Best Wooden Window Blinds For Your Home

Different Styles Of Wooden Window Blinds For Your Home

The right blinds can add a whole lot of character to your place.

However, making the right choice can be tricky.

There is such a lot of variety out there that you really have to know the pros and cons of different styles in order to make the right decision.

One such decision that baffles most is the choice between vertical and Venetian timber blinds.

The Venetian timber blind slats can be removed very easily, and this helps you to clean and maintain them.

Vertical and Venetian Timber Blinds

Aesthetics

In terms of aesthetics, nothing beats timber blinds.

They are what is known as a classic in home décor.

The horizontal slats of timber blinds can give a larger appearance to a window, which can make your space look bigger. In terms of aesthetics thus, timber blinds take the cake.

They can be custom-made to suit any type of home and office décor requirement. Since they can be painted with lacquer, stains, and painting, you can use them to enhance the aesthetic of the home in any manner.

Functionality

This is a matter of personal preference.

If you want the sun streaming through your window, timber blinds are perhaps not the best bet.

Lowering and opening them too often can wreak havoc with the mechanism, which means extra repair bills. However, if you want just a little bit of sunlight coming through your window, timber blinds aren’t such a bad choice.
In terms of functionality thus between vertical and timber blinds, vertical blinds are suited if you live in a comfortable location with moderate temperatures.

Maintenance is Easy

Vertical timber blinds win hands down when it comes to maintenance.

Often, buyers scrimp on choosing blinds simply because they can be hard to maintain.

Since they have horizontal slats, they have a much larger surface area to attract dust and debris. That said though, cleaning timber blinds isn’t such a hard task after all.
Here are a few maintenance tips for cleaning your gorgeous blinds and keeping them looking new for long.

How to Clean Vertical Blinds?

First things first, wood is not exactly conducive to water.

Thus, you should avoid using water or soapy solutions to clean your blinds, unless absolutely necessary.

Moreover, the materials used for polishing and varnishing are not conducive to water too.

It is important that you dust your wooden blinds regularly with a clean cloth. Doing so can help prevent the build-up of dust and debris.

You can use a light vacuum on your wooden blinds to get rid of hard to remove dust particles. Vacuum is especially useful for hard to reach corners.

In case you have hard to remove stains on your blinds, take a cloth, dip it in water, and rub lightly on the concerned spots. Do not use a hard cleansing agent for the task. It is also important not to spray your timber blinds with water, which can destroy the perfect glossy finish of the blinds.

Verdict: Vertical Timber Blinds

When it comes to choosing between vertical and timber blinds, the latter perhaps wins in terms of aesthetics.

However, if you are not particularly fond of high maintenance products, you would perhaps do well to stick to vertical timber blinds.

In terms of pricing too, vertical timber blinds edge out the variety.

However, if you have a classic décor theme in your home or office, nothing could come close to blinds.

They have the sort of charm that no other variety of blinds can come close to matching.

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Best Kitchen Renovation Tips for 2017

Here we present the best kitchen renovation tips for 2017. Are you sick and tired of looking at the same old decorations over and over? Lots of people feel inexplicably anxious and nervous in their own home, and numerous studies show that a great deal of tension comes from not being satisfied with their surroundings. If you’re feeling this way too, it’s high time you acted on it!

The best place to introduce changes is the kitchen, but you can’t do just anything. Following trends and staying updated is vital because you don’t want just any change – you want something substantial! Therefore, you need to investigate and find out what’s trending right now as that’s the only way to come up with the most current renovation ideas for this season. Here are a few suggestions you might want to take into consideration and a couple of easy ways how to realize them on your own.

Create a Kitchen Island

People living in big homes are usually lucky enough to have a spacious kitchen as well – and what better way to organize your space than around a big kitchen island? This idea will not only solve your storage problems – just imagine how many utensils and appliances you can hide in there! – but also help you create a focal point and organize the dining area as well.

Your island doesn’t have to be too big if you aren’t comfortable with huge pieces of furniture right in the middle of your cooking area, but you can also create a smaller one that’s still highly functional. Even if your kitchen isn’t as spacious as you’d like it to be, you can create a compact island that will suit any space you have. And if you decide to make it on your own, it won’t be overly expensive, which is great for your decoration budget.

Go All In!

You don’t have to be Jamie Oliver to enjoy preparing food nor an experienced cook to appreciate the value of a good meal. Every cooking aficionado in the world will tell you how much their kitchen means to them and how comfortable they feel surrounded by pots, saucepans, bowls and cutting boards – not to mention expensive knives and high-tech ovens! That’s why one of the trends for this season is just perfect for these people: designing a luxurious kitchen area that’s fit for a king!

Before you decide to go all in, make sure your budget can withstand these changes – besides installing an enormous kitchen island, you’ll also need new cabinets and countertops, as well as a number of new appliances and a whole set of utensils. Finally, don’t forget a new floor, which you can decorate with a new rug, a fresh coat of paint on the walls and some kitchen furniture. Creating a luxury kitchen requires a lot of work, time, money and effort, but the results are quite spectacular and the level of elegance is something no ordinary kitchen can match.

Comfortable Dining

Speaking of furniture, you don’t need a king-size kitchen to have a comfortable dining room. While most families still live in homes where these two areas are physically separated, others prefer blending these zones together and creating an open area for cooking and eating. That’s precisely why you might want to think about this idea as well – no matter how big your home is, you should try to make room for dining, even at the expense of a second bedroom.

There are a few ways to create a small dining area and you should research all of them before finding the one that suits you the most. While some people value practicality and simply install a breakfast bar into their kitchen, others make their own collapsible tables that don’t occupy too much space yet allow comfortable dining. However, being able to insert a dining table and a few chairs in your kitchen is still the best idea out there – but only if your home is big enough.

Green, Green, Green

Eco-friendliness has been one of the most popular home decorating trends for a while, and kitchen decorations are no exception. Saving our planet and preserving natural resources as much as possible are among the biggest concerns of our generation and something we need to do in order to make this world a better place for our children. When it comes to designing an environmentally aware kitchen, things are quite simple – all you need to do is use natural materials, insert some greenery and find a way to cut back on using too much water and electricity.

First of all, use second-hand materials for your countertops and cabinets and recycled wood for your floors. After that, pick only eco-friendly wall paints that will give your kitchen a dose of elegance, but also help us save Mother Earth at the same time. Also, get some plants and flowers that will turn your kitchen into a green paradise and start researching water purification – you won’t believe what a reliable UV home water treatment can do for your water consumption and health!

In the end, focus on finding new eco-friendly appliances. There is a huge selection of Energy Star products on the market, so you need to get ones that will save you energy and water on a daily basis – keep in mind that green fridges, ovens and dishwashers use about 25% less energy than regular models.

Illuminate Your Food

Cooking outdoors is probably among the most enjoyable activities in the world – with the sounds of nature everywhere around you, and lively colors of trees, grass and the sky surrounding you, there’s no way your food can be anything less than remarkable! However, while this is always an option for people living in houses with big backyards, those occupying small apartments in residential buildings can never experience this freedom. Luckily, there’s one thing they can do – fill their kitchen with natural light and fresh air.

The most effective way to incorporate nature into your kitchen is by installing extra-large windows and keeping them open as often as possible. This way, you’ll not only make your entire home full of fresh air, which is important for your health, but also turn your kitchen into a brighter place. Fresh air and natural light will inspire you and make you a better cook, which is something every single member of your family will definitely appreciate.

Other Ideas

Some of the other kitchen renovation trends you should look into this year include energy-efficient LED lights, touch-activated faucets, microwave drawers, bold and vivid wall colors, high ceilings, rustic decorations, as well as smart kitchen gadgets that bring the Internet of Things right between your oven and your sink.

Home Interior Lighting Ideas

The Importance Of The Right Lighting In A Home

Good lighting in a home is so incredibly important for many reasons and cannot be stressed enough.

Homeowners and sometimes even designers tend to treat lighting as an afterthought or a mere technical detail, something that needs to be done out of necessity.

In reality, however, good lighting is an essential part of the aesthetic of your home and it could be used to emphasize the best feature of the room or hide any shortcomings.

Here we present a complete guide to lighting your home.

It’s crucial to approach lighting as studiously and methodically as any other part of home design.

Try to imagine the way you’re going to use the room, what kind of furniture will fill it in and possibly most importantly what colors will you use.

All of this is greatly affected by the lighting choices and it’s best to choose the right lights first.

The Foyer

The foyer is the first look the guests get at the inside of your home.

People don’t pay enough attention to it and focus on making it practical and simple.

With just a few carefully placed lamps the foyer could convey what it’s meant to.

Use simple halogen lights to draw attention to art pieces you’ve displayed in the entry hall.

Having a well-lit mirror is also a nice touch.

If you have enough space, a nice decorative chandelier at the very entrance sets the atmosphere and creates a warm and welcoming feeling.

Also, if you have the second floor don’t forget to examine how the chandelier looks from above – it’s overlooked and even the most impressive chandeliers can look disappointing from that perspective.

Living Area

Living rooms are particularly difficult to light because of the various activities that take place in them.

It’s a center of the house in which families spend the most time.

That’s why the light needs to be soft and create a soothing atmosphere.

On the other hand, living rooms are used for reading or watching TV and playing video games.

All of these activities require different light setup.

Ambient and soft lighting is best provided by washing the walls with light and letting it bounce off the ceiling.

Use valance lighting or track lighting and direct it towards the walls.

For tasks lights – a few table lamps with LED light bulbs could suffice as long as it provides over 400 lumens.

The Kitchen

It’s probably the busiest part of the house and lighting it requires a bit of planning ahead.

Before you choose the lights, make a little sketch of your kitchen and try to follow your movements while you prepare the meals.

Mark the most active areas and pay special attention to them when choosing the lights.

Use fluorescent fixture to create general lighting.

Two lamps are enough for the kitchen up to 100 square feet in size.

Tasks light underneath the kitchen cabinets will serve as tasks lights and prevent shadows on the counters.

Recessed lights should be used to emphasize the food presenting area or to take notice of interesting architecture or artwork in the kitchen.

Dining Room

More than almost any other room dining room can be made into the expression of a personal style.

Choosing the right lights can provide the tone for the dining room and this is more important than it seems – even the most beautiful decoration and the most formal attire could be diminished by an inappropriate light.

The fixture will be a focal point and a key factor in deciding how formal your dining room will be.

The chandelier should be 6 to 12 feet smaller than the narrowest side of the table and 200 to 400 watts of power.

Small recessed fixtures inside the walls are an effective way to add accent to the room.

Installing these seamlessly requires professional assistance like the one provided by ASAP Electrical Services.

Bathroom

People don’t put too much thought into bathroom lighting.

It’s usually just a single fixture on the ceiling and plain white tone for the room.

Even the mirrors go unlit and therefore provide unflattering results. But the bathroom could also be a place of indulgence and the right lights can help with this.

Mount a few close to ceiling fixture to create a general mood and add one over the mirror as well, but be careful about the shadow it might cast. It’s best not to use bulbs over 70 watts.

Bedroom

Bedrooms are usually multifunctional – they serve as a study as much as a bedroom and there’s often a TV or an entertainment center in there as well.

This makes lighting difficult because the room should be calming enough to sleep in at and well lit enough to use it for everything else.

Use a low-watt ceiling light and a light colored shade to make the room feel cozy.

There should be at least one direct table lamp for reading and a couple of floor lights for putting on makeup.

Home Office

If you’re working at a desk all day, natural light is probably the best way to go – this isn’t an option in a lot of offices, but for a home office, you are your own boss which means there’s no reason not to indulge the employees.

Place task lights strategically based on the office setup.

They should do more than just allow you to work comfortably.

Task lights can make the atmosphere more distinguished and professional which is especially important when the office is down the hall from your bedroom.

Outside Lights

Exterior lights should be both functional (meaning meant for safety purposes) and decorative.

Think about installing motion sensor lights, especially if you’re often away. It’s the easiest way to alert the neighbors without making too much fuss about it.

Decorative fixtures look best when placed along the road and wall fixtures should be slightly above eye level and chosen in correlation to the door size.

Choosing proper lighting is an essential part of home décor.

Take each room into consideration and never choose the lights based on what’s fashionable.

Instead, think about the way the room is used and what would make its occupants most comfortable.

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How To Make A Small Room Look Bigger

Make A Small Room Look Much Bigger Than It Really Is

How to make a tiny space look bigger?

We all know how difficult it can be when asked a question like that, especially when you’re living in a big city with limited space to begin with.

With the development of City infrastructures, the prices of the houses have eventually risen and gone beyond the ability of most to afford their dream home.

Having and owning a spacious home is often now next to impossible for most people.

Although it is still possible to create an illusion that can make your tiny space look a lot bigger than it actually is without necessarily removing any of the essentials.

You can still enjoy a landscape view, lounge furniture, armchairs and many other larger scale creature comforts.

Want to know how?

Check out these quick and awesome hacks that can help make your home look significantly bigger than it really is.

Use Multi-Utility Items

What are the items that take up most of the space within your house?

Consider replacing them.

Reorganizing your kitchen and using all kind of multi-utility items, for example, instead of shelves, you can use cabinets with partitions that can store many things such as food machinery, containers, ovens etc.

They would provide a lot more functionality compared to a shelf, whilst also not taking up much space.

Similarly, you can use convertible sofa sets and beds in your living room and bedroom.

Likewise, you can also choose a dining table which can get adjusted and has a detachable top to make the most of what you have.

Additionally, you can also revamp your old sofa and make it a funky one.

Likewise, you can do for other furniture sets also.

Create An Illusion For The Ceiling Height

Go for the things which don’t have horizontally big but vertically small.

Keeping a low-slung sofa, large mirrors and curtains that reach the floor length would suffice the requirement.

Additionally, you can also paint the windows according to the exteriors of your house or according to the walls of the room.

Try including the furniture pieces which occupy the maximum square foot.

Doing this will help you execute the illusion in the best possible way.

Make The Most Of Every Corner

Since your house is not so spacious, make the most of every corner.

Include alcove shelves in every corner of the house.

They look very attractive and at the same time would be helpful in storing the maximum amount of extra stuff.

You can paint them using oil paints and can decorate them using flower vases, jute baskets, a marble-filled bowl, a couple of books and so on.

All this will add a little class to your house making it look larger than life.

Colors And Textures

Color and textures would brighten up your room.

So add lots of colors but don’t go overboard.

Choose your color palette wisely.

Try including primary colors such as royal blue, pale yellow, vanilla, and right red color.

Also, make sure that these colors are versatile in nature and can be added with other colors to form different colors.

Just like colors, textures also play a significant role.

A faux leather sofa, silk cushions, shiny lamps, all these add texture creating an illusion of your house having a rich and sophisticated atmosphere.

Be Friends With Shower Curtains

Many people part their washrooms with their bathing rooms which in turn takes a lot of space.

For that extra privacy, they put glass doors which are very expensive.

To reduce the cost, try using shower curtains instead of glass doors.

They provide the maximum opacity and are very budget friendly.

Moreover, you don’t need to squeegee them every time you take a shower.

Use Mirrors

Using mirrors on the walls, especially floor to ceiling mirrors can be one of the most effective methods to make a space look bigger than it is.

Surely, you must remember walking into a room with full-length mirrors along a wall and having the perception that the room is massive, only to realize that the extra space you can see if purely a reflection.

Get Inspired From Magazines

Magazines and design websites contain an infinite number of creative images and tutorials that can make you awestruck. Watch some of the tutorials and cut your favorite images.

Put them together to create a masterpiece.

Adding Skylights

Skylights are amazing as they bring the maximum amount of sunlight in a gloomy room.

They are also inexpensive as compared to other bulbs and tube lights.

A bunch of skylights would cost you around £250, or $300-$350

Create Your Own Rug

If you’re skeptical about rugs and carpets, then you can always create one.

Collect all the unwanted clothes and stitch them.

Who knows, you may end up getting a designer style of carpet.

Additionally, you can also get designs to create one from the internet, also, it would be very cheap.

Add Eye Appealing Kitchen Tiles

By putting kitchen tiles which are laminated, you add to the beauty of it.

You can also match the tiles with a marble worktop.

A customized worktop would cost you around $1500-$2000 and installation charges would be around $150-$200.

Furniture Placement

Don’t put the furniture against the walls.

Sometimes placing a piece of furniture at a particular angle or in an open space would make the room look big.

In the smaller places, use stripes to lengthen the space.

Glass And Lucite Items

Using glass and Lucite pieces are in style at present and can also be multi-purpose without taking up much of the space.

Break The Rules

Just because it is a living room, it doesn’t mean you need to put a sofa set, a coffee table or a television.

Sometimes, going out of the box creates a lot of drama.

Put a swing or a rocking chair or maybe put both.

Be more open to experimenting and exploring your thoughts to get the best outcome.

It’s not always necessary to have a big house to make it look spacious and lavish.

Sometimes, even the smallest houses can create an illusion of being big and luxurious.

Extraordinary things are done by thinking out of the box and working in that tangent. If you want to give a designer look to your house, you can DIY.

All you need is a little effort and willpower to make it work.

So, go ahead make your house one of its kind. After all, a house should always portray the people who’re living in it.

Custom Made Furniture For Your Home

Custom Made Furniture

Too often, homeowners who need a piece of new furniture for their home turn to big furniture chains.

They sure do offer accessibility, but you have to keep in mind that all the furniture you can find there will be stripped of any authenticity.

And not only that but rare are the cases when mass-produced furniture pieces fit perfectly into any home.

On the other hand, custom-made furniture bought from a respectable and reputable designer is going to help you reflect a unique idea or look with regards to the overall interior design of your home.

Listed below are the main benefits of custom made furniture that you should check out before you go and start looking at all the mass-produced everyday furniture from the budget furniture stores.

Custom Made Furniture Will Fit Your Exact Specifications

Definitely the biggest difference between generic store furniture and custom made furniture is in the name itself.

If you go for the second option, you’ll be able to design something that’s going to fit your home 100%.

For example, when designing your living room, chances are that the space between your seating arrangements and coffee table is only so big.

However, if you decide to get a custom made furniture coffee table, instead of a mass produced one, you can be sure that it will fit in your living room perfectly.

Of course, this also applies to sofas, chairs, dining tables, and everything else that can be custom made.

It Can Be Designed To Fit Your Budget

In case you come across a generic closet you like but you find it too expensive, there’s really nothing much you can do.

But if you choose to get a custom-made closet you can always tailor it in such a way that it fully fits your budget.

Even though getting custom-made furniture can be pricier than buying generic store furniture, it’s a much better option if you want to be in control of its final price.

In addition, by having your furniture custom-made, you can make sure that you’re getting value for your money.

It’s Usually More Eco-Friendly

Another great thing about buying custom-made furniture is that you can be sure it contains no toxic and harmful chemicals.

You can talk to designers and craftsmen to ensure that the furniture they make is eco-friendly as much as possible.

This will not only have a positive effect on the environment but you will also make sure you’re not exposing your family to toxic materials.

On the other hand, many large manufacturers are using them, so their products might not be the best option for you if you want to go green and safeguard your family.

It’s More Sentimental

When you buy a generic piece of furniture in a local store, developing an emotional connection to it is not going to be easy, especially when you know thousands of other people out there have the exact same piece as you do.

On the other hand, custom-made furniture will always be more cherished.

Not to mention that you will usually have a say when it comes to the final design, which means you’re going to like your new piece of furniture even more.

This also means you’ll take better care of it and you’ll try to keep it in good condition for as long as possible.

It also can become a centerpiece in your home and often a talking point with visitors, so it is likely to create a sense of pride in the homeowner.

It Helps You Avoid Global Supply Chains

When buying furniture for your home, you might want to know who made it and the specific place it originated from.

Often times these mass-produced furniture pieces will be made in foreign countries where labor costs are cheap, therefore the care to detail is often lacking as well.

Perhaps the working conditions in the countries where your new piece of furniture was created is important to you as you don’t believe in slave labor.

On the other hand, by talking directly to designers and craftsmen, you’ll be able to get all the answers.

Also, you’ll usually be supporting a local craftsman or tradesperson.

The transparency that buying custom made furniture provides you with is often one of the top reasons homeowners decide to go for custom made rather than buying mass-produced furniture from a retailer.

It Is Of Higher Quality & Will Last Much Longer

Making a one-of-a-kind item is something that always requires a level of care that cannot be paralleled by the mass production companies.

In fact, large manufacturers often produce low-quality furniture created with a relentless drive to reduce their costs and gain more profit.

This often results in pieces of furniture that tend to break much easier or have a significantly shorter lifespan.

Craftsmen you turn to build your custom item will treat your piece of furniture as a real work of art.

Hence, they are often built with pride and by hand and with care to detail.

It Inspires Elegance

The cheap, generic furniture you can get at a local store can look great but it’s never going to provide you with the elegance that a piece of custom made furniture offers.

But what’s even more important is the fact that custom-made options are going to inspire you to enjoy other finer things around your home.

Eventually, you’ll surround yourself with beautiful, high-quality furniture and appliances.

So if you’re looking for a way to start redesigning your home, getting started with a custom made piece of furniture is a great option.

It Supports Local Talent

There are plenty of local experts who can help you design the perfect piece of furniture for your home.

For many homeowners, this is preferable to shopping from huge corporations popular all around the world.

So for example, if you live in Queensland in Australia and you need more storage space for your clothes, you should always aim at getting the best custom-made wardrobes Brisbane has to offer.

Or if your home is in Quebec in Canada and you want a new coffee table, there are plenty of great Montreal-based craftsmen you can hire.

It Will Give You Exactly What You Want

Sometimes, you can spend days browsing the web for furniture and still end up not finding anything you like, or you might find it, but realize that it is not available in the color or specific size you want.

On the other hand, as soon as you turn to experts who can make the furniture for you, you’re already one step closer to getting that perfect piece.

Not to mention that you can choose all the colors, textures, finishes and fixtures.

For example, if you’re having a wardrobe designed especially for you, you can choose perhaps to have a stained wood finish from a specific type of wood and apply your own choice of hardware, handles, etc that you like.

Just make sure that you do choose a carpenter who offers quality services and you’ll end up with a fantastic item of furniture that will create many years of reflective satisfaction in having bought well and is what you always wanted.

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