All Things Decor Blog

Home Improvement Blog 0

Interiors

Top 5 Interior Design Tips to Update Your Home

If you are thinking about how to update your home but, like many people, have a limited budget then take a look at these tips from an interior designer friend. None of them will cost too much (although your actual choice of products will, obviously, affect the price) and, just as importantly the changes will not cause too much disruption to your life.Some of the best tips are about combining patterns, texture and colour through the use of fabrics and distinctive artworks.

For some projects you will have to declutter your home or, at least, the room you are updating to be sure the redecoration runs are smoothly as possible.

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home improvement / Interiors

4 Living Rooms With Beautiful Windows

Good light is one of the most important aspects of any home, which is why interior lighting schemes are a major part of any interior design project. The right light can completely change the ambience and bad lighting can detract from an otherwise well-designed space.

But just because we can create beautiful lighting artificially doesn’t mean we should neglect the natural light entering our homes and maximise it where we can. Here are some of my favourite room setting with wonderful windows that bring in as much natural light as possible. Even if the windows in your home are not as large and beautiful as these you can still improve the levels of natural light either with appropriate window dressings or by the more drastic measure of increasing the size of the window openings. These images might just inspire you to do that…

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home improvement

Frugal Home Décor Guidelines

When it comes down to the use of home décor a lot of people find out that their personal taste differs greatly from whatever the current trends may be. No matter the level of budget you’re going for, you will need to work on things in a way that takes your budget into consideration. If you are a first time buyer who has just managed to scrape together the money to buy your first place (no doubt with help from the Bank of Mum & Dad or a guarantor loan); or if you are well up the property ladder, moving house is still an expensive business. It always seems to cost more than we expect so watching your budget as you turn your new place into your home is essential.
As styles will change in time, you will need to adapt to the changing trends and what they have to offer, so make sure you work on a frugal solution if you want to keep things on the more reasonable side. The following examples and tips will give you more pointers

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home improvement

Using Self Storage When Renovating a Home

Self storage is very useful, flexible and good value, but it does come with a few rules that benefit everyone involved. Here are a few key do’s and don’ts to get the most from self storage when renovating a home.

Self storage is an amazing investment enabling you to keep your belongings safe when you are having work done on your home, at a minimal cost. However, there are specific do’s and don’t with self storage that should be adhered to, for the benefit of all involved with the storage unit, and the facility itself. Sometimes the do’s and don’ts relate to safety, and should absolutely never be ignored.

Here are some key do’s and don’ts to pay attention to with self storage:

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Property

Is a Mans Home Still His Castle?

The British seem to have a continuing obsession with owning their own home in a way that,s ay, the French or Germans do not. This attitude is often linked to the housing boom that started in the 1980s when local authority housing was being sold off to tenants at knock-down prices and the mortgage market was deregulated. There was a slump (or re-correction) in the housing market in the late 80s but soon we were back on a relentless rise of property prices and more and more people started to view property as more of an investment than a place to create roots and build a home and life.

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Gardens

Enhance Your Property Using Wooden Garden Structures

If you are looking to add value to your home and garden whilst making it a more enjoyable place to spend time then one of the most beneficial improvements you can make is to invest in a garden structure such as a wooden gazebo, arbor, summerhouse or pergola. This is because not only do they make a great focal point to the garden but they are also functional in their design as they can be utilized for numerous purposes such as outdoor entertaining (as the provide shade and shelter), relaxation spaces or a comfortable seating areas thus helping to enhance your outdoor lifestyle.

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Interiors

Preparing Your Home for Guests

Ever invited someone to stay with you and felt a huge rush of panic the moment you remember the state the spare room is in? When you realise you forgot that several ‘car boot ready’ black bags, a spin bike, ten unopened boxes from the house move and a Christmas tree all obstruct anyone from even getting more than half a foot into the room, let alone staying in it.

What you probably want to do is slap those marigolds on and get waist deep in cleaning and tidying the room right now. But it needn’t be such a panicked affair.

Follow this list of tips to help you calmly and easily get your guest room guest ready

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Gardens

Gazebos – Outdoor Entertaining Spaces for Your Garden

If you are lacking a decent outdoor space for relaxation and entertainment or your garden is looking a little dated then of the most popular up and coming trends in garden design is to erect a wooden gazebo. This is because not only do they provide an excellent focal point to your property they are also really functional and as such prove to be great value for money.

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Interiors / Property

The Hassles of Moving House

Many reports indicate that moving, just like other major life events such as divorce, illness, or job loss, causes a lot of people to feel stressed and overwhelmed. Even if you plan to hire a mover to take care of the basic moving tasks like packing and transporting your belongings, you still have to go through the hassle of settling down in a new home. Moving doesn’t always have to be troublesome or stressful. In fact, if you plan ahead and follow a few simple but essential tips and tricks, it can be downright easy and stress free. If you want to make sure that your precious wedding china and expensive photo frames do not get damaged during moving, take care to buy the right boxes for your needs and ensure that they are clearly marked “fragile” and “this side up”. If you are interested in more such useful moving precautions, facts, and tips, don’t forget to check out this infographic…

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home improvement

A Clutter-Free Home is a Stress-Free Home

Many of us live and work in environments full of belongings that we no longer use or need but are reluctant to part with. There are some people who find it easy to clear out unused possessions and live a minimalist lifestyle but the majority of us cling to items for often, long-forgotten, sentimental reasons. We make excuses about how an item might one day come in useful, but, in truth, we just can’t bear to get rid of our “stuff”.

Not only do we want to hang on to old belongings but we are accumulating new things all the time and eventually the storage in our homes just will not cope any more. An important element for people buying new houses these days is how much storage there is. Built-in storage almost always features in new homes of all sizes and a buyer would expect there to be sufficient storage for their possessions, but just how much storage is sufficient? And even though moving home would seem to be an ideal opportunity to clear out all the old junk, this doesn’t always happen.

But can living amongst clutter really add stress to already busy lives and, more importantly, can clearing out that clutter reduce our stress?

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Interiors

Creating a sanctuary in a family home

Modern society is characterised by an interconnected world where the “always on” culture has made it increasingly difficult to disconnect from our routine. Escaping the daily grind comes with an added difficulty in households where there are children, since young kids need constant stimulation, and sometimes right when their parents need to wind down and relax. So does this mean that creating a sanctuary in a family home is just not possible? In this article we offer some tips for parents looking for ways to create a small haven of tranquillity in a busy household with kids.

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DIY / home improvement

The 5 Types of Wall Paint and How to Pick The Right One

Choosing the ideal colour for your walls is not the only thing you need to consider when deciding what paint to use. With such a wide variety of products out there, it can be confusing and difficult to pick the right one for your project. The type of paint is just as important as the colour and can have a huge impact on the character of the room. To avoid potentially time-consuming and expensive mistakes, read on to find out about each type of paint.

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DIY / Interiors

6 Tips to Use when Laying Bathroom Tiles

A tile floor can make any room look great. Now a person can tile their own bathroom floor with these easy to follow tips. Use Spacers When laying the tiles, it is important to...

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home improvement

Installing Double-Glazed Windows – A Guide

First of all, what are double-glazed windows? They are frames for windows that have two panes of glass instead of one. Usually, the glass panes are separated by an air pocket, which increases the window’s insulation, both in terms of temperature and sound.

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Interiors

Top Twitter Accounts for Home Ideas

Here are the best twitter accounts you can follow to get a little bit of inspiration for when you are redecorating or improving your home. They range from contemporary interior design to traditional so...

wooden flooring 0

DIY / Interiors

5 Indispensable Floor Installation Tips

Maybe you are unhappy with the way your floor looks, or you just want to try out something different for a change. Also, you may be fed up with floor cleaning and require a...

DIY Home Improvements 0

Interiors / Property

7 Best YouTube Home Improvements Channels

When you take on the project to redecorate, you may feel the need to hire a professional as it can get a little to much, but these YouTube home improvements channels provide simple ideas. Sometimes...

wooden flooring 2

Interiors

Wooden Flooring and Underfloor Heating – The Basics

Wooden flooring is available in many different types of wood and different types of construction. There are solid wooden floors in both softwoods and hardwoods in the form of long, narrow boards or planks, or smaller pieces used in, for example, parquet floors. Solid wooden floors are usually nailed or screwed to the sub-floor. There are also engineered wooden floors that consist of several layers glued together with the top layer only being solid wood. These are most often installed as a floating floor above a series of joists. […]

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Interiors

Why We Love Monochrome Bathrooms

Black and white bathrooms always look so stylish whether they are in a traditional Art Deco style or designed with modern minimalism in mind. They are perfect in character or period homes and also in modern homes. And, best of all, they don’t date quickly so will look great for years to come so be a good investment in improving a home.

Bathroom manufacturers and the buying public all love white in bathrooms, whether it is the bathroom suite or large, glossy porcelain tiles there is really nothing to compare with gleaming white lines. White bathroom suites look equally good in period reproduction styles as they do in sleek contemporary styles and any of the huge range of bathrooms to choose from will look fabulous when complemented with black. Accent tiles in black can be used to create unique patterns on borders or tiled panels and black accessories such as vases, towels etc. enhance the monochrome look. If you are feeling very daring (and either don’t live in a hard-water area or have a water softener fitted) then I have even seen a black Art Deco style basin. Just be sure it will suit your style of home and bathroom (I’m personally still cautious about using any sort of coloured sanitary ware).

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Interiors

Popular Styles of Bathroom Design

The bathroom has come along way in the past one hundred years. Once just a basic tub set in front of the living room fire and filled with buckets of water, the bathing experience is now a luxury in almost every western home. Back then, a ‘bathroom’ was something only the wealthy and privileged could afford to have in their house. It was this trend which lead to the mass production of bathroom products.
The Edwardian and Victorian styles of the time are still a popular choice today. They look exquisite in a villa or cottage bathroom, and never loose their appeal in terms of design.
Today, thanks to advanced plumbing and modern technology, the bathroom may well have evolved as far as it can. With luxury steam rooms and hydrotherapy baths, it’s difficult to imagine how bathrooms could get any more sophisticated. That said, the bathroom, like any room in the house, is ever changing in terms of design trends.
Here we look at the five most popular styles of bathroom designs. Traditional, Country, Shabby chic, Contemporary and Fantasy.

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Interiors

Wooden Floors in Interior Design

There are many challenges to get rooms right when you are creating your new home. Most important of all, is the look and the feel of the place. Wood has been a popular choice of flooring for many years and that is largely because it gives so many options. There are many different styles of wooden floor and just like the choice of colour on the walls, the choice of flooring can set the tone or mood for a room. Getting the floor right in a room is an essential finishing element and this needs the most attention because it is usually the most difficult part of the design to change when in place.

 

About Our Blog

I think you'll agree that we all love our homes and love to improve them as much as we can. While the percentage of people who regularly do DIY has fallen in recent years that doesn't mean we are not interested in how our homes look – we are just less keen on doing the hard work ourselves. But whether you are a DIY fan who can turn their hand to anything from laying porcelain tiles to re-tiling the roof or someone who prefers to sit back and let the decorator or interior designer work their magic we hope you will find some inspiration here.

If you are keen on colour or prefer neutrals, love natural beauty and texture, or super perfect finishes; whether you are an upcycler on a budget (I think that's many of us really) or able to splash out on designer items and beautiful unique art we are all drawn together by our love of all things in the home (and the garden too).

And if you are moving house we love to talk about that too – the excitement of a new place – new colours and finishes to choose, maybe some new furniture. And just the excitement of a new outlook from the windows, new plants sprouting in the garden (if you are lucky) and a new area to explore are reason enough to go through all the stress of the house buying process, packing up our things, shipping them off to self storage, and then unpacking all over again at the other end. But it is definitely worth it if you are fortunate enough to have found a better house for your needs and wants.

So why not read some of our posts and better still get involved by commenting and sharing…

More Interesting Stuff...

 Enhance Your Property Using Wooden Garden Structures
Frugal Home Décor Guidelines
4 Living Rooms With Beautiful Windows
Fixing Bathroom Tiles – Part 2
DIY tiling: Top Tips from the Experts
Some useful facts about marble
Cleaning Limestone Tiles
The Advantages of Porcelain Tiles
7 Best YouTube Home Improvements Channels
Do I Need A Flexible Tile Adhesive?

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