Fresh Green Paint Colour

Creative use of colour enhances interior décor themes and for this to be successful, adequate knowledge of the properties of different colours is essential. Elegant colour coordination in different décor element is such as wallpaper or paint, floor coverings and other soft and hard furnishings is what décor themes are all about. Wall paint colour is a major décor consideration that ultimately influences the choice of other minor elements for a balanced and harmonized décor. Green is one of the cool colours that also boldly brightens up any room in the house. It exudes freshness and its different tones and hues highlight other décor elements in the room. It is a calming colour with a soothing and serene effect. Pale blues and white strikingly accent this colour.

Calming and Green Paint Colours

Bright shades of green such as grass beautifully complement dark browns such as mahogany as the two colours enhance each other. Bright green is both playful and mature at the same time making it ideal for a child’s bathroom. This colour is also great for defining a ceiling in any room of the home especially when the walls are painted a lighter shade of green for a harmonized design. Sage, a calming shade of green is ideal for the bedroom and bathroom for a subdued and relaxing design. Its calming effect allows one to unwind hence its suitability for these two rooms. Sage also harmonizes well with other cool colours such as pale blues. Accessories like throws and vases in pale blue add a fresh feel to the sage room.

Mint, a pale green shade, creates an illusion of space in small rooms without being too overpowering or monotonous. It lets other colourful décor accessories to stand out and acts as a background for furniture, artwork and decorative prints in rugs and throws.

Nutritional Benefits of Tomatoes

The jury is still out on whether the tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. Whichever the case, it is a healthy food loaded with numerous vitamins and minerals that help to keep the body in good shape by flushing out toxins. Italian cuisine is rich in tomato recipes although this fruit originated in the Americas before it was introduced to Europe and the other parts of the world. The tomato is great-tasting and can be enjoyed both raw and cooked which releases more lycopene which fights cancer. The fruit is also rich in antioxidants which keep the heart healthy and the body free of toxins.

Cancer-fighting Tomatoes

When buying fresh tomatoes, it is advisable to choose the reddest ones as they contain the most lycopene and beta carotene. Tomatoes are quite perishable and should be stored correctly, preferably at room temperature like on the kitchen counter in a bowl. This ensures that they retain their flavour. It is also advisable to buy a few fresh ones at a time and use them up in a few days. However, canned tomatoes are just as nutritious when the fresh variety is not available. Cooking tomatoes in olive oil releases lycopene and the olive oil aids in better absorption of this important nutrient.

Daily consumption of tomatoes ensures good health by flushing out toxins, keeping the heart healthy and also fighting cancer. Apart from fighting cancer, lycopene is also known to inhibit the growth of existing cancer cells. Other nutrients found in the tomato include forty percent of recommended daily intake of vitamin C, seven and ten percent of iron for women and men respectively, fifteen percent of vitamin A and eight percent of potassium. Tomatoes are also a good source of dietary fibre which lowers cholesterol, lowers blood sugar and prevents colon cancer.

Swimming for Health and Fitness

Swimming is a wonderful sport and the beauty of it is that it is non impact hence its popularity as a way of training for fitness and as a leisure activity. Swimming helps one to lose weight too while at the same time it is a relaxing activity. It is known to work every part of the body and does not exert undue pressure on joints and muscles. It sort of returns one to the womb and they say that babies swim effortlessly in a pool with minimal chances of drowning, of course with supervision. It is however important, just like in other sporting activities, to warm up the body and stretch before a swimming session.

Improving Heart Rate by Swimming

To start with, swim from one end of the pool to the other in a comfortable stroke such as back stroke or side stroke which allow you to float easily on the water. Increase the speed and intensity of the strokes to burn more calories and achieve the desired results. More experienced swimmers will use the butterfly or freestyle strokes which burn more calories as more muscles are involved. Moving from a fast pace to a slow one reduces the heart rate and ensure burning of more calories than when one stays at a constant pace.

To develop the shoulder and arm muscles, use hand paddles as they will offer some resistance. A kick board will strengthen leg and abdominal muscles while at the same time help to perfect a stroke by concentrating on leg movements only. Like in all activities, success is attained only through consistency. So swimming on a regular basis or even daily will ensure that the desired results of health and fitness are achieved faster. Swimming is also great as a recreational and socializing activity that all age groups enjoy.

Transforming Office Décor

The office is a place of business where formality and professionalism must be strictly adhered to. However, even in getting all the necessary equipment to ensure a smooth running operation, the interior décor must never be compromised. The office environment needs to be upgraded from time to time so that it can keep with the modern office trends. In doing this the functionality and the office image must not be compromised at any cost. The inspiration for creativity and productivity must be kept intact. This can be achieved at the minimum cost and with just some creativity and attention to detail.

Using Wall Art for Décor

One way of inexpensively transforming an office is the use of wall art. Carefully chosen art pieces have a way of converting any wall into a focal point. There is a great variety to choose from in both traditional and contemporary art forms, which can be bought from local artists or cultural markets. An artist’s impression of the nature of the business will both transform the office while maintaining the corporate image.  Apart from wall art, other pieces of art such as desk accessories can be incorporated into a contemporary office décor as long as they are not too overwhelming.

Office furniture needs to be functional as well as comfortable not forgetting the aesthetic value it adds to the entire décor theme. For people who have to sit at their desks for most of the working day, consider getting an ergonomic chair which will protect their back. These adjust to the desired height and they are engineered to provide comfort for the whole body as one works at a desk or on the computer. And the good news is that these come in a variety of styles and colours that would fit in with any office interior décor theme. 

Organizational Ideas for a Teen’s Room

A teenager’s room is their haven, this is where they hang out, sleep, study and even entertain. Since they spend most of their time here, they also tend to be very particular about how everything looks and especially the interior décor. Teenage years are characterized by a search for a new identity and in the process teens seem to acquire quite a bit of clutter that needs to be organized and kept in an orderly manner. This is easily achieved by having a designated place for every item. The closet is a good place to start. All the clothes should be removed and sorted. What does not fit or is not trendy anymore should be kept aside and donated. Those that are not in good condition should be thrown away.

Shelves and Organizers for Storage

After getting rid of unwanted items, it is time to organize the room into zones for sleeping and studying and storing items that are still useful.  The bed can be raised and the space used to store out of season clothing and beddings. Other items such as video games, movies and music CDs can be put in boxes which can then be rolled under the bed. A study table is crucial in a teen’s room and to better organize this area, have specific items placed in specific places. Shelves put up on top of the study table are great for using up vertical space for storage.

Shelves solve a lot of storage issues and the wall can be lined in these for storing trophies and other collectible items. The space above a window or a door is ideal for such shelves. Clear plastic shoe organizers can be used for storing a number of items and not only shoes. These organizers are great for makeup or toiletries in an adjoining bathroom.

Types of Wall Tile Trims

There are different types of trims that can be used to enhance and finish a tiling job in interior décor. Most tiles have rough edges that should be covered to complement and complete the wall décor. Tile trims also help to cover uneven edges in wall tiles. Some tiles have their own in built trims that maintain the uniformity of the tiling. These tiling trims also lessen the work by doing two jobs in one. There is the corner tile that has a smooth edge where the grout line should be. This is place at the corner where two walls and provides a smooth transition between them. Corner tiles are mostly used for kitchen countertops and bathroom walls and may have sides of different lengths.

Decorative and Functional Tile Trims

Bull nose tiles have one or more rounded edges and are also known as surface trim. They are mostly used on the perimeter of a wall. Pencil or rope trim are long, thin and decorative tiles that are used for contrast in a field of tiles. They have a half-circle profile and can be used at the perimeter when corner and bull nose tiles are not available. They are both decorative and functional when used at the edges where two walls meet.

Machines also carve out designs on tiles that further enhance them. Such designs are diverse and tiles that are so decorated are ideal to be used on the perimeter of the wall. Tiles with designs such as flowers and emblems can be placed anywhere within the tile field to further highlight the design. Decorated tiles placed at the top perimeter of a tile field are also known as ‘cap’ tiles. For an angled wall, different tile trim designs can either highlight this as an interior décor element or conceal it as a flaw.

Tips for Growing Rock Succulents

A rock garden improves the landscaping in a garden or lawn by enhancing its character. A thriving rock garden must incorporate rock succulents as they are best suited for this kind of rocky terrain. Rock succulents belong to the cactus family and are fairly easy to grow as they require adequate sunlight, plenty of air and minimal water. Succulents are low-growing and they tend to nestle to the rocky arrangements. However the soil used to grow succulents should be well drained as water-logged soil will damage the root system and result in drying up plants. The best type of soil is sandy soil due to its good drainage qualities.

Giant and Miniature Succulents

Succulents like cactuses hold water in their leaves which come in a variety of colours and shapes. Interestingly, poinsettias, a signature Christmas plant is classified among the succulents, which generally means their ability to store water in their leaves and stems. Other succulents include the aloe vera plant and its variations such as the bitter aloe or aloe ferox, whose leaves grow in the shape of a rosette. Some succulents have beautiful and flashy flowers that brighten up any garden landscape. The unusual shapes and intriguing textures coupled with the striking colours of their blooms make succulents an interesting contrast to the stones in the rock garden.

Succulents vary in height; some grow to several feet high like the aloe ferox which grows up to five feet tall. Such tall succulents are great focal points in a rock garden. The lithop is considered to be the smallest of the succulents and should be planted directly next to the rocks which will act as a background for this miniature succulent. Due to their prickly nature, succulents should be planted in an area in the garden where children and pets do not frequent.