Home Sweet Home

The owner’s children must not run loose in the house. In fact, if the family live on the same premises, there must be a clear division between the facilities for the guests and the family home. You may not, under any circumstance, use a family room for a guest!

One of the strongest selling points for guest houses is “value for money“. Be careful not to price yourself out of the market and do not see-saw with your rates, putting them up dramatically when things seem to be going well or dropping them substantially if not. You will lose your loyal customers this way. Note the trends in the market and retain a long-term vision. Do not become greedy or desperate! (more…)

Flexibility is the key to successful storage in double-duty rooms and multipurpose areas. This need not result in makeshift mayhem. These stylish space-savers have been designed to make the most of in-between areas.

There are so many ways to keep things in order and easily accessible — be inventive and resourceful with every little space you have.

Entrances Storage

One area which needs to be flexible is the hallway, and as this is where visitors gain their first impressions, it is logical to give thought to its design and fittings. If possible, there should be at least one chair and a table large enough to take parcels, letters, magazines, a telephone, message pads and directories. (more…)

Shelve it, stack it, stow it, store it! Shelving is one of the easiest and most versatile ways of dealing with domestic clutter. Place items on view or design a system to hide them away.

Good storage, as much as having good installations to handle it, is a state of mind and relates to a very human desire to put things away or hoard. Before choosing a suitable storage system for your lifestyle, there are a couple of points you should consider.

Do you want to conceal things or display them? Most household items are well hidden away in cupboards and nooks, whereas some items, like collectables or ornaments, are possessions you would like to see. (more…)

These decorative elements have outgrown their stuffy and slightly old-fashioned image of the past. They can now, with clever choices and use of fabric, totally complement what is really a plain set of curtains, and transform a room into a well-thought-out home decorator’s triumph. (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…)

Carpets

Vacuum regularly and get into those corners. If you entertain you would have had to get rid of some nasty stains; if you entertain heavily, you may have had to get rid of some more severe markings, and smells.

Generally, always work from outside in and never brush or rub too vigorously as you may damage the fibres. When using some of the stronger solutions, first test it on an inconspicuous part of the carpet. (more…)

How to design a children’s bathroom

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…)

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…)

Choosing a bed is one of the most important things you will do. Your choice will determine whether or not you spend one-third of your life in comfort. Since selection of bed sizes and mattresses and box springs is truly of great importance, look the market over carefully. There are all kinds and sizes available.

A big man needs a big bed, one long enough to let him sleep without dangling his feet over the end. He needs a firm mattress and box spring combination to support his weight. A woman may be equally comfortable in a shorter bed with less firm support, because there is less weight to support. A child can fit into a cot in comfort.

Pillows should be chosen for maximum comfort, too. There are many sizes, degrees of firmness, and types of fillings. (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…)