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Home and Garden

Statement Lighting Simplified

You can use lighting to create a luxurious ambiance in your home. Combined with stylish pieces of furniture and décor items, lighting can make a room feel more glamorous. The type of lighting fixtures you choose will also bring a luxurious harmony to the room. Consider natural light in the room so that your lighting options work harmoniously with the natural light available.

These are some tips on how to choose lighting that will elevate the sophistication level of your room.

Layer The Lighting

You do this by using different sources of light placed strategically in other areas of the room. You can have the primary light source, then have lamps or additional wall lights in different areas of the room. Adjust the lighting from all the sources so that the light is not so bright that it creates glare.

You want a soft glow effect from all the light sources. The light in the room should be comfortable and welcoming and not too dark because the room will look gloomy. A well-lit room looks elegant.

Use Statement Lighting

Lighting is made of metals and materials that can complement your décor or stand out against it. The lighting should fit into the room’s décor style and match the color scheme to achieve the desired décor goal.

For instance, if the room’s color scheme is neutral colors, then a bright-colored lighting piece will look out of place. Statement lighting can enhance the beauty of other components in the room. A grand chandelier, for instance, will elevate the sophistication of the room.

Lighting To Enhance Décor Pieces

Lighting can draw attention to certain style elements that you would like to draw the eye to. For example, soft glowing lights can be placed underneath an art piece to bring your attention to the artwork. Accent lighting will use shadows and light to highlight what you want to be of interest. This use of light will make your room look more glamorous.

Lighting Intensity

The right amount of light will enhance the room décor. You can achieve different intensities by using bulbs and the style of the lighting. For instance, some lighting designs will be brighter than others.

Brighter bulbs are great for areas like the bathroom or make-up room. Soft lighting is ideal for the bedroom to create a soothing effect. Comfort is central in luxury, and you don’t want to feel like the light is not correct. Low wattage bulbs will produce softer light compared to bright fluorescent bulbs.

Ensure You Have Enough Lighting 

Consider the space that you have and get lighting that will produce enough illumination. For instance, in a high ceiling room, smaller accent lights may not work to sufficiently light the room, or the lighting will be uneven, with some areas receiving more light than others.

You can use a combination of lighting to achieve a glamorous effect. You can use a massive chandelier as your primary light source and other complementary lights such as lamps or pendant lights.

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Home and Garden

A Complete Guide On Why and How to Paint a Radiator

For every home, a radiator is the most essential cooling or heating device. It must be maintained properly, so it works effectively. 

If you are installing the central cooling system or radiator inside the room, then it should be painted otherwise, it will give your room an odd look. 

 Due to the complex exterior honeycomb structure of the radiator, most people considered that its painting is a difficult task, but it is not so.

In this guide, we will tell you the DIY trick to paint the radiator. You will also learn which paint is best for radiator paint. 

Step by step guide of radiator painting

Switch off the radiator

Before starting the process, make sure to switch off the radiator and let it cool down. The paint will become drippy if you apply it over the warm radiator surface and will not stay. 

Also, assure that the room is properly ventilated because the paint contains volatile organic carbons VOCs that may cause health damage. You may suffer from lung or throat irritation if you inhale paint fumes, so open all the rooms’ windows before painting, especially during spray painting.

No matter how expert you are in painting, the paint will surely drip over the surface. To avoid this, protect the ground with cardboard, paper, or cloth. Also, place cardboard between the wall and radiator to save the wall from paint color. 

Clean the radiator

Cleaning the surface of the radiator is very important for even painting. The purpose of cleaning the device is to remove the dust or grease from the surface.

To clean it, you need a cloth or sponge, warm water, and detergent. Wipe the radiator with a moist detergent-containing sponge so the grease and dust will remove from it. Then clean it from simple water and leave it for drying.

Sanding

It is an important step that ensures the proper adhesion of paint to the radiator surface. Sanding is done with the help of sandpaper having fine grits on it. This sandpaper makes the surface even, and rough removing all the imperfections or pimples.

After removing all the rust and unwanted debris, wipe the surface with a damp cloth and again allow it to dry.

Seal the imperfection with primer

Primer, also known as an undercoat, is applied to the surface before painting. Priming is done to hide the joints of the material. It ensures proper adhesion and coats the surface hence increasing the durability of the paint.

For radiator priming, specially formulated primers are available. It covers the corrosive surface and prevents the expansion of rusting. 

For priming, you just need a paintbrush of angled or flagged bristle shape depending on the shape of the radiator. You can also use spray primer that gives an even finish if you move the bottle smoothly.

Apply first coat to radiator surface

Once the primer dries, clean the radiator surface with the help of a clean cloth or cotton and start painting in a properly ventilated room.

Before painting the radiator stir, or shake the paint well to ensure proper mixing. Do not overload the bush with the paint to avoid dripping. 

Apply another coat

For the perfect result, coat the surface twice with the same paint after the drying of the first coat. The coat may take a night or so to dry, depending on the composition of the paint.

Why is it needed to paint the radiator?

Before knowing the steps of radiator painting, you must beware of the importance of what you are going to do.

The radiator is corrosion or rust sensitive because it is made of steel. The water flowing inside the tube of the radiator and dust or sludge make the radiator more prone to corrosion. The system will become leaky once it becomes corroded.

To avoid this loss, you have to paint the radiator that saves it from rusting. Most of the people paint their heating or cooling system to give their room an absolute look. You can paint the radiator according to the background color, so it does not look peculiar.

Which paint should I use to paint my copper radiator?

Sometimes people do not paint the radiator if it is made up of copper because copper has itself an attractive color and does not rust. But copper may corrode, so it also needs to be finished. Specialist radiator paint is the best Copper radiator paint. This paint also works best for radiators that are made up of brass or iron.

Takeaway note

Here is some pain point you must know prior to paint the radiator:

  • Do not forget to switch off the radiator before painting and let them cool completely.
  • Open the windows to ventilate the room because fumes of paint are not good for health. 
  • Must remove the rust or imperfection from the radiator surface with the help of sandpaper.
  • Clean the surface properly from dust.
  • Apply the primer properly on each joint.
  • Mix the paint well before application.
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Home and Garden

5 Best Types of Wood Flooring for Your Home Decor

The natural beauty of wood flooring has no match with the marbles and tiles. It perfectly fits in the traditionally designed living room, modern kitchen, classy bedroom, and all the other themes that are used in your home. 

It is difficult to say which one is most beautiful because every wood has its own beauty. The gorgeous hardwood flooring is commonly used these days due to its elegant look and warmth effect. Laminate is another modish type of flooring idea that comes with different colors and textures. 

A great many kinds of wood are used on the floor. Each type has its unique feature, texture, and color. Before choosing the type of wood, you should know the color and texture of these different types of wood so you can select the one according to the wall and ceiling theme. 

In this guide, we will help you in finding the best type of wood flooring.  

Hardwood flooring

Two types of hardwoods are available in the market for flooring purposes: engineered hardwood and solid hardwood.

Solid Hardwood

This type of flooring wood consists of solid wood plank or strip that is of ¾ inch thickness. The tongue and groove method of fitting is used to join the wood planks to make a wide floor.

The types of trees used in the manufacturing of solid wood flooring include oak, maple, cork, bamboo, and walnut. Depending on the species of the wood, solid hardwood offers different advantages.

Advantages

Solid wood flooring is well known for its durability and ability to refine. The reason behind the durability of it is its thick plank. You can refinish it from time to time to give it a new appearance. This type of hardwood flooring also gives a warm effect, so it is best for the residents of colder areas.  

Disadvantages

Solid wood flooring needs maintenance and extra care because of its susceptible nature. Temperature change, humidity (moisture), and other climatic change negatively affect the floor made of solid wood.  

Engineered hardwood flooring

As the name suggests, two to three different types of wood are engineered (join together) to form the engineered hardwood. The upper layer consists of a thin sheet of solid wood that is combined with other types of wood to give the floor versatility. 

The engineered wood use for the purpose of flooring has 14mm thickness while the upper layer (veneer) is 4mm thick.

There is no difference in the appearance of solid wood or engineered hardwood because both have a natural upper layer. 

Advantages

The engineered wood is more resistant to heat and humidity than solid wood and cheaper than the different types of solid wood flooring.

Disadvantages

In the sense of durability, engineered wood can not beat solid wood. Also, the refinishing cost of engineered wood is higher than solid flooring.

Some manufacturers use extremely thin upper layers to form the floor that can not be refinished, so be careful of them. To get the best quality of wooden flooring, click here.

Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is a little different from hardwood flooring. The laminate flooring is constructed by combining three different layers. 

The layer which is at the base is called fiberboard (engineered wood). At the top of the fiberboard, there is a photographic image of wood, tile, or what you asked for. The third layer is the seal called plasticate.

You can install the laminate flooring in your living room and playroom. Waterproof laminate wood is also available in the market that is used in kitchen and bathroom floors.

Advantages

This type of flooring is budget-friendly and easy to maintain. The coating of plastic protects it from dents, so it lasts for longer than 10 years.

Disadvantages

Laminate wood is susceptible to heat and moisture. It swells up if water seeps inside through the gap or joint. It is less durable than solid wood.

Parquet Flooring

The flooring expert combines the blocks of either solid or engineered wood to construct the parquet. These blocks are arranged in a specific pattern called herringbone or basket weave and chevron. This flooring style is famous for its decorative look. 

Parquet flooring can be installed in the living room, bedroom, study room, and playroom.

Parquet is moisture sensitive so avoid using it on bathroom and kitchen floors. It costs around 35 to 65 euro. The thickness of wooden pieces varies between ¾ to 5/16 inches.  

Advantages

The patterns of parquet are very eye-catching that can not be given through any other wood flooring type. The parquet also provides a warm effect like solid wood, and it is durable and can withstand high traffic.

Disadvantages

Like all other wood flooring types, parquet is also moisture sensitive, and another con is that it is cost restrictive.

Bamboo flooring

Although bamboo flooring comes under solid wood flooring, the reason for its separate discussion is its unique features and high demand among other wood. The woods of bamboo are extremely hard and highly durable.

Bamboo flooring is constructed in the same pattern as solid wood flooring. Bamboo plants grow more quickly than other hardwood trees, and so it is a renewable resource.

Advantages

The first and foremost important feature of bamboo is that it is eco-friendly. This flooring has high durability, and its ability to resist moisture is also high.

Disadvantages

It is more prone to damage, and it is scratch-sensitive.

The bottom line

Wooden flooring is the most demandable type of flooring that gives your home an elegant look. There are various types of wood flooring but which one is best for you depends on your budget and the area where you are going to install it.

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Home and Garden

Why Your Garden Might Benefit From A Landscape Architect

If you’re renovating or have just decided that the garden needs a revamp, you might be tossing up whether you should get a professional involved or just do it yourself. While it might save you a bit of money on paper to do it yourself, there are a lot of reasons why recruiting a landscaper to do it for you is in your best interest. In this article, we take a look at a few simple reasons why getting a landscape architect might be one of the best investments you’ll ever make.

Professionals save homeowners money

Although you might be looking to lay down those pavers or install that solar water feature yourself to save a bit of cash, getting a professional to do it for you can actually increase the value of your home significantly. This is because professional landscape architects have a very good understanding of what your budget can deliver, and can execute a plan in such a way that your money is maximised. They can also offer suggestions that increase your home in other ways that you might not have even considered, such as through the modification of existing spaces. This money saving is also made evident by the extensive knowledge of landscape architects for products and options available on the market – many of which you might not had a clue about. By suggesting more affordable or cleverer alternatives that still complement your original goals and needs, you can very easily put your money to even better use. This is also exemplified by advice offered, as sometimes clients want something that would be very restrictive to actually make, and if they were to do it themselves without prior consultation the project might end up sapping the budget more than expected. 

Impressive technical know-how

Another reason to get a landscape architect on board is simply due to their extensive planning knowledge. Landscape architecture, unlike landscape design, requires years of university study in Australia, and these learnings are readily applied in everything a landscape architect does. This might include technical things like being well-versed infrastructure and having a firm understanding of government regulations, to more creative things like accessibility and effective use of space. you may also find that good landscape architects boast extensive knowledge related to other important garden-related subjects, such as horticulture, sustainability and urban design theory, which can be very useful for serving homeowners similarly interested in these fields. Unlike other landscaping professions, landscape architects can quickly develop a good understanding of their clients and provide tailored and targeted solutions that are specifically related to them. This allows the personality of the client to shine through in their outdoor space, helping it to become a true extension of their home. 

Are you ready to get a landscape architect on board?

Although the initial cost of a landscape architect might not seem worth your while, they offer so much in terms of value that it often makes less sense to do the job yourself. If you have a grand plan for a backyard project that you need some help with, getting in touch with a landscape architect can be one of the best things you do for your home. 

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Home and Garden

Where to Shop for the Best Throw Pillows

All products highlighted on Architectural Digest are freely chosen by our editors. Nonetheless, when you purchase something through our retail interfaces, we may acquire a member commission. 

An exposed couch or rocker presents a chance. You’ve accomplished the difficult work sourcing the furnishings presently it’s an ideal opportunity to get innovative with the most impressive toss pads and emphasize pads available anywhere. Regardless of whether you’re going monochrome or blending and coordinating, there’s no lack of retailers selling best pillows that exhibit genuine plan ability, and here we’ve gathered together 17 of our top choices. In case you’re beautifying on a limited financial plan, we have alternatives for you. Need reasonably made choices? We have you covered there as well. Also, in case you’re searching for best pillows You can have confidence that this rundown has something for you. 

Jung low

Jung low, established by Justina Blakeley, is a center point for everything home style from earthenware production to plant holders, covers to floor coverings. Their assortment of boo highlight pads is staggeringly huge and pressed with character. You’ll discover fragile weaving, a brilliant shading palette, and a wide range of surfaces (think velvet, snare line, shag, and artificial hide), just as a choice of open-air pads and floor pads best pillows. Go to Jung low if at any point you’re needing a destined to-be-prized explanation piece and a fly of shading. Additionally especially refreshing is that their value direct inclines toward remain under $100. 

Food52

A go-to for us with regards to quality kitchenware, Food52 additionally conveys a few autonomous brands making incredible improving pads. The basic material best pillow choices envisioned (accessible in 16 distinct tones) are by Hawkins New York. Pads from Minna, Caroline Z. Hurley, and Farmhouse Pottery all show up on the site. 

Bolé Road Textiles

Planned by previous designer Hana Getachew in Brooklyn, all of Bolé Road Textiles’ cushions are carefully assembled in Ethiopia by craftsmen in cooperatives and little, female-claimed organizations. Bolé Road’s contributions range from the striking and brilliant to more unbiased tones and high contrast, yet everything speaks to the brand’s obligation to insightful assembling and characteristic materials best pillow. 

Etsy

It should not shock anyone that Etsy a reference point for home stylistic theme obsessives offers probably the best toss cushions you can discover. Regardless of whether you’re searching for a moderate cloth like the one here, brilliant velvet, or fiercely designed pad covers. There is in any event one dealer on Etsy best pillow prepared to give somewhat very much planned solace and fulfill your extravagant cherishing creative mind. 

Made Trade

Made Trade is a center point for economically made, morally sourced home products including, obviously, dazzling enlivening toss pads, similar to this white-and-naval force cotton pom pad made in India. The brand likewise centers around curating items from artisans who are Fair Trade, BIPOC-possessed, female-claimed, or what they refer to as legacy brands best pillow. Which means they utilize customary methods and practices that are at risk for being eliminated by large scale manufacturing and innovation. 

Goodee

Brothers Byron and Dexter Peart dispatched Goodee around the possibility of cognizant consumerism. As a Certified B Corporation, their image is focused on items that are reasonably made, participate in the round economy, and are morally delivered. Their in-house line of toss throw pillows embodies that ethos. The best throw pillows are made of textures from Burkina Faso and Mali, are sewn in reasonable exchange cooperatives Kenya, and made in an organization with the Ethical Fashion Initiative, a task from the U.N. also, WTO. The best throw pillow fill is GOTS-affirmed natural cotton and muslin from CeCe’s Wool, a charity that gives work and administrations to individuals with formative handicaps. Furthermore, with their rich color design and purposeful design. These best pillows are additionally beautiful to take a gander at! 

Block Shop Textiles

Block Shop Textiles, established by sisters Hopie and Lily Stockman in 2013, weds a Bauhaus-roused plan, high-quality procedures, and straightforward assembling rehearses at the core of their tasks in Jaipur, India. Consistent with the Stockman sisters’ vision, this lumbar best pillows with its unmistakable mathematical plan is made of Belgian material, loaded up with a down addition made in the U.S., and handsewn and hand-block-printed by a group of specialists in Jaipur. 

54Kibo

54Kibo, helmed by Nana Quagraine, is a social event place generally advantageous and most splendid artisans across the African Diaspora. Regardless of whether you’re hoping to enliven your lounge room, outfit a nursery, or give a heavenly housewarming blessing, you’ll find considered plan objects for any enhancing venture. This assortment of cotton best throw pillows is made in Tunisia with a moderate crosshatch design and inconspicuous decorations that will work with the endless home inside styles. 

H&M Home

Another uber retailer that stocks manageable choices at an extremely low-value point is H&M Home. This 100% natural cotton best throw pillows cover is a stage up from an impartial, and its exemplary tones and configuration can be utilized to stand apart on your pillow, or mix in with a couple of blend and-match choices. 

KJ Plumb

London-conceived, Stockholm-based material artist Katherine Plumb has been a rising star on the home stylistic theme scene for as long as a couple of years. Her plans have much of the time been seen in advantageous homes on Instagram, and her credits incorporate joint efforts with vintage vendors Home Union and hip stockists including Lisa Says Gah and Cool Machine. You can likewise get her retro, ambiguously psychedelic best throw pillows covers straightforwardly from her site, just as telephone cases and workmanship prints. 

Coterie Brooklyn

Brooklyn-based best throw pillows cover mother lode Coterie Brooklyn conveys a profound stock of unique plans by Grace Harris of Stitched by Grace. Harris’ plans are spotless and negligible, however utilize top-notch textures and smart materials including recognized false cowhide subtleties. More than 150 of her plans, just as comparing embeds, can be found at Coterie at entirely sensible costs (like, under $50). 

Anthropologie

Continuously solid for a touch of something uncommon in any furnishings or home stylistic theme classification—macramé, splash-color, tufted, and so on—Anthropologie offers a wide assortment of best throw pillows, shapes, sizes, textures, and surfaces. 

Eva Sonaike

In case you’re searching for shading, print, and extravagance subtleties (like shrouded zippers, duck plume fill, and velvet funneling), U.K.- based Eva Sonaike has beautiful alternatives in abundance. She mixes West African and European impacts to make best throw pillows, poufs, carpets, and lampshades like no other. 

Minna

Sara Berks, using her Hudson, New York-based material organization Minna, works with craftsmen all over Latin America to make products that are made with conventional weaving strategies in moral workshops. The brand takes extraordinary consideration to feature the creators behind every product they bring to market. The best throw Pillow, for instance, is made in Momostenango, Guatemala, by craftsmen who use fleece pedal weaving machines nontoxic colors to accomplish the thick, luxurious completing on the best pillows, just as territory carpets in vivid conceptual plans. 

Serena and Lily

Known for their beachy, laid-back California style, Serena and Lily offer a perpetual exhibit of best throw pillows covers in their particular stylish. Customers who know precisely the thing they’re searching for can sort by coloring, size, cost, and indoor or open-air use to proficiently locate the ideal accents for their home. 

Modish Decor Pillows

Designer Chantal Bradley does excellent best throw pillows well, and she has since 2015. With a velvet in practically every striking coloring you can envision, just as some outstanding creature print, metallic, and Mongolian hide choices, she best throws pillows makes it simple for you to adorn any room or style.

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Home and Garden

Benefits of Adding Mirrored Furniture to Your Home

Adding a mirror to any room of your home can transform the space entirely. With the ability to capture and then extend light, a mirror can make a room for bright, airy and spacious.  Mirrors can also take the place of artwork as well as serving a practical purpose.  However, sometimes adding a mirror to a room can be difficult.  A lack of free wall space, or the inability to add new hooks to a wall if you live in a rental home can stop you in your tracks from adding a mirror to a room, but there is a way around this – mirrored furniture. 

When you think of mirrored furniture you may picture the opulence of the Palace of Versailles, which may want to make you shy away from the trend, but trust us, there are many reasons that you should consider introducing mirrored furniture into your home.

Read on for some of the ways mirrored furniture can enhance your home.

1. Make a Room Feel Light & Bright

You’ll be aware that the addition of a mirror to a space can capture the light in a room and help spread it to make it feel lighter and brighter. Mirrored furniture has the same ability, and used in similar ways, for example, a mirrored console perpendicular to a window with good natural lighting will brighten the space. 

Mirrored furniture can even enhance the lighting of a room that suffers from a lack of natural lighting as well.  An easy way to make a darker bedroom feel lighter is by adding a mirrored bedside table to your bedroom.  Not only is it practical as a bedside table, but it can also capture the lighting from your lamp and project that light, making the room brighter.

2. Make a Room Feel Larger

As we mentioned earlier, mirrors have the ability to make a room feel larger. This is in part because when you make a space appear lighter and brighter it will naturally make it feel bigger. In addition to this, the reflective surface can capture windows and other lighter coloured surfaces, which can detract the focus from the areas of the house that can make it feel closed off.

Because of their reflective surfaces, mirrored furniture can serve a practical purpose without being an imposing element.  Take a mirrored coffee table for example, one in a lounge room can capture the natural light of the room, making it feel more spacious.  As it will be reflecting the areas around it, the mirrored coffee table itself is somewhat camouflaged as well, which leads us to the next upside.

3. Hide Practical Furniture in Plain Sight

As we mentioned above, mirrored furniture sits under a cloak of camouflage. Depending on how you situate your mirrored furniture it can be the focal point of a space, or it can blend in completely.  Making it perfect for those practical storage elements of your home that can otherwise be boring or unsightly. 

Think a mirrored closet, for example – adding a mirrored closet can serve double duty and help you make the most of your space, as it could be used as a full-length mirror to be able to check out your outfit after you’ve collected it from your mirrored closet.

The reflective quality of the furniture captures the eye in multiple ways, and one of the coolest aspects is that when a surface is reflective, we see it, but we also see the reflection in it, our concentration is on both the piece but also what it is reflecting.  Meaning to can both stand out and blend in.

4. Add a touch of glamour

We mentioned the Palace of Versailles, and that’s because there is a reason that people think of this when they think of mirrors and mirrored furniture.  It screams glamour and opulence.  You probably want to avoid the saturation of Versailles, but the addition of one or a few pieces can add a hint of glamour to your space.

5. Show off Your Favourite Ornaments & Heirlooms

In the same way that mirrored furniture can capture the natural light of a room, or from a lamp, it has the same ability to capture elements of your favourite ornaments and reflect and accent them from all angles.  Showcasing them in a way that an ordinary table or cabinet may not.

A side table in your living room, or a large cabinet with mirrored shelves and backing can be perfect for proudly displaying these pieces.

While the trend may be somewhat intimidating, as you can see there are many benefits that can come from the addition of mirrored furniture into your home.  If you want to incorporate this trend into your space but you’re not sure where to start, head on over to Luxe Mirrors, where they have a huge range of mirrored furniture, and mirrors.  With a highly experienced team that can show you the ropes, you’ll be in safe hands when you shop with Luxe Mirrors.

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Home and Garden

7 Tips for Making the Most of Your Garden This Winter

We spend time and money getting our gardens just right in the springtime. Then, we really make the most of them in the summer months. We spend busy mornings pruning and tidying, long afternoons lounging in the sun, and evenings enjoying the summer warmth with friends and cocktails. 

Then the temperature drops, the leaves fall from the trees, and the colors fade from our decorative borders and baskets. The first frost hits, and we pack our outdoor furniture away for the season. Why? There are so many advantages to being outdoors, and having a garden is an easy way to do it. Even in the winter, getting outside is a tremendous mental health boost, which also gets you moving. So, what can you do to make sure you make the most of your garden all year round?

Look After It

You are more likely to spend time in your garden if it looks good. Fortunately, even though your grass will stop growing, and some of the colors will fade from your flowers, your garden can still look great. Winter lawn care is essential for regrowth in spring and also for preventing winter weeds and damage. Spend some time on lawn fertilization, and you won’t face a battle to bring your lawn back to life next season. Try Champion Green lawn fertilization treatment with seven applications throughout the year. Champion Green can also help with shrub and tree treatment to help your garden survive the winter months. 

You should also take the time to ensure furniture, fences, and decking are weatherproofed and that less hardy plants are moved to sheltered areas. 

Add Some Lanterns and Heaters

In the winter, the main things keeping us out of our gardens are a lack of light and an excess of cold. Add lanterns or other outdoor lights and even an outdoor heater to make sitting outside on fresh winter afternoons a pleasure. 

Welcome in Nature

You can welcome nature into your garden all year with a bird table and water bath and plenty of evergreens to attract wildlife

Add Some Color

Your garden doesn’t have to be grey and dull just because the weather is. Paint fences brighter shades and find colorful shrubs and evergreens to add some colors to your outdoor space. 

Grow Winter Veggies

If you enjoy growing your own fruit and veg during the summer, don’t stop. Vegetables like kale, sprouts, and cabbage can even taste better after a frost. 

Prune Shrubs and Trees

Shrubs and trees look great all year round, and you’ll feel like you are sitting in a winter paradise when they are covered in frost or filled with snow. 

Introduce Softness

Yes, it’s going to be colder, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get comfy. Sitting outside under a heater, wrapped in a thick blanket, enjoying a hot chocolate, and looking out on all of the trees and veggies you’ve planted could be magical. 

Most of us are guilty of closing the door to our gardens in the early fall and then forgetting about them until spring. Enjoying your garden all year round can improve your mood and health, and it will mean that it’s ready to go in spring, without any need for a last-minute scramble to get it ready. 

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Home and Garden

10 Quick and Easy Home Organisation Tips To Clear The Chaos

Want to clean and organise your house but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, it happens with many people, and also some people think that getting organised is a huge deal. However, that’s not true at all. Don’t think that you’ve to organise your home all at once; after all, it can’t be done magically in one night! Just break your tasks in small sections and tackle one part of the house at a time.

So if you’re looking for small and easy organising ways, you’ve landed on the right page. Today we will discuss 10 easy tips which can be done in 5 minutes. We all have a 5-minute window in a day, right? So whether you’re waiting for your food or waiting for someone to get out of the shower, you can do these quick organising projects.

Bedroom:


If you’ve decided to be more organised, so why don’t you start the process from the place, where you start your day. Yes, we’re talking about the bedroom.

1. Make Your Bed

Right after waking up, just straighten out your bedsheets, place pillows, and with the help of a cloth dust remover, clean the dust. Doing all this takes only 30 seconds, but it really makes a huge difference.

2. Pick Up Clothes

Pick the clothes that are lying around and put them in the closet or the laundry basket. It will also take some minutes to sort out dirty clothes and clean clothes, but it will help you a lot in staying organised and clean.

3. Rearrange Your Closet

The next big step to make your bedroom more organised and functional is to declutter your closet. Yes, we know it’s the most time-consuming thing to do, but believe us, after doing this, you’ll feel great.

Just separate all your clothes in different categories like skits, jeans, tops, and dresses, and then hang them accordingly. You can hang your purse behind your door. For jewellery, you can use trays or a jewellery holder to put your precious stuff.

Workspace or Desk Area:

The next section of your house, which is important to be organised, that is your working space. Let’s know how to clean this area:

4. Declutter Your Desk

The space where you work or study should be clean and tidy. It helps us stay organised and focused. So, get rid of clutter on and around your table. Buy some stationery organisers such as pen holders and book stands and put things in them.

5. Clear Out A Junk Drawer

If your desk drawer has become a junk drawer, take a few minutes to clean it out. Group the items and toss out the unnecessary things. You can also put them in drawer organisers or even in small plastic containers.

Do you have a mess of cords around your desk? The best solution to tackle this problem is to use some velcro, rubber bands or zip ties. Put them around the cables and your near desk area will be tangle-free.

Kitchen:


The next area is your cooking area, it is as important as the other parts of your home:

6. Clean Out Your Fridge

Check your fridge, whether there is any expired food in there or not. Take out everything that doesn’t smell fresh. Similarly, go through your pantry and toss out the products which are stale or expired.

7. Organise Food Containers

Before placing your food containers back in the cupboard, make sure there’s lid over each container and always stack them according to their sizes.

Garden:


Love gardening? Here are some useful tips for becoming more organised in the garden:

8. Create a Plan & Mark the Dates

If you grow plants from seeds, you can use various charts. You can mark the dates when you planted a seed or when a crop will be mature.

9. Organise Your Seeds

The seed organisation system will be very helpful for you. Just divide seeds into groups and store them in pouches such as seeds of veggies, flowers, and fruits. You could also sort the seeds into groups according to their sowing times.

10. Keep Notes & Plant Tags

Garden notes will help you to get a track of plants. You can write down reminders like what you planted or pruned, which plants need repairing or fixing. You can also put various plant tags in the plants to remain more organised. And lastly, always keep the garden tools and supplies in good shape and put them in easy-to-access places to make your gardening so much easier and enjoyable.

So which organising tip do you like the most? Another great tip for staying organised is to always keep things back from where you take them. All the above projects are easy and quick to do, so next time whenever you have a few minutes, do one of these organising tasks!

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Home and Garden

Creating Perfect Workspace From Home

One of the keys to successfully working at home aside from self-discipline and a strong Wi-Fi connection is having a comfortable and convenient workspace. Getting a functional and comfortable workspace is a must when operating from home. You can’t focus if your room is a mess, and if you don’t have anything you need within easy reach, you can’t function efficiently. The number of people working from home is on the rise. All these homeworkers need a suitable work environment at home, and a garden room could make the perfect office. To be honest, the benefits of a garden room can really change your mood and approach towards work. Many businesses adopt a more flexible working approach and encourage workers to work from home whenever possible. It can lead to greater employee satisfaction as they can work without distraction, with more flexibility, and also avoid the costly daily commute. There has been a rise in self-employment too, with many people starting their businesses from home.

It is because of this that garden office buildings are becoming increasingly popular. It can be extra space, away from the family home, providing a quiet place to focus on the day’s work.

Garden rooms are the new trend preferred by the home workers. There are many benefits of a garden room. Let’s look at it the same way –

1. No referrals


The expense of commuting every working day is practically zero, not to mention the hassle, because all it takes for you to get to work is a short walk from home to the backyard. You can save a large chunk of your earnings for other business or personal expenses. Also, there would be fewer car repairs to handle traffic jams or no.

2. Saving capital

Less driving would also save substantial travel time and save on incidentals such as pricey Starbucks coffees.

3. Away from the noise of town and office

Urban-based staff in a garden office system can consider a surprisingly quiet and serious working environment. A garden office thrives in a quiet working area, away from the hustle and bustle of city streets, which normally allows more productive work. And there will be no endless gossiping of colleagues or telephone conversations in this private space to interrupt you, and you get to concentrate on your job alone.

4. Get rid of daily 9-5

Many of the jobs done by home-based employees belong to highly qualified trades and professions in the firm’s offices that follow strict work hours. Yet they enjoy less stringent work activities in a work-from-home environment such as schedules, breaks, and even uniforms. Sounds like an area that is prone to procrastination? Not with the right attitude to work and good self-control

5. Plus time with the family

When you’re away from home in an office, finishing work at 5 pm means you ‘re not going to get home until 6-6.30pm, giving you less time with your family. For example, you could miss out on quality time with your kids, their bath time, and storytime. A garden office means you’ll be home at 5:01 pm when you finish, ready to be with your kids.

6. Valorization

You can work in an atmosphere of your preference, rather than spend your weekdays squeezing into a grey cubicle office. You have complete autonomy over the decor of your garden office from the office chair to the color of the walls. Creative artists have benefitted for a long time from having their workplaces turn into their designs and models. Even professionals can now have the opportunity to work in the environment they like by getting in the most selected furniture, to paint favorite colors on the wall, and call it their own. The thing that has a garden office will help them to adapt and organize until they have the best working mood.

7. Equilibrate work and home life

Having a separate workspace will give you more ability to switch off at the end of the day. If your office is at home, there’s always the urge to turn on your machine just to send out a few emails, and the next thing you know is it’s 10 pm, and you didn’t spend time with your loved ones. It will give the urge to have to physically leave the house and walk through your garden to your office. You should lock the office door until you’re done for the day and walk away.

Despite the short gap between your home and office, it is a little less stressful to balance your family and job needs, and heartbreak. You can take care of your children’s needs, speak to them or play with them for a while, and prepare family-friendly home-cooked meals while keeping a work (and pay) in your backyard premises. Home-employed employment sees this potential as a bridge between job and home. Management is the main key here.

8. Eco-friendly

By working in a home garden workplace, you reduce your carbon footprint by doing less travel. Also, if you buy an insulated garden office, you ‘re not going to have to use as much electricity to heat the space, again reducing your carbon footprint. Studies show that a minute walk or sight-seeing in nature increases the excitement and efficiency of work to a substantial level. Imagine going through your working hours to work inside a greenhouse. Using an external office allows you free reign to get a clear view of the world, or to place your desk at the windows or green spaces wherever you can. And during breaks, indulge yourself in a few nature walks to get the most out of this natural productivity booster. You may even tend to your garden so you can relieve stress in your mind or keep your creative juices flowing.

9. Flexible on time


Working out of your office garden as a freelancer offers you flexible hours so you can work around your other commitments, such as child care. It also means that if you need any repairs in the house, you can be available as you’re going to be at home to let the repair person in as well as pick up any packages that are delivered.

10. No office politics

Working alone means avoiding any bureau politics and being free to concentrate on your job.

11. Increase in Property value –

One of the major benefits of the Garden room is the addition of property valuation. Since this gives additional features like garden sheds and offices in a home, which can add a value of 5-7 percent to your property, this transforms into a possible source of income if you decide to sell your property to purchasers of real estate. This is called smart investment.

Therefore, getting a garden office is more expedient than simply increasing efficiency at work. It’s a growing trend that has captured the region s strong labor market. All the benefits of a garden room are saving time, saving money, and keeping your work separate from your home, but creating your own workspace is more fulfilling than just achieving them.

Categories
Home and Garden

Top 4 Styles in Custom Double Glazed Windows for Your New Home

Staring at dull doors can be as exciting as watching paint dry! But the days of standard wooden doors painted in insipid colours are long gone. Today, a whole new breed of custom doors are ripe for the picking and ready to spruce up any room in your new home or renovated quarters.

The choices are plenty ranging over double glazed, single glazed, bushfire, or even sound resistant door options. We’ve looked through them all and selected 4 custom door ideas with practical applications to help you select the look and matching custom doors to suit you:

Stacker Door for Entertainment Patio

These double glazed stacker doors are sturdier and fancier than the regular sliding doors. They’re great for entry/exits to the backyard swimming pool or barbecue area. You may choose the panel configuration of your liking, for your custom door, that is, with 3 or 4 panels in width.

The double glazed keeps out heat and excess light. There are numerous seals in the sides of these doors to block cool, air-conditioned air from seeping out. Double glazed stacker doors provide good ventilation and exterior views.

Sliding Doors for Bedroom

If your master bedroom opens up to the outdoors, an attractive set of designer aluminium sliding doors can make it look bigger while allowing in light, without the added heat. You can get high-performance single glazed glass and fit a set of blackout curtains for security and privacy.

The narrow installation of these custom casement window’s saves area to allow bigger closet space or a large, expansive bed. Sliding doors in the bedroom look elegant while offering a somewhat, risqué element to the room.

Bushfire Resistant Hinged Door

Homeowners in bushfire prone areas can now customize their doors with certified bushfire resistant doors for all external needs. The glass of these doors is double glazed and treated with Low e, a metal oxide that can’t be seen but is very effective in blocking heat and fire.

The bushfire resistant custom doors being referred to here have been tested and are suitable for Bushfire Attack Levels of 40. They are fitted with aluminium frames and open only inwards. Apart from being life-saving, these doors look fantastic on any entrance/exit point.

Sound Resistant Sliding Door

Doors can now not only keep you safe but also keep out the extra noise! You’ll need these sound resistant variety if your home is situated near heavy traffic areas, railway tracks, or an airport. These amazing doors are reinforced with a secondary glaze level that keeps out intrusive noise. They help to create a relaxing atmosphere in the house no matter what your surroundings are.

Multiple seals around the door frame of sound resistant sliding doors add to the noise blocking quality and so does the thermal insulation. Plus, they ensure sound reduction by 45 times. That’s pretty impressive!

We’re sure you will come up with many more custom double glazed windows & doors ideas. We hope the above 4 will inspire and motivate you.