Home Sweet Home

Bathroom surfaces, like those in a kitchen, have to work hard — choose the right materials when you decorate your bathroom and it will emerge unscathed from the steamiest affair.

Inevitably, bathroom surfaces are subjected to the arch enemy of all decorative finishes — water. Spills and splashes cause puddles or worse, while steam insidiously works its way into every crack and crevice. The surfaces also receive their fair share of knocks — slippery fingers easily drop bottles of shampoo or hair colour, and junior can pack quite a punch with a plastic bath toy. Despite all the punishment, the surfaces must not attract dirt and harbour germs. (more…)

This neat fold-away sewing centre has ample storage for not only a sewing machine, but also an overlocker, shelves of patterns, sewing accessories and other odds and ends.

This clever cupboard idea is based on a simple upright cabinet that takes no more room than a bookcase, and folds away in one or two easy steps.

The overall cupboard is 1070 mm wide as built (to fit in a corner) by 2070 mm high, and is a total of only about 350 mm deep with the doors shut. When open it reveals seven shelves for storage, and a sewing table 1220 mm x 600 mm. (more…)

This modular stereo and home entertainment centre can easily be expanded or adapted to suit your needs. It has been cleverly designed to accommodate equipment as well as an extensive collection of CDs, records, videos and cassettes.

The project consists of three units which have a total width of just over 1500 mm. Although the centre is modular, it is also relatively low level, and a single top and kickboard draws all three units together. (more…)

Any materials used in the bathroom must be smooth, moisture resistant and easy to keep clean. Flooring materials must also be antislip for safety.

It’s important to choose materials that will provide long service and help to create a bathroom

Which looks and feels good to use. (more…)

Blended Fabrics

Fabrics made from a combination of several fibers, either natural (such as wool, cotton, linen, or silk), man-made (such as acrylics and polymers), or both, in contrast to fabrics made of only one type of fiber. The advantage of blends is twofold. (I) Blending several fibers can yield fabric with the virtues of each of the fibers used (color absorption, durability, wrinkle resistance, warmth, or washability), some of which would be missing in a fabric made from any single one of these fibers. For example, the addition of Dacron, an acrylic, to cotton has produced sheets that do not need ironing. (2) Fabrics made with several fibers often have new qualities (weights, textures) with decorative possibilities that no single- fiber fabric has. (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…)

Bedroom furniture has undergone a drastic change in recent years. No longer is it displayed, priced, and purchased in “suites” as it was for so many years. A suite consisted of a bed, or twin beds, a chest of drawers, and a vanity and bench, or dresser. No matter what style a person preferred, there were the same furniture pieces.

Now, bedroom-furniture manufacturers offer complete groupings from which to make your selection. Each collection will usually have beds in twin, double, queen, or king size, chests in more than one size, dressers in single, double, or triple versions, armoires, bedside tables, desks, and multipurpose units. (more…)

The dictionary definition of a bench is “a long seat for several people,” a reminder of benches in parks, in bus stations, and in railway depots. At home, benches can be used in almost any room of the house, the basement or garage, the lawn or the patio.

There are benches on which to sit while studying, lounging, eating; benches to hold TVs, stereo components, luggage, accessories; work benches for basement, hobby room, or garage.

Bench materials include wood, stone, marble, wrought iron, cast aluminum, and tubular metals. Bench tops may be solid, planked, or slatted wood; upholstered or cushioned; or laminated plastic material. (more…)

Mood or Accent Lighting

Mood lighting is illumination used as an accessory, a purely decorative effect designed to highlight the room’s features and furnishings. In some cases it can be achieved simply by positioning a light where it accents the colour of a wall or the shape of the room, but you can also make the most of the room’s existing decorative features by fixing a wall bracket over a favourite picture, for instance, or placing a table lamp next to a group of photographs. Similarly an alcove of shelves filled with plants or ornaments can be lit from behind for extra effect. (more…)

Natural plant fibres, animal skins, and bird feathers have always been the staples of our clothing, furnishing, and bedding. Remains found in eastern Europe indicate that 20,000 years ago people lived in tents of hide stretched over frames of wood or mammoth tusks. But it was another 13,000 years before we see any evidence of weaving.

In China, silkworm farms flourished in the Yellow River Valley 5000 years ago, and wall hangings, carpets, and scrolls in intricate and beautifully worked patterns were woven on bamboo looms. Carpetmaking probably originated with nomads as a means of keeping their tents warm. Later it became an art form, finding its finest expression in the carpets of Persia. Wool and silk were dyed with chamomile flowers, madder root, and acorns and carpets and rugs were made in geometric designs or symbolic patterns of flowers and birds. In the 19th century, the subtle, slowly fading colours were replaced by the brighter hues of synthetic dyes. (more…)