Without good lighting, the best bathroom will look uninviting — and may even be decidedly dangerous. It’s essential — and even illuminating — to choose the right lights! And if your bathroom gets good natural light, try to make the most of it.
Good lighting in the bathroom is essential not just because you look foolish if you apply your make-up like a clown but, more seriously, because you run the risk of misreading the directions on a bottle of medication. (more…)
For an area that is used several times a week and is always hard at work to keep you looking your best, the laundry is often sadly neglected. Pay it a little attention, too, and solve those washday blues at the same time.
To get the most space and ease out of your laundry, first consider its layout and be critical about its shortcomings. Many householders have no choice but to incorporate the laundry into the bathroom or kitchen, so the laundry basket, peg bag, sink unit, bucket, washing machine, dryer, detergents and all the rest of it has to be fitted in as unobtrusively as possible. Your laundry may even be positioned in a narrow passageway or back corner. Don’t despair — well-thoughtout planning doesn’t require a lot of space. (more…)
Once you have the plan in mind, you can turn your attention to the colour and style of your bathroom.
Your choices are almost unlimited and while your final selection boils down to personal taste, there are a few general guidelines.
To some extent, the bathroom is a place where you can indulge your decorative whims, but try to ensure that its decor — and the budget allocated — is in keeping with the rest of the house. (more…)
A deskmate is a mobile storage cabinet which is stored out of the way under a desk and rolled out when needed.
There is a number of different configurations ranging from simple storage of paper, envelopes and a few files you may be working on, to a deskmate which can store a printer on the top with the paper feeding from the shelf at the hack. (more…)
9 The next task is to cut out the table top to the size 1218 mm x 598 mm. The width can be increased or decreased if desired, but the height must remain at 1218 mm to fit inside the cabinet, unless the shelf heights are also adjusted. Once the table top is cut out it is ready for laminating, which will bring the total size to 1220 mm x 600 mm.
10 The first surface to laminate will be the exposed side of the cupboard (you may find it easiest to have the cabinet laying on its opposite side for this). (more…)
Blinds have travelled a long way from their origins as the gauze window protectors of elaborate drapes and furnishings in grand houses. Modern blinds can be totally functional and unobtrusive, or unashamedly ornate and extravagant.
These blinds are tailored and neat looking, economical in their use of fabric and regarded as being quite simple to make. There is less sewing in this style of blind than, say, a festoon blind, and they lend themselves to stripes or evenly printed geometric fabrics very well. (more…)
Formal swag pelmets are draped pieces of fabric which, when attached to a pelmet support board, become a classic draped pelmet. They hang free of the curtain and usually add a classical, ornate appearance to windows.
Here are some rules to remember with swag trimmings: they look best on tall windows in rooms with high ceilings, so be sure that you don’t over-design your room; consider your fabric requirements (swag curtains can take up large amounts of fabric, and this can become a budget-breaker) — plain calico or home-spun fabric is one idea, as the old principle of using fabric generously applies well here. Generous amounts of inexpensive fabric look wonderful next to skimpy quantities of expensive fabric. (more…)
Dressed windows, in the form of curtains, elaborate drapes and blinds, are probably the most decorative type of fabric use in the home. Large or small areas of attractively used fabric can quickly transform a room — so look upon window dressing as interior decorating, as well as a practical essential. (more…)
The project is to install a skylight in a concrete tile roof to provide a lightwell for maximum lighting in an enclosed kitchen. The skylight will be 800 mm square so will need a rafter cut, and the lightwell is to be painted white for maximum natural light.
Step by Step
1 The size of a skylight is based on the floor area of the area to be lit. It is generally recommended that the skylight be at least 10 per cent of the floor area. In this case the skylight will be 800 mm x 800 mm.
2 Order the skylight, specifying size, roof type, the shape required, and if any accessories, such as diffusers or solar control features are required. (more…)
Openings in houses may be voids, doors orwindows. Voids tend to be in areas where security is not a consideration, such as between rooms in an open-plan living area. Doors provide a means of access and security to the building. Windows, however, are designed to provide daylight and a means of ventilation. They should also provide a view, but still allow for privacy when required. (more…)
Bathrooms are common storage trouble spots that seem to get very messy, very quickly. These days there are lots of bright ideas for bathroom storage that utilize every bit of available space.
Building a vanity unit around a pedestal basin will help disguise any unsightly pipework while creating extra shelf and cupboard space. (more…)
A furniture style usually associated with cabinets made in New England during the mid- eighteenth century. Notable examples of blockfront desks, secretaries, and chests that were outstanding in craftsmanship and design were made in the Newport workshops of John Goddard and John Townsend. The secretary shown here is attributed to Goddard. Most block front furniture is made of mahogany. The pieces have a raised surface at each side with a recessed area in the center. (more…)
Before phoning the plumber consider the following — you can’t take the mountain to Mohammed, so Mohammed will be charging a call-out fee to come and look at the mountain, after which he will charge you a bit more to fix the mountain. After 5 minutes you may realize that the mountain was in actual fact a very insignificant little molehill, easily taken care of yourself, if only you’d known.
The molehill could take on various forms: a leaking tap, a blocked toilet or a blocked drain, all of which you will be able to fix if you follow our detailed instructions. But there are a number of mountains best left to the plumber. These will include a burst water pipe (possibly caused by over-eager digging in the garden), a water pipe that accidentally connected with a power tool near the bathroom or kitchen (caused by over-eager drilling) or an old geyser that is on the blink. (more…)
What you are going to use will naturally depend of the type and weight of whatever it is you want to hang on the wall. Small pictures, for instance, can be hung on concrete or masonry nails hammered into a wall, whereas heavier pictures or curtain railings will require plugs and screws and therefore an electric drill.
There are a few specialist tools for hammering nails into walls without the risk of flattening your thumb, bending a nail or cracking the plaster, but they cost a lot of money and if you so much as heard of them, you probably will not be reading this section for information but rather for entertainment value. If you haven’t heard of these marvellous tools, don’t bother — they take the fun out of the whole exercise. (more…)
The list of materials that are suitable for decorating bathroom walls and ceilings is so extensive that it is well to evaluate each one carefully before you make your choice. This is especially true for bathrooms where you have to contend with great amounts of moisture.
Marble, ceramic tile, terrazzo tile, or quarry tile are wall materials reminiscent of the opulent era of the royal bath and belong to the luxury class.
Less expensive materials include mirrored walls, vinyl products that simulate marble or tile, and plastic-finished or laminated hardboards. Reproductions of hardboard paneling are easy to install and are available in realistic wood grains. This type can be cut with a knife and applied with adhesive. Wood paneling is available with a plastic finish. (more…)
Planning a bathroom for children means planning for convenience and safety as well as color. Remodeling will be minor if there is an existing bathroom. Just add a few fixtures, fittings, and storage units that suit ages of the children. However, as the need for a nursery- type bathroom will be brief, the bathroom will eventually be redecorated for use by young adults or as an extra bathroom for a guest room.
If you are choosing new fixtures, select them with future use—adult use—in mind, in colors that go with the overall color scheme of your home and in normal sizes and heights. If more than one child will be using the bathroom, double lavatory sinks are a good investment, not only for the younger years, but for adult family use later on. They enable two youngsters to get ready for school at the same time now, and will add extra use to a compartmented bathroom later on. Choose walls, floors, and fabrics for stain-resistant qualities and their ability to with stand humidity as well as for their decorative effect. (more…)
Designs cut from vinyl-coated wallpaper or fabric used elsewhere in the room can be appliquéd to window shades. To prevent raw edges of material from raveling, spray the back of the fabric with a clear acrylic spray before cutting out design. Use a small sharp scissors for cutting out design motifs and arrange them on the shade in exact position. Apply glue to the reverse side of each cutout, making sure that the entire surface is covered, then press it into position. After adhesive has dried, the face of cutouts is best protected by an extra coating of acrylic spray. (more…)
One of the most effective tools in creating an attractive bathroom is the skillful use of color. You can mix and match colors of fixtures and fittings with walls, floors, and ceilings for an inexpensive remodeling project. If fixtures are comparatively modern and you do not need to invest money in new ones, begin your planning with the fixtures themselves. If they are white, they will not interfere with your color scheme; if they are colored, then they must be considered as part of the decorating theme. Decide the general effect you wish to achieve, then turn these fixtures into assets. (more…)
Bathroom linens and accessories are those items in a bathroom other than fixtures. These include carpeting or rugs, towels, shower curtains, window treatments, lotion bottles and jars, plants and flowers, mirrors and pictures, soaps and soap dishes, tissues, decorative lighting fixtures that are not permanent installations, figurines and bowls, shelving, decorative hardware for cabinets and doors, towel rings and bars, clocks, and scales. In addition to metal, glass, and plastic accessories, there are wicker, wood, and mirrored items.
When these accessories are chosen to complement the rest of the home, the bathroom can be made as beautiful as any other room in the house, and still furnish the basic comforts and conveniences necessary in the modern bath. These intriguing, interesting “extras” can add color, character, and individuality, regardless of the size of the bathroom or whether its background and fixtures are lavish or simple. (more…)
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