You may have large wall vents that blog hot and cold air into your house as part of its heating and cooling system. Great cooling system – unattractive vents! So how can you minimize the visual impact of these utilitarian features??
Cover them up of course. Now, you cannot completely cover the vents with a solid material. This will defeat their purpose (and keep you pretty cold in the winter). But you can disguise them pretty easily.
Here’s how to disguise the cooling/ heating system vents:
1) Paint the vents the same color as your wall. Most vents are metal so they need to be sanded lightly and then primed before the final coat goes on. Once you have that done, stand back and see if it is not enough of a cover-up to make you happy. If not, try my trick with beaded or shell curtains. I found mine at a home design store (see Home Decorating Resources) but large retailers also carry them.
2) Because my wall vents are quite large, I bought extra shell curtains, I bought an extra set and cut up one set and tied each strand to the bottom of the ones I hung. That way, they reached the floor and created a long, elegant seamless look. Besides, the delicate shells add a fascinating element of texture and light movement to the entryway.
In order to keep the shells from blowing around and sounding like a wind chime (the biggest in the world!) I took a clear plastic dowel and tied the bottom of the strands to it. I secured the dowel to the floor with souble-stick tape.
It is really that easy to decorate a heating / cooling system vent so that it appears less noticeable.
There’s more to fabric than color and pattern. Like people, fabrics have personality: they can radiate warmth, exude confidence, or convey an easygoing attitude.
Consider the qualities of these popular fabrics:
Brocade: has a raised pattern resembling embroidery. It is often used in formal upholstery.
Chenille: has thick needle-punched designs. Its nubby texture is suitable for casual upholstery.
Chintz: is a plain-weave glazed or unglazed cotton. It sets a traditional mood and often has a floral motif.
Damask: comes in various fibers and weights and features a satin-and matte-textural contrast. Use it for formal draperies and upholstery or let it go casual as a loose fitting slipcover.
Matelasse has an elegant embossed look. It’s commonly used for bedcovers.
Moire is known for its shimmering finish resembling watermarks or wood grain. It lends a traditional look to the room. Moire fabric is ideal for drapering and paperbacking for wallcovering.
Taffeta is a crisp plain weave fabric. It works well for formal window treatments because it retains its shape with little support.
Tapestry has thick weaves and pictorial designs. It is best suited for uncomplicated upholstery or flat window panels.
Toile de Jouy is a tightly woven fabric with a pictorial print, usually on a white or cream background. It can look formal or casual, depending on the fabrics and furnishings that surround it.
Did you know that fabric is the fastest way of transformation? Think of the color, texture and pattern of fabric as the fuel your style-starved room may be hungering for. If you don’t believe it, travel through the fabric section of this blog for some creative decorating ideas for your house.
This is your ticket to discovering new fresh approaches, fun projects, and smart home decorating ideas and techniques – all grouped in one exciting and colorful blog post.
When it comes to fabric, some of the most striking companions aren’t always the obvious choices. Try to tam up the unexpected in the room using, for example, camel and white stripes, solid taupe cotton, and playful black vinyl to give an ordinary mattress and box spring star status.
A low custom built cabinet provides a space for home owners’s books and other belongings. Prefabricated store cubes can be stacked in minutes to achieve a similar set up. For artwork, wedding photos are mounted on the rectangles painted on the walls.
