Home & Garden

One of the best parts of traveling for business? Having a chance to meet clients face to face and perhaps even try the best cuisine in your destination city. The worst part of being a business traveler, though, is missing the comforts of home. The reality, though, is that living out of your suitcase doesn’t necessarily have to be a horrible experience. With a furnished apartment, it can actually be an excellent one, although apartments do feature some drawbacks, according to business aficionado Brian Ferdinand in a recently published business travel article.

Why Business Travel Can Be Tough

According to the insightful article, the most challenging aspect of traveling is not being able to easily access your daily necessities like you would at home. Back at home, you likely have everything you regularly need, and these items are likely placed in convenient locations. However, in a hotel room, you’d be hard pressed to find a pair of scissors or a sewing needle on demand. That’s because hotel rooms generally aren’t created with “living” in mind: they are specifically made for sleeping.

Hotel rooms also don’t offer much privacy. After all, your room is directly next door to another person’s room, and you also have to go through the hotel’s lobby to get to your room. In addition, hotel rooms are usually confining due to their small sizes.

Advantages of Furnished Apartments

A chief reason to choose a furnished apartment is that, like hotel rooms, furnished apartments can be secured quickly, inexpensively, and for short periods of time. However, these apartments are usually more spacious and offer more privacy than hotels do. The reason for this is that they are set up like normal houses or apartments: they include living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens stocked with your basic necessities.

Disadvantages of Furnished Apartments

Unfortunately, the majority of furnished apartments aren’t offered with the goal of providing high-end experiences for their users, according to Brian Ferdinand. This is because furnishings are usually second hand, as they are designed to merely fill spaces. They usually are not selected based on factors such as luxury design or comfort. In addition, your apartment may not necessarily feature stylistic décor or aesthetically pleasing designs, according to Ferdinand.

Nonetheless, furnished apartments are still a step above hotel rooms for traveling business people. With these accommodations, you can make your work travel experiences much more enjoyable in the months and years ahead.

To read more on topics like this, check out the Home & Garden category

Live and refreshing flowers along with houseplants are really great to improve home decor and to create a strong positive aura inside your house. The bad weather outside or your bad mood won’t be able to take over your mind or body as the fresh fragrance of the blooming blooms in your home will be something amazing and will work as a therapy. Also, we are not just talking about getting flowers like red roses or white lilies and placing them in a bouquet at any corner. We are talking about some fabulous and unique ways to decorate your home with these flowers in beautiful arrangements. Let’s dive in below to have a look at these ways to decorate your home beautifully with blooming blooms.

Decoration made of shells and pebbles

Well what you can do is take any empty transparent jar and place some shells or pebbles or may be both together and fill it with the fresh water then you can put your hand-picked flowers in the jar. This will prove to be a great home decorative piece.

Rubber Boot Vase

Well to make a sunny day shine more, you can take some fresh while lilies and put them in waterproof rubber boots. To add some beauty to the home made vase you can draw or paint over those boots as you like.

Tiny Eggshell Vase

These look awesome and give a charming look to your home décor as well. All you need to do is, take some eggs, break them into half, make the omelet and enjoy it to the fullest, then clean those shells and if you like you can color them as well or just simply place some beautiful flowers inside those.

Fancy Bottle Vase

If you have a family member who drinks then you are in luck because this idea will need some fancy bottles to make vase. So, all you need to do is find the fancy bottles. The rest is pretty simple, fill those up with water and place your flowers. A masterpiece is ready!!!

Straw Vase

Collect some straws, cut them into the size of your flower stems, then place a flower inside every straw. Then get a transparent jar and place all those straws inside it and your awesome homemade flower vase is ready to enhance the look of your sweet home.

Flowers in a Box

Take any box and decorate it using crayons and crafty materials or buy a premium flower box. You can even use the vintage boxes or paint containers to place the flowers. Keep the flower box on your centre table or dinner table for an awesome look.

So, these were the different amazing ways to decorate your home with beautiful flowers. Surround yourself with these flowers and see how much good you will feel. Alongside flowers, you can also get some indoor plants such as Spider plant, Snake plant, Aloe Vera plant, Peace Lily plant, etc. for added greenery and fresh air.

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Since Covid-19 struck perhaps the entire world with this devastating implications of normal living, many people have been restricted to their own homes for a very long time. Despite some measures to ease the lockdown and gently initiate normal life again, there is growing concern that a second wave of infection is imminent.
To this end, it’s been advised to prepare for further quarantine. To make such frustrating news more palatable, it’s worth considering one’s personal living space and using the time effectively by adding improvements to your home.

William Seegmiller has featured some inventive ways to breathe new life into living spaces and has featured across a number of interior design blogs and media platforms.

Here are four top tips to make affordable amendments to one’s home.

1. Vintage Wallpaper
There is a plethora of old vintage wallpapers that are lurking in crevices of online shopping sites and charity shops. Dusty old rolls left in lofts with sun bleached fades and crinkled paper finish need not be sent directly to the bin.
Gather a range of different styles and finishes of paper. Mismatched wallpaper can be make for a more bespoke style to a living room. Set out enough paper, with a 20% margin of wastage and select a single wall to paste your well curated aged designs across. If the paper is damaged, attempt to flatten the paper first before pasting. Spreading out an even coat of paste and smoothing out from the centre will help create a professional finish.

2.Plants and lamps
The combination of living green plants and light sources create uplifting and exotic ambiance to any space. Consider the use of light to urban environments and how uplifting spot lights pick out architectural features on buildings. Applying this principle with plants allows for intricate silhouettes cast across walls and ceiling. This creates a different type of room than in daylight. A simple to maintain Yucca plant with a low energy led lamp will make a feature of a room. It’s important that little heat is produced to avoid plant damage and fire hazards.

3.Hide the television set
The ubiquitous television set is a dominant feature of any room. It beckons for attention and is a visual distraction which undermines the design of the room. Concealing the object was a usual approach during the formative years of television but since the prevalence of large LED screens and their wall mounted capabilities, it has now become a window to look out from.
Covering the TV with a patterned fabric or investing in a simple side board can immediately transform the focus of the room away from the gazing onto the screen.

4.Up cycled existing furniture
Instead of buying new items of furniture, considering adding a little attention to your well-worn arm chair for example. Upcycling furniture has become a common trait in most modern households as an aesthetic style and in the spirit of lowering carbon footprint. A simple coat of fresh paint and adding new padding can breathe new life into the old air loom.

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There is a homeowners association near me which has been embraced by all of the residents and it is clearly something that works very well. Those guys inspired me and a couple of neighbors to look at creating our own, and many of my fellow residents have been asking what the benefits of a HOA is. I have been asked this a few times online too so I wanted to put forward my thoughts on what exactly those benefits are, and why I have such a desire to organize one in my own neighborhood.

Property Values

Owing to the mutual responsibility which all residents have, homes are better looked after and maintained, and that helps to protect the property value, as well as the look of the neighborhood. This is like the reverse of the broken windows theory, the notion that disorder and chaos is far more likely to continue because of its existence, more likely to throw trash in a street with trash already there. And so it is the same with a well kept neighborhood and a HOA can help to do that.

Common Areas

A homeowners association is able to help to maintain the common areas in your neighborhoods which ensure that things are constantly in good shape. They will charge a small fee from the residents each month and that will go towards paying for workers, gardeners and other teams to come in and keep scything looking good.

Bringing the Community Together

I have friends who live in HOAs and they have all commented on how the existence of one has greatly helped to ensure that the community gets closer together. Working together not only improves the quality of your home life but it also adds a level of security to where you live, with neighbors all looking out for each other.

Deterrent

This togetherness is also a great deterrent for any kind of nuisance activities and any such activities will be nipped in the bud at a very early stage. There is a certain power which residents together have, and in some cases they will even vet new residents before they move in, to ensure that the sanctity of the HOA is preserved.

New Amenities

Many HOAs will save up funds and then look to spend them on new installations in the area such as a tennis court, more litter bins, barbecue pits, swings for children or any number of new developments which they may not have been able to achieve previously. This is something which is usually voted on by the members of the HOA, and then those who have been elected to lead the HOA will put plans in place to build or install the new development.

Ultimately living in a property which has an active HOA is a great way to increase security where you live, ensure that everything stays in good shape and is well kept, as well as helping residents to feel more comfortable with their home life.

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Do you style your bed? Perhaps you’ve never considered doing this at all – you’ve put on a fitted sheet and a nice bedding set – what more do you need? Maybe you keep it simple so that once you have rolled out of its warm embrace in the morning, you can make it in a matter of seconds and then get on with your day.

Well, take some time to style your bed and you’ll be amazed at the transformation. It’s the focal point of your room after all and adds to the decor as well as the feel of the space. Plus, you spend as much time in it as you do out of it – it’s the place you head when you need to rejuvenate and unwind – so make it a bed that you think about all day and can’t wait to crawl back in to. A few small style changes won’t create too much more work for you in the morning, so don’t worry about that – but they will make the world of difference to how it looks.

Here are five ways to style the perfect bed:

Duvet cover and throws

When choosing your duvet cover, consider one that has a different print on either side so that it can be turned over completely or turned down at the top. When considering colours, blue and white are considered calming, which is exactly what you need in this space. Next, add a throw draped over the end of the bed in a complementing colour. This could be fleece, velvet, cotton, woven – which will bring a whole new texture to the bed too. Not only does this look great, but it also makes it super cosy and warm too.

Cushions

These are not the pillows that you lay your head on to go to sleep, these are simply for decoration but they will make your bed ultra cosy and incredibly stylish. It’s said that three is the perfect number and absolutely no more than six – even in a king-size bed. What you do want is a range of shapes, sizes, designs, colours and textures – don’t just buy three of the same – mix it up and don’t worry about being too neat when you put them on the bed. These could either complement or contrast against your bedding – the choice is yours – both will work well.

Pillows

Your pillows should be placed over the duvet covers with the cushions in front of them. It’s recommended that you sleep with just one pillow – but two are perfect for styling and they add height to the end of the bed and a place for the cushions to lean against. Whether you choose to sleep with one or two is up to you, but two is definitely the magic number for styling. Make sure you plump them up as you style the bed each day.

Change with the seasons

This may be a summer-themed or wintery themed bedding set. But, beyond that, get covers for your scatter cushions in designs and colours to reflect the seasons. These can easily be swapped over as the colder night’s draw in and then as the sun starts to warm us up again. Likewise, you want more lightweight bedding – a thinner throw and duvet, for the summer and thicker ones for the winter. You want the bed to look warm and cosy in the winter and light and airy in the summer.

Quality is key

This isn’t to say you can’t style a bed and the accessories that have been purchased on a budget. But, as mentioned, this is the focal point of your room and the part that gets the most use – so if you splash out anywhere, it should be here. Get yourself a sturdy bed such as the ones available at Divan Beds Centre featuring inbuilt storage. Then, once you have your base, invest in good quality bedding – it won’t only last you much longer, so you are sure to get the most for your money but it will wear better too. You may have a nicely styled bed or pretty bedding, but if it starts to bobble or thin, this will definitely take away from the effort you have put into styling.

Has this made you realise your bed could do with some styling? Make a few changes and you’ll quickly notice a big difference not just to how your bed looks but to the whole room.

To read more on topics like this, check out the Home & Garden category.

Bring on the candles and body wash because nothing relieves tension and pampers the senses like a spa-worthy bath! It’s important to note that baths are not just about getting clean. You could take a shower if that’s all you wanted. No, baths are for when you need to reset and recharge after a long day. When you feel like you deserve all the foam in the world for the things you had to put up with.

With such high goals, it’s not enough to fill the tub and hop in. You need to plan for it, set the mood, create the perfect playlist. It’s complicated, but with these tips, you can get ready for the best bathing experience of your life.

Gather Your Supplies

Before you let your body sink into your tub’s embrace, you need to make sure you’ve gathered all your essentials. You don’t want to have to get up once you’re comfy cozy. Tidy up the bathroom and set the temperature for your bathwater. Not too hot, or it will dry and irritate your skin.

As the tub is filling up, place your laptop on a chair close to the tub (not too close though), so you can watch your favorite show. You can also connect your smartphone to a waterproof bluetooth speaker and play some soothing music.

Of course, you’ll need to light up some candles and gather your beauty supplies such as fizzy bath bombs, body scrub, face mask, and essential oils. This can easily cost you a fortune, but you can always use Bed Bath and Beyond coupons.

Turn off All Disturbances and Unwind

Don’t dip as much as a toe in the water until you’ve made sure you switched your phone on airplane mode and turned off all devices that could interfere with your tranquility. If you live with other people, see to it that they understand your expectations: either you get some alone time to relax, or you’ll turn into Bathzilla!

In case you have pets, you’ll want to keep the door shut, or they’ll come in out of curiosity and start begging for attention. Worse yet, they might jump into the tub with you, and then your bath will be ruined. Now that all safety measures are in check, time to unwind.

Cleanse, Rinse and Moisturize

Once you’ve relaxed and feel like your soul has been nourished, use a gentle body scrub to exfoliate your skin. You’ll want to apply it with circular motions and then rinse. Grab an extra fluffy towel and pat your skin dry. While your skin is still damp, slather yourself in your favorite moisturizer. It’s important to do this step before your skin is completely dry as it allows you to lock in the remaining moisture from your bath.

Now it’s time to step into your fabulous fluffy robe; otherwise, it’s not much of a spa experience, is it? Put on a pair of cozy slippers and, as you walk into the next room, take that calm state of mind with you. Put some essential oil in your diffuser, pour yourself a glass of wine, take a good book, and climb into bed. You’ll sleep like an angel.

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To some people, an all-white room may feel stark, impersonal, and bland. This is often the result of an amateur effort at interior design Malibu. However, when a white room is created by a professional, it can seem very crisp and classy.

There are many potential advantages to decorating in white. It can make a room feel taller and more spacious than it actually is, and it reflects the natural light beautifully, giving the room a bright and airy feel. Here are some ideas for decorating a white room that you may want to discuss with your interior designer Brentwood.

1. Subtle Variations

You may think that choosing to decorate a room in white would be the simplest step. However, there are actually over 100 shades of white to choose from. That might seem overwhelming at first, but it gives you a lot to work with. You can combine different shades of white to produce a unique effect.

However, even if you choose to work with only one shade of white, you can incorporate varied textures, materials, and finishes to add some visual variety to the room.

2. Large Wall Art

You can think of a white wall as a blank canvas. A large, colorful painting or photograph is a good way to decorate it, and if the rest of the room is all white, the eye will be drawn to the artwork automatically. You can look for unique wall decor ideas at studio tours, local galleries, or antique stores. However, if you are on a budget, you can sometimes locate hidden treasures at a thrift store.

3. Natural Elements

To prevent a white room from becoming too antiseptic and clinical, you can include furniture with natural finishes or a hardwood floor to give the room a more organic look. You can also incorporate natural elements such as potted plants or bouquets of flowers. If it is not practical for you to grow your own plants, an alternative is to use floral-print fabrics in decorating.

4. Colorful Accents

Accents such as furniture, throw pillows, or curtains in the color of your choice can go a long way toward making a statement and warming up your white room. Remember to encourage the eye to move about the room by putting some space between your accents.

Don’t rule out black as an accent color. The contrast of black and white creates a look that is both clean and dramatic.

5. Warm Lighting

It can be difficult to make all-white spaces look as inviting at night as they are in the day. However, by choosing your lighting carefully, you can create the same effect. For example, you can choose lamps with white shades made of silk or cotton. During the day, they will blend in unobtrusively with the white décor. At night, however, they will cast the room in a soft, warm glow.

The Professional Touch

Decorating a space in all white isn’t necessarily that difficult, but it is also easy to do incorrectly. A professional interior designer can provide guidance specific to the space you want to decorate.

Join the discussion on this topic with Piccolo Universe by visiting our contact page.

 

Selecting the right nail for the job can be difficult, there are so many options, in terms of type of nail, size of head, length, grade, construction material and galvanization. How can you pick top rated stainless steel nails?

Top Rated Stainless Steel Nails

Let’s run through some of the types of nails and what they’re used for. First of all finish nails which include micro pins, brad nails, straight finish nails, and angle nails. Micro pins are used for very fine detail finishing on furniture, trims and fine carpentry. They are headless nails to avoid splitting and to leave minimal entry holes. Brad nails are slightly larger with a small head to again cover furniture assembly, beading, decorative trims, and panel assembly.

Flooring cleat nails are for hardwood floor application and come in an L-Shape for ease of application. They are engineered with a ribbed shank to increase power and prevent floors from squeaking. Coil nails are those that come on a coil for ease of application, primarily for roofing projects. Strip nails are again collated in strips for nail guns and angled for precision delivery.

The material the nails is finished in can make the difference to the longevity of the lifespan of a nail based on where the finish product is located. Standard electro galvanized nails have some corrosion resistance but should only be used for interior work. The very thin layer of zinc coating will prevent rust and corrosion in an indoor environment.

If you finish piece will be outdoors, then you should opt for 304 grade stainless steel finish which is suitable for outdoor applications. The nails shouldn’t rust and corrode or discolor the surrounding wood. They can also be used in acidic and oil based woods such as ACQ treated timber, redwood, cedar, and exotic woods. However, for marine and tropical application you will need to upgrade to 316 grade stainless steel nails. These nails are suitable for tropical, seaside, and even saltwater contact and are viewed as marine grade fasteners by the industry.

Copper nails are sometimes used for roofing and slating purposes. They match copper flashing and they have proven durability and holding power. Although copper is more expensive than aluminum and stainless steel, it is proven to withstand more years of wear and tear, particularly in outdoor environments subject to rain. So although they may be more expensive initially they will save you from future repair and replacement.

To accompany your nails, if you’re someone who does a lot of nail work you may also want to invest in a nail gun. Different types of nails require different nail guns though so ensure that you buy the right tool for the nails you use most often. A standard nailer will nail some grades of bard nails but not fine nails and some smaller brad nails. Some guns only nail coil nails, and others strip nail collations. So if in doubt speak to a specialist at your tool store.

To read more on topics like this, check out the home & garden category.

If you visit your local DIY store you can buy loft ladder sets which are often sold with the hatch system as well. But these are designed to be stowed away and only used occasionally. If you have a more permanent loft area or mezzanine floor you are going to want a more permanent wooden loft ladder which not only functions well in getting to your loft space but also fits with the surrounding décor, in fact enhancing the look of the loft entrance point so it is a feature of the home rather than an eyesore.

Buying a Bespoke Wooden Loft Ladder

There are a small number of bespoke ladder companies who can make bespoke ladders to order. You will not only be able to have the ladder made to measure but also stipulate the finish of the product, the material it is made from and any accessories including hand rails and larger entrance and exit steps.

Your first step is either providing measurements and photographs of the space where you want your ladder to be located, or asking the company to send someone out to consult with you on the design and work through the design process with you. If a company is local they will always prefer to send a representative to see the space and show you samples of wood, finishes and accessories.

Once they have the specifications the bespoke ladder company will create digital visuals which you can review and comment on before finalizing the design of your ladders. They may then send you a choice of finishes such as paint samples, wood samples and a brochure showing accessories so you can select how you want the final ladder system to look, and so that it matches with your other décor and surroundings.

You will be surprised with the selection of finishes available including often ten or more wood finishes including pine, bamboo, ash, oak, mahogany and many others. You can then pick the finish applied to that wood, whether it is left unfinished, or varnished, lacquered, matt, gloss or stain, or even paint.

Another option if you want a wider choice of finishes is a fiber glass ladder, which are lighter and stronger than a wooden ladder and can be finished in paints, which can have hammered, sparkling and other effects applied to make them look like metal.

Your choice of accessories can include rails, handles, wheels for moving the ladders and larger steps at a midpoint or at entrance and exit points. Rails can extend above the top of the ladder to allow for safer use. And the angle of the ladder can be altered so that it is more like a set of stairs than a straight ladder. Accessories can be finished in silver, gold, brass, and other metal effects so you have plenty of choice to ensure it matches your interior design.

The ladder company will often deliver and install a bespoke ladder set to ensure it is installed correctly and safely.

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Cleaning and organizing your home is not a task you only reserve for spring. You can do it at any time, especially when you start to notice unused things piling up, and you hardly have space for new stuff. Yes, you may be tempted to put everything in boxes and leave them in the attic or your garage. But, piling up junk and leaving it for a long time can invite pest infestation. Junk is best dealt with immediately. And here are our tips for a less stressful clean-up and waste disposal.

Set specific clean-up goals

If you are pressed for time, it’s not practical to consider cleaning up your entire house. Choose a particular room or space that needs the most organizing. For example, you can begin with your garage and work your way into the bedrooms if you still have time. Be conscious about your energy and capacity, and consider enlisting the help of other family members. The more hands there are, the more you can get done. But, be careful with distractions. Make sure that each person helping you is aware of their responsibilities and commits to doing them.

Hire a professional

Some junk removal tasks are too challenging on your own. Fortunately, you can hire a junk hauling company. Hiring a service is best when you have to get rid of heavy items like old furniture and appliances. Another benefit of having experts help you is safety. They have the necessary tools and manpower to remove and dispose of even the most difficult items in your home. They can also ensure that you don’t cause unnecessary damage to your property by trying to haul heavy objects outside.

Set a time frame and some guidelines

It is easier to sort through piles of junk when you are following a guideline. For example, donate all the clothes that don’t fit anymore or throw away all old magazines. It also helps when you have a time frame to complete each task. Whether you achieve a small goal or a big one, what matters is your progress.

Don’t waste, donate

A more eco-friendly approach to waste disposal is giving away as much of it as you can. Sort through your stuff and find all things that are still usable. Perhaps you can drop them off at a Goodwill center, or maybe you have someone in mind who will appreciate receiving some of your things. Either way, it is better for the environment when you recycle and re-use instead of automatically dumping everything in the trash.

Another excellent idea is organizing a garage sale. You will feel much better about letting go of some of your things when you can get at least some proceeds by selling them. Old toys, books, clothes, and furniture may still find their way into someone else’s home. Thrift shops may also accept old items and collectibles you have lying around. As long as something does not hold any sentimental value, consider whether or not it is worth keeping or should be let go of.

Lastly, make it a habit to organize and declutter regularly. If you do so, you won’t have to deal with piles of junk later on. Your house will be cleaner, more spacious, and you’ll feel less stressed.

To read more on topics like this, check out the home & garden category.