Decorating my home

Photo source: Elle Decor http://bit.ly/2vCSgrF

To continue the baby-themed posts lately, here are some name suggestions based on design accessories for the interior of the house.

20 WALLPAPERS THAT COULD TOTALLY DOUBLE AS BABY NAMES

Based on the article on Elle Decor, you can choose an interesting baby name ranging from Olana to Storm, Paisley, Narina or Otomi. Not only will it sound exotic when you’re going to call him or her in the park, but you’ll actually have the opportunity to show your inspiration on the walls of the baby room.

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Photo source: Pixabay http://bit.ly/2vnwOr7

Trying to find a style that fits all types of people can be very hard to do when it comes to furnishing the property about to be let. Landlords have to know very well their target tenant and make him/ her comfortable inside the house a long time before letting.

A real trap is to make the house or the apartment personal. It is not about you, it is about the future tenant. Make sure you know the type of tenant moves in the area you are letting and things will be quite easy.

Property Division made a list with top tips for landlords in the Buy-to-Let industry. It is very useful to have a guideline like this when preparing a space for somebody else to live in.

Go through it carefully and try to apply it to the property you are letting.

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Pinterest is a good place to go when you’re searching for redecorating ideas. 

Photo source: & copyright: Sherwin-Williams Instagram

What you’re going to find all over the visual social media platform this month is a calming shade of grey and blue mixed together. It is called Stardew and was launched by Sherwin-Williams suppliers earlier this month.

The specialists in decorations picked up the trend fast and we already could find some recommendations for an interior decor based on the new Stardew color.

 

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If you are fortunate enough to have a front garden as well as a rear garden, then you have probably considered paving it for easy maintenance… don’t! The front garden is more important than the rear garden. They are for show and not for relaxation and for curb appeal, not for parties and play.

Start with these seven golden rules and your front garden will impress every passer-by:

Blend in with the street. Every road has a ‘look’ and if you take your front garden too far away from what’s normal for your street, you will create a ‘wow’ but not in a good way. You can still raise the tone, if other front gardens in your street are neglected you can go for quietly smart. And if every other garden has been made over like a daytime TV programme, you might have to work a bit harder and invest some more time in your project.

 

Symmetry and structure will give a great aspect. Look for well defined flower beds, straight lines and solid planting. The hardest look to pull off in a front garden is a wildflower meadow with plants flowing everywhere – go for the opposite of this and you’ll be on the right tracks.

 

Structure will maintain the aspect of the garden even if it’s wintertime. And winter is a key period for the front garden! It will likely be your one glimpse of greenery on your way from the house to the car, so getting the winter look right is crucial. The shapes of the flower beds will be seen, and is therefore crucial to get this right.

 

The layout – the bones of the garden – needs to signal where people should go. It’s an obvious point but one that’s often forgotten. When folks walk to your house the front garden needs to show them the way to the front door. It’s purpose, if you like, is to direct. The easiest way to do this is with a clear path and a big signal to mark the front door. Big pots either side of the front door will do the job. They say ‘Hey look over here, this is where you need to go!’.

 

When you’re putting in the structure, work with the house and the windows. Planting should be high between the windows, low in front of them. Accentuate the patterns of house, don’t work against them. This will often give you a good pattern to copy around the rest of the front garden. The pace of the lower and higher planting can be used at the sides and alongside the road. Use the same spacing and the whole thing will come together like a symphony.

 

You may not think about selling right now, but it’s likely to happen at some point, so if you’re putting money and effort into your front garden think about kerb appeal to buyers. What would you like to see if you were thinking about buying this house? It’s another really good reason to avoid anything whacky at the front. Kerb appeal is about looking neat and well maintained, cared about and sensible.

 

Finally, watch out for planning rules. These are often specific to front gardens and can cover anything from the height of your front fence to the colour of your house. To find out what applies in your area the planning department of your local council will be a good place to start. If in doubt – check it out.

Source of photo.
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Don’t throw away that old ladder. It might not hold you while trying to change a light bulb, but it can still hold books, paintings of photos, candles and other small objects. Just turn it into a nice accessory for your living room!

Turn a ladder into the best accessory for your living room!

Posted by Hometalk on Tuesday, 1 August 2017

You can also use it in the garden or a balcony to put all the flower or herbs pots.

 

Source of the video and source of inspiration: Hometalk TV.

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Small re-decorations might prove to change the entire look of a room if you choose your ‘target’ carefully. For example, a wood counter-top for your kitchen is going to make it look better and raise the value of your home in case you are thinking about selling it at one point.

Source: Flickr, Labeled for re-use

If you are just analyzing the idea of placing a wood counter-top we recommend you to read all the pros in this article on This Old House. Such an element can be budget-friendly, easy to maintain and refurbish from time to time, and it is strong and soft at the same time.

If you are handy enough to start a DIY project, we found some videos that you should look at before starting.

Both projects seem easy to do and the result is amazing!

Tell us or show us how you built your kitchen counter-top or, at least, what type of a counter-top you chose!

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Do you have some extra time this summer and you want to spend it on doing something nice for your living room? We suggest re-modelling the bookshelves and maybe keeping only the books you would recommend in your library.

Source: https://ro.pinterest.com/pin/70228075422308647/

Cleaning the bookshelves can give you the sensation that you have been using your entire holiday time smartly.

First step would be to choose from your library the books you would never recommend to somebody else. Pile them up and take them to the closest books re-seller or antiquarian. You could end up with some extra money.

Use the extra money to buy a new bookshelf or maybe try to build one yourself. Here is a great video on how to build an original bookshelf in your living room or open space.

We found some more interesting ideas that you could find interesting on Pinterest.

Photo source: Pinterest post
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If you’re one of those countryside folks trapped inside an apartment for living purposes only, we have an idea on how to ‘cultivate’ your farmer side. Create a garden on your balcony and start growing your favourite plants this summer.

Balcony gardening became a trend a couple of years ago. It started as a hobby for some, but it was rapidly adopted by those who wanted more control over what they put on the table.

What can you grow on your balcony?

Culinary herbs like basil, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme.

You can also grow small vegetables – actually any kind of vegetable if you do not want to mass-product it. Some suggestions are: cherry tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, green onions, radishes, beans, carrots

What do you need to create the garden on the balcony?

Enough light, to start with. It’s not merely as precious as space, since space can be maximized by rational use.

Pots of all types and sizes. Containers and a good soil create a good basis for your garden apartment.

Don’t forget the seeds. Choose plants that grow fast enough. It can be a bit frustrating just looking at an empty pot for a couple of days, but keep in mind that the seed what planted! It takes time and water to grow.

And one more advice: make full use of your vertical space. Climb anything that can climb on the walls of the balcony.

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Are you the owner of a city apartment? The closer to the city center, the better…

However, there might be some disadvantages to your property. For example, the rooms might not be as spacious as you want them to be or you might be missing some outdoor space (a garden or a full-view balcony).

You might have a balcony to your apartment, but it is so tiny you can not actually do anything in it.

Well, redecorating is a solution to make everything look and feel better. So let’s start with the balcony and turn it from simply “small” to “small, but comfortable“, or “small, but good looking”. Or, why not, “small, but very practical“!

First step to re-creating your balcony is to empty it and assess all the space you have. 

Then, pick a purpose! What do you want it to be? A place for reading, a breakfast area for lazy weekend mornings or just a pretty place where guests can stand and admire the view?

Defining the purpose of the balcony is going to give you an idea of what type of furniture you need. A small coffee table or just chairs? Or, even better, rocking chairs! Plants can be placed in hangers and just placed on the wall. Also, shelves should be quite useful and do not use any space. And you do not think of necessarily buying the items you need. You can actually do some pieces of furniture by yourself by recycling some old things.

To personalize the space even more, light up your balcony! Pick a lighting solution that enhances the space and is practical. LED lights should be what you need, just use them creatively.

Have some courage and start the “Re-design you balcony” project now so you can make full use of it while the weather is still great. Here are some more ideas on what you can do in your balcony.

Share with us the pictures when you’re done! We can’t wait to see how it looks!

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As we mentioned in a previous article, you should give a closer look to the outdoor space of the property when trying to sell it.

The garden is one key point for making a good impression! Just take a look at your garden now and try to imagine how it can be better organized or designed. Some extra elements might do the trick (create a small pond or a path with paving stone) and turn your garden into the selling proposition of your property.

We found these ideas useful and very practical for landscaping the garden and getting it ready for a viewing.

However, the best advice in the article on Property Division is this one: always keep in mind the type of buyer you are targeting. Millennials will need a simple, but friendly garden – the gathering place for BBQ s and late dinners with friends. Couples with children will want the garden for the children to play and with a very ‘homely’ design. Elders see the garden as a relaxing place and will want a comfortable garden with low maintenance.

Read more on the subject and share with us your idea of landscaping the garden!

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