Decorating and painting is a key ingredient to a beautiful home.

Before you begin decorating or re-decorating your home,

learn more about painting techniques and preparation,

selecting paint colors and finishes,

decorating and designing trends,

and interior décor, accents and furnishings. Home decorating has never been easier!
 

Whitewash is a low cost way to paint many surfaces, and though it works the same way as paint, it actually is not paint. This is what the early Native Americans used to color stone walls and clay houses. Whitewash can be made at home for very little money and is applied in the same manner as normal paint is applied (with some minor differences). Whitewash is a sanitary solution that can last for years without needing to be touched up. With this in mind, whitewash is incredibly economic to use and easy to maintain over time.

Materials and Tools:

A home's exterior is a reflection of how well you care for and maintain your home. The paint finish you select for your homes exterior can minimize your maintenance tasks and increase the appeal of your home. The articles in this section will help you to determine what the best type of paint and finish are for your home.

Anyone who thinks that white doesn't "count" as a color hasn't spent much time exploring the possibilities of using white on white decor. And anyone who thinks there is only one shade of white hasn't been in a paint store lately, where you can find hundreds - literally, hundreds - of shades.

So what tips can we give you about white on white décor?

In the grand and splashy world of color, what place does white have? Is it even thinkable to address white as a color? To the eye and mind, white isn't a "color"; technically, it's the absence of a unique spectral reflection. But, when you're using it in decorating, white's more than nothing, more than the lack of specific shading, because in the presence of white, you can feel the presence of light itself. It's more than a fresh blank canvas waiting for a brush stroke.

When considering colors for home decor, there is not only a rainbow from which to choose - there's a whole palette of shades to consider, shades that hover between the colors of the rainbow, a panoply of tones and hues with which to play.

And yet, sometimes the most helpful - and even the most exciting - exercise is to go back to the basics of interior design, striping out all color in order to start with a clean slate; sometimes the most interesting and surprising thing you can do is to go back to good old white.

It's mid-summer, and in many parts of the world this means it is hot. You're probably longing for something simple and cool, something to soothe your summertime blues, or at least to make you feel a little less sticky.

What's better for this than white?

We've chosen to look at a combination of colors - a combination that's so popular, it's seen everywhere from the kitchens of the humblest cottages to the entryways of the grandest homes.

Black and white is so popular, and has remained popular over the years, in part because it's almost a neutral; you can use it as a backdrop for many different looks. Just as cream or off-white walls can look good with various styles, fabrics, and colors, so too does black and white. It lends itself to a variety of looks, and therefore it's a good investment.

Painting a room white doesn't mean you're dull with no sense of creativity. White actually has a ton of benefits and portrays an appearance of cleanliness. Read through the articles below to learn about the different ways you can decorate your home decor with white.

Here in the northeastern United States, late summer means long, hot, days, weekend trips to the seaside, and tomatoes: bushels and bushels of tomatoes. Even for people who don't have gardens of their own, tomatoes are abundant, as every gardener from the apartment-dweller with a balcony garden to the farmer with acres of fields is suddenly swamped with the juicy red fruits.