Ever since the man appeared on earth, he has always been searching to better himself; better home, better food, better comfort and last but not least, better ways of expressing himself. Surprising as it may seem, the expert weavers of the city of Kashan discovered the panacea of how to improve their life. They have found the balance between functionality and aesthetic comfort by reinventing the beauty of carpets, and by having a Persian Kashan rug you can also bring this equilibrium directly in your home.

Kashan is an oasis city in the province of Ifsahan situated on a caravan route in the Dasht-e Kavir desert, which is right in the heart of Iran. It is heavily dependent on the mountains nearby, which provide water for the inhabitants; many houses in the city are built below the ground level to protect them from heat and scorpions.

The weavers of this city pride themselves on having more than 5 centuries of experience producing stunning rugs and carpets, with only one recorded interruption in the 18th century caused by the Afghan invasion. In the 16th and 17th centuries the city was famous for its royal workshops, it is said that kings from wide spread corners of the world went there to buy carpets in person. The oldest remaining Persian Kashan rug dates back to 1542, and is displayed in the Victoria and Albert museum in London.  Read more...

When talking about kitchen in a house, the first thing that comes to people’s mind is the atmosphere of clean, full of scent and colourful of food, which is very inviting to come into the kitchen as well as the environment of every member of the family are enjoying activity together, especially during the weekend. In fact there is almost impossible to keep the kitchen always completely clean and using kitchen curtain is the best alternative for you to boost up the kitchen as it needs. It can be said that just very few people have thought about having kitchen curtain when they start planning kitchen design, so it is the equipment that usually overlooked. But for the person who see the importance of it, which only be able to explain that how kitchen curtain can improve kitchen to become more desirable place to be. The following detail will describe about the way you can find suitable kitchen curtain.

Basically, the purpose of kitchen curtain is to differentiate between kitchen and other area of the house. There are many of reasons for kitchen curtain that they should be light and made from different materials from other type of curtain used in other rooms. The first reason for kitchen curtain have to be light because they have to let curtain amount of sunlight to come through the kitchen, as kitchen need most sunlight to dry and control moisture, which is the cause of bacteria. Using heavy curtain may not allow enough sun light to do so and heavy curtain will trap smells, permeating the kitchen long after the meal has been completed. Moreover, lack of sunlight will create a dark and uninviting place to cook.  Read more...

The carpets you choose for a room will define and showcase it in more ways than you can imagine. Choose wisely, and a large area rug, period wall-to-wall carpet, or series of rugs will successfully anchor the room, allowing all the other furnishings to fall neatly into place.

Interior designers often direct their clients to start with the floor, and for good reason. Any decoration you choose for a room will be affected by the floor covering remember, the floor has more square footage than any given wall. While the period of your house and or the style of your furniture can suggest a few logical starting points, the extraordinary variety of patterns and colors available in reproduction (not to mention new, period-friendly designs) makes for an overwhelming quantity of choice.

The rug styles you select for an older home can vary and be eclectic as long as they have an aged quality that unifies them. If you do not have the budget for an antique rug, the antique quality can be implied by the color or texture of the rug. Select a rug with muted colors, or one with a fringe that is tea-stained rather than pure white.

In addition to looking for rugs with an aged quality, choose a common color or pattern element for all the carpets used throughout the house. The balance of color or pattern in each rug can differ, but still works to draw them together. Layering styles and patterns works to give an accumulated over time look, a sense of history that is more appropriate for a period home.  Read more...

Kitchen backsplash may consider as unnecessary part of the kitchen. This probably because there is no critical impact if a kitchen do not have it, so people tend not to see importance of it from time to time. However, some people may have seen kitchen backsplash is very important so they will definitely have it as well as choose it very carefully. Kitchen backsplash can be tile, vinyl, marble stone, stainless steel depends on individual preference of the home owners, but the most commonly used is tiles. The following detail will give you some basic understanding about kitchen backsplash, so please keep reading and you will know more, perhaps you can change your mind to have it in the kitchen right away.

Some people may use just ordinary tiles for kitchen backsplash. In fact it is not wrong but if you can have tiles that lend brightness to a kitchen. Of course, other wall treatments can do that too. However, as long as the lustre of a polished tile are concerned the matching of colour and pattern is the important element that you have to focus on. Normally, many of kitchens will be used at night and during that time there is no sunlight from outside, so if we have tiles installed as kitchen backsplash that will improve the brightness in the kitchen because tiles will reflect the light to provide more brightness in the room. Some family may have other alternative to increasing brightness in the kitchen by adding spotlights and under-the-counter lights. But that seem doesn’t work because that will not make beautiful room, so using tiles as a kitchen backsplash probably better option.  Read more...

Whether you are constructing a new home or refurbishing an apartment, this is your chance to make your kitchen stand out by incorporating a contemporary kitchen island plan in your construction or redecorating project. Kitchen islands are very popular in contemporary (and functional) kitchen designs because it certainly makes cooking and entertaining or watching over the children as you prepare dinner a lot easier.

There are a lot of options available not only in terms of design but also in terms of accessories that you can incorporate in your kitchen island plan before you begin your work. You can incorporate a sink, a stove top and other kitchen accessories in the kitchen island design so your home improvement project becomes a well-planned and financially controlled endeavor.

There are unlimited resources available in choosing a kitchen island plan through the various sites in the Internet however, if you are a gifted individual with carpentry skills nothing is more satisfying than a do-it-yourself kitchen island plan that will certainly match the rest of your kitchen and the home in general.

What of ready-to-install kitchen islands? As much as possible, do not buy this type of kitchen islands no matter how avant-garde they may look because they may not match your overall kitchen and home decor and you will end up spending more than necessary or become dejected because one part of the house does not complement the rest!

 Read more...

Beautiful and Clean housekeeping is the wish of everyone. The impulse to put something soothing beneath our feet, brought human the idea of carpets and rugs. This idea is almost as old as that of a shelter. Carpets came into existence around for at least 6,000 years. Beautiful rugs and carpets with eye-catching colors and styles function as art, insulation and sound absorber.

History of Carpets and Rugs
The first carpet was crafted from plaited rushes. Gradually, human has found lots of other materials for this purpose including cotton, silk, linen, jute, hemp, sheep’s wool and many more. Some countries also make use of dog’s hair for making different rugs and carpets. The sophisticated techniques for weaving, producing patterns, creating color and contrast is also very old. The evolution of weaving and synthetic dyes in the late 1700s and mid 1800s respectively, transformed carpet making from craft to industry.

Multitude of Colors and Designs
A person’s own style sometimes need to show off. Exquisitely designed carpets and rugs are the best way to enhance the interior. They are available in hundreds of style and thousands of colors to add a sophisticated atmosphere. Elegantly installed carpets define your lifestyle that reflect the way you live.  Read more...

Kitchen and Bath Areas
GFCI Electrical Wiring
Remodeling Wiring for Kitchens and Baths

Remodeling Wiring for Kitchens and Baths

Kitchens and Bath areas require special electricity wiring for electrical outlets.
The electrical outlet locations are also much different than in other portions of homes.
What are electrical requirements for kitchen and bath areas?

As electrical requirements change frequently be sure to check with your certified local electrician for any special requirements you and questions for your kitchen or bath remodeling. This a summary of a few of the guidelines from the national electrical code a few years back.

In the kitchen area the NEC requires no more than 6 fee from a given location to be from an outlet which would make the outlets no more than 12 feet apart with special outlet locations in the kitchen area or over counter-tops.

Counter-top receptacles in your kitchen must be served by two or more different circuits. Each kitchen counter space that is wider than 12 inches must have its own outlet, with no point along than countertop being more than 24 inches apart horizontally or 48″ of space between the outlets in the kitchen.

Often electricians run a three wire 240 volt cable from the service panel and provide two new 120 volt circuits. One side of each receptacle is served by one of the  circuits while the other side is served by the other circuit, giving two circuits available at each outlet which gives the term split circuit. Protection for over-current on a split circuit used a double breaker which is linked in the circuit’s panel.  Read more...

Whether you are referring to a silk Persian rug or cotton Persian rug, they may still hold the same amount of value. This is because there are a few different factors that affect the overall value of a Persian rug, and which you are going to want to be aware of before heading out to buy your own.

The Value of a Handmade Persian Rug

One of the most obvious aspects that make a handmade Persian rug valuable is the wool used to create it. The more valuable the wool and the better condition it is in, the more valuable the rug itself will be. This is why if you do ever purchase an antique or otherwise valuable Persian rug, you are going to want to make sure that you keep it in mint condition if you want it to retain its value years down the road.

Another factor affecting the value of a handmade Persian rug is its age. The older a rug typically the more valuable it is, however this is not always the case. Rug prices vary depending on the age, and make sure that you do not get a chemically washed rug. This is a process that some dealers use to make their rugs look more aged, so you will need to watch out for this.  Read more...