On our first stop, we checked into the House Floor Plans and More. It was here, that we learned about the fundamentals of designing with curtains. Below are a few highlights of the information we gleaned from our interior design research:

Luminosity and privacy
Curtains, blinds and other window treatments should be sheer enough to ensure privacy without compromising luminosity.

Aesthetics and style
As style is a subjective issue, for obvious reasons the best home designing tip with curtains should be in congruence with the rest of the room’s décor. Organic materials, simplicity, luxury, grandiosity and eco-friendly characteristics topped the list of style alternatives.

Function
Regardless of aesthetics, it’s important to consider who uses the room and how. For instance, a home office with western sun exposure might require darker curtains or window treatments to prevent a computer glare.

At the oh, so popular HGTV, we found two easy DIYs. One of the home design tips instructed how to make the most from the remainder of curtain material. The technique is so easy that a 10-year old could pull off this design technique.

We found another home design tip to be even simpler. The concept substitutes regular drapery hardware for the hobbyist’s tools. For example, in a golf enthusiasts bedroom or den — rather then hang curtains, using a standard rod, the end-user would use a golf club in its place or whatever instrument that concurs with the room’s theme.

In the next installment of home design tips, we’ll be reviewing how to select a design theme for the bedroom. Until then, have a splendid time designing with curtains!

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DIY Considerations
Before you start perusing the millions of sites with do-it-yourself home improvement ideas, and are too carried away, there are several practicalities to consider:

•    What needs repair right away?
•    Realistically, how much labor can you handle?
•    How much money is available for the do-it-yourself home improvement budget?
•    Can the family live through the construction chaos?

Popular Do-it-Yourself Home Improvement Resources
However, for the sake of argument— let’s say your domicile is just fine, and that you want to make a few green home improvements. Where can you find comprehensive do-it-yourself home improvement project ideas and information? We evaluated three very popular sites:

•    DoItYourself.com
•    HGTV.com
•    HousePlansandMore.com

Sites were graded for underlying information value, navigation ease and topics. We compared each site for the quality of their green home and eco-friendly home design information. Here’s what we found:

DoItYourself Site Review

Although, DoItYourself has a comprehensive list of do-it-yourself home improvement projects, 50 percent of the articles provide very little information value. In other words, many articles are promotional texts devised to get visitors to click ads. Despite the site’s cluttered ad content, the growing video library of do-it-yourself projects is promising.

HGTV Site Review
HGTV is another site with an abounding list of categories and home design topics. At times, the navigation feels flummoxing. Unfortunately, the site is heavy on sponsored advertising. As for eco-friendly DIY home design tips, HGTV maintains a green blog with vague resources (a little disappointing).

HousePlansandMore Site Review
HousePlansandMore features a straightforward site, chock full of comprehensive home design and do it yourself home improvement projects. After visiting the site’s home maintenance library, an article about turning the home green was quite impressive and typical of the site’s quality information. Unique and unlike the other popular sites, HousePlansandMore’s articles offer a complete blueprint of how to get started on the project at hand.

Meanwhile, after you consider which do it yourself home improvement project you have the capacity to complete, remember to do your homework: Compare supply costs with a minimum of three online and retail stores.

Read more on do-it-yourself home improvement tips.

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