, the options are there. If your home is not decorated in traditional décor, why use traditional holiday decorations? Step outside of your comfort zone and create a beautiful MODERN Christmas atmosphere that reflects your own individual personality and style.

Adding a kitchen island to your kitchen is an excellent option for anymodern kitchen. A kitchen island is not only an enhancement for any homeowner that spends a lot of time in the kitchen but also enhances the style and decor of the room.

 Butcher Block Kitchen Island Cart

While some homes have built in kitchen islands, there are also mobile island carts. These carts are available in an assortment of sizes, colors and styles to accomodate several styles of home decor.

Check out some of the more popular models:

Central Park Kitchen Island and Counter Stool Set

Catskill Craftsmen Heart of the Kitchen Island Kitchen Cart

Home decorating and design is very time consuming and costly. Home and content insurance is a great option for homeowners to protect their homes. This insurance protects the home, the contents and provides some sense of security to homeowners. While the cost of the home insurance increases with the value of the home, the benefit of having the coverage exceed the cost.
Benefits of Home and Content Insurance
Home insurance can protect homeowners from several situations. Some examples of possible disasters are:
• Fire
• Vandalism
• Theft or Burglary
• Flooding
• Ice, Snow or Sleet
Although many families maintain a savings, it is unlikely to bounce back from a disaster such as those mentioned above. Home and contents insurance provides coverage in the event the home and/or contents of a home are destroyed in a disaster.
Selecting an insurance company for home and content insurance can prove quite challenging. There are several companies available. Aviva is the sixth largest insurance group in the world. This company has a presence in Europe, USA and several other countries. As mentioned on the Aviva’s website:
“Our main activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance. We have worldwide sales of £45.1 billion and £380 billion of funds under management. We have 46,000 employees serving over 53 million customers in 28 countries around the world.”Aviva is acknowledged as “the most important insurance archive in the UK.” When selecting a company to cover your home, Aviva is an ideal candidate.
In addition to home and content insurance, Aviva offers several other products. Some of the other products available are:
• Car
• Life
• Health
• Retirement
Protect your home and investment today! Visit Aviva’s site and secure a home and contents policy!