Home Decoration Delight

For people with a tiny apartment, very little space and a limited budget, it may seem that home decoration or redecoration is completely out of the question. However, there are ways to resuscitate a dreary apartment and it make it not only liveable, but a funky little pad that reflects the owners’ personality and lifestyle.

Living Room
Often this is a ‘one-room workhorse’ that serves as a home office, living area and sometimes even sleeping area if it’s a studio apartment.  Make a little room feel bigger by putting the sofa in the centre of the room like an island. Make sure that the sofa has no arms as this needlessly clutters up space. Put a rug in the centre of the room as an anchor-point for the room. Against the back of the sofa, place a slim-line table. This can be used along with a chair painted in a funky colour as an office or desk space. When guests come over, this area doubles as a buffet for serving food.

Kitchen
For kitchens with very little storage space, think vertical. It’s not as crazy as it seems; a magnetic strip placed on the wall (high up, if there will be children around), is an excellent way to store assorted serving utensils and knives. Alternatively, try hanging pots and pans from a rack on the ceiling for a charming rustic look straight out of a French kitchen.

Storage
It is easy to collect flotsam and jetsam over the course of life; storing this can be nightmare in a small place. There are ways to bring order to this chaos that are both elegant and practical.  If something is truly ugly like a metal filing cabinet, it’s best to conceal it. Get some plain or printed cotton material and drape it over for an instant and cheap makeover. Go below the kitchen sink and under the bed for more storage space as well.  For books and knick-knacks, group them together by size or colour on shelves for a less cluttered look. Add just a few souvenirs and photos that mean something very personal, for a look that is very unique.  If you still don’t have enough space, think long and hard: do you really need all of that stuff? Maybe it’s time for a trip to the charity shop.

Artwork
People often collect interesting items that gather dust at the back of a cupboard.  A guitar or violin that never gets played may be mounted on the wall for visual interest rather than taking up storage space.  A bright-coloured surfboard can be an interesting thing to behold in the corner of a bedroom.  Consider getting a cork-board and covering it with fabric, then mounting assorted clippings, photos and notes on it. This will reinvigorate a tired-looking wall without the need for putting nail holes in the wall of rented accommodation, and can be constantly updated with fresh inspirational pieces.

When it comes to kitting out a house, many home owners opt for wooden furniture to provide both a traditional and elegant environment. It has been a popular material for many years – for both furniture and for use in construction – and this is mainly down to its durability. Pieces of wooden furniture often get handed down from generation to generation, becoming valuable antiques and cherished family heirlooms. Wood is not only timeless, but it is also adaptable to any style.

When choosing your furniture, you will need to decide between hardwoods and softwoods (the former come from deciduous trees whereas the latter come from coniferous or ‘evergreen’ trees). Oak furniture is a popular hardwood choice, as it is incredibly strong and long-lasting, with other popular options being walnut furniture and teak furniture, both of which create a high-end look that some homeowners prefer.

Softwoods are generally more affordable, with cedar and pine being the most popular. For people who want a light, attractive wood for their furniture, pine ranges from a pale yellow colour to a medium brown, and its fresh fragrance makes it a highly desirable option. Pine is also particularly suitable for painting and varnishing, giving more options to create different styles.

Dark woods – such as mahogany, walnut and rosewood – can be used to create a rich, expensive-looking decor whereas light woods – such as pine, ash and maple – can often create a cottagey feel, say for a country kitchen.

Solid oak furniture is one of the most popular options at the moment due to its durability and versatility, and it comes in various different types and finishes. Choose a reclaimed or reproduction piece to fit in with a traditional or rustic style house, or furnish your modern, contemporary home with weathered or limed oak furniture to give it a subtle vintage look.

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Anyone who is living or who has lived in a small studio apartment will know that space is a precious commodity. People live in studio flats for a variety of reasons – the cost of living in the area, for example, might mean that a studio flat is the most affordable on their budget, others may just use it as a place during the week to save commuting back and forth to work. Whatever the reasons for living in a small apartment, there are many ways to maximise the space and make it a comfortable and cosy environment.

De-clutter
De-cluttering is very important. As storage space will be limited, it will not be possible to keep every possession in the home. The need may be there for a good clear out to get rid of anything no longer being used. It is hard to be ruthless when many of the items will no doubt have a special memory attached, however, if it has been hidden away in a drawer or cupboard, or not worn or used for 12 months, then it is likely that it will not be missed and can go. Give the items to charity or advertise them to be sold, that way not only will there be more room in the home, someone else can have the pleasure of using the items.

Storage
Storage is always difficult in a smaller home but there are ways to utilise the existing space more efficiently. A love seat in a bay window for example provides extra seating for visitors, looks great and with a hinged lid or cupboard or drawer fronts is also great for storage. Spare bedding, blankets and pillows will all fit nicely into love seat storage space. A divan bed that has drawers underneath also works the same way. It is space that is already taken up but has two uses and is perfect for a smaller living area.

Shelving is also a great option as this takes up no floor space whatsoever; it is important not to overdo the shelving as this can make the home look cluttered. A small shelf of books in the living area and a small shelf of DVD’s close to the television will look great. Shelving in the kitchen and bathroom is also ideal for storage if floor space is at a premium.

Furniture
Choosing furniture that will look great in the home and make the most of the space is very important. A corner sofa, for example, provides plenty of seating space and fits neatly into the corner of the room thereby creating the illusion of more floor space. Choosing seating that stands on legs a few inches off the ground also helps to create the impression of a larger room. A drop leaf table can be attached to the wall and put back when not in use, and a foldaway chair can serve several purposes. It can be a dining table or a workstation. Attach a mirror to the wall behind the table and it can also be used as a vanity unit.

Great decor is all about choosing perfect finishes, selecting great colors and adding those little creative touches that can make a good room great.  Frequently, homeowners focus on getting the walls and the ceiling right – agonizing about the right color paint, if wallpaper should be textured and whether up lighters or down lighters will show off the key features in a room to its best advantage.  One often overlooked opportunity for cutting interior design problems down to size is the choice of flooring, either throughout a home or in selected spaces.  Here are a few tips on what to consider:

Floors are an investment
While small rugs and cheap carpets can be changed frequently if needed, floors are essentially an investment and should be treated as such – they can make or break the sale of a property depending on whether they are in superb or shabby condition.  Any problems that may occur are those relating to wear; over time, tiles and stone floors may crack, carpets will get dirty and wooden floors are likely to become stained and marked.  Spending money on quality flooring materials is a viable investment for the long term and an astute decision to make in the short term, as the longevity of quality flooring choices adds value to a property.

Promoting continuity
Some people love the idea of a continuous flooring experience throughout their home, which certainly looks appealing.  It’s also an attractive option if the extremes of the seasons can be accommodated along with the different uses each room gets.  For example, homeowners opting for tiled floors throughout their ground floor and wooden floors upstairs may want to dress up some areas with large rugs in the winter months or add deep pile carpets to improve comfort in bedrooms and other spaces designated for relaxation.  Wholesale flooring outlets provide great examples on how to decide which flooring materials best suit a space and will also deliver competitive prices – for more details, click here.

Functional options
When considering which flooring option is the right one for a particular home, also think about the activities that will occur in particular spaces – for example, washable surfaces are usually preferable in kitchens and bathrooms as well as nurseries and playrooms.  In the same way, washable wall surfaces are ideal for kids’ bedrooms – they most likely would not be out of place in teenage dens, either.

Carpet padding can be a welcome addition to flooring options around the house and can help reduce noise from the patter of tiny, as well as not so tiny, feet.  Padding can also provide valuable insulation and additional benefits.  Some of the materials that are used for the padding are designed to help maximize the life of a carpet by providing extra support and taking some of the burden caused by impact off of the top layer – all this prolongs the life of a carpet.

Finishing touches
The most important decisions about flooring are the ones that apply to individual circumstances – always consider how spaces inside the home will be used and by whom.  Remember to evaluate what type of flooring will be of most benefit to the house and its occupants in the years to come.

Until very recently, choosing a sofa used to involve a time-consuming process: taking exact measures of your living room, visiting numerous specialized shops, driving to far-flung sale outlets, etc. Fortunately, the advent of online shopping has made things much easier, so now it is possible to buy the perfect sofa without having to leave the comfort of your home. In fact, there are advantages to buying a sofa online. This article will provide you with a quick guide to finding a good site to help you with your sofa selection.

1- Virtual fitting services
Some companies offer a virtual sofa fitting service, whereby potential buyers can see how a particular sofa would look like in their living room. It is easy to see why this is a useful service, since many times buyers are disappointed once the sofa is in place. With virtual sofa fitting services, all is required is to upload a picture of the room where the sofa is meant to be placed, or alternatively, use some of the model rooms. That surely facilitates the decision-making process!

2- Personalised advice and customer service standards
Just because a sofa factory offers online shopping that does not mean that customer service has to be non-existent. The best sofa sites offer a live chat option, so that potential buyers can receive personalised advice and resolve all their doubts before committing to buying. There is more to buying a sofa than just considering its size. A good customer service advisor will probably ask buyers about the layout of the living room, the position of the windows, and their preferred sofa orientation. The advisor will also provide online advice regarding upholstery options, fabrics, colours, and shape of the sofa in question.

A good website will have a dedicated customer support team that understands the significance of buying a new sofa. More than simply customer service, the best companies will employ a team of sofa specialists and consultants. Buyers should also anticipate what would happen if, despite all precautions, the sofa bought does not meet their expectations. Does the sofa website offer an exchange service? There are many well-known retailers that do not have an exchange policy, so buyers must enquire in advance to avoid making an expensive mistake.

3- Guarantee and delivery services
Potential buyers must also make sure that the guarantee and delivery services offered are convenient. How long is a sofa supposed to last? The answer is not measured in years, and the best online sofa companies should agree to offer a lifetime guarantee on all their pieces. Although lifetime guarantees do not often apply to fabrics or upholstery, they must cover structural damage to the sofa (including the frame and the springs). It is obvious that in addition to offering a lifetime guarantee, a good sofa site will demand high quality standards from its manufacturing companies, in order to ensure the best results and to reduce the number of potential defects.

In terms of delivery services, the best companies must employ only trained and experienced delivery staff, who will make sure that the sofa is treated with care from the moment it leaves the warehouse and until it reaches your living room. This is an important point, since many retailers these days hire third parties who are often unqualified to carry out the job. By taking into consideration the points mentioned above, buyers can ensure that they choose the most adequate sofa for their home.