Creating a Boudoir Bedroom
For the romantics, the lovers and the more adventurous types of decorators among you, there clearly can be no sexier design statement than creating a boudoir style bedroom. Whilst the bedroom aspires to be a place of rest, it should also be considered a room for enjoyment. If all of the muddle, discarded laundry and empty coffee cups are dampening the passion in your bedroom then it’s time for some opulence and decadence to ignite the flames.
Modern life is rubbish
All the stuff that make today’s lifestyles so convenient can easily be distracting, especially in the bedroom. The very first stage of making your beautiful boudoir is to get rid of any traces of technology and practicality. Ban the TV and relocate the hair-straighteners since there’s no glamour in gizmos and gadgets. Hide as much of the clutter as possible with bedroom storage that will go in drawers or cupboards but display your most prized perfumes and place your rings and necklaces on show with a jewellery tree.
The essence of boudoir
This style evokes an opulent, sensual and rich lifestyle so colours such as purple, pink, gold and black give the perfect look. Your room can be as flamboyant as you desire, but wall coverings will give the most striking change so use pink and purple wallpaper with a strong pattern. Using bold floral prints and stunning damask will give your room a feeling of femininity and extravagance.
Materials play an significant role in the boudoir bedroom. Diverse textures and finishes produce an intimate feel so incorporate plenty of colourful cushions with mixed fabrics created from rich and heavy materials. For an air of sensuality, floaty materials like silks and organza can be draped throughout the room.
If you like the Moulin Rouge style of boudoir, opt for bohemian elegance by including vintage furniture pieces and elegant swagging around the windows. Dress your bed in silk and satin and place candles round the room to spark the romance. Colours to go for include scarlet, gold and black. For a 60s style boudoir, synthetic animal skins with deep pile carpets and fun cartoon’ish furnishings will establish a naughty, fantasy themed room. Choose a blend of black, white and red colours throughout the room.
Lighting the passion
Light plays an important role in creating a sultry ambiance. The boudoir look embraces extravagance and so should your lighting fixtures. Vintage crystal-drop chandeliers are perfect for the dramatic centre piece while antique brass and crystal wall lights controlled by dimmer switch will create the right mood.
3 Alternative Things to Sit On For Your Home
There’s a lot to be said for sitting down on a comfy sofa, putting your feet up and stretching out to enjoy a night in front of the TV. For most households, a three-piece suite from the local household furniture superstore is enough to serve your living room seating needs, but how about the rest of the house? And what happens when you need some overflow seating during visits from friends or when you throw a party? Here are 3 alternative things to sit on that are secure, extremely versatile and look pretty cool too.
Beanbags
Still consider beanbags as overblown floor cushions that are manufactured from cheap material and difficult to get out of? Obviously you have not been introduced to the Fatboy range.
Beanbags aren’t just additional seating options for the living room, they can be used as a sofa replacement in student digs, a chill-out chair for a teenager’s bedroom or even a spare bed if you want to put up your mate overnight. Have one or two of these cool seating options convenient for impromptu events or any time you’ve got more visitors than your permanent seating can cope with.
Hammocks
The simple mention of the word conjures up images of hazy summer days, swinging between two trees beneath the shade of branches while enjoying a long, cool drink. Yet isn’t a hammock just for the warmer months? In fact, it’s not. And before you ask, no you won’t need two trees to tie it to either – at least not with modern hammock technology because a steel-frame manages things.
A hammock can easily be placed in the house as out and should you be short of furniture in your conservatory it’s ideal. When you do need to take it easy in the great outdoors, or when you need something a bit more comfortable than the standard bistro chair and table set in your garden, then a hammock is a good substitute.
Gaming seat
Okay, this one may appear like it’s simply for the gamers and geeks but as a substitute seating choice it’s as adaptable as they come. Should you be of the Playstation or Xbox generation then you may be all too familiar with sitting forward on the sofa, straining to get nearer to the action. Instead of attempting to drag your sofa a couple of inches closer to the box, pull up a gaming seat.
Not only will a gaming chair take care of your comfort while challenging the latest level of Halo, it’s versatile enough to turn into a footstool or an occasional seat for social events if you require further places for friends to park their bums.
Advice on Buying a Range Cooker
When it comes to buying the ultimate cooking appliance that will add a touch of class and quality to your kitchen there is no better oven than a range cooker. For amateur and professional cooks alike, range cookers provide all the necessary features to ensure food is cooked to its absolute best. There are a number of manufacturers of range cookers such as Aga, Rangemaster, Brittania and Falcon, but before you go investing in a new range cooker there are a few things to take into consideration.
Range cookers
Modern range cookers are built with the latest intelligent technology to make sure your cooking experience is as easy and functional as possible. Advances in the systems used to operate range cookers means your oven will be convenient, versatile and economic.
One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is the amount of flexibility you’ll require from your oven and hob. Consider what your cooking habits are likely to be and then choose a range cooker that will provide enough burner types, sizes and numbers as well as enough ovens to cope with the demands placed on it. Make sure that the size of range cooker you buy can fit in the space allocated in your kitchen.
Once you know how big your range cooker needs to be, you’ll have to make a decision on fuel type. In many respects this will be dictated by the supply to your home but you should also consider what best suits your cooking needs. Gas and electric cookers – known as dual fuel range cookers – are the most common type with gas burners on the hob and electric ovens. Gas offers the best controlled heat when cooking on the hob and electric ovens are best for speed and multi-functionality. If you go for a four oven range cooker you’ll have the option of using a conventional oven, fan oven, simmering oven and ceramic grill.
Your range cooker should have a variety of systems to aid your cooking experience. One of the most practical pieces of technology fitted into modern ovens is the electronic programmer. This is of great benefit to people with busy lifestyles or families as you have the option to program when the oven is to start and finish cooking. Features such as fast pre-heat can bring the oven up to cooking temperature quicker than conventional ovens saving you both time and money.
Tips & Products for an Ethical Kitchen
Consider for a moment how much energy is used in your home and you’ll soon realise that the kitchen is probably the main culprit for consumption. The average kitchen will have a fridge/freezer, microwave, kettle, toaster, oven, gas hob, extractor fan and washing machine. Then there are the luxury items such as a dishwasher, coffee maker and electrical labour saving devices for cooking.
All of these appliances drain electric, gas and water which ultimately costs money and has a major impact on the environment. Here are some tips to make your kitchen more ‘green’ plus some Ethical and fair trade kitchen products for cooking and serving your food.
Joanna Perry Hand Painted Murals
I create original hand painted wall murals to enhance any room. I’m based in Cheshire and cover the whole of the county and the North Staffordshire area. My contemporary and children’s murals at www.kidswallmurals.co.uk are an exciting and original alternative to wallpaper as well as a cost effective solution to re-decorating a room.
Whether it’s to theme a nursery, update a child’s room or enhance a living space, you can have any style or design, tailored to suit your specific taste and budget.
The Design
As an experienced muralist, all of my murals are drawn free hand with no stencilling or projections involved. This allows me to transfer your ideas directly onto the wall with no scale or design restriction. I can work to all scales and budgets, producing either simple colourful wall murals to enhance a style of room – or completely theme a room in intricate detail. No project is too large or too small, and every project is treated with the same personal care and attention. When producing an interior scheme I can either translate your specific ideas directly or if you would prefer I can produce imaginative design creations for you. You may already have a room decorated and decide you want to take details from a border, curtains or duvet cover and create a mural to finish the room off.
Healing Problem Houses
We’ve all heard someone say ‘that’s a sad house’. Either more than one person living in the house has passed on, or people become sick. Perhaps the house has seen more than its fair share of divorces or arguments. It may be known locally as a ‘haunted house‘. The atmosphere surrounding the house is negative, and no-one seems to know why. Maybe you own such a house and want to sell. Or maybe you’re tired of being sick all the time. The good news is: there is a cure, and it will work.
Are You A Clutter Bug In Your Kitchen?
The idea of kitchen storage is not as much about spaciousness as it is about the utilisation of the existing space. Kitchen design may vary from house to house as it is always created as per the individual tastes and preferences of the owners. The kitchen serves as the best and cleanest place where your food is cooked. There shouldn’t be any sort of clutter both from a cleanliness and safety point of view, and all kitchen utensils and cutlery should be so arranged that you don’t waste time searching for them, especially when the cooking is in full swing. Clutter can be quite dangerous too, and more often kitchen fires flare up due to a person’s negligence than due to any technical faults. Hence the concept of clever kitchen storage design needs to be explored by a home owner in order to ensure a clean and safe place for cooking and dining if need be.
Blue Marmalade: the Eco-Friendly Company
People are now quite aware of the urgent need to save the environment, and the trends of eating healthy food and recycling have become quite common in the developed countries of the world. More and more companies are using recycled materials to package their products or as raw material in their goods. Recycled paper can be used to make a variety of household and office use products. We may not think much of a lamp shade or a waste paper basket, but if they are made from recycled paper (or the material can be recycled) then it forces one to think about recycling and using green house products.
Add Beauty To Your Home With Floral Canvas Prints
Floral canvas prints are by far the most common type of print used in interiors. The reason for this is that the prints are appealing to the eye and make the room livelier. But if you are bored of using floral photographs or curtains but still want these prints in your interiors then you can opt for canvas prints that have floral prints on them. Are you wondering what canvas prints are? It is basically a technique wherein the digital photographs are converted and are printed on canvas.
Celebrating Memories On Canvas
Nothing has evolved more significantly and at a faster rate than the visual media, thanks to photography and its related developments. Capturing images in the mind and transforming them into art and sculpture was prevalent among all civilised human societies since the earliest times. However, it was only with the discovery of the printing process that the art of photography assumed importance and reached the heights of glory that we now experience today.