Mirrors
Feb 19
This week I’ve been thinking about mirrors, I was wandering around the house as I had something in my eye but could I find one! It was quite a painful experience but I eventually located one on the bathroom. This got me thinking that maybe I should invest in some more mirrors for the house.
Taking a wander around Ikea I was quite surprised to find out just how many different mirrors you can actually get. Not only can you get the traditional square or rectangle mirrors that look great in the living room or hall way you can also have circular ones that look great in hall ways. There are a great variety of mirrors that are available for the bathroom, for something a bit different why not look at mirror tiles to create a mirrored wall.
The bedroom is a great place for mirrors, not only can you have a full length mirror or mirrored wardrobes. You can also get some amazing shapes of mirrors such as tear drops and flowers.
The frames you can get for mirrors are as fantastic as the mirrors themselves. Everything from extravagant bejewelled mirrors to simplistic under rated silver frames, there are some intricately carved wooden frames that are available.
The humble mirror is more than just a talking point in a room, correctly placed it can bring extra light in to any room making it feel more spacious and airy than it actually is. They do this by reflecting the natural light that comes through windows and bouncing it back creating the illusion of a spacious and light room. Mirrors are best placed in small room that maybe don’t get as much light as they need in order to make them habitable. Plus they have the advantage of letting you see if you have anything in your eye!
Wicker Baskets
Jan 22It’s almost that time, spring cleaning is practically upon us. This can be quite a stressful time if you aren’t prepared for it. It may seem like an antiquated notion to have a yearly clear out but it can be quite a therapeutic event, out with the old and in with all the new stuff. I often find it is best to do this slightly early to help clear up after the Christmas period. We all seem to collect a lot of stuff over this period and it is good to have a clear out once this is over, giving you a fresh start for the new year in a clear and tidy house.
When it comes to spring cleaning it is best to do it in a systematic fashion, attack one room at time armed with a whole army of cleaning products and new storage boxes. Spring cleaning is no time to be sentimental, you need to be ruthless otherwise you’ll hold on to a load of items you won’t look at for a year that take up space you need for items you actually need.
This year I’ve chosen wicker baskets as my storage system of choice, I find it is best to buy these in advance so you have an idea of where everything can go once you’ve tidied. I’ve picked wicker this year as it will be suitable to be used throughout the house and not just as storage boxes, you can buy wicker furniture to help co-ordinate a room, a wicker chair for example is a great addition to a room and despite expectations is actually quite comfy. Wicker boxes come in all different sizes, you can get small ones to fit in corners and larger chest sized ones for storing clothes or bedding. You can even get wicker laundry baskets to fit in with the theme.
Living room furniture
Nov 27They say that the living room is the heart of the home, it’s where you greet your guests, have time to yourself and where a lot of important family moments take place. With so much cheap living room furniture so easily available to us are our living rooms and the furniture we put in it becoming too samey?
If this is your fear, that the room you put your soul in to and bare to the world isn’t really that unique and different, there is a solution. There are some unique items out there that can really help your room stand out and bring out those little quirks in your personality.
There has recently been a revival of all that is retro and the games of our childhoods are also making a come back in some of the most intriguing ways. An essential item of living room furniture is the coffee table, but unless you find the right one it can look a bit out of place and they tend to only get used when guests are there.
But there is something new on the market; no longer will coffee tables be boring when you opt for one that has a game in the top! Yes that’s right unleashing your inner geek has never been easier these amazing tables allow you to spend your evenings playing pinball or tetris.
Now we’ve all heard of sofa beds, they tend to be a staple in studies across the land as well as student houses, but have you heard about the latest in living room furniture, the coffee table bed? This unusual piece of living room furniture is a life saver for those with little space who entertain and have people over. Working on the same principals of a sofa bed, this beauty folds away to standard coffee table size and no one will be believe it is a bed until you pull it out and show them.
So you see with a bit of clever thought and perhaps a bit of time searching online you can create a living room where the furniture shows off your personality and doesn’t look like a showroom from a standard store.
Buying curtain fabric online
Nov 22Buying curtain fabric online is as easy as a walk in the park, and the best bit? You don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home in order to make a purchase.
There are a few tips to abide by when purchasing curtain fabric. The first and most important tip is to measure the area in which the fabric is to go.
If you get the measurements wrong, this will result in a poor look and a waste of money.
You should also insist that someone comes in to fit the curtains if you are unsure of how to do this. A well-put together job will add value to your home, where as a shoddy job will only result in the place looking a mess.
Google and any other search engines are great tools to use if you have little idea of where stocks quality curtain fabrics.
Another great place to check out is any one of the readily available online department stores. These stock an array of quality fabrics and often have pictures of how they will look when fitted.
Choose a fabric that is going to compliment the rest of the room and also one that will last. It is useless trying to get something on the cheap as you will only have to replace it at a later date, which in turn will cost you more in the long run. Whereas a quality curtain fabric will last you until you next decide to change the décor of the room!
Read customer reviews and check out any one of the interior design websites available. Both of these will give you an idea of what to look into.
Jars of fun!
Nov 13
This week I’ve been thinking about home accessories, I want something that can be easily changed with the season but that really stands out and doesn’t look like you’ve picked it off the shelf of your local store. It was actually a present from a friend that caught my imagination and really changed the direction of my thinking. She was looking for gifts that showed she’d put some thought in to them and came up with a simple idea and as we all know these are the best ones.
Simple she had got small vases and filled them with sweets, now these make great presents for small children (as long as you pick plastic vases) or even big kids I know I headed off to university with a giant tub of sweets from friends. But for those without a sweet tooth or if you want to add a ‘grown up’ touch to these it is simply done for example we all grew up collecting pebbles from the beach and popping them in jars, done correctly these can look stunning. Or why not fill a small vase with pressed flowers? These can be changed with the seasons and can give a fresh outdoor smell to a room.
My niece is 9 and like every young girl loves everything pink and fluffy so for a small present this Christmas I’ve grabbed a bag of pink pebbles and some white and pink feathers pop these in to a short vase and there is one unique present sorted! Her dad loves American pickup trucks so for a little gift I’ve filled the same sized vase with the small pickup truck toys.
These can be changed for the season, for Halloween just gone I filled vases with the ‘eyeballs’ and other ‘creepy’ things and popped them around the house, needless to say the kids loved them!
Hot Patterns for Your Home
Sep 15While decorating the home there are many things that you should consider. One of the most important things that should be considered is the space and the design – and how you are going to create a focal point within this space. One of the best ways to create a focal point within the designs of the home is to make use of patterns for various items in the home.
Patterns can be used in fabrics for accent pieces or chairs in the living space, or even through pieces of art that are hung on the wall. They can also be used through throw pillows, rugs or even a tapestry that is hung on the wall. You can choose to use bright and bold patterns or serious and modern patterns within the space and ensure that you are able to create a focal point from these designs.
What should you consider while choosing a fabric to create this pattern in your home? First, you may want to consider some of the hot patterns or trends that can be seen. This can ensure that you are going to create a look that is up to date when it comes to your design. Hot patterns of the season are being created through toile and silhouettes of chandeliers and lamps. These patterns are being used to create a sense of high sophistication within the home and are being chosen for curtains and window coverings, as well as wallpaper used within the home.
Have you thought about what a little pattern can do to your home?
