Building your own home is one amongst the most exciting and rewarding things you will ever do in your life. All this starts with the perfect home design and hard work. However, before you decide on the best interior style for you, you need to learn more about America’s most popular, unique and breathtaking architectural styles. Here are the top Architectural hose styles in America.

Guide To Architectural House Styles

Art Deco

Art deco architecture style was characterized by extensive incorporation of shapes and colors in building structures.

This style found its inspiration from many sources such as Rome, India, Africa, Greece and the Far East. Basically, Art deco buildings are known for their futuristic, sleek, dramatic, geometric flair.

Cape Cod

This is a popular American style, but has its roots in England. Mostly referred to as cottages, these houses feature large chimneys that provide heat to all the surrounding rooms.

However, modern versions many not have the chimney or even a fireplace. When learning about the exterior of these homes, note some specific features including windows, which flank a centrally-located door and steep roof, which helps in quick shedding of snow and rain.

Neoclassical

Introduced by the Greeks and continued by the Romans, neoclassical style is almost always bilaterally symmetrical in design. The homes are best known for their use of columns, symmetry, ornate entry ways and grand scale. Currently, these homes are mostly found throughout the east coast and as many civic buildings across the U.S.

Ranch

Today there are many versions of this architectural style, such as the raised ranch and the split level. Though ranches are mostly sprawling, huge houses, they can sometimes be just tiny and cozy. Most ranch homes are single –storey homes often shaped like the alphabet ‘L’ or a ‘U’. This style attempts to merge indoors and outdoors and traditionally featured sliding glass doors that led to a backyard or a patio. This was one amongst the most common home styles in America.

Colonial

This style was developed between 1600 and 1850 in America. These homes were influenced by the original style of several European nations, including French, Dutch, Spanish and German. A typical colonial style house is a 1-room deep’, two-stories high with a very steep pitched roof.

The style is also known as ‘salt box’. These styles of home mostly center around the warm fireplace, with either 1 chimney at the center of the home, or 2 chimneys at either ends of the home. This style is common along East Coast of U.S, especially in New England.

Modern

Modern architecture is a style found in buildings that have simple form without any ornamental structures to them. This style first came up at around 1900. By 1950s, modern architecture was identified as an international style and become the dominant way to build for many years. These were the first home styles to use steel, concrete and glass instead of traditional materials. The interior features of modern home plans include open floor plans, high ceilings and artisan materials. However, most people tend to confuse modern style with the contemporary style, which tends to change based on latest trends and designs in housing.

Beautiful patterned rugs are currently in vogue, and many top retailers carry them today. These include well-known names like Madeline Weinrib and Urban Outfitters, which have a variety of tremendous patterns for sale. Yet, their price tag can be substantial and your choices may be limited to their available options. Fortunately, you can easily make your own textile design right at home, using a few simple techniques. This not only gives you the flexibility to create the exact pattern and color combination that you desire, but it can save you a great deal of money as well. So, to help discover how to carry out this DIY project, let’s cover the steps you need to follow below.

Step 1:
First, you’ll need to find a large, flat area where you can lay the rug out to begin working. Folding the rug and proceeding in sections is not recommended, as it will be difficult to keep the pattern consistent. If you don’t have an indoor space which will accommodate your rug, or you don’t wish to paint inside, you can complete this project outdoors if you wish.

Keep in mind, the shape of the rug doesn’t need to be symmetrical, and you may want to cut it into a more random footprint instead. Why? This gives it either a distressed, vintage or eclectic feel which will enhance the design that you’re about to add. You can either use a rug you have currently, or purchase a simple economy rug from any local retailer.

Step 2:
Be sure that your rug is clean and dry before beginning, as well as your used rubber doormat. Again, if you don’t already own a mat, you can simple procure one from any merchant in your area for a low price. It doesn’t need to be a fancy model, as the lowest priced version will be sufficient for your purposes. Just be sure that it has a raised pattern, as this will be what transfers over to your rug. When your new textile rug project is finished, you’ll be able to wash out this mat and reuse it – which is a nice additional perk.

Step 3:
Pick out the color of paint you’d like to use, and fill a paint tray about half full. Again, if you have remnant cans of paint lying around your home, you can simply re-purpose them for this project – saving you even more money. Now, simply use a standard paint roller to transfer a thin layer of paint onto your rubber doormat. If you are aiming for a worn and antique look, you’ll probably want to thin out the paint color by adding about ¼ cup of water to your paint tray.

Step 4:
One tip to keep in mind when rolling paint onto your doormat, is that less is more. It is better to err on the thin side, rather than over-saturating the mat. Also, try to keep the paint distribution as even as possible, to avoid light and dark areas on your rug. You don’t want so much paint on the mat that it will drip, as you will have to hold it over the rug and flip it over.

Step 5:
Using the doormat just as you would a rubber stamp, turn it paint side down and press it gently onto your rug. It is a good idea to recruit a partner for this task, as the doormat can be rather heavy and awkward to handle. Also, having two pairs of hands will make it easier to place it down flat without moving the mat – for a clearer pattern once you are finished. You can either use the same amount of pressure evenly over the entire rug for a modern look, or purposely add less paint to some sections for a faded appearance instead.

Step 6:
Aligning the lines from your previous stamp is important, as otherwise the entire rug will turn out poorly. It is best to work in a straight line, either moving vertically or horizontally. In this way you can match the edges from your last application site, to ensure that one cohesive pattern emerges – instead of many small ones.

Step 7:

You should now be finished with your rubber doormat, and can clean it off using soap and water. It is now ready to reuse however you wish, making this a very efficient project in terms of the supplies needed.

Step 8:
This is where you will use a hand-held paintbrush to retouch any lines that are broken or too faded. You can also blend seams using no paint and a side-to-side brushing motion that will soften the lines’ edge in that area.

That’s it, you now have a wonderful new patterned area rug, for a fraction of the cost. With such an easy and straightforward project, you may find yourself making rugs for several rooms in your home. Not only will this DIY method save you money, but it allows you to custom make rugs to fit into your décor as well.

Whether your home favors rustic, contemporary or modern design you can now fabricate a rug with the perfect colors and patterns to offset your theme. You can even pick out hues or textures that don’t show dirt or stains readily, if you have many small feet running through your home every day. In sum, you’ll now have a wonderful new rug for the price of a cheap, bargain item – which will make a terrific addition to your home’s décor.

A rug can make or break the decor in your living room. From the accents and colors, to the shade and tone, and even the furniture you purchase for your home, will all be affected by the choice of rugs you choose for your living room. You can use the rug as a centerpiece, or it can act as an accent piece. Although it may seem daunting, the task of choosing the right rug doesn’t have to be. These are a few tips to selecting the right rug, and what will work best for your living room.

The first thing you have to do is determine the use for the rug. Whether it is a centerpiece of the room, or whether you plan on setting it up below a small table or chair, the type of rug you choose will vary. You should also measure the dimensions of the area you plan on placing the rugs, take pictures for reference, and consider the colors, and fabrics that are in place, in order to ensure you make the right decision when choosing the rug.

Set a budget

Set a budget for decorating, before you choose your rug. It is important to know what your budget is for decorating the entire room, in order to know how much you should spend on a rug. A good figure to use as a reference point, is to spend as much (or less), than you plan on spending for a sofa in the living room, for the new rug you will purchase. If you don’t have any furniture in the space, do you really want to purchase a luxurious Persian rug? Consider this, along with the different colors, and decor you have in place, so that you can determine what the right price is when purchasing the new rug for the living room space.

The arrangement & size

Now that you have set the price, consider where you will place the new rug in the living room. What size is the right size for the living room, and where is it going to look best? If you plan on using the rug as a focal point, it should be larger; for rooms you use for entertaining, a larger rug is a great central decorating point for any room. At least one third of the front end of your furniture, should fit over the rug you choose.

Another option is to create several smaller sections, if you have a larger living room. You can set up several, smaller rugs, to create different areas in the living room. You can have a conversational area, a space for the family, TV watching area, and so forth. If you choose this option, the rugs should be a similar fabric and color; although they don’t have to be an exact match, they should be close enough to unify, and bring the entire space together. Like using a large rug, make sure the furniture will sit about one third of the way over the rugs you set up in the living room.

The colors

A rich and dark color brings a sense of coziness while bright and vibrant colors liven up a space. No matter what colors you choose, make sure you know how to match the colors up. The rugs can be a focal color, or you can make them blend with the other colors of your living room. You can choose one color, or you can mix things up for different styles and decor. Make sure you consider the rug, and color scheme you want to set up, when decorating your living room.

The patterns & design

You also have to consider choosing the right pattern and design. Something like an Oriental rug is more eloquent, while contemporary patterns can be more abstract, and modern in style. The geometric shapes also work well with contemporary art and larger art design pieces. If you choose floral patterns, this goes well with furniture of a similar pattern.

What other ways can you incorporate the rug in the living room?

You don’t just have to place rugs on the floor; for example, smaller rugs can be hung on the wall. If you choose this, make sure you use tacks to hang the rug (rather than nails), to avoid damaging it, and your walls. Rugs, like Moroccan rugs, are also great as blankets or throws for the sofa.

A Kilim rug is a great option as a cover for a small table. You aren’t limited to using rugs on the floors, so consider distinct styles and decorating patterns you can use, when choosing the rugs for your living room.

Do you want to incorporate the feeling of a mountain lodge into your everyday home? If so, then a rustic decorative theme is the perfect choice for your bedroom, as this brings the beauty of nature indoors for you to enjoy. It uses exposed wood beams, natural stone and iron with an antique finish to complete the look. Yet, you may want to know more about it, and what types of colors, materials, themes and furniture which it includes.

The Predominant Colors.

As a rustic style is rooted in nature, you shouldn’t venture outside the realm of naturally occurring color tones. Otherwise, you will break the continuity of your theme, and create a dissonance which the eye will detect. Therefore, you will want to use colors like deep blues and greens, brown, tan, bronze and even rust.

Good Material Choices.

Again, you don’t want to be haphazard with your material choices, if you want to create a rustic décor that hangs together well. Items made from natural cloth, wood, leather, iron and stone are your best bets in this regard.

Yet, you want to be mindful of the color shades too, and darker is best when it comes to leather and metal. Highly polished metal is especially out of sync with this style, and the more rusted and antique looking the better.

Where you can afford some brighter tones is in your stone, wood and cloth selections. Many people love to use pine with a light, slightly yellow stain that allows the wood grain to show through. Think of these materials as the neutral palette, which your darker leather and metal finishes will stand out from boldly.

Popular Themes.

While your overall scheme may be rustic, there are a variety of specific sub-themes which you can choose. Just try to keep these running in the same direction, otherwise your bedroom will appear disjointed and disorganized.

The Wild West is a popular theme, and you can display pieces that cement this idea. Antique pistols, spurs or barbed wire are all good choices here.

Mountain or hunting cabin motifs are also widespread, and these typically showcase the wood beams of the room in a stylish way. Ski chalets also fit into this category, and they often include a stunning natural stone chimney in the center of the space.

Other themes include rural living or a simple focus on nature. If this is your preference, a few well-chosen photographs of nature scenes in hand-hewn wood frames is a good start, as these can go a long way.

The Right Furniture.

You can’t use just any old piece of furniture, if you want to craft an excellent rustic décor. Rather, you’ll need furniture that was built specifically in the rustic style, and these pieces should bring words like rugged or natural to mind.

You can think of your headboard as the room’s centerpiece, if the space doesn’t include a fireplace mantel. A large headboard that also fits the size constraints of your bedroom is ideal, and leather, aged metal or wood are tremendous options. Just be sure that the finish is rustic, incorporating the colors discussed above.

Rustic seating may be more of a challenge, but you are looking for pieces made from leather or cloth. You may even choose a decorative bench hewn from wood, and this can be a great surface to display rustic accessories. Many rustic furniture items use old-fashioned rivets, and they often include antique looking woodwork flourishes too. Leather fits the rustic theme well, just don’t pick a large modern recliner. Instead, you’ll want an older style, and dark shades are usually the appropriate choice. Finally, cloth chairs are fine as well, and you can select lighter tones for the fabric if the wood frame has a dark finish.

Tables are another bedroom addition that can elevate your theme, and you may find one that incorporates the elements of iron, stone and wood together. Be careful not to purchase tables that are overly fancy, as this can unbalance your overarching theme. Handcrafted tables are excellent additions to a rustic bedroom, and dark iron finishes can make good accent notes.

Picking the best area rug for each space is important, as a poor choice can cause a variety of problems.

Too large a rug can overshadow the room, while one that is too diminutive will distract from the rest of your décor. Yet, if you find the right item it can bring your entire decorative theme together in a stunning way, making area rugs an excellent addition to your overall plan. So, to help you learn a few tips for picking the right one and how they can benefit your vision, let’s cover area rugs in more depth below.

Rugs Provide Many Benefits

Neglecting the floor when planning your decorative scheme is a mistake, as this takes up a great deal of the space in a room. Area rugs give you a way to take advantage of the canvas under your feet, by adding the style, patterns and colors to it which you prefer. They can also define the space, framing out certain areas in a natural way. Finally, their padding can make tile or hardwood floors more comfortable, warm and inviting.

Work From the Floor Up

Homeowners often neglect this advice, choosing their wall color, furniture, accessories and then adding an area rug as an afterthought. Yet, many designers work from the floor up, first choosing a rug with the perfect blend of colors and patterns to build off of. They then buy furniture, accessories and use paint colors that draw on these threads – with the result being a cohesive theme that works well.

Thoughts On Size

Depending upon your goal, there are a few general size guidelines that you may want to follow. Often you’ll want your area rug to fall within two feet to six inches from the nearest wall or walls, if it is in a well-defined room. However, in transitional areas like a hallway or stairway, keep in mind that you don’t want to overwhelm the space.

For round rugs that will be placed in an entryway (like a full-sized foyer), you’ll want to align it with the light fixture on the ceiling. Hallways require an especially good choice, as you want to be sure that the rug will be centered in the area lengthwise. How so? It should have an equal amount of room left over on both ends of the hall, and it should be thin enough that furniture can be placed off to the side.

If you are trying to craft a defined space in a larger room, then you can ignore the tips on size covered above. Rather than trying to keep it near to the wall, you’ll want this type of area rug to be more of an island instead. It needs to fit under the furniture pieces that will rest upon it, and be just a little larger.

For example, if you’d like to place an area rug under the desk and chair in your home office, be sure that it is larger enough for both to fit upon it. You don’t want your chair constantly rolling over the edge, as this will look silly and wear out the rug faster as well.

Other Area Rug Tips

Did you know that an oversize bathroom can accommodate an area rug, and round is the most popular choice in this setting. Try to incorporate the colors of the fixtures, cabinets and flooring in your decision.

For an area rug that fits well under your dining room table, just stick with the same general shape. That means if you’re table is rectangle, you’ll want to buy an area rug to match. Bedrooms with hardwood flooring can be chilly to the feet and feel a bit cold in style, but an area rug is an easy solution. Here, rather than centering the bed on the rug as you would with other items, you’ll want to keep the rug out in the middle of the room instead. This allows it to be enjoyed, rather than hiding it mostly under the bed.

Finally, don’t forget that outdoor spaces can be perfect places for area rugs too, and they can add texture and color in a significant way. Just be sure to buy rugs which are designed to withstand the elements, as otherwise you’ll be disappointed with the results.