If your current property is starting to feel a little too small for your needs, but you don’t have the budget to extend it or even move, that doesn’t mean that you have to just carry on as you are. Taking a look around your current space and working out if there is anything that can be adapted to increase the area that you’re working with could uncover a wealth of potential. With this in mind I thought I would share with you five places that don’t always occur to people to be used as a functional living space, but actually can offer a number of different options.
With the economic impact of COVID-19, it’s prudent for you to cut down costs on important things such as your home by reducing expenses. This helps you to save some money and reduce the strain on your finances. As a plus, you can consider going sustainable, which also allows you to contribute to the environment’s good. Are you wondering how to get started? Here are some cost-effective and eco-friendly tips for your home.
Lower your thermostat
One way to save money while keeping your house sustainable is to reduce your thermostat, especially when you clock in for the night or are away. According to calculations by the UK Department of Energy and Climate, reducing your thermostat from 19° to 18°C might bring down your overall dwelling temperature from 17° to 16°C. This helps to reduce your heating requirements from 2490-2250 degree days, giving you a 10% reduction. Although this sounds very technical, it’s quite easy to implement to achieve the optimum temperature for your home. It’s even easier when you opt for a new thermostat from https://serp.co/best/honeywell-thermostats/. To make it easier for you, incorporate a programmable brand to adjust the heating/air conditioning according to a planned schedule.
During the winter, you can decide to set your thermostat to 20°C when you’re up and about and reduce it when you are not at home. In summer, you should keep your house warmer when you’re not around and set it to 26°C when you want to cool it down. Another trick you should apply is to make your indoor and outdoor temperature similar, as this will reduce your overall cooling or heating bill. It’ll also be best to avoid setting your thermostat at a colder temperature when your air conditioner is on, as it can bring on avoidable bill increment.
Embrace solar power
Electricity is vital to running your home smoothly, as it’s needed for daily activities such as cooking, laundry, ironing, entertainment, etc. What better way to get electricity than going solar? Solar power helps you save more by significantly cutting down your monthly electric bill, allowing you to take care of other expenses. What’s more, it helps you to reduce greenhouse gases, toxic waste and water pollution that cause significant distress to the environment. It’s also a reliable energy source that doesn’t require cumbersome maintenance procedures.
You can switch to solar power by going for Photovoltaics or PV, the common solar technology for home use. Remember to ensure that your house is suitable for its installation. Despite the initial high costs of installation, it’s worth it for your home and your pocket in the long run. However, if you’re not financially ready, you can opt for community solar, which involves a group of people sharing electricity generated by harvesting solar energy. You can visit www.choosesolar.com to learn more about how this solar option works.
Use fluorescent light bulbs
One way to save energy and cut down costs in your home is to replace your incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs generate a lot of heat instead of producing more light, resulting in higher bills. They provide just 15 lumens per watt of input power, while fluorescent bulbs, on the other hand, produce about 50 to 100 lumens per watt of input power.
Fluorescent light bulbs produce less heat which makes them more efficient than incandescent bulbs. For instance, a 20-watt fluorescent light bulb is equivalent to 100-watt incandescent light bulb, making it more cost-effective for every area of your home that needs light. They’re also available in various colours and designs that add a touch of beauty and elegance to your home.
Regulate the use of water
Regulating the amount of water you use in your home helps reduce your expenses and wastage. This also goes a long way to protect the environment in the long run, as it conserves water bodies. Managing your water usage in the home is essential in cutting down water bills by reducing the cost and energy used to treat water and wastewater. You can limit water wastage by replacing old toilets with modern ones that use less water. Additionally, you should look out for water leakages in your home and fix them immediately. It’ll also help if you use low flow showerheads, as they help restrict the flow of water you use when taking a bath.
It’s possible to adopt eco-friendly practices in your home while saving up extra money. By trying out these tips, you’ll be on your way to living a sustainable and budget-friendly lifestyle.
Traditionally, kids’ bedrooms have been decorated blue for a boy and pink for a girl. But what if you want to move away from gender stereotypes and go for more adventurous décor inyour child’s bedroom? This opens up a world of opportunity to create something unique and magical.
Here’s some fresh ideas to get the creative juices flowing.
Go for bright, invigorating colours
Bright colours are generally frowned upon in adults’bedrooms, but with kids’ rooms the rules are more relaxed. It’s easy to paint the walls in exciting colours but what aboutadding colour to the ceiling or floor? They’re usually kept in neutral colours, but they don’t have to be.
Paint the ceiling with a starry or cloudy sky or go bold with one vibrant colour. You’ll need a step ladder and long armed roller to make it easier to paint, but other than that it’s fairly cost effective to do.
Modern vinyl flooring has created the opportunity to addbright colour to the floor, with lots of child-friendly options. For this idea there’ll be vinyl flooring fitting costs, but it shouldn’t be any more expensive that fitting a new carpet.
Use pattern and shapes
The use of pattern and shapes in children’s bedrooms can be particularly effective in creating a new bold style. Try painting large squares, circles and triangles across the four walls, or thick stripes that stretch the length of the room. All you’ll need to achieve this look is some contrasting paint colours and a few rolls of masking tape.
You can easily complement this with stripey or geometric bedding and curtains.
Create a theme from scratch
Creating a theme in a child’s bedroom needn’t be difficult. You don’t necessarily need to buy a whole set of matching items from a shop to create a theme.
For example, to create a pirate theme you could paint the room sea blue, hang a large Jolly Roger flag on the wall and paint a toy chest to look like a treasure chest.
Add a playful feature
Kids’ bedrooms are not just a place to sleep, they are often used as a space to play and learn. So why not add a playful feature to enrich your child’s room?
Go big with a bed that looks like a treehouse or install a mini-climbing wall. Or keep it simple with a play-tent, swinging chair or chalkboard wall. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box!
How did you choose the colour scheme, fixtures and fittings for your bathroom? Did you plan a bathroom that is comfortable, cosy and designed to your own taste? Or were you led by trends you spotted in the shops or on social media? If you’re in the midst of planning bathroom makeover, maybe you’ve been soaking up what’s in style to help you plan what your future bathroom will look like?
Whether you’re planning a bathroom makeover or have the bathroom of your dreams already in place, how does it measure up against the biggest trends of the past, present and future? Let’s take a look.
The New Trend Predictions
According to experts at The Times, autumn/winter interiors for 2019 are all about darker tones, bold hues and eco touches like bamboo furniture and houseplants. These all make for a perfect storm look in the bathroom. If you prefer things a little less dramatic, you might have fun with Pantone’s tipped trend for 2020 – all things nautical. According to the colour specialists, the interiors sector will immerse itself in all things sea-related next year.
The nautical look is a perfect match for bathroom spaces and there’s never a shortage of beach hut emblazoned blinds or lighthouse, seagulls or anchor printed fabrics or accessories. If you’d like to avoid nautical decor tropes such as red, white and blue stripes, there are lots of great looks in stores to help you head down a path that’s a little less well-trodden. Choosing seashells, coral and seaweed prints will introduce some beautiful relaxing colours and give you interesting patterns and shapes to work with.
Trends Getting Love Right Now
Hands up who follows an unhealthy amount of interiors accounts on Instagram? Having inspiration at your fingertips can be a great thing when you’re planning updates in the home, but can you guess which looks and features people are hitting the like button for right now? And more importantly, have you channelled any of these trends into the design of your bathroom?
Harvey Water Softeners recently analysed the top twenty posts on Instagram across five different bathroom trend related hashtags to uncover the biggest bathroom trends. Top of the trends were classic choices like white tiles, dual sinks, hanging plants and freestanding oval baths. Also clocking up the likes were geometric tiles, circular mirrors and luxurious rainfall showers.
Taps of all different colours are apparently catching the eye, with gold taps, black taps and silver taps all named among the top trends. Similarly, gold and black-framed mirrors also made a mark. Black bathroom fixtures are most definitely enjoying a moment, with black shower doors and towel rails also proving popular.
If you fancy heading to the dark side, you’ll find black bathroom fixtures and fittings such as sinks, radiators, shower hoses and basin mixers at the Bathroom Discount Centre. Recessed shower shelves are another lusted after feature along with glamorous marble or floating sinks. Those looking for an instant update may want to try popular and pretty boho rugs, practical pine shelves or woven baskets.
Best Ever Bathroom Trends
We’ve looked at what’s next for bathroom design, but do you have a favourite trend from the past? There are plenty of traditional looks that have stood the test of time and if you’re decorating your home to put it up for sale, adopting styles and trends that appeal to the masses can be a smart approach.
Dunelm recently dug into the best and worst ever home decorating trends and highlighted a lot of love for many interiors trends that lend themselves to bathroom spaces. Among the most loved trends here in the UK are en suite bathrooms, wet rooms, freestanding baths, LED lighting, and underfloor heating. Stripped wood floors, shabby chic furniture and vintage revival items are among the other enduring trends that would look right at home in the bathroom.
Can you take a guess at the trends of past decades that were the least liked? Unsurprisingly, many of those surveyed said they weren’t fans of fluffy toilet seat covers (33%) or had an aversion to avocado coloured suites (33%). Putting carpet down in the bathroom was also a pet peeve for 29% of respondents.
So, how does your bathroom fair when it comes to trends past, present and future? Is your bathroom space top of the trends or in a league of its own when it comes to popular colours, fixtures and features? Is your sense of interior styling more on-trend than you thought or are you happy to find that your own unique approach in the bathroom is what’s made it the perfect space for you?
There’s been a huge trend for Scandi home styling for quit some time now, with hygge, lykke and fika all becoming part of our vocabulary in recent years. I don’t know if it’s the time of year, with the leaves starting to brown and jumpers coming out of the wardrobe, but it got me thinking about those Scandi trends and how we could make our home feel a little more Nordic, without making major changes. Here are some of the things I came up with:
Go White
You might not think of whte floors and walls when you think about being cosy, but actually, whiteness is a staple of Nordic home design, with many opting for clean white walls and adding in splashes of colour elsewhere. This is because they winter months are long and dark in Scandinavian countries and white walls reflect the light as much as possible. Light grey can also create a sense of cosy in a room, particularily if there is enough light in the home.
I Love Lamp
No Nordic home is complete without a lot of lamps. As above, the winter months can be really gloomy, especially as you go further North, with some places seeing no daylight for weeks on end. Creating a lighting scheme which can be bright when you want it to be, as well as being cosy and muted when you feel like it, is super important to get the Nordic feel.
All Natural
Scandinavians have a great appreciation for the outdoors and nature is reflected in much of their design choices. Décor, artwork and materials often represent the nature of the Nordic region. Wood is abundant in most Scandi homes adding a coziness that compliments and warms the usually white walls and light floors. You will often find sheepskins and reindeer pelts on chairs and floors as well as plants and flowers or even branches brought in from the outside.
A Splash of Fun
While you’ll find a lot of muted colours and sleek lines in Scandi design, there’s always a splash of colour and a hint of fun in there somewhere. Be it an accessory in a bright, wild colour or a set of cushions with a fun geometric print, it’s not all serious. Don’t be afraid to use clashing colours or oversized items like clocks and mirrors to make the room feel lively and vibrant.
Mix and Match
One thing you’ll notice about most Nordic rooms is that it’s not all matchy-matchy. You’ll find things make from wood, plastic, metals, fabric, all in a variety of colours and shapes. You’ll find ultra-modern furniture sitting alongside antiques and you’ll find hard surfaces and straight edges softened with fabrics and textiles. In Nordic homes it is not unusual to find and interesting mix of expensive classic pieces with more affordable designs – Scandinavians know the value of good design in their homes and will often save up for that one iconic piece that will give them great pleasure, rather than spending on smaller items which are ultimately disposable.
