Quite often, the problem is not planning a remodel or even redecorating, you may even have the funds just burning a hold in your pocket ,waiting to be spent; sometimes, the problem is simply deciding what you want to do! Whether your mind is blank or if you’re over-inspired with so many fantastic ideas that you can’t decide on one, these tips will help get on track.

Finding Inspiration

If you’re having a hard time finding something to inspire you, maybe you’re looking for too much. Instead of trying to vision an entire room, perhaps find a rug, piece of art or a color that just draws you in and then plan your decorating scheme around that. Sometimes just looking through magazines, browsing the internet or going shopping will trigger the design that you’ve been looking for.

Finding Your Style

Don’t be afraid to try something that is totally not you! If you’ve always had neutral rooms, go bold! Been doing the contemporary thing since before it was in style? Why not try Victorian? It’s always a thrill to shop for antiques and vintage items.

Reuse What You Can

On a budget? Quite often, just changing the paint color on your walls, buying a new cover for the couch, moving the furniture around and adding a few new decorative pillows is all that you need to get you out of the boring rut that you’ve found yourself in.

Address Your Lighting

Whether you’re doing an entire remodel or just sprucing things up a bit, don’t overlook your lighting. There is nothing exciting about that same light fixture you’ve been looking at for the past 10 years. Adding pendants, recess lighting, chandeliers, wall scones or an assortment of fun lamps will give your space an instant facelift. You can’t imagine the impact that stylish lighting can have on a room until you see the transformation!

You probably already know that mirrors not only create light in a room, they can make a space appear much larger and full of energy too. However, you may not know that there are a lot of creative things that you can do with mirrors, other than just hanging one on your wall!

Cover a Table

Yes, this may seem like a bit more work than what you’re looking to invest but the result is dramatic! You can buy self-adhesive mirrored tiles that are less expensive than you might think. Paint that old table you have stuffed in your garage a color that will match your decor and then apply the mirrors to the top. If they don’t fit perfectly, just be sure to measure so you leave the same amount of room all the way around as a border. It’s easiest to start with the middle row in this case and work outward.

Wall Art

You can hang mirrored panels in any pattern you choose across a wall. You could create just a small abstract piece on that short wall in your entry way or spread them out across an entire wall in your living room. If you’re feeling really creative you can paint a design on some of them or stencil on just a bit of detail.

Create Planters

There are very inexpensive, unattractive, rectangular planters available that you would normally paint but instead of painting them, you will add mirrored tiles to them. Once again, feel free to add a bit of paint to the mirrors for a splash of color.

Just because it is ideal to have mirrors throughout your home doesn’t mean you have to give up prime wall real estate just to hang them!

The bed is always the focal point in a contemporary-style bedroom so proper positioning is everything! While a minimalistic platform bed was once only available in a few styles, today you can find them in a wide variety of colors, some open underneath, others closed off. They typically do not have a headboard but if there is one, it’s usually quite basic.

So, with how simple these platform beds are, how do they demand so much attention? It’s all about the position in the room! A bed in a contemporary room can be placed in the room’s center but most people find they appreciate the security of a wall behind them. When placed against a wall, it should be a large solid one that can house a nice piece of art. It really should never be positioned under a window or in direct line with the door and you absolutely do not want to have a bed under a beam. It is suggested that the weight of a beam overhead can cause headaches and disrupt sleep patterns.

Draw More Attention

If you really want to zoom in on the bed, turn tall dressers or shelving so they are positioned kiddie corner, this allows them to be on an angle facing the bed. As a last tip, contemporary styling is minimalist but it is all about balance so if you have a lot of sharp lines including your bed, dresser, television, etc., consider adding a round nightstand, piece of art, rug or even a bean bag chair to bring an equal balance to the room.

The Hungarian architect and designer Marcel Breuer enrolled at the Akademie der bildenden Künste in Vienna in 1920. That same year, however, Breuer dropped out of the Viennese Art Academy and went to Weimar to study at the "Bauhaus". Between 1920 and 1924 Marcel Breuer worked in the "Bauhaus" furniture workshop. In 1923 Marcel Brauer produced his first architecture designs and worked on the public housing designed by Walter Gropius' practice.

From 1925 until 1928 Marcel Breuer was head of the furniture workshop. This was the period in which Breuer produced his first tubular steel chair, which he presented in 1927 as the "Type B3 steel Club Chair". Later this model was renamed "Wassily".

In 1926-27 what was known as the "Breuer Crisis" arose at the Bauhaus, sparked off by Marcel Breuer teaming up with the Hungarian architect Stefan Lengyel to found the Standart Furniture Company without first consulting the "Bauhaus" board of directors. Marcel Breuer subsequently designed a large number of tubular steel furniture, including chairs, tables and cupboards, which were made and marketed by Standart Furniture in Berlin. Some tubular steel furniture designed by Marcel Breuer was later also made by the Thonet Brothers and Knoll International.

Using tubular steel as his basic element had the great advantage for Marcel Breuer in that it represented an already standardized element for his furniture type and besides was extremely economical and hygienic. In all phases of his working life, Marcel Breuer would continue to apply other techniques and materials in his designs for standardized, reasonably priced furniture.

In 1928 Marcel Breuer founded an architecture practice in Berlin but the "Bund Deutscher Architekten" (BDA: the German Architecture Association) refused to admit him as a member until 1931. Receiving no commissions for buildings, Marcel Breuer concentrated on interior design, continuing to develop his type furniture.

The first house Marcel Breuer built was "Haus Harnischmacher" in Wiesbaden in 1931. In Zurich Marcel Breuer designed "Wohnbedarf", a furniture store. Two years later Breuer designed (together with Alfred and Emil Roth) the Doldertaler houses, two experimental housing units. To escape persecution by the Nazis since he was of Jewish descent, Marcel Breuer went to Hungary in 1933 but went on to England in 1935 and, finally, to the US in 1937. There Marcel Breuer, like Walter Gropius, taught at the Harvard University School of Design until 1946.

Marcel Breuer and Walter Gropius even joined forces briefly to run a joint architecture practice. They produced the Pennsylvania Pavilion for the 1939 New York World's Fair as well as several private dwellings, including Gropius' own house. In 1941 hat Marcel Breuer again opened an architectural practice of his own, which he moved to New York in 1946 (in 1956 it was renamed Marcel Breuer and Associates).

Marcel Breuer designed more than seventy private houses as well as numerous university and office buildings. To name just a few of them, the buildings Marcel Breuer designed included the UNESCO Building in Paris (1953-1958), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York (1966), the Flushing Meadow sports grounds, New York (1960/61), and the IBM laboratories at La Gaude, France.

More and more people are choosing wood, composite, marble, tile, etc., for their homes instead of carpet which means that rugs are becoming more popular than ever. Of course, those who have carpet also enjoy adding rugs to save the carpet from wear and tear, add style and even cover stains. Some individuals have no problem just going into a store and picking up a few rugs but if you’re investing in a large expensive area rug, you may want to put a little thought into your decision.

Play with Your Furniture

Your furniture will play a role in determining not only the size and style of the rug but the placement as well. If you are someone who moves around your furniture from time to time, you will need to imagine all scenarios and if your rug will accommodate your creativity. Don’t be afraid to get out your measuring tape to measure the space, this may also help you determine if you want a square, rectangular or round rug.

Explore Your Options

Rugs should ultimately compliment your decor however, in a simplistic or contemporary room, they can quickly become a focal point if you want to add in a bright color or pattern. If you are looking for a rug to place under your dining room table, be sure that it’s large enough for all chairs to fit on it, there is nothing worse than sitting on an uneven chair that’s half on and half off a rug.

Runners are great for entryways, hallways and stairs while floor mats made from bamboo, rattan, sisal or any other natural material will add just the right amount of texture to your flooring.

Experiment

Don’t be afraid to combine several rugs in one room that don’t necessarily exactly match. This is a good way to break up a large space or studio apartment, giving each area its own identity. You may also want to layer rugs if you start feeling really creative.