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Getting a pet is an incredibly challenging process - there is a lot to consider before taking the plunge. If you've spent a lot of time and energy making your home nice, you may wonder how a cat or dog will fit into all of that. Luckily for pet lovers, having a cat or dog doesn't have to be detrimental to your design. In fact, they're a pretty cute accessory, despite all the fur. Here are some tips for incorporating pets and pet supplies into your decor.�

Accessories
Cordless shades are a must when you get a kitten. Otherwise, your feline will be all over swinging blind pulls. For pups, keep items that are easily knocked over out of the way of wagging tails.�

Bedding and furniture
Dog and cat beds come in a lot of different colors and patterns, but if you can't find just the right one for you, get a very neutral

Your child's room is their sanctuary - but you're likely the one cleaning it. Luckily, you can mix design sensibility with a child-like sense of wonder when decorating your little one's bedroom. Here are some tips for putting together a kid's room that will make everyone happy.�

Organization
You may find that your child has the tendency to spread items across the floor - toys, clothes or school supplies. This habit isn't easily broken, but you can contain the mess and make cleaning up easier by dividing your child's room into sections. For example, if your kid likes crafts, set up a crafting corner for them, and keep all their supplies in that one�area. Ideally, that will retain all the art-related mess in that area. Likewise with clothes, books and toys.�

Another necessary method of organizing is storage containers. Cubbies are a great way to implement storage without sacrificing design. You can create a checkerboard�pattern within these by putting

Tropical decor is perfect for summer months or in a beachside vacation home, and it provides a cheerful sanctuary from the cold during snowfalls. Here are some tips on how to construct a tropical living room.�

Accessories
If you're just looking to add a tropical feel to your room, then the place to start is with the accessories. This style of design features a lot of beachy materials, such as wicker and bamboo. For your windows, the most tropical treatment you can use is wooden roller shades. Reminiscent of a balmy cabana on the shoreline, the funky shades will provide you with some privacy while contributing to the decor. Decorate with lots of bright flora to make the air smell fragrant and add pops of natural color throughout the room. Tropical style also allows for a certain level of quirk: If you've been collecting seashells, now would be the time

There's no reason to let your out of commission fireplace go to waste - there are plenty of creative ways to use the space and make it as visually appealing as a fire, or maybe more so. Here are some ideas for decorating your unused fireplace.

Storage
You can take the fire out of the fireplace, but maybe consider leaving the logs in. Arranging birch logs lends a rustic element, and what's more fitting than stowing them in your hearth? You can stack them as though they're prepared to make a fire, or stand them up on varied risers to give the space some dimension. Real Simple recommends putting a wooden crate in your fireplace with the bottom facing outward, then cutting a collection of logs to about�one-fourth�of an inch less than the opening of your fireplace and stacking them until the crate is out of sight. This is a creative way to bring nature into your home as a design element.

Your empty hearth can also be a valuable space for storing books. Consider

Summer is just around the corner, so�while others are stressing about their beach bodies, you can relax and have some fun decorating your bedroom for the sweltering season. Here's how.

Switch up your sheets
If you don't have AC or don't want to spend the money to put your house on ice, your bedroom is probably pretty warm. It's the perfect time to give your cozy flannel sheets a break and slip your bed into something more comfortable. Take a tip from Hugh Hefner and try something bold like satin sheets: The slippery fabric will keep you cool and give your room a fresh edge.�

Change your custom window treatments
Having multiple sets of curtains on hand to switch every season is a great way to satisfy your decorating craving. In the hotter months, take down your opulent drapes in favor of something lighter, like brightly colored�cellular

With the Fourth of July right around the corner, you may be thinking of stocking up on your red, white and blue. But rather than just placing mini flags strategically around the house, here are some fun ways to salute your country with interior design.�

If you have a house that faces the street, you may be able to use the windows to make a large scale, understated�American flag. Just switch out your custom window treatments for ones that are some variation of red, white and blue. Use the white curtains in the upper level room whose windows face the street, and use the red and blue elsewhere. Extra points if you can rearrange the rest of your decor to match!

Another subtle way to decorate for the Fourth of July is to buy flowers in patriotic colors! You don't have to arrange them together, but placing them around the room is a nice nod to the nation on its birthday. Try planting flowers like lily-of-the-valley, hydrangeas, zinnias, poppies and grape hyacinths on your lawn or

Bookshelves are a great way to decorate: They don't take up much floor space�and they provide an area on which to store various items. Here are some tips for creating an aesthetically pleasing bookcase.�

Make it functional
Turn your bookshelf into a usable space by arranging a bar set on it. You can also use the space as an area on which to display your collections. HGTV notes that collections are particularly visually appealing because the items are usually similar, but vary enough to keep it interesting. Mix the collection in with your novels to make it eclectic.�However, if you choose to install a minibar on the shelves, keep it separate from your hardcovers to avoid exposing them to water damage.�

Put like with like
HGTV also suggests grouping items together based on their color, size or function. For example, arrange a group of white vases of different sizes together on one end of the shelf, and stack a few antique books on

Beach houses are usually places where your family and guests can sleep and shower in between swimming and soaking in the sun, but if it turns out to be rainy or chilly, you're going to want to have a quality living room. Although�the central room of your beach cottage may be small, you can�take advantage of this set-up to create a cozy, comfortable area.�

Space
Your cottage living room may not be huge, but there are several ways to tweak the room and make it feel larger. One of the easiest tips is to simply have less furniture and fewer items. Eliminating large pieces like dressers and bookshelves will make the space feel larger, and less clutter will feel cleaner. Try using a wrap-around couch or built-in shelving to conserve space, notes HGTV.

Colors
Since you're already at the beach, you may want to take advantage of some

Cleaning the kitchen can sometimes be as easy as running the dishwasher, but to create a tidy, organized environment, there are some steps you need to take.�

1. Get rid of old ingredients�
Unless ingredients are creating a stink in the back of your fridge, chances are you barely notice old items�that you don't need anymore. Things such as old flour that you'll never use because your child was diagnosed with a gluten allergy, baking chocolate that you won't eat because you're on a diet, and the beef in the back of your freezer that's probably too old to eat by now you should toss. Go through all of your cabinets, your fridge, and your freezer, and get rid of anything that you don't think you'll ever need.�

2. Cut out extra tools
Kitchen tools can build up quickly,�from the kitschy�egg-shaped timer you got as a wedding present�to the plastic flatware you've had since college. You don't need to necessarily get rid of these - if you

Tuscan-style design joins�rustic and�sophisticated aesthetic�into one happy union, and provides the perfect atmosphere for summer days. Here are some of the elements of the Italian-inspired decor.�

First, try to get some ideas from travel magazines or coffee table books. While the look�is easily recognized, it's not always easily defined. In other words, determining some specific elements and design ideas that you'd like to replicate in your home can help give you direction and keep you on track with your decor. This could also be as simple as clicking through some pictures on the internet.�

Colors
The color scheme in a Tuscan-style room is usually warm and features a lot of neutrals. For example, you might find off-white walls with rusty orange accents and hardwood floors. HGTV recommends drawing inspiration from an Italian hillside, and describes the typical palette as earthy. Try adding a glaze over the paint color to add dimension.

Materials