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Ikigai (生き甲斐, pronounced [ikiɡai]) (ee-kee-guy) is a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being.” It is similar to the French phrase Raison d’être. Everyone, according to Japanese culture, has an ikigai. Finding it requires a deep and often lengthy search of self. Such a search is important to the cultural belief that discovering one’s ikigai brings satisfaction and meaning to life.[1] Examples include work, hobbies and raising children.[2]

Source: Wikipedia

This concept is the new trend when it comes to interior design. Thinking and over-thinking about what is the entire purpose of your home will make you easily pick the concept for the entire design of the house.

You will find inspiration for decorating in the Ikigai style in the following article on Elle Decor:

IS IKIGAI THE NEW HYGGE?

This Japanese concept might be the secret to finding longevity and purpose in life.

There are a lot more visual ideas on Pinterest if the flow really got you!

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Photo source: Quartz http://bit.ly/2lHOBJv

Commuting to work is a usual practice for those living near a big city that have jobs in the city. It seems easy to do at first, but after just a few months it can be a real problem and a big cause of stress.

Lydia Smith, a UK journalist, wrote about her experience a beginner freelance and how commuting daily from London to Manchester affected her emotional and professional life. This is an eloquent example of how commuting impacts the worker.

Our crowded, lengthy commutes are making us more lonely than ever

Recent studies showed common problems that appear at commuters like:

  • reduced job satisfaction. Every extra minute spent going to work equals discontent about the job itself and worsens mental health.
  • obesity or just gaining a few pounds. The hours you spend just sitting in trains or the car are obviously not good for your body. Even more if the job you are travelling to is mostly static.

That ’20 minutes to work’ might not seem much, but going past some time limits can have some long-term effects on you. Think about this when you choose commuting.

And don’t forget that you can actually change something to make yourself feel better: the workplace, or the place you live.

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Photo source: ThisOldHouse http://bit.ly/2gPe4ve

The days are getting shorter and day-by-day we can enjoy lesser sunlight. Winter is coming, as they say, but that does not mean we cannot enjoy every bit of the sun these days.

Create yourself a small comfortable spot near the windows and you will be able to load yourself with vitamin D daily.

We found some interesting ideas in this article on ThisOldHouse.com:

Sitting Pretty With Window Seats

What do you fancy? A bay-window daybed, a sofa bed, or a built-in pillow space with a lot of storage?

Any of these in-the-sunlight options will look great in your home and you will be able to make the most of every minute of daylight. Well, also, starry nights are going to mean more to you than just sleep!

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Good news for future sellers! During the last couple of year, the rhythm of selling has grown faster and faster. The average period for signing a sale is now 61 days, depending, of course, on the region the property is located.

You want to know how many days you will have be looking for a buyer so you can plan accordingly, so read this article on Property Wire to find out which regional cities are the fastest and which have the slowest rhythm.

Homes, many in key British regional cities, now selling four weeks faster than in 2012

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Photo source: MetroUK http://bit.ly/2gPe4ve

Living outside London is definitely cheaper. Apparently, the further away, the smaller house prices are. Here’s the math:

60 minutes to the city = minus £480,000 off the property price

40 minutes to the city = minus $372,255 off the property price

20 minutes to the city = minus £299,328 off the property price

House prices in commuter towns around London substantially cheaper

So choose how much time you are willing to spend on the road and make your savings budget!

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Photo source: Zero Waste Home http://bit.ly/2hc5rv2

First steps for a environmentally friendly life is waste reduction. The biggest part of household waste is made out of recyclable materials or, worse, of things that are not recyclable and are bad for the environment.

Those who want to be more careful about their impact on the environment can some type of efforts, even starting with their homes.

  1. Reduce use of plastic by choosing re-usable cloth bags.
  2. Switch containers around the house to make sure all of them are re-usable. You can even go a step further and buy glass containers instead of plastic ones. If you do choose those out of plastic, make sure they’re used over and over again.
  3. Avoid individual wrappers that cannot be recycled. There are more efficient ways of wrapping food that you can find in the markets.

More ideas of how to recycle around the home you can find in these articles:

9 Simple Ways To Reduce Waste In Your Home

100Tips -Zero Waste Home

We also found a nice initiative for a grocery store to reduce use of waste. Look at what they proposed to their customers.

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In this everyday expanding world, the need for space is simply intensifying. More compact and smaller are key characteristics of future houses.

And, if it is ‘movable’ too, then it is probably perfect.

There are a lot of tiny houses that can be in the top for their design and unique use of space. Here are some examples of small houses that blend in perfectly by being unintrusive in the space they were built (or moved to).

However, one special project drew our attention: Elsa, the 323 square feet house with a greenhouse included. The ‘entire’ house was developed and designed by Olive Nest Tiny Homes. It might be small, but it has one of the most spacious interior design we encountered.

Elsa can be moved around and it fits in all of the settings one might think of. The porch and the mini-greenhouse are dreams came true for gardeners and traditionalists.

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Photo source: Flickr http://bit.ly/2h96zzD

London is in top 5 most expensive cities for investors looking to put their money in office buildings. Recent study shows that the average price for 1 sqm in an office building in London is around 1 717 GBP, while Hong Kong tops the world chart with an offer of 6446 GBP for 1 sqm.

Prime office space in cities such as Hong Kong and London becoming too expensive

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One would think that landlords are always in the better position when contracting. However, being a property owner has its risks and it can be difficult to handle them when you are a beginner in this type of transactions.

Property Division made a guide of 12 questions every landlord should ask themselves at one point:

1. Should I Tell My Mortgage Lender I’ll Be Letting My Property?

2. What Is the Right to Rent?

3. Should I Register the Deposit?

4. How Can I Prevent Property Fraud?

5. Is the EPC Mandatory?

6. Do the Gas, Electrics and Furniture Need to Be Compliant?

7. Is an Inventory Worth It?

8. Do I Need Insurance?

9. Do I Have to Pay Council Tax and Income Tax?

10. Can I Make Routine Property Visits?

11. When Should I Do an Inspection?

12. Who Should Contact the Council and Energy Suppliers?

Read the answers carefully and you are sure to have some more questions at the end of the article, if you are a landlord. But at least you know what to start with.

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