Log Home Interior Design Ideas

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Log Home Interior Design Ideas

In log home interiors and log home interior design, the shape and color of the log wood selected is most important since the log wood used will reflect a range of moods, complexities, and emotions.

In general, the logs in log home interiors will be the most visual and dynamic element around which all else will revolve. How much log wood is used in log home interiors is a major decision. Log home interior design today seldom uses logs for every wall in the home.

Give careful consideration to the size of the logs you will use and how they will visually impact the space. For example, the visual effect of smaller diameter logs in rustic log home interiors can be subtle and some what subdued. If your log home is built with large diameter logs, then they can be the most powerful and dramatic design element in the room and the entire home. Larger diameter logs will probably require you to build a larger log home, larger rooms, higher ceilings, and consequently need more furnishings.

Log home interiors can feel dark and oppressive with dark wood, insufficient natural light, and inadequate windows or skylights. Windows give log home interiors natural light, enlarging and enlightening the room space. Orientation, size, location, shape, and style of the windows is very important in log home interior design.

An east facing window gives morning light, while a west facing window brings late after noon sun. Using very small windows in log homes is a thing of the past. You may want the windows or the sky lights to frame the view of the lake, the mountains, or the blue sky. Sky lights are great and they provide natural light all year around and will brighten any room and your logs.

Each room in log home interior design should have a focal point, a feature that attracts the eye. The focal point could be a fireplace, a special picture or painting, a staircase, a beautiful chandelier, or a window. If the room is large, then you may want several dramatic focal points. If you have a large space, then create several smaller cozy sections with different furniture arrangements to entertain small groups of people doing different activities. Use a variety of sizes and shapes of area rugs to visually divide the room.

If you choose not to use carpet under the dining room table and chairs, then consider using different types of contrasting flooring materials. Use different materials to create a dramatic look. For instance, tiles set into wood or wood timbers laid into stone. A smaller room will appear larger if you install a floor that is lighter than the walls. If your room has numerous windows and plenty of natural light, then a beautiful wood floor or stone floor can create the perfect setting.

How the logs in log home interiors are finished is important, because of the resulting visual impact made by their color. With log home and rustic interior finishing, you can use sealers, stains, and paint in some areas, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms. Today, a variety of materials such as glass, stucco, stone, copper, and steel are often used with the logs, creating striking contrasts. Or, the materials used in log home interior design may be associated with the region or state such as combining logs and stucco in the southwest.

Creating beautiful log home interiors has many different ways in which the log home interior design can work well, ranging from informal handmade country style to a modern looking interior. The success of log home interiors, like any house style, may be measured by how much the space is enjoyed and by how well the space functions.

Let's Remove the Obstacles to Intimacy in Your Life!

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Let's Remove the Obstacles to Intimacy in Your Life!

Are you feeling unfulfilled and disconnected?

Single and touch deprived? Feeling the need to share and have someone listen really deeply to you?

Ready to discover what it feels like to experience pleasure, passion, joy, and laughter again?

BUT JUST CAN'T FIND THE TIME?

Allowing other things to get in your way?

The simple, exquisite process of intimacy (or into-me-you-see) starts from withinand ultimately transforms every area of your life.

The kind of intimacy that nourishes every cell in your body and soul brings you a feeling of joy and peace from deep within. It is the kind of love story you read about, but typically feel like thats for everyone else and not for me. Well, todays article will show you the clear path three simple steps you can take right now to unlock your heart, CREATE THE SPACE and bring you back to deep love and divine connection with your lover, your friends and your family.

Showing up for something new where you know youre going to TAKE RISKS to be your authentic self takes courage.

Unlock Step #1: Create A Sacred Space in Your Home Tonight

Twenty-five years ago I started spending a lot of amount of time at Kripalu. The healing I did there was profound but when I came home, it got lost in the shuffle of my busy life. I got distracted by my endless "to-do" list, my work, my son, cleaning the house, etc. Almost anything could distract me from sitting quietly and connecting deeply with myself. Until I create a sacred space for myself - and then my life changed.

At the time I was living in a tiny apartment in the city and did not have any extra rooms to light candles in or meditate in. What did I do? I set up a small table in the corner of the dining room (of all places!) and every single morning I sat down at that table, lit a candle, and meditated. I created a space for INTIMACY WITH MYSELF.

You can create a sacred space just for you (or for you and your beloved) anywhere in your home. This would become your space to breathe, meditate, do yoga, journal; connect with yourself, your partner and the Universe. Give yourself the gift of 5-10 minutes (more is better but even a few minutes is fabulous) to come back to your heart.

Unlock Step #2: Speak Your Truth

Speaking your truth is sometimes harder than it sounds.

Most of us when we grow up are taught to hide the truth. Not to be so bold and honest for fear of hurting someone elses feelings, right? However, not speaking the truth eventually erodes the very core of our being; our sense of self and our confidence. Suddenly we dont know who we are anymore.

Creating more intimacy in your life means sharing who you are; your essence. And your words express who you are. Speak your truth share your true opinions, your clear desires, your discerning needs, your thoughts, feelingsall of it. Start small choose someone close to you who is also on a personal growth path. Practice, get feedback and get good at it. Then try with others who you are less comfortable with. Don't let your hiding get in the way. Intimacy means allowing people to see who you truly are (and you, them.)

Unlock Step #3: Assume Everyone Is Doing Their Best

How often do you hear people taking something personally. The doctor was late and it was an affront to you; the guy speeding on the highway is out to get me even the weather can be a perpetrator!

My experience is that most people feel this way. They grow up wondering why the world is against them and take most things that happen personally. Making a shift to assuming everyone is doing their best and not out to get you brings you to a deep place of love, acceptance and forgiveness.

In some ways this is not an easy task. You will need to find a way to remind yourself but believe me the practice is well worth it! The next time you find yourself wondering why the traffic light at the corner hates you, or the impending storm has your number, take a breath, remind yourself that the Universe is good and actually has your back (whether you believe that or not) and assume everyone around you is doing their best, that none of these things are personal to you (the world doesnt revolve around us which is the good news!).

If you truly believe this, you will easily create more intimacy in your life than you ever thought possible. These three steps to unlock your path to intimacy are life-changing.

Being seen and known for who you truly are is one of our deepest human needs. Join me in opening your heart to the constant state of love that is possible and unlock the path to true intimacy in your life.

Give yourself the gift of time, and intention to make space for intimacy. Invite your partner, or friend to share openly and honestly. Find the right environment where you can get your touch needs met. Create a sacred space in your home to ground, and connect with yourself. You won't regret it!

Author's Bio: 

Robyn Vogel, MA, LMHC is a psychotherapist, certified sex coach sex educator, and creator of Come Back To Love, Inc. Robyn marries traditional psychological principles with spiritual tantric philosophy and practice. She teaches couples and individuals how to master the skills of intimacy and come back to love. Those that are struggling in relationship, feeling lost around love, and deeply craving purposeful and passionate connection gain much insight and healing in their work with Robyn.

For 15 years shes been teaching and practicing tantra as a foundational meditation practice that grounds her clients from within, removes obstacles to loving deeply and teaches all aspects of healthy sustainable relationship.

Robyn facilitates a bi-monthly tantra workshop in the Boston area, leads weekend retreats and tantra vacations in tropical places. In 2015, she co-led Helping Couples Connect, a clinical course for therapists with Charlie Verge and has recently been recognized as an expert in her field by the Boston Globe. She is also the author of upcoming book: The Power of Puja: An Intimate Journey to the Heart.

Let Your Personality Color Your Home Decor

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Let Your Personality Color Your Home Decor

Setting out to decorate a new home or redecorating your current abode without a plan can be like driving around an unfamiliar city without a map-you may end up somewhere, but it's probably not where you wanted go and you may have no idea how you got there. And you may just end up somewhere pretty ugly. Formulating a plan, however, can be a difficult task. Thumbing through home and furniture magazines often just leads to little more than an increased risk of paper cuts, and watching the countless home decorating "reality" shows, while sometimes entertaining, rarely results in an epiphanous (no, its not a word) moment. Actually, according to dictionary.com, it is a word, so take your red squiggly underline and shove it, Microsoft. Anywaysoh yeah, having a plan. This plan I speak of, doesn't have to be a 10-page manifesto or even a loose outline, in fact, it doesn't really have to be put in writing. I say, let your personality be your guide.

As hokey and simple as that may sound, it works. Too many people decorate their homes to please or impress others. Unless you're a close friend or relative or Martha Stewart, this is just ridiculous (I've heard she can be a little harsh). Remember, you live in your home, not them. Let your home be a reflection of yourself by choosing colors, furniture, and accessories that show your personality, as deranged and anti-social as that may be.

Many people with bright, vivacious personalities like bright, vivacious colors. Go figure. But these gregarious individuals often temper this when it comes to decorating their homes. You don't have to make your home look like Rainbow Brite (for those not in the know, she's a brightly colored 80's cartoon character) threw up all over the place to inject your personality. Pick a few colors and stick to them. As with most decorating schemes, bright colors work well when set against light, muted ones, like shades of white or beige. Paint your walls these muted colors and then go crazy adorning them with brightly colored artwork and accessories. Same thing goes for furniture. Back away from the teal couch and the orange upholstered chair. Look for boring colors and then add your personality in the form of pillows and throw blankets. If these tips still don't allow you to fully express how wild and crazy you are, experiment with your bedroom decor. You'll offend less people that way.

On the other side of the coin we have the more straight-laced, conservative types. Bright colors give these people headaches, as do the aforementioned people who like bright colors. But what these plodding individuals lack in personality they more than make up for with grace and sophistication, and this should come through in their home decor. Whether your style preference is contemporary, traditional, or somewhere in the middle, you can create a look that personifies you and at the same time is decidedly un-boring. Furniture and lighting isn't the difference-maker here, it's the accessories and decorations you should focus on. Artwork and other embellishments such as plants, knick-knacks on shelves, and framed photos can breathe life into rooms with less color. And speaking of color, you can still make a statement without fuchsia walls or a red leather sofa. The trick is to mix in lights and darks to create contrasts wherever you can. Use black and charcoal against whites and light grays or experiment with the many shades of brown, from light tans to deep, dark chocolate brown.

Koi Pond Biological Filters

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Koi Pond Biological Filters

Contrary to common belief, biological filters do not process or filter the solid waste of fish in your koi pond. They continue to build up and putrefy, creating a breeding ground for harmful species of heterotrophic bacteria which are pathogenic to koi fish. As stated, the biological filtration process utilizes Nitrosomonas bacteria to break down ammonia into nitrite and nitrobacter, further converting nitrites into nitrates, which is less harmful to koi fish.

Plants now utilize the nitrate and phosphate for fertilizer; if you have not provided an adequate ratio of water plants to koi fish, "hard" algae (growing on rocks and koi pond walls) and "free- floating" algae use nitrate and phosphate to reproduce.

The key to preventing this condition, called "algae bloom," is to provide enough non-soil bearing plants such as water lettuce and hyacinths to compete for the nitrate and phosphate. Since these two plants are tropical and can only survive in warm climates, hardier varieties such as Elodea and Anacharis will perform well in cold climates. These plants are commonly used in bio-filter ponds.

A bio-filter pond is used in conjunction with shallow koi ponds with small populations of koi fish. It will also eliminate the need for a mechanical bio-filter and a second pump to operate it.

The bio-filter pond is located higher than the main pond for two reasons. It prevents the koi fish from eating the plants and it allows the water from the waterfall to be filtered as it passes through the plants prior to spilling into the lower koi pond.

An adequate ratio of plant cover for the koi pond's surface is approximately 20 to 30 percent. This is a basic rule of thumb and many factors can change this equation.

For example: koi fish population, water temperature, and debris accumulating from leaves or over-feeding the koi fish. I have said many times that the Koi Pond is the koi's living room, dining room and toilet.

If you do not have a bio-filter, that could explain why your koi pond is a tad green, stinky, or cloudy, and why your finned family is gulping air on the surface. Trust me. That will not be for long. Fish gulping air to survive would be like you -- in an attempt to avoid breathing poisoned air -- gulping water to survive.

If you do not already have a biological filter, I can not encougage you enough to abtain one. If your pond is over eight hundred gallons, and you are using an above ground pump that produces over 3500 gallons per hour, I suggest a pressurized bead filter. I cover the topic of biofilters in greater detail in another article. Happy koi, peace and joy.