Home & Garden

Whether you’ve been living in your property for many years or you have just moved in, everyone wants an attractive place to call home. Interior design doesn’t come naturally to everyone and many people struggle to transform four boring walls into an exciting living space. Luckily, with a bit of know-how and a few top tips you can elevate a property without completely renovating it. Here are 4 simple ways to make your home stand out.

A Cozy Fireplace

A crackling fireplace complete with an impressive mantelpiece can conjure up feelings of coziness and warmth, while giving your living space a sense of luxury and grandeur. Fireplaces are typically installed in the living room and treated as the main feature of this space. Alternatively, you can install a fireplace in the bedroom for a romantic and warm atmosphere. Nowadays, you can choose from electric, gas and wood burning varieties depending on your taste. For a selection of fireplaces, visit stonewoods.co.uk.

Eye-Catching Light Fixtures

One of the simplest ways to make a room stand out is by swapping your existing light fixtures with new models. Certain light fixtures can feel dated, especially if you have had your property for many years and they haven’t been replaced since you moved in. The best way to pick a light fixture is by matching the style to the room. Create a statement kitchen look with bold, pendant lights or wow visitors stepping into your home with a shimmering chandelier in the entryway. In addition to attractive fixtures, the light bulb temperature you choose can make a huge difference to the ambiance of a room. As a rule of thumb, bright white bulbs should be placed in rooms where you are most active, such as the kitchen or the home office, while bulbs with a soft white temperature will help make bedrooms and living rooms feel more comfortable and relaxed.

Thought-Provoking Artwork

Displaying artwork in the home is a great way to express your personality and show off your artistic side. Art is personal and completely subjective and so it makes for interesting conversation pieces. They can also act as icebreakers if you enjoy hosting regularly. Artwork, such as sculptures, make magnificent focal pieces as they command a lot of attention. If you are new to art and feel slightly intimidated by standalone pieces, try picking out a painting or a print that speaks to you and display it in a prominent place.

Quirky Furniture

Furniture doesn’t have to solely serve a practical purpose; it can also provide your home with points of interest. A large, antique dining table centered in a dining room can give this space an elegant look, while a collection of plush, velvet armchairs will give your living room a vintage vibe. In addition, the color of your furniture can also have a psychological effect. Blues and greens are excellent for family rooms as these colors can have a peaceful and calming effect. On the other hand, if you want guests to find their voice and mingle, warm oranges and yellows can encourage communication.

Do you or one of the people living in your home require a mobility-friendly environment? Mobility-friendly features have come a long way and are not only useful but quite creative. Today, they can work with the design of your home to look beautiful and ensure everyone can use the space as intended. Whether you have just minor mobility issues or more pronounced ones, there are plenty of ways to address them in the home. Let’s take a look at some of the most important ways you can make your home mobility-friendly.

Focus on the Entryway to the Home

One of the most important updates people can make is to ensure that the entry into their home is functional and safe for all, which means mobility-friendly features. If you currently have stairs that lead to the front door, a re-design may be necessary. You may require a ramp for those in a wheelchair or who find stairs difficult, or an outdoor stairlift.

It may also be necessary to widen the front door if it doesn’t allow for wheelchair access.

Bathroom Updates are a Must

The next area to focus on renovations and updates should be in the bathroom. Without mobility-friendly features, the bathroom may not be very functional, and can even be hazardous. Some of the most useful and popular mobility-friendly updates and features include:

• Mobility-friendly toilets that sit higher
• Detachable shower head to make showering easier
• Lever taps rather than twisting taps
• Walk-in baths to prevent falling
• Wet room showers for those who require a flat surface, ideal for people in wheelchairs
• Non-slip bath mats
• Grab bars
• Change the height of the counter
• Change the height of the towel rack

There are many different features and tweaks you can do in a bathroom that will make it a comfortable room for all to use. You can look into what companies like beautifulbathroom.net are doing.

Is the Kitchen Accessible for All?

And then we have the kitchen, which can likely benefit from updates. Think about food preparation, cooking, and eating. How can you make each of those activities safer and more comfortable for those with mobility challenges? Keep in mind with kitchen updates, they can get pretty expensive depending on how much money you are willing to spend.

Ensure Hallways and Doorways are Clear

Sometimes a major renovation may not be necessary; rather, it is about decluttering spaces to ensure you can move through the home unimpeded. All hallways and doorways should be open and free of clutter so those who require assistance when walking, such as a cane or walker, can move about with ease. If a resident requires a wheelchair, it may be necessary to make more drastic changes, widening doorways, and perhaps opening up hallways.

Ensure the Home Is Functional for All

Living with mobility issues can be challenging, but your home should be a place where you feel comfortable and safe. This means taking the time to invest in mobility-friendly updates and renovations, no matter how minor or major they may be.

 

Sprucing up your living space is always refreshing and is ideal for when you feel the need for a change. There are lots of great places to focus on when you want to redecorate, such as the living room, your bedroom, even a home office. However, if your kitchen needs a makeover, the following options are all great ways to update this space, and there is something to suit every budget on this list.

A Full Remodel

If you have a big budget to play with, the best way to upgrade your kitchen is by going for a full remodel. This option is perfect if your current kitchen is outdated and can help to add value to your property as a result. There are plenty of designs to choose from, so finding the perfect style that reflects your tastes shouldn’t be too much of a challenge, nor should finding one in your price range. For some examples of what’s on offer, look at the designs from this kitchen manufacturers Bolton.

New Cabinets

If you can’t afford a complete remodel, don’t worry. There are still plenty of ways you can make your kitchen feel brand-new. One of the most effective ways to do this is by replacing your kitchen cabinets with new ones. You don’t necessarily have to replace the entire cabinet either unless it’s damaged or you want more space. Instead, you can simply swap the old doors for new ones, which can transform your kitchen’s look.

New Worktops

Another budget-friendly way to update your kitchen is by having new worktops put in. This is worth it if your current worktops have seen better days and have cracks or have warped, as this can be unhygienic as they are harder to clean properly. Wooden worktops look great in country-style kitchens, but granite or stone will be easier to clean and add a luxurious touch.

New Color Scheme

If you’re happy with your worktops, cabinets, etc., why not try a new color scheme instead? Painting the walls in fresh tones will do a lot to change the aesthetics; just make sure the color you do choose matches the other features that you’re not replacing. Neutral tones might be a better choice, as they are timeless and fit well with most designs.

New Floors

Your kitchen floors go through a lot, possibly more than any other room in the house, enduring spills, bleach, and even dropping the odd pot or pan. This is why it’s important to have floors that are durable and easy to clean in your kitchen, so if you have seen better days consider having them replaced. They can also help to change the appearance of your kitchen, and if you are on a tighter budget, you can put down vinyl floors which are the cheaper option. These can come in different patterns, so you can choose a wood, tiled, or stone effect for a better finish.

If you want to update your kitchen, consider the options above and see which ones best suit your budget.

 

Although winter is still a ways away, it’s never too early to start planning and preparing for extreme winter weather. In some climates, winter weather often means power outages due to snow, ice, or wind. And when this happens, you may find that your home is without heat.

Another reason you might be worried about staying warm in the winter could be if your furnace goes out. So if this situation takes place and you have to make due before repairs can be made, here are three ways you can stay warm if your furnace goes out in the winter.

Get Cooking

Just because your furnace has gone out doesn’t mean that all of the other power to your house will be affected. Because of this, you can use other heat sources to get a little warmth into your home.

One great way to do this, according to Rachel Brougham, a contributor to the Family Handyman, is to do some cooking in the kitchen. By using your oven or stove, you can get some radiant heat into your home. And then, once whatever it is you’re baking is done, you can leave the oven door open so that the heat from the oven escapes into the rest of your home rather than just sitting in the oven.

Stay In A Smaller Space

When your furnace is working well, your whole house is able to get the heat it needs. But when you can’t have this heat pumped throughout your house, it’s going to be much easier for you to just worry about keeping a smaller space warm.

To do this, Beth Skwarecki, a contributor to LifeHacker.com, recommends that you close off all the rooms in the house that you’re not congregating in. Then, try to keep everyone in the same room so that their body heat will make that room warmer. And, if you have a space heater or other heat source, that smaller space will heat up much quicker, too.

Dress For The Weather Outside

To help you be prepared for if and when the temperature in your home does drop after your furnace goes out, John Kennedy, a contributor to Popular Science, shares that you should start dressing in layers as if you were to be outside.

By dressing for the weather outside when you’re inside, you will ensure that your body will stay as warm as possible. This should include wearing a hat, gloves, and warm socks. Just make sure you wear something that wicks away moisture on the layer closest to your body so you don’t get sweaty and cool off.

If your furnace goes out in winter and you have to find a way to stay warm until you can get it fixed, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you find out how you can best do this.

Integrating the bedroom and the bathroom is an increasingly common resource that adds a plus of originality and comfort to one of the most important spaces in the house, and if the dressing room is incorporated into it, the result is practical and versatile. Through decorative and structural solutions with which functionality is sought, you can create something impeccable.

However, before deciding whether to integrate the dressing room into the bathroom, it must be taken into account whether there is enough space to do so, including the necessary space to open and close the closet doors and to change and dress comfortably. It is advisable to bet on modular cabinets since they will adapt perfectly to the available space and your own needs. As for the materials, they must be resistant to humidity and temperature changes if your area is near the bathroom. Tropical woods and lacquered finishes are very resistant options. An element that cannot be missing in the bathroom dressing room is a good mirror that allows one to see one from top to bottom; In addition to visually doubling the space, it also helps to reflect and distribute light.

The dressing room – how to style it!

The construction of a walk-in closet in the form of a multi-body closet that goes from floor to ceiling can provide the necessary privacy in various areas of the bathroom. Of course, in this case, several aspects must be taken into consideration. For example, the type of wood to be used for the construction of the walk-in closet. If the size of your bedroom allows it, you can dedicate a space to create a dressing room (that is, unlike traditional dressing rooms that are usually in a hallway or a separate room, in this case, it will be inside the bedroom itself). For added space, a wardrobe will help you organize things. If you have a pre-existing wardrobe, then you could look at wardrobesupplies.com for more ways to bring style to your room.

Bedroom and dressing room in the same space

If you want a dressing room, but your house does not have enough space to dedicate a room to it, we always have the option of sharing the space with the bedroom. The only thing it will need is some furniture that will help delimit the space.

Dressing room integrated into the bedroom

If the size of your bedroom allows it, you can dedicate a space to create a dressing room. For example, a chic translucent glass enclosure can give it shape. This way, you will not sacrifice lighting, but at the same time, achieve privacy too.

A style that predominates in current dressing rooms is minimalist. To achieve this, it will be necessary to start with simple lines. Choose a dark grey color, but elegant. The idea is that it marries perfectly with the room, as well as with your needs. Creating a modern and elegant space in the home doesn’t have to be difficult; the inspiration is everywhere!