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A Review of Home Interior and Gift Ideas

Do you know how to give the proud home owner a gift which pleases and how to come up with exciting home interior and gift idea? It's a disaster to give a present which ends up getting recycled either at Christmas or to the nearest charity shop or otherwise just sitting in a cupboard. Not only is it a waste of money when this happens, but it makes you feel like you simply hadn't given the present-giving enough thought.

It's just not possible to see another person's home as they do so you shouldn't feel too upset when your attempt falls a little short - it is said that 'it's the thought that counts'! You could perhaps do better if you treated the operation a bit more like a project, setting out to analyze what might and might not be appropriate.

With the question of suitability about a gift revolving around a home, a first question might be the general one of what is their home like? This form of analysis could then lead to the following questions about the potential recipients and their home:

Does the house in question have a distinct style or styles? Is the present for a particular occasion? Could the gift serve as a memento? Would modern or traditional ephemera be more acceptable? Do you know if the recipients collect anything? Does the recipient have a garden which forms part of their lifestyle Is there a clear or cluttered home in the house in question? Is the gift for a home - i.e., for everyone or for particular individuals in the home? Could the gift be designed for a workplace or den Is there a shared hobby in the house? Do the people who live in the house have individual hobbies? Do you think that you could give them a 'useful' present? Is it a relatively expensive present you're giving? Do you know what their response would be to a charity donation given in their name? Do you know them well enough to give a way-out present? Perhaps this idea of making a list may make the whole giving process seem a little impersonal and potentially fraught but, if it can help to free your mind to concentrate upon the nitty-gritty of the present, rather than allowing your thoughts to flit aimlessly from one possible idea to another then it would seem that this has to be a good thing.

The list can have another use as a brain-storming trigger to enable you and your partner to think through the possibilities before getting down to the detail of the presents. Surely, the last thing you want to do is to have to struggle through the shops the day before you wish to give the present in the hope that a gift idea suddenly pops into your head.

The Home

Homes all have their own individual style, be it formally set out or 'just-happened' and there can be many ways of categorizing them. If they fall into the first category of 'formal', then home interior and gift ideas may be quite clearly defined whereas, if they are 'just happened' homes, the style of what you buy may not be its most-important feature. Let's look at some of the more-formal characterizations first, although, it has to be re-iterated, most home tend to be, if not a mishmash, at least a bit of a stylistic mixture. Possible interior styles referred to by experts are:

Coastal

Retro

Romantic

Asian

Country

Traditional

Lodge

Tropical

Contemporary

French Country

Coastal Style

This is a style which reflects the sea and all things nautical. The American context is reflected, in New England styles of furniture and furnishings.

Retro Style

The name Retro comes from the idea that this style harks back to the 50's with furniture which could have graced a milk bar of that period. Featuring lots of chrome, with the 50's style plastic covers and bold angular patterns on the drapes and hangings, this furniture transport you back 50 years or so - right back to Rock Around the Clock!

Romantic Style

The Romantic style needs no description with its 'no-straight-lines' look and chintzy fabrics. Generally white in color, the furniture is supported on Queen Anne legs and its curves lead into yet more curves. This style has no clear repertoire of furniture, furnishings and ornaments and no definition of what a designer is allowed, other than the need for a home interior and gift idea to be able to find a place on the set of a Princess in the world of Disney!

Asian Style

There is really no one single Asian style as designs are derived from all four corners of the continent. Spanning from the Indian sub-continent, via the arch of Islamic-influenced designs to Chinese and Japanese, the designs spin their magic in a seamless but endlessly-varying way.

Nevertheless, the style can be broadly identified by features such as arches and lotus forms and drapes and carpets in flowing Asian designs. Wooden items are heavily carved, whether in furniture or decorative pieces.

Country Style

This style reflects an origin in the countryside where local craftsmen used timber extensively to create simple, functional forms to which they applied little decoration. These pieces derive their naï-ve elegance from their very-visible simple relationship between their form and their method of construction. Pictures and tapestries and all hangings, reflect themes of the countryside with country scenes and produce being illustrated in simple form. The objects themselves have an elegance which derives from the overt simplicity of the manufacture.

Traditional Style

This style shares some of the attributes of the Romantic but contains a much-wider range of features. A number of these these hark back to more-ancient times, having a distinctly medieval feel with plain wood being the order of the day. Rugs have regular patterns, many with a distinct, decorated border.

Lodge Style

The Lodge style evokes the air of the mountain lodge with its outdoor, rugged looks. It utilizes rugs which have an elegant but home-made feel and pine furniture мейд by true craftsmen! The fireplaces are stone-clad and open in style and clusters of lamps have individual shades which could well conceal candles inside them.

Tropical Style

Deriving its name from the use of cane and wicker in its furniture, the Tropical style features exotic, bright colors in the fabrics. Designs on many of the rugs, drapes, etc. feature tropical birds and fruits.

Contemporary Style

Its styles are clean, clear and neat and the decoration present is bold and bright. There's no mistaking the functionality of items in their clear and uncluttered form and modern materials which are used to their best effect to produce light, delicate profiles. New home interior and gift designs emerge continuously in the world of contemporary design leaving you free to explore emerging trends, taking risks in your gift giving.

French Country Style

Forms seen in French Country Style are more elegant than those in Country, with the woodwork being much more-elaborately carved and the fabrics covered in embroidered and more-lacy fabrics. Rugs and carpets and rugs are decorated with flower motifs in regular and colorful patterns.

In Summary

No individual home is going to conform to one of these styles completely. Apart from anything else, there's no total agreement on the definitions of the styles themselves. In spite of this, the styles and their names can provide some form of benchmark from which one can judge the interiors which you seek to match. So, when looking for ideas, you may start off with a style category in mind and then let your imagination run riot!

Hi, I'm Mandy and my friends all know that I love poking around in their homes. Homes tell you so much about people! They do so much for how you feel and how anyone feels who comes to visit. That's why buying a gift for a home is so important, exciting and enjoyable. I love to feel that I am living in the soul of someone else and surrounded by their surroundings as I wander around the shops. However, I also believe in preparation and spend my time getting to know what they seek from their home and how it affects them. It's an experience which leaves you closer to them and having a new part of yourself - derived from their spirit! I don't believe that buying a gift should be a chore but a pleasurable experience and it can only be so when done at leisure.

So, take your time when choosing a gift because it's part of you that you're giving and will always remain so, whether or not you remain in contact. Go slowly - and enjoy! For more ideas about home interior and gift buying, please take a look on my web site at