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Decorate your home sixties style

December 28, 2011 By

Are you thinking of decorating your home but struggling for design inspiration? With so many design ideas out there these days, it can be difficult to know where to start.

The most important thing of course, is to pick a style that suits you and expresses your personality. In this article we will discuss the sixties style of home decorating, which you might find is the ideal solution for you.

The 1960s were an exciting time for interior design, with its move away from the previously favoured cosy, warm and welcoming look. Instead, interiors were all about minimalism, with sleek and slick designs and furnishings very much in vogue. At the same time, and in contrast to the monochrome look, homes in the 1960s reflected pop culture and were influenced by contemporary artists like David Hockey and Andy Warhol, using vibrant colours and patterns.

Whichever approach you take, there are some key items you can search for to give your home that groovy sixties look. To reflect the sixties style in your home, hunt down metallic and glass items that really embody the look. Coffee tables with glass tops are very sixties for example. Try browsing the second hand stores and markets for genuine items, as well as picking up imitation pieces that have a sixties feel, from bigger stores.

In the bedroom, choose sixties style beds with open coil mattresses from Sleep Masters, and decorate the room with well-chosen accessories. Retro rugs and sixties style floor lamps will instantly give your bedroom that fabulous swinging sixties look.

And to really go all out with the sixties theme, pick up a lava lamp and get psychedelic with your colour schemes! This look is pretty overpowering after a while though, and not good if you have a headache! So it’s probably best left to just the one room if you don’t want to suffer from a sixties overload.

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DIY: Fit your own ensuite bathroom

December 26, 2011 By

When it comes to the world of DIY, one part of the house that many people instantly feel wary about interfering with in the absence of professional assistance is the bathroom. However, should we really shy away from fitting our own ensuite bathroom? Is it really necessary to fork out hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds on top of the original cost of our new ensuite bathroom just to have someone give us a helping hand? Let’s dig a little deeper and find out.

Once you’ve purchased your ensuite bathroom of choice, making sure that it will fit with the dimensions of the room, you’ll need to design the layout. Companies like Wren Bedrooms and Bathrooms can give advice at this stage. Make sure that around each component of your suite, there’s enough standing room to ensure it’s simple to move from toilet to sink, and from bath to shower. The last thing you want is to feel cramped in your new room.

One thing to consider is the electrical component of your new room. Are you going to need special razor sockets? Do you need pull-cord switches within reach of the bath or shower? Make sure you consider this part of the DIY process very, very carefully. If something goes wrong at this stage, it could threaten your entire project.

Before you start with the actual installation, make sure you have everything you need to hand. You should also cover anything that may get damaged near the room, such as your new bedroom furniture. Read through any instructions that come with each part of the suite and remove any old piping that may still be present. Remember to cut off the water supply and leave the taps off.

It is usually a good plan to remove the existing toilet before anything else. Make sure you don’t do any damage to the waste pipe while removing the pan! When it comes to removing the bath, ask a neighbour or family member for help as this can be a tough, physical job.

Once everything has been removed, do a quick tidy-up, sweep the surfaces, and then start the installation! This should be easy enough but a few things to take care over include isolating and checking valves while putting in new pipes, and making sure the new toilet pan is level on the floor and in the exact intended position.

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Walk In Bath Time

December 21, 2011 By

If mobility is becoming an issue then one of the things which may trouble you is getting in and out of the bath. When bathing becomes a chore rather than a pleasure then it is time to think about a solution and that might well be to invest in a walk in bath. Here are some of the frequently asked questions about walk in baths to help you think about why you might want one:

  1. The first thought you might have is can I afford walk in baths? Well the good news is that there is a wide range of models available with prices to match and all of them are VAT free as mobility aids.

  2. Will the bath fit into a normal sized bathroom? This should not be a problem as walk in baths come in varying widths and lengths so there should be a model to suit you and your room.

  3. Will the door leak? A sensible question as it doesn’t seem right that a bath with a door in it should be water tight! The answer however is yes, and most manufacturers will guarantee their equipment too.

  4. Do I need a shower as well? Often a wall mounted shower attachment is part of the bath system so you can shower whilst sitting in your new walk in bath.

  5. Do they take a really long time to fill and empty? Actually no – contrary to popular belief, many models will fill and empty quicker than a conventional bath tub even though they are larger.

  6. Can I get additional hydrotherapy features? Yes you can on certain models. Review your options carefully before making a final decision.

  7. Who should I talk to about my requirements? Mobility Plus are experts in this area and will be able to explain the options to you clearly.
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The joys of moving house

December 13, 2011 By

Moving home can be a very exciting time in a family’s life. It can also be a period of upheaval and uncertainty, especially for younger children who may not understand exactly what’s happening.

Although it’s a lot of hard work it’s still possible to make the process an enjoyable one, and to use the opportunity to throw out the old and bring in the new.

Getting the kids involved will also help them to understand what’s happening, and to look forward to the new house rather than be worried about it.

If possible, decide which bedrooms belong to whom in the new house, and if you can, take the kids over to have a look.  This may not be possible, of course, especially if you are moving far away.  If so, sketch out a room plan for them and ask them to think about what they’d like in their room and where.

You can do the same for the main living rooms in the house.  OK, they may not give you much input about the kitchen or bathrooms, but they can get involved in choosing what furniture you’ll have in your living room. Will your old sofa and chairs go well, or are you planning on starting afresh?  Go down to a sofas sale and try out some different shapes and designs.

Corner sofas can make ideal cosy camps for the whole family to settle down and watch a movie, but if you’ve got a large family it can sometimes feel a little too squashed. You might be better off picking two large sofas, if the room can take them without feeling cramped.

If you need the sofa to double up as a guest bed, then a sofa bed sale will give you the biggest range of designs to choose from.  Some also have innovative storage solutions within the frame under the cushions.

Whether or not you go with your kids’ choices is, of course, up to you, but involving them in the process will make them feel a part of this big move and reassure them that it’s something to look forward to.

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Furniture size can be deceptive

December 6, 2011 By

Ask any professionally qualified interior designer or gifted amateur and they’ll all tell you the same thing; size isn’t everything, but colour most certainly is!

So what do I mean? Well how many times have you visited someone’s house to see an innocuously large – or small- piece of furniture that throws the whole interior design of a reception room out of kilter?

It’s usually a question of the piece being too big.

The type of sofas UK customers seem to go for these days are often simply too large for the space they occupy. More to the point – they look too large. But this has more to do with colour than actual size. If the sofa clashes with the rest of the room, then its innocuous largeness is screamingly obvious.

Take the exact same sofa, though, and change the material’s colour to a more muted tone or something that fits in with and is complementary to its surroundings (particularly the flooring and walls) and hey presto!; it magically shrinks.

It isn’t all about size, you see, it’s got far more to do with colour. Nevertheless, size is important. So it’s useful to mock-up a version of the sofa you’re thinking about buying for a room to the same basic dimensions – at least on a floor plan basis as the height is usually a lot easier to judge – a few old newspapers or card will do to lay out on the floor.

Just make sure, once you’ve settled on a size, that the colour matches well. You don’t need an expert to do this; just someone with a good eye for colour matching in a room will be able to do you a good colour swatch just by tearing up a few old magazines; it’s an amazingly effective and simple technique.

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Interior improvements – go for the intermediate option

December 5, 2011 By

The term “interior design” covers an almost unimaginably wide array of options. Understandably, there are hundreds of different types of professionals with a role in interior design, from initial colour consultants for very high-falutin’ jobs through to interior designers, tradesmen and painters and decorators.

But in these cash strapped times, perhaps it’s better to go for the intermediate option and do as much of the work as you can yourself?

There are a number of advantages of taking this approach – besides the obvious one of simply saving money. But it does save you an absolute fortune.

Perhaps more importantly, it’s good for the soul. Feathering our own nests; making a home is fundamentally important to our human natures. So to throw money at the job with little personal involvement beyond OK’ing a few designs and picking a few suitable objects from your local furniture store doesn’t quite cut the mustard.

The more hands-on involvement you can have, the better you will feel about it. The level you pitch this at will depend on your level of expertise and just how perfect the final job has to be. But at the very least, it’s good for all of us to pick up some sandpaper and a paintbrush or two.

After all, most people wouldn’t let others choose their furniture, but are quite happy to let them take over other aspects of home decoration.

You may even surprise yourself at what you’re capable of doing when you try. No-one was born able to do this work – we all have to learn. Even making a few mistakes along the way is good for development and if you’ve made them yourself in planning, designing or decorating your home only – as opposed to major do it yourself tasks concerning plumbing or electrics for example – then it shouldn’t be the end of the world if things do go slightly awry. All you should have lost is a little time and a very small amount of money.

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DIY fit your own shower

November 30, 2011 By

If you are looking to redo your bathroom or fit an entirely new bathroom, either for yourself or someone you know, then you might be considering fitting your own shower. If this is the case then there are several factors that you’ll need to take into consideration first.

Firstly, think about whether you will be fitting the shower over a bath or in a separate cubicle. Most types of shower can be fitted into either a bath or a shower cubicle, but the pipe routes and fixings will vary depending on the shower type and the layout of your bathroom, as well as whereabouts in the room your shower will be located.

You’ll need to take into account that the shower head either needs a valve where the hose attaches to the shower control, or the shower head needs to be fitted so that it does not come into contact with water. The type of shower you choose will also depend on your own personal preferences or those of the person you are fitting it for. You can choose from electric showers, combi-boiler showers, power showers, pump showers and high and low pressure showers. All of these come with pros and cons, so it’s worth doing some research into each type before making a decision.

Then there are mobility showers, which are ideal for the more mature shower-user, people with physical disabilities, or those who are simply not so steady on their feet, as they require no precarious stepping in and out of a bath tub. There is a huge range of mobility showers available at http://mobility-plus.co.uk so you can choose something which perfectly meets your requirements.

Before you start any DIY project, take into account that, unless you really know what you’re doing, a professional job could actually save you money in the long run.

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Ten Easy Ways to Feng Shui Your Bedroom

November 28, 2011 By

Experts spend many years studying the art of Feng Shui but don’t let that put you off employing some of the basic principals in your own home. Feng Shui is all about creating harmony, and who wouldn’t want that in their bedroom?! Here are ten easy ways to use Feng Shui to improve your bedroom:

  1. Get the divan beds in the right place. You should be able to approach from both sides, not have the bed in direct line with the door and the bed should not be reflected in any way by a mirror.

  2. Use soothing colours. Paint the room in restful colours to create the best environment for good energy flow.

  3. Be careful with the pictures you choose. Imagery is very powerful so go for pictures which will enhance relationships featuring happy themes of couples not sad loners.

  4. Keep all the doors in the room closed over night. This includes wardrobe and en suite doors as well as the door to the room itself.

  5. Remove your home office and anything to do with work from your bedroom. Even a few papers and a laptop can be damaging.

  6. While you’re at it, get rid of any gym equipment such as an exercise bike and find an alternative place to work out.

  7. Open all the windows regularly to air the room properly and keep the atmosphere fresh.

  8. If your mattress is past its best then order a new one from http://www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk and sleep more soundly.

  9. Depending on the season, make the most of natural light as often as you can and don’t just rely on artificial lighting.

  10. Spend quality time with your partner in the bedroom – talking as much as anything else! – and be ‘present’ rather than checking your phone or watching television.

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Decorate your bedroom classic white

November 28, 2011 By

Whether you are looking to spruce up your old bedroom or have moved into a new house and want to make the place your open, decorating the bedroom is the perfect way to give your home a fresh new look and make your mark on the house.

There are so many looks to choose from that it can be difficult to decide on a colour scheme, however. If you have never gone in for any interior decorating before then you may not be sure which colours will work or what patterns and designs to choose that will really reflect your tastes and complement the room.

A great tip if you are unsure about which colours to use and don’t want anything too garish or ‘out there’, is that you really can’t go wrong with classic white. Decorating your bedroom classic white is a sure fire way to create a timelessly stylish and sophisticated look; it’s something you will never regret doing. And the great thing about choosing white is that you can paint over it with ease if you change your mind in the future.

Any kind of bedroom furniture or bedroom accessories will go with white. Take a look at the double beds available from Bensonsforbeds.co.uk to get an idea of the choice that’s out there and you’ll see that by using white, you can pretty much pick any style, design, pattern and colour of bedroom furniture you wish; not much is likely to clash.

As well as allowing you to experiment with bedroom furniture and accessories, decorating your bedroom with a classic white creates a clean, calm and peaceful look to the room. And, being the room where you rest and unwind every night, it’s important that your bedroom has this relaxing feel.

Take your time to pick the furniture and accessories that reflect your tastes and show off a bedroom decorated in classic white.

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How to fit your own kitchen cabinets

November 25, 2011 By

If time is on your side, and you’re a bit of a dab hand at DIY, you’ll definitely be able to install your own kitchen cabinets.

Anyone who buys their kitchen cabinets from somewhere like Wrenkitchens.com will find that they’re already assembled, which makes your task far easier from the start. You’ll need to start at the bottom first, putting the base units in one at a time. It’s best to start out in the corner first, marking a place for the cupboard and positioning it there. Make sure, when you install it, that it doesn’t have any drawers in it already, as this could well inhibit your progress.

Line the cabinet up so it’s level against your wall then use some screws to fix it into place. You need to take care to make sure it is extremely level both horizontally and vertically, or you may have difficulty fitting the other cupboards you have.

When you’re installing the cabinets in your kitchen, you need to brace them together with a gripping tool so they are all flush to each other. Then, you’ll need to fix them all with a self-tapping screw, perhaps behind the hinge plate, to hold them firmly in place.

After you’ve done this, you’ll be able to put all the shelves and drawers back onto the base units. And then, you’ll need to repeat the process over and over again on all the other cabinets around your kitchen until you’ve finished.

It might take you a while to do but, as anyone with fitted kitchens will tell you, it’ll be worth the effort once it’s all complete!

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