Category: Interior Design

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who think that bathing is purely a functional experience, something that has to be done, and those who think that bathing is a relaxing way to unwind at the end of the day, a way to pamper yourself and get a little bit of luxury in the everyday. If you are in the former camp but would like to learn more about how to make bathing a delightful experience, we’ll offer some tips below.

Make the time

First things first: You cannot have a relaxing bath experience if you are rushed. The first step in having a relaxing bath is to ensure you have enough uninterrupted time set aside to get the job done right. Put the kids to bed and let the rest of the household know that you are not available for the next little while. Lock the bathroom door and get ready for some you time.

Set the scene

A truly great bath will be a treat for all the senses. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Some luxurious bubble bath, soap and/or body wash in a scent you love
• Candles
• Your favourite beverage, whether it’s wine, tea, coffee, beer, or whatever
• A bath pillow
• Reading material, music, or something to watch on your table – whatever you prefer to do to relax

Watch the water temperature

Remember not to run your bath water too hot.  Very hot water can be jarring to your body and you can actually have a stimulating effect rather than a relaxing one.  That’s not what you want! The water should be warm enough to be welcoming and comforting, but not so hot that you have to ease into it toe by toe!  The water should feel warmer than your body, but not hot. Aside from the fact that hot water can actually stimulate you and make you feel more awake than rested, it is also very drying to the skin.

Let your mind drift

One of the best ways to truly relax in the tub is to listen to a guided meditation. There are many of them out there, some of which are specifically designed to be listened to while you are in the tub. These meditations allow you to let your mind completely relax and rest, allowing the cares of the day to melt away into oblivion while you rest and recharge mind, body, and soul.

So, what are you waiting for? Run your bath, light the candles, add in your favourite bath products and slip into the tub for an hour of pure luxury.

 

2016 is the year of home personalization. Homeowners are customizing all parts of their home, and it’s bringing beautiful ideas and trends to home design. Increasingly, home builders are designing with relaxation and luxury in mind. Clean lines and natural elements simplify and open up spaces to create inviting homes.

Take a look at these emerging trends in new homes, many of which we expect will have staying power.

Double Island in the Kitchen

The kitchen is the gathering place in the home. Because of this, kitchens are getting larger and more open. In addition, the double island is making its entrance, as back-to-back or side-by-side islands bring people together. They allow for food prep to take place right next to the serving area. The open floor plan that has been gaining momentum for years fits nicely with the double island in the kitchen.

White on White

White countertops on white cabinets on white backsplashes. Expect to see this a lot. People love the clean simplicity this look brings to a kitchen. Not only that, but white kitchens make the room appear larger and more inviting. Since the kitchen is the center of the home where people love to gather, the more inviting, the better.

Indoor/Outdoor Living

Spaces that allow for an easy flow from indoor to outdoor – and back again – are increasing in popularity. It doesn’t matter if the home is in the city, the suburbs, or the country. Home designs are making way for indoor/outdoor living to happen anywhere. Fireplaces on the patio create an outdoor living room. A dining space that opens to the patio immediately increases the size of the dining area. The point is to bring the indoors out.

Spa-Like Bathrooms

These days, we want luxury at home — and what better place to find luxury than in a spa-like bathroom retreat? Features like rain showers, shower seats, and expensive materials are found throughout many new bathrooms. In addition, bathtubs are taking center stage — literally. Beautiful bathtubs are being placed more towards the center of the room, rather than up against the wall, making the bath a beautiful focal point of the room.

Mixing It Up

Contemporary materials need not mix only with contemporary materials anymore. Expect to see natural materials like wood mixed with industrial materials like steel and glass for beautiful combinations.

Smaller Entryways

Impressive grand entryways aren’t as popular these days, but we still want to impress. Rather than a large and spacious entryway, the impressiveness is now allocated to the door. Expect to see large, beautiful doors that open immediately into the living area of the home.

Reclaimed Lumber

This eco-friendly option adds a unique element to any home. For anyone trying to avoid living in a cookie-cutter home, reclaimed lumber brings a personality to the flooring that will be different than any other home – even another home that uses reclaimed lumber.

Get-Away Rooms

Perhaps in response to the open floor plan trend, get-away rooms are popping up in more and more houses. Designed as a space to … you guessed it… get away from it all, these rooms are separate from the main area of the house, and are perfect for reading, playing games with smaller groups, or toy rooms.

Customization

Through all the trends, one theme stands supreme – customization. 2016 brings lots of ideas, and with them the freedom to design as you wish. Find a new home builder who allows you to customize to suit your needs and taste.

 

If your home’s basement is merely serving as a catch-all for everyone’s junk and lost interests, then it’s time to do something about it. You are wasting a perfectly good space that could do so much more than house stuff that no one will ever use again. So do a basement purge, donate and sell some items, and throw everything else away so that you can explore the possibilities of basement remodeling. Believe it or not, there is a multitude of opportunities for your particular basement space, so call the expert contractors today to learn how your property can drastically improve!

A Space for the Kids

Families with children know the struggle of finding space for all of their kids’ toys and personal belongings. Many parents know the drama and stepping on stray dolls, remote-control cars, and stuffed animals that seem to amass in ever-increasing piles. Moreover, sometimes it is annoying to find a suitable place for children to spread out with their toys and play with friends. If you are sick and tired of converting your dining or living room into the children’s playroom, then why not convert your basement into a children’s wonderland? It is possible with basement remodeling.

Your Ultimate Man (or Woman) Cave

Let’s say that you don’t have children, or there is no need for you to convert the basement into a kids playroom. Great! Now you have the room to use all for yourself, so think about basement remodeling that can transform your musty and cluttered space into a place where adults can relax and unwind after a long day at work. Your man or woman cave can be anything that you want it to be, whether that is a home gym, a separate study, or just a lounge for you and your friends to have drinks, snacks, and watch TV totally free of distractions.

A Gorgeous Guestroom

Yet another options for homeowners is to have the professional contractors remodel your basement to transform it into a guest bedroom. Not only is this extremely convenient when you have family or friends staying overnight, but an extra bedroom in your home may actually boost the market value of your property. It is a win-win situation because you take more pride in your home and others find your house to be absolutely marvelous. Don’t underestimate the power of reputable remodeling; talk to your local experts today!

 

We all want to give our children the world, and making sure they have the space to enjoy their childhood and expand their imaginations is something every parents strives for. Cue a creative playroom in which your little one can flourish. You’ll want a playroom that grows with your kids and is always useful, and these design tips will help you create a playing mecca that your children will adore.

Use Fun Colors

When painting your little one’s playroom, pay close attention to color. Your little one might be partial to pink now, but that could change in the next week to blue. Instead, focus on hues that promote positive feelings and atmospheres. It’s important to understand the psychology of color, especially as this is a room your child will be spending the bulk of the time in. If you’re looking to spark creativity and imagination, you’ll want to try a purple hue, as it’s associated with passion, wisdom, and creativity. Perhaps your child is prone to outbursts and needs a calming space where he or she can relax; blue is going to be your best bet, as this calming color is said to provide a feel of tranquility, as is green. If you want this room to be the center of the hustle and bustle where your kids can let out their energy, stick with red hues. If you’re unsure about your colors, consider painting one statement wall to add a bit of personality without creating too much work should you decide to change the color sooner rather than later.

Great for Lounging

When it comes to lounging furniture, of course you want something comfy enough for the little ones to curl up on, but you also want something sturdy enough to withstand the rough and tumble antics of rambunctious kids. My best advice? Stick to classic leather. It looks classy, holds its shape, and won’t be easily ripped apart by clambering feet and hands running away during your little ones’ rousing games of tag. This furniture will grow with your child from toddler age to teenage sleepovers. You might also want to add in some fun furniture options that will double as play pieces for your kids, like bean bag chairs. They’re great for naps for little ones, and will work well for movie nights as they get older and invite their friends over.

Consider the Floor

You want to make sure the room is comfy and safe, and one thing that can’t be overlooked is the floor. Even if your playroom is covered in carpet, it’s important to put more plush down that can add texture and personality to the room and keep your kids comfortable and safe in case any roughhousing goes on. Your best bet is a plush area rug. For one, it’ll be soft and plushy on their little bare tootsies, and two, it can do wonders in making the space feel bigger. Area rugs are also easy to clean and can keep carpet protected from paint spills and other craft items that might be in use inside the playroom.

Fun Storage Options

The great thing about having a specified playroom in the house means you’re less likely to consistently find toys spread throughout random parts of your home, which makes cleanup a whole lot easier. However, just because the toys and other materials your kids make use of are just in one room doesn’t mean they should be spread all over the place. That’s where storage comes in. Use small bookcases to hold books, coloring kits, and boxed toys. Always be sure to secure the bookcase to the wall to avoid any accidents in case it gets bumped. You might also consider

If you’re starting on a playroom project soon, keep these tips in mind. With the right colors, furniture, and lighting, your kids are sure to delight in their new, specially appointed space, and you’ll have the playroom you and your little ones always dreamed of.

The living room is the area of the house that we spend the most time in, but we tend to neglect the decoration scheme and choose the wrong motif more often than not. If you are looking to decorate (or redecorate) your living room, you should read the following tips first. You won’t regret it!

Shop Without Leaving Your Home

Did you know that you can go shopping for items that will improve your living room without ever having to leave the house? All it takes is a little bit of time and an eye for decorating. Take a stroll through your home and look around. There are probably numerous items strewn throughout your home that would look a lot better in your living room, so take a closer look around before heading out to the local furniture shop.

Choose a Proper Motif For The Room

Your living room should set the tone of the rest of the home and allow your true personality to shine through. Choosing the proper motif for the room also makes for a much easier decoration process. Consider the vantage point of your guests before choosing a particular decoration scheme. For some, this may mean choosing to create an area where family heirlooms or photos are kept. Meanwhile, others might decide to use their living room as a means of expressing their enjoyment of certain hobbies. If you will be in need of any photo frames or other decorational items, check out Kohl’s – they have all the things you will need to make your house a home, and in a good price, too, especially when you combine their deals with coupons from Discountrue!

Add Some Greenery

Adding plant life to any room serves as an easy, inexpensive way to liven up the place. Talk to your friends and neighbors before shelling out for expensive plants, as many of them are likely to have plants that they are willing to share with you at no extra cost. From there, all you need to do is find the proper vessel for your new friend!

Have Books On Display

It should go without saying that having books on display in your living room is a great way to class up the joint a little bit. Not only does it make you look super smart in front of your guests, but it also lends a certain sort of old school appeal to the area. Books can much needed color to a room and also serve as a space filler that keeps you from having to spend more money on pricier items to fulfill the same purpose.

Do It Yourself Projects

When it comes to sprucing up your living room, there are few things more satisfying than hand crafting an item yourself. If you’re in search of an inexpensive way to decorate your living room, even the smallest project can make a major difference. You can start with some no sew pillows and gradually work your way to larger accomplishments.

 

 

Many design elements in the bedroom are designed to be adaptable, so why does the bed have to be “static?”

A bedroom that is the perfect sleep environment is something we all strive to create. Central to this haven of sleep is the mattress, dedicated to sleep and relaxation (and sometimes other things). We put care into the lighting, the texture of fabrics, pillow choice, the tread count, room temperature to make our setting just right for sleep. These things can all change and adapt for our mood or our purpose, but until now the mattress was a fixed purchase and always stayed the same.

The next generation of mattress is here. With the newest design and technologies, the surface can change from soft, medium or firm. This adaptability changes the way we think about mattresses and our comfort, and ultimately offers us more ways to a better night’s sleep. Not only have mattresses changed in the way they are constructed, the way we purchase, with online purchasing and delivered in a box to your door making it even easier to have the mattress of your dreams.

As the trend of better sleep health is on the rise, experts agree the mattress plays an essential role in providing the perfect sleep environment. A comfortable and cozy bed is the foundation for a great night’s sleep, making for better days and many consumers find their bed, which may have suited them during one time of their life, no longer meets their needs, and that is when an adjustable mattress can make a difference. Factors that may affect our requirements for softness or firmness in a mattress include weight gain or loss, pregnancy, sleep habits, injury or illness, or simply a change in the feeling of the surface underneath us when we sleep.

The sleep experts at Luxi have designed the only foam mattress that adjusts to soft, medium or firm depending on the user’s sleep style and preferences – both sides. The Luxi mattress is an adjustable and adaptable design that breaks out of the “one-size-fits-all” model of the first generation of online mattresses. Rated the #1 performance mattress by The Sleep Sherpa, the Luxi mattress features an exclusive foam technology that offers a variety of benefits that doesn’t break the bank.

Here’s the Luxi video – A fun way to show how easily you can change the softness setting and how the mattress works for couples sleeping together that have different softness preferences.

Luxi is a high performance luxury mattress because of its foam technology, adjustability and adaptability, its sourcing of the highest quality raw materials, and its superior packaging and shipping methods; and is a manufacturer not an online-marketer, so that when consumers’ purchase from Luxi, they buy direct from the mattress maker instead of a marketing middleman, which ensures better quality control and customer service.

In support of Better Sleep Month Luxi is giving away a free mattress every Monday in May! To enter simply fill out the entry form at www.LuxiSleep.com/mattressmondays for up to five chances to win a free Luxi mattress – a winner will be drawn each week Monday starting May 2 during Better Sleep Month!

Luxi – A high performance luxury mattress that you buy online. www.luxisleep.com

 

No matter the size of your bathroom, a remodel can be costly, but not unwarranted. After all, we’re in the bathroom every single day of our lives. Whether we’re taking our morning shower, getting ready for a date or trying to get some peace and quiet from the kiddos, the bathroom is as our place of refuge. So why not revamp it with some style?

Here are seven ways to renovate your bathroom.

Work with the Space You Have

One of the first mistakes we make when we decide to remodel our bathroom is setting the bar too high, and I’m not talking about the curtain rod – ba dum dum, tstch. As a DIY-er, knocking down the walls and and ripping out the plumbing sounds all well and good until you actually have to do it. Plumbing is not for the faint of heart; it requires a professional. After connecting that sledgehammer with the wall, you’ll be quick to realize this.

Past president of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), Cameron Snyder says that “[the bathroom] is a less efficient room to renovate than others in the house because it’s so tight. There is less economy of scale, and timing becomes critical. You don’t want days to go by between the plumber leaving and the electrician showing up.”

The great thing about a bathroom remodel is that you aren’t required to pull out the plumbing and start from scratch. All you have to do is work with what you have. There are ways to update your bathroom without having to call in a plumber or electrician.

Have All Your Materials on Hand

Remember that old expression, “All good things come to those who wait?” This is true of that new accent mirror and Italian-made tile you ordered for the bath remodel, too. Special orders take time to customize, and delivery services aren’t always reliable. It’s totally understandable to want to begin your bathroom renovation project as soon as you can, but without the right accessories and equipment, you could be waiting weeks before you’re even able to use the bathroom again. Another bonus of waiting until all of your tools, fitments and fixtures are on hand is knowing whether you’ll need more help with your project before making any irreparable changes.  

Keep the Space Clean with Organization

A cluttered bathroom is a messy bathroom. No matter how often you scrub the counters, tub and floors, if the bathroom is always in disarray, it’ll always feel dirty. As you set out to revamp your bathroom, allocate space for your toiletries. Built-in shelving, cabinets and storage ladders create a dynamic sense of space and allow you to play with towel display and color schemes.

You Can Never Go Wrong with Tile

Designer Charlotte Moss has said that “People’s lives are expressed in little details…The soap in the bathroom, the flowers in the garden, the books on the bedside table are all strong symbols of a life in progress. You look at these details and a world unfolds—here are their books, the paintings they cherish, the music that soothes their souls.” It’s the details that make up the larger part of life, and without them life would be pretty boring. Tile is no different.

HGTV recommends that renovators use porcelain tile when upgrading bathroom floors. Unlike ceramic tile, porcelain tile is a harder and denser material. Because it’s also more porous, porcelain tile is better for stain resistance and slippage. It’s no fun getting out of the shower nice and clean only to slip and land hard on your backside. Another awesome feature of porcelain tile is that it can simulate natural stone like limestone and granite. Not to mention, a tile floor is an easy clean up!

Lighting Makes All the Difference

What good is renovating your bathroom without the right kind of lighting? Light can dress up or dress down a space. If you want your bathroom to be a tranquil space for introspection and relaxation, you need a lighting system that will help you to accomplish just that. But before deciding on a design, you’ll want to avoid any type of lighting fixture with a canvas shade or ornate design. A canvas shade will hold in moisture and eventually begin to mold. While a highly ornamented fixture will be tough to clean – if the crevices are always dusty and you can’t get in there to give them a proper cleaning, your bathroom will always feel unclean.

There are a number of ways to go with a lighting fixture. Whether you decide to use a wall sconce for mood lighting, a pendant for overhead light or flush mount lighting (the most popular choice in bathroom lighting design) for down lighting, the fixture will set the pace of the space.

It’s All About that Rod

We’re all familiar with the straight shower rod. But when you replace the straight rod with a curved rod, you are saving yourself a lot of space in the shower. Have you ever been annoyed by the shower curtain sticking to your legs as you try to bathe? With a curved shower rod, you won’t have to worry about again. Not only that, but the curved model contemporizes your bathroom. Now your bathroom is as fashionable as it is functional.

A Mirror is the Bathroom’s Statement Piece

Once you’ve decided on the lighting, the next step is to pick a mirror. Since the invention of indoor plumbing, it’s been customary to equip the bathroom with a vanity. While the vanity is a tried-and-true piece of bathroom furniture, it has become a little dated. One way to update your space is to replace the vanity with a large, streamlined mirror. A large mirror will reflect light and open the space, while its streamlined design will complement the cut of the tile.

As you embark on your renovating journey, keep these tips in mind; it’ll make the job a whole lot easier.

Do you have one room of the house that is just plagued by grays, whites and other neutral tones? Natural hues can be a good thing, but when used in excess, the room may begin to feel a bit weighted and drab. Sometimes all you need is the simplest color accent to bring the room back to life. Here are some ideas for bringing your colorless room from drab to fab:

Murano glass: Our search takes us all the way to Italy, but for an interior design accent that adds a burst of lively color, choose room accents made of Murano glass. Whether it be a bowl that draws the attention to the coffee table or something as simple as decorative candle holders, a little bit goes a long way. Look into the Italian company Farsetti Factory that handcrafts home decor objects using Murano glass. Not only do they play with magnificent eye-catching colors, but they also tinker with abstract forms. You can even line the mantle with stained glass photo frames from a strong style statement.

Lux Illimuniation: Whether it’s in your bedroom or the living room, or maybe even your kitchen, make the place spring back to life with some luxurious lighting accents. Whether you’re going for unique recess lighting or artistically painted table lamps, this is a great way to add color without committing to something like a bright red couch or painted purple accent wall. Try a boldy-patterned Majolica-style lamp. In this case, going for a series of colors as opposed to one vibrant color, you will able to pick up a variety of hues to decorate the rest of the room.

Magical mosaics: I say magical because, in addition to getting mesmerized in some of their magnificent patterns, they have a way of bringing a room from dormant to 100% alive. Many people may tend to skip mosaics these days, but they’re not to be overlooked and can really change the look of a room. Whether it’s a bathroom wall or floor or something as simple as a mosaic-trimmed mirror, this is the technique to look into. And they don’t have to necessarily be bold colors either, they can play with all natural hues as well.

Colorful centerpieces: Another way to make a vibrant change without a huge commitment. Jazz up some rather drab table tops with colorful or patterned centerpieces. If after a while they just aren’t doing it for you anymore, trade it in for something else or simply swap it to another room. A bold design accent, move it from the coffee table to the kitchen, even a nightstand. Check out some great artisan ceramics with Mediterranean colors like yellow, red an turquoise.

Home decor junkies take note: scour the web and interior design stores for these design accents that will bring any room of the house back to life.