Try leather lamp shades for western decorating and interior design. The use of beautiful rustic shades has become more prevalent in recent years as decorators have become more and more aware of how simple it is to create western and country style in any room, by simply using a rustic lamp shade as part of the home’s decor.

The popular style you come across in the southwest and in designer magazines can be readily copied by simply replacing the shades on lighting fixtures you already have, or by putting them on specially designed rustic lamps like wooden and antler lamps. Leather lamp shades come in a natural color and are also dyed in a variety of colors that look amazing and are great for use with any color scheme.

What I like most about rustic lamp shades is their versatility and the way they accent Native American decor. These hand-stitched, rustic lamp shades are created from soft pigskin, suede leather that is mostly opaque and has a unique finish because of the natural small hair follicle holes on the hide.

Wonderful for directing light both upward and outward, leather lamp shades are popular for use on desk lamps, table lamps, floor lamps, chandeliers, wall sconces, antler lamps and all rustic lamps. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to illuminate a spacious room with floor lamps or other rustic lamps, or are only trying to brighten a dark area with table lamps or accent lamps, leather lamp shades will give you the perfect lighting effect in lighting your home.

You will love the warm glow of rustic lamps shades and the inviting warmth they create when using them in combination with other western style design accessories like Native American rugs and American Indian pottery or with rustic furniture. Knowing how you will use the shade is one thing to figure out before making a purchase. Big lamp shades that give off more light are better for reading and illuminating a big room, while smaller shades work well for accent lamps or brightening a smaller corner.

Leather lamp shades used on table lamps or bedside lamps can make a dramatic statement and bring authentic southwestern style to any room. Whether used with traditional style lighting fixtures or on special western lamps, leather lamp shades are the best way to achieve the rustic design that you love. The wonderful versatility of western leather lamp shades make them appropriate for use in your living room, office, den, bedrooms and in any other room where you would enjoy adding southwestern style.

They also look great in rustic style homes and are the perfect way to bring out the natural beauty of its surroundings. Today, it is easy to buy leather lamp shades online or find them in shops that sell Native American style decorating items. If you love western style in home decorating, and would like to enhance old west style in your home decorating, try using the unique beauty of rustic leather lamp shades for your interior design.

Craig Chambers is the director of Mission Del Rey and offers free information online about choosing leather lamp shades for rustic home lighting fixtures. For more information visit http://www.missiondelrey.com

Painted lamp shades bring out the best in Native American home decor and are definitely the way to go in rustic lighting. The designer look they enhance in your home will have your friends talking about your beautiful interior design long after they leave. In fact, I enjoy decorating with these wonderful shades so much that I often give them as gifts for Christmas or birthdays. These lamp shades are an incredible way to enhance colorful southwestern or Native American style in your interior design and achieve a look that is truly unique.

From elaborate portrayals of Native American Indians and extraordinary mountain terrain, to intricate paintings of dry desert landscape and Indian pueblos, you will no doubt be amazed with how these hand crafted lamp shades add to your home’s Native American design and style. The thing I like most about decorating with painted lamp shades or giving them as gifts, are the large variety of shade colors and options obtainable.

You can decide between exquisite artwork on dyed pigskin leather lamp shades that come in red, green, black, gold, wine, brown or natural, or find a painting you like on a rustic rawhide shade in light or dark. Whether a suede leather or natural rawhide shade, you will certainly find one that matches your color scheme and your decorating style. The beautiful work of the hand-stitched lacing on the leather lamp shade brings beautiful charm and true Native American style to your rustic cabin or country home.

Trying to simply enhance rustic style in a room in your home? The best thing about painted lamp shades is that they look just as wonderful in all rooms of your home and wherever else you want to enhance Native American style. The wonderful thing about painted lamp shades is that they are a very easy way to change your lighting fixtures or give new life to a home without having to spend a lot of money or make a lot of changes. Use painted lamp shades on unique rustic style light fixtures such as wrought iron or antler lamps to create a true rugged mountain look, or just switch the shade on the regular style lamps that you are already using to enhance western style.

Regularly used on chandelier lamps for illuminating large rooms or for table lamps and desk lamps, painted lamp shades are excellent for using anywhere you want to incorporate a splash of color with rustic flare. You will be excited to see how easily a lamp shade can revolutionize the look of the whole room and create true western style in your home. Use painted leather lamp shades with other country or Native style accessories for authentic rustic style. Painted lamp shades look wonderful when combined with Native American blankets and throws, kiva ladders, ceremonial drums, or hand-crafted Indian baskets and pottery.

These one of a kind shades are difficult to buy in retail stores where southwest decorating items are sold, but you can find them online. If you enjoy the Native style homes found throughout the southwest, or just want to bring color and rustic flare to your decor, try using the unique art of painted lamp shades.

Craig Chambers is the director of Mission Del Rey and offers free information online about buying painted lamp shades for southwest home decorating. For more information visit http://www.missiondelrey.com

Besides being a conversation piece, luxury custom cabinetry adds a unique richness and character to a home. With alder becoming the ‘new oak’ in popularity, those looking for unusual custom cabinets are adding doors and frames made from materials such as stainless steel and hardwood. These items are extremely expensive, but the finished look is well worth the effort.

Stainless Steel Inserts

The newest trend in upper kitchen cupboards or custom cabinetry in offices is the addition of stainless steel to wood frames and mullion frames (frames with bars in the middle) rather than using it on its own. The frames are coated with black stain or solid lacquer and often given a grey or metallic glaze. Then, stainless steel mesh woven into intricate patterns is mounted into the frames instead of traditional glass.

Lacewood, Curly Koa, And Peroba Rosa

Soft variegated wave patterns in these woods along with their warm colors add a comforting feeling to any room. From Australia, Lacewood can have a soft wavy pattern or it can have strong rays woven throughout if it is quarter-sawn. Curly Koa, from the island of Hawaii is traditionally used for the bodies of guitars and ukuleles; however, it is starting to appear more often in custom cabinetry. Peroba rosa, or amarillo, originates in areas of Brazil and is most notable for its soft, unusual colors of purple, pinks, yellows, and reds. When given a natural finish, the colors will deepen are darken with age.

These woods are durable and strong making them ideal for kitchen cupboards. To keep down the costs, they are often used as veneers or inlays in tiger maple. To get a similar look for less, custom staining done in suitable colors can be used on tiger maple or flaming birch.

Teak, Padouk, Rosewood, And Tigerwood

These woods are used in luxury custom cabinetry for their strong, striped colors. Teak is nothing new to custom cabinets, but the way it is being used is changing. This soft, oily wood was formerly popular for outdoor furniture and now it is being used to create gorgeous countertops and cabinet doors. It does not mould well, so it is best kept to sharp clean lines to eliminate flaking.

Tulipwood and its close relative Brazilian rosewood, with its perfumed smell, along with another Brazillian species tigerwood are also stunning additions to custom cabinetry. These are some of the most expensive woods available and are best saved for small inlays and ornamentation. These woods are endangered species, so if you choose to uses these woods in kitchen cupboards, you want to be sure that they come from a plantation or other eco-friendly source.

Exotic hardwoods and stainless steel are a stunning addition to luxury custom cabinetry. Use them to create stunning mitered doors, add beautiful inlays, or as a small border around an island. These materials make it easy to create a dazzling design that will stay in fashion forever.

Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on Custom
Cabinets, visit http://www.valleycabinetinc.com.

Rustic lamps with rawhide lamp shades are some of the most popular western lamps you find in rustic cabins and in rustic decorating or western decor. If you have lived in the west or visited western States, you understand what I mean. Lamp shades made of rawhide are easy to decorate with, working well with just about any home decor. Rawhide leather lamp shades are also available in multi-colors to make it possible for designers to use any color pallet. Try using rawhide shades in your decorating project and see for yourself how well they compliment your western design theme.

When you get ready to buy rawhide lamp shades you will want to think about how your lamp will be used. This is just a matter of choosing where in the room you will use it. For instance, you might be lighting a big area or just adding some light to a dark corner of the room. Rawhide shades are also a must for antler chandeliers and antler lamps since rawhide lampshades are a standard for western lighting. From small chandelier lampshades with attached bulb adaptor clips for candelabra bulbs or sconces to large wall lamps or floor lamps, rawhide shades work wonderfully for southwestern lighting.

When using rawhide lampshades for accent lighting, you will really enjoy the warm glow created by the lamps light coming through the stretched rawhide. This is how rawhide shades work to create that inviting feel. It is a balanced harmony of texture and color that creates that warm glow. While it may not be the focal point of your room, it will no doubt add a lot of character to your space.

When you use rawhide skin lampshades for reading you will probably want to use a large lamp and shade that can be used to give you light from behind and above the person reading. This allows for the most comfortable environment for reading. Wall sconce lampshades also allow for great reading light and rawhide shades come in just the right diameter for your reading and decorating needs.

Remember, when you are purchasing the lighting for your home, the light from rawhide floor lamp shades allows you to cancel out the glare and bring out the beauty of the light while using it where you want it. Bleached rawhide, sometimes called southwestern lamp shades, lets the greatest amount of light shine through while dark rawhide shades, known as western lamp shades, are more subtle producing a charcoal or smoke color when your lamp is on.

One of the incredible things about the rawhide lamp shades offered online is that they combine well with so many different variations of lamps including rustic lamp styles as well as traditional ones. Like the sought after antler lamp with a rawhide leather lamp shade, they also look great used on table lamps or wall lamps. Heavy wrought iron lamps with rawhide shades are another very popular choice in lighting fixtures for rustic decor.

You do not have to make major changes if you own more modern style lamps. It is a rawhide shade that is enhancing the rustic look and feel which is why professional decorators love using them. You can use rawhide with traditional lamps to achieve a very nice southwestern feel.

The many different variations of size and color lend these lamp shades to be utilized in practically any environment where you want to create rustic charm or are enhancing your room with what has been called rustic chic style. Equally at home in the living room, family room or den as well as bedroom or study, rawhide shades can be used in just one room or used to bring in a rustic theme throughout your whole home.

Popular as table lamps as well as on end tables or on floor lamps and chandeliers, lampshades can make a strong statement and bring a unique charm to any room. Purchasing rawhide lamp shades online is simple and often saves you a lot of money. Using rawhide in your home is an investment in tranquility and peace that you will enjoy for years to come.

If you love the rustic decor used in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, or want to build your own year round Arizona room or bring in the Native American style of New Mexico, you will love adding your western decor using rawhide lamp shades.

Craig Chambers is the director of Mission Del Rey and offers free information online about choosing rawhide lamp shades for rustic home lighting and decor. For more information visit http://www.missiondelrey.com

Using custom rawhide lamp shades as part of your home’s decor is the easiest and most inexpensive way to give your home true rustic or Native style. Something I like most about beautiful hand crafted lamp shades is the captivating glow and inviting ambiance they create no matter where they are used. These natural rawhide shades are made of goat skin, and are wonderful because of their diversity and ability to combine with all southwestern style home accessories and color schemes.

Wonderful for use in cabins and log homes and anywhere you would like to create amazing country style, rawhide lamp shades are truly the greatest choice in southwestern home lighting and for use on rustic lighting fixtures. The greatest part about leather shades is that they are available in custom sizes and in natural or dark colored rawhide. No matter if you are selecting a southwestern lamp shade for a large floor lamp or simply need custom rawhide lamp shades for small chandelier or antler lamps, you will definitely be able to find the perfect one for your design style.

The rich variations of color tones are part of what gives the rawhide shades such wonderful character. Southwestern rawhide shades are available in a stunning darkly smoked look that allows the light to pass through while producing a warm glow and inviting atmosphere. The natural rawhide stitching enhances the shade’s characteristic rustic look and wonderful western style. Whether buying a shade to enhance your home decor or to use along with wooden or rustic furnishings, custom rawhide lamp shades will pull the room together to create great western style.

Rawhide lamp shades that have been bleached are a cream color with natural earth tone highlights that are seen when the light is turned on. These light colored shades look amazing when used with natural wooden furniture and western accessories such as log ladders or kiva style ladders. You will also like how natural rawhide shades combine with other western decor for a beautiful combination in Native American style and design. Use your custom made lamp shades with similar rustic accessories like Indian blankets and drums for wonderful pueblo, country, southwest or Native style.

If you are drawn to the natural beauty of rawhide, you will also love the unique style of dyed rawhide lamp shades. These hand made lamp shades are a wonderful way to add a touch of color to any room while keeping the same western decorating theme. Colored shades are first lightened with a bleaching solution and then dyed to reach the desired color. The result is a beautifully colored rawhide shade, with a unique grain pattern that is seen when lit.

If you want to buy rawhide custom shades to use with lamps you already have or to use on special rustic lamps, you can easily find them online and in certain stores that sell rustic home decor and accessories. No matter which type of home lighting fixture you choose along with your shade, you will appreciate the rustic beauty and western style brought to your home when using custom rawhide lamp shades.

Craig Chambers is the director of Mission Del Rey and offers free information online about choosing custom rawhide lamp shades for rustic home lighting fixtures. For more information visit http://www.missiondelrey.com

One of the more popular amenities that are being added to many Chicago homes are rooms dedicated to replicating the feel of an actual movie theater. From the projection screen down to the popcorn machine, many families are making this a popular way to entertain friends and family. Several things go into making a theater room a successful way of entertaining and impressing your guests. Being certain that you have not skipped any of the features is important to a proper movie theater replication.

The screen is the ultimate feature of any home theater room. The bigger your screen, the closer your room will be to providing the same atmosphere of a real movie theater. There are companies that specialize in making large, movie theater-like screens for just this purpose. It is a great way to enjoy movies with your family, but can you also imagine how popular your house would be if you invited the guys over to enjoy the next Super Bowl on a huge projection screen? Your house would be the most popular one in your neighborhood until others decide to follow your lead.

Theater chairs are also manufactured for the sole purpose of being installed in a home theater room. You can invest in as few as two theater chairs for you and your spouse. Or, if you’d prefer, you can install as many theater chairs as your room can comfortably accommodate. For a more intricate theater room, you can also look into installing stadium seating for a closer replication of many movie theaters. Options for your personal home theater seating include reclining and rocking seats and seats that have a cup holder attached for refreshments.

What movie theater would be complete without an actual popcorn popping machine? Some companies manufacture real popcorn popping carts for your home movie theater. You really cannot have a home theater without the smell of freshly popped popcorn wafting through the air. The price that you charge your guests per bucket is completely up to you, too.

Lighting is important to a home theater room. The right lighting is essential to the proper enjoyment of a movie. You can add dimming switches to your existing lights to clone the effect when a movie begins. For safety reasons, it is also important to install floor lighting just like the real movie theaters have. If somebody needs to get up for more refreshments or to use the facilities, they need to see the stairs or the way out safely. The lighting also provides an atmosphere that, until now, could only be found in the real movie theaters. Depending on your budget, you might also want to occasionally hire somebody to be an usher for your home theater room.

Home theater rooms are a luxury that can be as simple or as intricate as one’s imagination and budget can accommodate. For those who enjoy the movie theater atmosphere but are annoyed by the other people who inevitably ruin the experience, a home theater room is an effective, yet expensive, solution to this problem. Home movies have come a long way since the unpopular vacation slide shows from many decades ago. It is no wonder that real theaters are being given a run for their money and may one day be a thing of the past.

Elite Home Builders specializes in remodeling projects that can enhance the livability of your home. Put Elite Home Builders on you list for your next Chicago construction project.

Antler lamps are wonderful for enhancing western home decor. So much more than average home lighting, antler lamps bring character to your room. If you own a rustic cabin or southwestern home, the elegant character of antlers with their unusual shapes and variations in natural color will give your area the distinctive rustic design you love.

Rustic home owners as well as those constructing more sophisticated houses have chosen antler lamps for many years as the must have rustic lighting to complete their ranch style home style. Because of the natural curves of antler lamps and chandeliers there is a natural beauty inherent within the antlers that wonderfully compliments any variety of southwestern furniture. There is something distinctive about antler lamps that pulls every element together and creates a sophisticated rustic look within the area. Antler lamps have something special about them that definitely creates rustic beauty in any environment.

Antler lamps also accompany many other western accessories in home decor. In the Northwest or “north woods” antlers may be attached to snow shoes and adorned with rawhide lamp shades to create beautiful wall sconces. The light wood and rawhide lacing of the shoe, in combination with the leather binding and warm glow of the rawhide shade, make it a beautiful combination. Weather you decide to adorn your antler lamp with rustic light rawhide shades or country style dark rawhide lampshades, the decision is yours and the outcome will be amazing.

Smaller antler chandeliers are sometimes made from whitetail deer antlers while larger chandeliers sometimes have several tiers of huge elk antlers. Weather your area is large or small an antler chandelier will bring the old west home.

In a small town in Wyoming, the town square is adorned with arches created from Elk antlers. It is truly one of a kind and you can design the same look with antler lamps. Small lamps are fashioned from whitetail deer antlers while larger light fixtures such as chandeliers may have tiers of elk antlers with rawhide lampshades. One of the most popular lamps is created with moose antlers, unmistakable with their great dark palms and dark rawhide lamp shades.

Every year, clubs and organizations such as the Boy Scouts will go looking for the prized sheds. If you ever find antler sheds outdoors, it is an amazing experience. Antler lamps bring that same look in your home and can change your home’s ambiance in a unique way.

Antlers are acquired in different qualities that are graded like rare coins. The highest quality is given an “A” grade. The grading criteria, indirectly, has to do with the how much time the sheds lie on the ground before they are found. The more time they are left in the wild, the more they lose their quality. Newer antler sheds will be dark brown in color. Sheds that are not found soon will begin to wash out in the sun until they become a chalky white. Another reason they loose their quality is because of chew marks from small animals and stains from wet ground or moss.

There are also different forms of making the antler lamps themselves. Some lamp makers use glue to hold the antlers together. Others may join them together with rawhide string for a western look. And some of the most appealing antler lamps may use a combination of glue, screws and lacing, with the holes closed up for a natural look. Quality lamps will almost always feature rawhide lamp shades.

Each antler is somewhat varied than any other, so each antler lamp is especially unique and is great for rustic lighting. Try antler lamps with rawhide lamp shades in your home to create true rustic charm and to give it that warm, inviting look and feel that everybody loves.

Craig Chambers is the director of Mission Del Rey and author offering free tips about using antler lamps for rustic home lighting. For more information visit http://www.missiondelrey.com

Kiva ladders or Wooden Indian log ladders are pueblo style accessories that work wonderfully for enhancing southwestern style in your home. While traveling or visiting the southwest you will no doubt notice that pueblo style log ladders have become the most recognizable symbols of American Indian style design and art, used to create captivating, rustic and southwest style home decorating. Kiva ladders are decorative wood ladders usually fashioned from pine logs that have been scraped by hand. The rungs of the ladder are then fastened to the two long poles with rawhide string. The ladder is smaller at the top than it is at the base, adding a dimension of height.

One great way to create the rustic look and feel in your home, without actually having pueblo designs, is to use the same primitive style, pueblo ladder or kiva wooden ladder. The ladders will create a subtle but definite pueblo or rustic look in the room. A kiva ladder also makes a great way to hang some of your most beautiful western tapestries or Navajo blankets. Other decorating accessories that look wonderful with decorative pueblo ladders are Navajo blankets, Indian pottery and drums, wooden dough bowls and primitive style lamps with rawhide lamp shades. You can also use ladders to draw attention to special designs you may like such as the kokopelli or other village designs. Using the kiva ladder as a way to display trinkets and nick-nacks will liven up the Native American theme in your interior decorating, add vibrant colors, and make the ladder functional in your home decor.

There is something interesting about pueblo style homes made of adobe bricks with their wooden ladders on the roofs. This image has become a true representation of rustic decorating and style. Many homes in the southwestern states are similar to the early pueblo style, and the kiva ladder is always an integral part. Pueblo designs are found on rugs, dolls, pottery, paintings, art, and rustic furnishings. And, the rustic wooden ladders have become popular in cabins, lodge style homes and also anywhere people like primitive or pueblo design style.

Use your imagination. There is no right or wrong way to how pueblo ladders can be used. You can achieve an interesting display or book shelf by using two ladders together and connecting them with boards in the middle. You most likely already own some tapestries you can use and put a small table beside it or an American Indian style drum and you will have created a unique and functional design.

A lot people also use kiva ladders as a place to hang southwestern throws to cover up with during those cool winter nights. You might use kiva ladders to display bed blankets or afghans in your guest rooms when not needed. You can use kiva style decorative ladders in all your rooms, in the same way or similarly without it looking overly done. So, if you want a truly outstanding Native style element to enhance your home decorating, use rustic decorative kiva ladders.

Craig Chambers is the director of Mission Del Rey and author offering free tips about using kiva ladders for rustic style decorating. For more information visit http://www.missiondelrey.com

Are you thinking of repainting your kitchen to give it a different feel? If so, you are probably anxious to pick the right colors for that kitchen. Picking the right color might be the most important decision you make when redesigning a kitchen because it sets the tone for the room. Picking the right color may mean the difference between a great kitchen design idea that will give you pleasure for years to come or a poorly accentuated kitchen that never looks quite right.

When you start to plan all those kitchen design ideas, you should think about these ways we respond to the different colors:

Black
Black is usually associated with darkness and despair. It is also often associated with death so you might think twice before using this color. The color black will absorb light and unless you want your kitchen to be a depressing place, black should be used sparingly.

White
Very much the opposite of black, white works to reflect about 85% of light. White seems to make rooms seem brighter and larger. Unfortunately, white walls are vulnerable to scraping and marking and a kitchen environment might not be the best place for white with food flying all around.

Red
Darker shades of red will create a sense of warmth. Red will also act to stimulate and energize so it can be a very exciting and vibrant color for a kitchen. Afterall, the kitchen is an exciting place where many wonderful foods are created. Brighter reds may counterbalance neutral colors and add lexcitement to the kitchen.

Orange
Orange has some of the same characteristics of red and may work well with a kitchen. The brighter the orange you use, the more lively the room will become. A softer orange will tend to make the room more warm and welcoming.

Green
Green works will to balance red and orange. For a kitchen, a darker shade of green may work the same as black. It is probably best to stay away from the darker greens and and stick with the lighter shades.

Blue
It is said that blue works to calm the nervous system. It can soften bright rooms but is not too ofen used in a kitchen. Very similar to green, if a dark shade of blue is used it may end up with the same effect as black. The lighter shades of blue make people feel peaceful and comforted.

Yellow
Yellow is a fantastic color that is often used in kitchens. It is a cheery and stimulating color. Lighter yellows will work to make the kitchen feel larger. It is a powerful color though that is best not overused. Yellow is best used in combination with another color.

Are you interested if more great kitchen ideas? Please visit my site Kitchen Design Ideas for more tips on creating your dream kitchen.

The dining room light fixture serves two purposes. First, it provides light by which to dine by, but more importantly, it sets the tone for the homeowner’s personal style. A grand dining room light fixture is the first thing noticed when you enter the room.

The current trend is candle style chandeliers. They are usually made of hand forged wrought iron, and can be found in single, double and even triple tiers complemented by candle style shades. Candle style shades can vary across designers. Options include resin candle shades that have the look of dripping wax. Onyx style candle shades are unique because of the beauty of natural stone mixed with wrought iron. There is also a line of shades made from real paraffin wax. These shades have the look and feel of real candle wax, but are specially formulated to accept low voltage light bulbs for the convenience of electricity using a light switch.

Some chandeliers are designed to use with real candles. Though they can be very beautiful, they are difficult to use as you need to hand light each candle and be sure to blow out when not in use. For most people, this is not very convenient.

When choosing a chandelier, you need to choose a finish that complements the other fixtures in the room. In example, you would not mix silver and brass in the same room. It is also important to match finish with the colors of the room. Cool tones are complimented by black or silver finishes. Warm tones are complimented by brass or gold finishes.

What is your dining room style? Are you more traditional or contemporary? Or are you going for an elegant look? Wrought iron chandeliers can compliment either a traditional or contemporary style, depending on the chandelier design. A more simple wrought iron piece would go well with the contemporary style, whereas a grand multi tiered chandelier would be considered a more traditional look. An elegant look would be a glass or crystal chandelier.

Though a chandelier is used as a light source, putting the fixture on a dimmer switch allows you to choose a fixture on looks first, while providing the flexibility of how much light the chandelier provides with the dimmer switch.

Lastly, be sure to determine if the chandelier you choose requires any special light bulbs, as they can be expensive and difficult to find. Ideally, the chandelier will come with the appropriate bulbs.

Julia Ritzenthaler is Owner of boutique online furniture stores, http://www.UniqueVanities.com, http://www.UniqeMirrorsOnline.com, & http://www.UniqueLightFixture.com. For more information about unique wrought iron light fixtures, visit us online or email us with your questions at uniquevanities@msn.com.