Cypress is a popular choice in construction and is often seen in outdoor patio furniture. Although classified as a softwood, the wood found in cypress tables is extremely strong and durable. That said, a little effort can go a long way in keeping the original brilliance and beautifully colored grain of this exotic species looking great year after year.

Oils and Sealants

Cypress tables and other cypress furniture are blessed by the fact that the wood creates its own oils, called cypress oils, which not only preserve the wood from the inside out, but also help prevent fungal and insect infestation. To add to that, the oils combined with a naturally tight and straight grain make the wood resistant to cracking and warping. Regardless, a little oil once a year on your part will further preserve the natural shine of the wood. Those who live in sunnier and warmer environments could get away with lubrication twice a year. If cypress furniture is kept outdoors year-round, keep in mind that the wood will turn gray if left untreated. This is due to the natural patina effect of the sun, which is not detrimental to the wood, and in fact some people prefer its mature, weathered look. On the other hand, if the furniture is kept indoors, the wood won’t produce as many natural oils, and too much hand oil can actually turn it black. Sealants typically contain UV inhibitors to repel sun damage, as well as waterproofing agents to keep out moisture, mold, and mildew. Some also contain linseed oil to keep the wood fibers strong. Olympic Maximum and Calbot’s Australian are two popular brands of oil. When applying oils, most types are brushed on or sprayed on. Then let it absorb completely, then wipe off any excess and let the cypress boards dry. Furniture will usually be ready for use the next day, but because cypress is a particularly dense wood, it can sometimes take longer.

to paint

Cypress has a naturally rich color that matches most color schemes, but if you insist on painting it, the wood is especially well suited to sealants and paints. And of all the exterior finishes, paint offers the best protection, though even it’s subject to peeling and blistering. On average, painting jobs last between 1 and 3 years, depending on the exhibition. For starters, make sure the wood is clean and dry before you begin, then use an oil-based primer on the bare wood. Once it has dried, choose a finish. Oil-based finishes tend to last longer than their water-based counterparts, but they’re also harder to clean and more toxic to you and the environment.

Cleaning

People disagree on the best method for cleaning wood furniture in general, but the general consensus is that expensive cleaners are unnecessary in most cases. Murphy’s oil soap or even plain old soap and water applied with a soft brush will usually do the trick. For more difficult stains or mold, a mixture of water and bleach is recommended. Power washers are another route, but care must be taken not to remove parts of the wood. Please note that whatever the use, be sure to thoroughly clean the treated areas. Failure to do so will create an unsightly buildup. After cleaning the furniture, don’t forget to reapply oil.

Storage

Cypress table and furniture storage is always a pressing concern, especially for those with limited space. If you can’t afford to make room indoors for winter yard games or extended exposure to stormy weather, covering your furniture with tarps is the next best thing. These are made of vinyl or reinforced canvas and can often mean the difference between buying a new patio set every few years and never having to buy another set ever again. A little word of warning with the covers: the tarps are positioned so that they rest snugly on top of the furniture and create a kind of wet-bed effect. If the cypress tables are not completely dry when the cover is put on, there could be a nasty case of mildew developing the next time you go to uncover them. Some paints and sealants actually come with a mildew inhibitor for those who live in humid climates.

Stainless steel shelves are one of the best things you can have in an office, home, or store. It can give you the advantage of maximizing storage space without the risk of high stacking that can eventually pose a safety hazard. If you have a lot of things that are kept in boxes at home or in the office, they are often scattered throughout the storage area. When the time comes when you need to search for certain items, you’ll need to rummage through box after box, even as you label each one. If you have a shelf, you can easily place the boxes on each shelf in an orderly manner where you can read the labels efficiently. This will allow you to have a clean inventory of your items.

Shelving solutions are a proven method of keeping everything in order. It will give you the benefit of not only having maximum storage space, but it will also provide you with a well-kept area. Intermetro Shelving offers a wide range of shelving elements that can be adapted to your needs. There are different sizes and dimensions you can choose from. Some are specially designed to be used in multiple rooms in your home. There are those that can be used in the kitchen, study, living room, garage, laundry area, and in your home office.

Other shelves are intended for larger storage, such as offices and stores, where you can store your inventory or supplies. Keeping your things organized will give you a better work environment. You can feel confident that nothing will fall out of place as you go about your daily routines. And although these are made of stainless steel, there are some models that come coated in paint to give it a more professional look. This will help the shelf blend better into the room you choose.

The best thing about stainless steel shelves is the fact that they are easy to clean. You wouldn’t have to worry about dust collecting on the surface. Since these are commonly wired shelves, you can dust from layer to layer and simply sweep or vacuum the bottom area. It also gives your room an elegant and organized look due to the way it is designed. If you want to use one of these in your laundry area, you can place your detergents, bleach, and other cleaning supplies on one of the shelves that you can easily see and access.

Another layer can be used to place hangers and baskets that are not in use. Having one of these in this room can give you the freedom and security that you won’t accidentally trip over anything you put on the floor while you complete your laundry chores. There are also some racks that provide an extended surface that you can use while folding your clothes. Others may also choose to place a small television or radio on top of one of the shelves. This can provide you with some kind of entertainment while doing laundry.

Although inanimate, office supplies are not passive objects simply caught up in their daily enslavement, they are part of the torture and, in some cases, significantly intensify the difficulties. Every day, 16 people in the US are sent for a psychiatric evaluation after getting entangled in a paper jam or trying to replace an ink cartridge, and 21 people are seriously injured by paper clips. Neither of those statistics is actually true, but I have no doubt that similar figures exist. Below are 5 of the worst culprits for conjuring extreme office rage.

paper
It goes without saying that paper is an incredibly useful resource and whether you want to take some notes, print an important document, or build an epic paper plane complete with designed wingtips, it can cater to your needs. Where it gets annoying, though, is when there never seems to be enough. When you don’t need them, they pile up on your desk like a whispering mountain and new packages sit on the shelf above the printer in all their pristine glory. But as soon as you decide to print a long document or need a whole new part for a colleague’s caricature drawing, the printer will always run out of paper and each new sheet of paper will have a file path printed on the back thanks to someone. that you didn’t bother to remove the blank lines at the end of your Word document and thus added an extra unnecessary page.

I think we should all use portable whiteboards and be done with it. Just hang one around our neck and then when we need to write something we have a canvas right there. It would also have the added benefit of saving the environment. After all, forests are cut down all over the world just so you can take note to remember to book an eye exam. Proud of yourself?

Scissors
I guarantee that if you walk around the office and ask every one of your colleagues for a pair of scissors, no one will be able to brandish a pair (unless they’ve had a troubled past). I’m convinced the scissors are sentient and sneak off to secret scissor bars at night, leaving offices bereft of cutting implements. Either that or someone in my office is picking up sharp objects, which can’t be a good thing.

How else am I supposed to make paper snowflakes when I should be writing important reports? You just can’t get that satisfying swipe/cut motion, you know what I mean, when you rip instead of slice. I have often considered creating a stationery belt and attaching a pair of scissors, permanently ready to deploy at my waist, but then I remembered that if I fell down some stairs, I would be killed.

Printer ink
Probably the most ridiculed office supplies, printers and their precious ink are hated for good reason. More expensive than cut diamonds, new ink cartridges run out as soon as anything with an image is printed. There’s nothing as infuriating as printing an important business document only to have it come out faded and riddled with weird CMYK lines. Or that half of a document comes out perfect while the other half looks like a poorly preserved ancient parchment.

Replacing cartridges is just as hassle as shelling out the cash for new ones, and despite the supposed lack of ink, there’s always enough to coat your fingers in deep black and splatter drops on your crisp white shirt. Samir, Michael and Peter had the right idea when they brought a baseball bat to their printer in Office Space and I’m pretty sure millions of people fight the urge to do the same thing every day.

paper clips
Who really needs clips? When I need to keep sheets of paper together, I staple them or put them in a plastic sleeve. At no point have I ever thought “Where are my clipboards? Where are my damn paperclips!?” Using clips to hold sheets of paper together is about as effective as licking the back of a new flat screen TV and trying to stick it to the wall.

Plus, they seem to get everywhere. A seemingly small pot of paperclips is actually an endless source of hassle and you’ll find them sitting around the office for eternity. Even in places no one has ever been. If you open the basement door, which has been locked since 1905, there will be at least a few clips lying around. They are like nerve rats. Every office also has a serial paperclip bender that twists them into ridiculous shapes (fish, people, letters, etc.) and leaves them in front of your computer. The only rational response to seeing a screen like this is to sweep everything from your desk to the floor with a flick of your arm.

expensive pens
People with expensive writing implements covet them like swords and wax lyrical about their superiority. Let’s get one thing straight here: nobody cares about premium grip, resin barrels, or any mention of titanium. No one. The only time an expensive pen is needed is during the signing of an important document in a movie. Give me a cheap biro any day. Giving £300 for a pen is crazy. Why not spend £200 and give the rest to a homeless person? With £100 they could change their lives and go into the office supply business.

Whats Next?
My advice would be to ditch the traditional office supplies and come up with new and exciting alternatives that are less likely to give you a heart attack. Expensive pens? Replace them with laser pens. Paper? Give everyone an engraved sketch. Trust me, everyone in your office will be happy and more productive as a result.

Probably the fastest way to remodel a house that would result in a very noticeable change in the appearance of a house is to paint it. Paint is a very important aspect of any home renovation or remodeling project according to construction experts. Paint will not only change the way an exterior or interior surface will look, it can also change the moods that a particular room will evoke in those who inhabit it. Knowing the best, or even the worst, paint colors to use inside a Massachusetts home can help you choose the best color options for your home remodeling project.

* Preliminary considerations

Before you even get started and make arrangements with your contractor on which particular paint to use for your home renovation project, you first need to make sure you identify which set of colors you really like best. As mentioned above, colors have been shown to set the mood of the people who inhabit a room and you, as a home owner, would feel more comfortable inside a room with colors that you really like. Notice how you would avoid places or areas with walls and interiors painted in colors that don’t suit your taste. This same principle applies to choosing colors for your home remodeling project.

The appeal of a particular color to your taste and preference is more important than trying to match your existing furnishings and décor. You may overlook the fact that you don’t like a particular color or shade that an existing décor has due to the limited space these pieces of furniture take up. However, by moving that particular color to a larger area, such as ceilings, floors, or walls, you may not like the color, and eventually the room, every subsequent waking moment after the job is complete. of renovation. So avoid this situation by choosing your preferred color from the beginning.

Another consideration to keep in mind is the type of paint materials to choose for your home renovation job. Choose only the highest quality paints and finishes, especially brands that won’t fade easily over time. These may be more expensive, but the final quality you can achieve will be worth the investment. For enhancement purposes, you can add templates, borders or moldings, which can be painted in a slightly different shade than the base color of the wall or surface.

* Set moods

Colors have an intrinsic way of evoking emotions in people and setting the mood in a particular room or interior space. Colors have an amazing way of making people energetic or sleepy, depressed or happy, and every kind of emotion in between. Before choosing a particular color for a particular room in your home remodeling project, you must first identify what type of activities take place within the room you are considering.

Blue and green tones are excellent choices for bathrooms and bedrooms, as they evoke feelings of sleep and relaxation, while bright, primary colors would be more appealing to both children and the elderly. Choose lighter tones and pastels to give that relaxed atmosphere in your bedrooms. For bathrooms, it would be better to choose a brighter shade of these colors, as you don’t want anyone to fall asleep there.

Reds are great shades to choose in kitchens as they whet the appetite and keep people more sociable, lively and awake. However, you should be aware of people in your household who may notice their blood pressure rise whenever they are in an area with a large amount of redness. To avoid such scenarios, choose other shades of red like a darker burgundy wine. Blue is not a good choice for the dining room or kitchen as it has been proven to suppress people’s appetite.

The living room can work well with various shades of orange to induce warm and friendly feelings in people. However, avoid using bright tones as this can be overwhelming and take away from the original effect of the tones. Browns and earth colors are great for exterior finishes, but not so much in living rooms as they can make people uncomfortable with a feeling of being enclosed or trapped.

You can have as many options to choose from as there are shades of paint available in the market. The best indicator that will tell you that you have made the right decision is your instinct and that the colors you think will make you feel comfortable.

Decorating a new home to your own taste is one of the best things in any undertaking, although of course there are always budgets to respect and compromises to make, especially if you live as a couple! Modern interiors are often the ideal way to create a space that everyone can enjoy and put their personal stamp on.

Contemporary spaces in the home are fantastic because they are, by definition, minimalist. This gives any homeowner the opportunity to start simple and then add other elements to their home to suit their tastes as they go. For those decorating on a budget, this is also a great idea as you won’t need to invest in a huge amount of decorating from the start.

The best way to start creating a contemporary kitchen is to choose accessories that give it a modern edge and look good regardless of the other elements and decorations you add to the space later. Some of these accessories include cabinets, which can dramatically change the feel of your kitchen.

A great tip when choosing your cabinets is to opt for something that is high quality, as these pieces of furniture will take up a lot of visual space in the room, regardless of how many other accessories you have in the area. Splurge a little on some great looking furniture, therefore, should be a priority.

There are a wide variety of colors and styles to choose from when decorating a modern kitchen, so as long as you choose high-quality fixtures, something of your personal taste should look great, regardless of tone and style.

For those looking for a bit of inspiration, white, black, or gray kitchen cabinets create a very contemporary space and will look good regardless of what other kitchen accessories you add later. Gray shaker cabinets are particularly on trend right now because of the subtle level of color they add to a contemporary space.

While white is a very simple and bright color choice, and other shades like black and red can be overbearing, gray shaker cabinets add just enough interest and variation to other colors in the room without overwhelming them. Consider this option if you’re looking to create a sleek, modern kitchen.

When it comes to colors for walls and floors, the same color palettes as mentioned above are a great idea. Whites, blacks, grays and brights give it a modern look, but again be careful not to overpower a room with very dark or quirky color tones.

You can choose dark gray floor tiles to complement light gray shaker cabinets, or you can choose a black floor to complement stark, natural bamboo slab cabinets. Keep everything sleek and minimal, with no fancy patterns or designs, and you’ll be well on your way to creating a fantastic contemporary kitchen.

Once you’ve covered the walls, floor, and furniture, you can proceed to add personal touches and unique style elements to bring your space to life. A great idea is to choose high-quality, unusual metals for sinks, faucets and range hoods. Copper is a fantastic choice for adding character to a room, and chrome is a classic and understated choice.

Similarly, investing in a large slab of marble or granite for an island countertop can make a beautiful centerpiece and a stunning statement when contrasted against a room’s calm, minimalist color palette. If you have the budget, choosing beautiful countertops is one way to really transform your modern kitchen into something exceptional.

From choosing between white and gray shaker cabinets to selecting the right shade of floor tile, creating a contemporary kitchen doesn’t have to be difficult. The keys to remember are to go for subtle tones and simplicity, accenting with stunning, one-of-a-kind pieces like copper fixtures and stone worktops, and always remembering to invest in quality for the best results.

Unique mirrors are functional and many are now fun and decorative as well. We decorate our homes with mirrors and they can even be found in public places for both function and decoration. There are mirrors in all shapes and sizes and they work for every room in your home. Perhaps it is this unique versatility that makes mirror art so popular.

Do you know how many mirrors you have in your house? It can be shocking for many people to walk around and count the number found in their home. Most people tend to have more than they realize because mirrors become such a normal part of our home decor.

While many of us think of mirrors in our bathrooms or even our bedrooms to get ready in the mornings; shaving, putting on makeup, and other important uses, there are actually uses for unique mirrors other than just seeing ourselves. A properly placed wall mirror can make your room appear larger, for example.

According to Feng Shui, a mirror placed on your front door can confuse evil spirits and protect your home. You can also use them to decorate your kitchen backsplash, for wall decoration, for crafts and much more. There are so many different, funky, and unique uses for mirrors that it’s no wonder we see so many of them in people’s homes today.

If you want to try a creative artistic activity, you can make your own decorative mirrors. One way to do this is to take old picture frames and decorate them with beads, shells, fabric, buttons and other ideas and then place the mirror inside instead of a photo. This makes for a wonderful and unique home decor item or a unique gift for someone you care about.

Does warm weather give you a new energy to “let go”, declutter, clean, rearrange and reconfigure your spaces inside and out? It certainly does for me, and I see it in my clients too. We all seem to enjoy the change of seasons with longer, brighter days seen with our eyes and senses in our hearts.

I thought I’d list my favorite “Urge to Purge” tools for when organizing a home or home office. April is a natural month to “prune” our possessions, paper and time. These are the items I have on hand as an organizer, wife, mother or friend, when I help people edit their belongings and information…

Pruning “stuff”

1. Garbage bags) – I like to use heavy duty black bags for garbage. I always ask if there is a bulk trash day in someone’s town to take advantage of, and if not, I always know the phone number of a green trash company when there will be a lot of waste that one person’s community can’t pick up.
2. Recycling box(es) or brown bag(s) – Knowing the city’s recycling schedule/policies is helpful and even being able to drive to the city’s recycling center after the purge to get non-guardians out of the newly rearranged spaces right away.
3. Donation bag(s) or box(es) – I like to use white kitchen bags and/or small boxes for donations. One can easily write the name of the charity on the outside of a white plastic liner or box with a black marker. Schedule a pickup or drop-off around the dates of your “spring adventure.”
4. Sell ​​bag(s) or box(es) or just write a list – One of the most difficult categories I find to follow in cleaning a house is when a client wants to sell something. Right now, I’d say that social media platforms like Facebook Marketplace are a great way to sell individual items that you no longer want, but feel like you could get a buck or two for them.
5. “It belongs somewhere else” box or even an area on the floor – As you go deeper into your “urge to purge,” there will always be items you decide to keep but that belong in another part of the house, not the space that is currently being decluttered. I advise you to put all the things away once you are done organizing. Don’t stop while you’re sorting to put the items away because you could do what I call “zig-zag arranging”…

Pruning “Papers and Information”

1. Recycling box(es) or brown bag(s) – Like the urge to purge with our stuff above, knowing the city’s recycling schedule/policies is a help and even being able to drive to the recycling center in town after the purge to get it out of the spaces right away it is advantageous. .
2. Shredding box(es) – If there are piles of papers with identifying information that need to be taken, I recommend shredding them. One can do this with a heavy duty shredder, take the shredding to a citywide shredding opportunity, an office supply store that uses this service, or sometimes I have a shredder truck that comes to the house.
3. scan – By scanning your documents to digital documentation, it will help you go paperless. I like to set up my file hierarchy in advance so that once I scan something, I know exactly where to send it.
4. Specific email – Use the options: delete key, unsubscribe button, block this sender or mark as Spam, are excellent ways to make information disappear.
5. Delegate – If you can delegate your role and information tracking to someone else, like a virtual assistant or family member, I also consider that a pruning tool.

I am a professional cabinetmaker. During the last eight years I have carved a niche for myself in the area of ​​kitchen and bathroom repairs and renovations. Among the many repair requests I receive, replacing thermal foil cabinet doors is high on the list. First let me say that there are two other popular terms used to describe this style of door, MDF and vinyl wrap. There are usually two types of damage that are most common with this type of door. The vinyl is peeling off the dash due to excessive heat or the plastic liner is beginning to loosen because the manufacturer did not put enough glue on the dash surfaces when the doors were being made. In both cases, the doors are usually not repairable and must be replaced. Here’s the rub, though: Many customers have no idea where real doors come from. There are literally hundreds of MDF door manufacturing companies spread across the United States and Canada. So here’s what I do to get around this minor hiccup. Most of the time, if I remove the front of a vinyl wrapped drawer and look at the back, there is a decal. This label will have the company name, production date, door style, and color codes. Once we have this information, we contact the company to find out if the doors are still under warranty. Some MDF manufacturers offer a five-year warranty against fading and delamination. Please note that heat damaged doors will not be covered under warranty. The next step is to request a catalog and color samples. Once these materials arrive, we can identify the style of the door, match the color and order replacement parts.

Tips to protect your thermofoil doors from heat damage:

1) Remove the drawers and doors on the side of your oven when using the self-clean feature. When cleaning is in progress, there is a small amount of extreme heat escaping around the edges of the oven door. This will melt the plastic and cause it to shrink and bend.
2) Avoid placing fryers directly below upper cabinet doors. Here again the heat will affect the edges.
3) Pull or push toaster ovens away from door edges so rising heat doesn’t damage the doors.

A few words about warranty coverage for thermoplastic cabinet doors.

It is important to know that although your doors can be replaced at no cost by the manufacturer, you will still have to pay a professional cabinetmaker to do the replacement. Just as an example, if your cabinetmaker charges $50 per hour from start to finish, the cost of 21′ of upper cabinets and 21′ of lower cabinets should be around $500-$600. The company that originally manufactured the doors must cover all shipping costs. So if the cabinet man says that he will have to pay to have the doors shipped to him, I suggest that he call the company directly and find out for himself.

Hire a professional

The replacement of thermofoil doors must be carried out by a professional. So, “don’t try this at home”. If you hire someone to do the work for you, it will save you a lot of time and hassle in the end. Professional cabinetmakers have special drilling machines and jigs that allow them to produce excellent results when replacing MDF doors.

Are you a Home Projects type of guy…or not? Owning a home means having something to do, fix, repair, renovate, create and more. To ensure that all of these jobs are done effectively (and improve the value of your home), it’s very important that you learn to DIY (do it yourself) and become proficient.

Depending on how proficient you are, home projects can certainly save you a lot of money. DIY is a learning process and a little help can often be just what you need to become a “Pro”

Everyone needs a “pat on the back” from time to time. The successful completion of housing projects will obviously instill a sense of pride, but better yet, it will make your better half acknowledge your success with pride. I find that outdoor home projects like building a storage shed can also make neighbors green with envy.

There are many home projects that increase the value of a house, one of the most important is the construction of a wooden platform. By using the best plans available, you will have no problem creating a masterpiece for less than half the cost of a contractor and will also substantially increase the value of your home.

Using excellent plans, along with the necessary BOM (bill of materials), will save you money exponentially and improve your reputation as a DIY expert with family, friends, and neighbors. So whether your home projects include electrical work, plumbing or building a garden fence and more, get the best advice available.

Solar systems are gaining ground. This is not a DIY project at this stage and must have professional installation. The beauty of a solar energy installation is that you will have free energy after 7 years, plus of course, once again the increase in the value of your house

Until now we have been talking about a typically masculine environment, but home projects are much more than that. Men and women can do profitable home projects full or part time. This can include working on your computer blogging, affiliate marketing, article writing, and much more. The opportunities to make money are limitless.

A word of warning! The internet is full of scammers who will offer you $6752.97 in the next 24 hours if you buy their program. “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is” Yes, the internet has limitless possibilities, but my suggestion is to stick to tried and tested vendors, there are more than enough.

Back home projects. It is totally doable for a DIY expert who is passionate about woodworking etc. make a full time occupation creating things like sheds, doing maintenance and best of all working for yourself.

I am personally very interested in sheds, I am currently in the process of building a storage shed as a housing project. What I did find, however, is that while the internet has plenty of free shed plans, these just don’t have all the bells and whistles. I have found that settling for paid (inexpensive) shed plans gives me everything I need.

One of the newest trends in home decor is the seemingly contradictory idea that rustic interior design can be contemporary. Although people often associate rustic design with farmhouse and log cabin plans and contemporary design with modern metal and glass construction, it is wrong to believe that contemporary and rustic design elements cannot be complementary. On the contrary, combining the two types of design elements can be a very creative way to decorate. Rustic touches work very well together with elegant and contemporary decoration. The term “rustic” is not so much about an outdoor lifestyle as it is about trying to bring the elements of nature inside your home by using a palette of warm, soothing earth tones and incorporating natural materials.

Mixing contemporary and country home plans can mean mixing rustic materials like slate floors, exposed ceiling beams, and kitchens with contemporary stainless steel appliances, plastic laminate cabinets, glass shelves, and butcher counters. The end result is a contemporary kitchen that is useful and has a cozy, rustic feel. Contemporary design is all about smooth surfaces like glass and stainless steel, and the use of bold colors. Rustic decor is all about bringing an outdoorsy feel indoors, using earth tones, natural stone, or wood and wrought iron surfaces. Combining elements of both styles can produce an attractive and comfortable home that combines the best of old and new under one roof.

Country house plans often have wooden floors and furniture and employ designer materials such as leather and suede; pewter and other metals with patina; wooden floors and wooden furniture made from branches and twigs; wrought iron and rusty metals; natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, hemp, wool and animal skins; rocks and stones; and outdoor garden elements. Southwestern-style architecture reflects Native American, Spanish Colonial, and Mexican influences with earth colors and rough surfaces, wrought iron, vibrant textiles, handcrafted items, terracotta, and painted stoneware. Hand-painted clay ceramic tiles are popular accents on walls, floors, and countertops. Southwestern color schemes include desert greens, clay reds, and hints of yellow, orange, and turquoise. The English country-style architecture is enhanced by subdued color schemes showcasing vintage textiles, simple accessories, and simple furnishings. The country color scheme brings out muted, time-worn tones; while the contemporary approach to rural design lends itself to a richer, more colorful palette. Furnishings may include antiques and simply designed flea market finds. The fabrics used are usually white or cream in color with patterns of checks, stripes, checks, or floral themes. Farmhouse-style homes are vibrant and colorful, with fabrics and tableware featuring bright yellows, reds, blues, and golds, along with simple or floral patterns. The furniture is usually made of wood and with simple decorative carvings. Dried flowers and other rustic floral elements provide home accents. By choosing a decorating scheme that represents your own personal sense of style, you can create a unique and comfortable home environment.