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Archive for May, 2012


How To Bring The Beach Into Your Bathroom

May 25th, 2012 by steph

When it comes to designing or even redesigning your bathroom there is one theme which, if well applied can be altered or personalised to suit almost any shape, size and preferred personality of bathroom. The ocean and beach theme is a universally loved and generally beautiful style which is ideal for any contemporary bathroom.

Here are some handy hints and tips for adapting and recreating this classic yet contemporary theme, whilst avoiding clichéd or over bearing parts of its style.

1- Colours Are The Key: It’s best to remember that whilst accessories can really make this style personal and give it feeling, the key to really making it stand out and look as beautifully as possible is the colours you choose. Just because the colour scheme for this style seems simplistic and easily achievable doesn’t mean it’s worth rushing the choice of colour. Blue is an obvious necessity and it should be ideally mixed with a shade of white, but a soft and lighter shade of grey is also a great addition to this colour scheme. It’s worth trying a few different mixes and concentrations of soft ocean blues, nostalgic and minimalistic shades of white, and an occasional dash of contrasting grey. Take your time over deciding on which shades and combinations will work best for your size and shape of bathroom and try not to forget, too much use of deep blue can often make a bathroom seem too dark to really pull off this theme correctly.

2- Simplify Accessory Choices: It’s time to talk about accessories, although this theme almost demands one or two personal items to add character and to really push that “ocean beach” theme, too much or too many can make it seem tacky and false. A large conch shell is a perfect addition to the theme providing it’s real, and there’s only one of them. The soft shade of this type of shell is ideal for one corner of the bath, windowsill or bathroom shelf and really puts across the theme well, although it’s ideal if you actually go and find it on a beach for yourself. A brightly coloured beach towel to offset the soft shades of paint is a great idea too, orange or soft pink are perfect colours to contrast with the blue and white on the walls. An ocean view painting or two on the wall is again a great choice of accessory for this theme, but again it’s best if you find them somewhere a bit more personal rather than going to IKEA, or Amazon.

3- Fittings and Flooring: The ideal fittings for the ocean theme are a soft, slightly matt coloured metallic finish. A set of brightly shined chrome fittings can work, but if you’re going to choose a chrome  finish it’s best not to have a any brightly coloured accessories because it will become too much and remove focus from the style of the fittings. The floor should ideally be wood or laminate with a faux wood finish to create that naturalistic and nostalgic feel. If it’s not possible for you to obtain a wooden or laminate floor don’t despair there are a few other options for you. For example obtaining a rug in either white or soft grey to offset the blue walls is a great way of reinforcing the colour theme.

With a little forethought and some inspiration, creating your own personalised version of this classically chic bathroom theme is not a difficult task. By sticking to the simple hints and tips provided on this blog post, it’ll be hard to go too far wrong.

Posted in Bathroom design, DIY Hints & Tips | Comments Off

The Future’s Bright, The Future is… Infrared

May 16th, 2012 by admin

Infrared Automatic taps are a new and improved way to stay healthy, keep clean and prevent the spread of transferrable diseases; this is why families all over the country are swapping their grimy old taps for the more hygienic option. The design means that you simply wave your hand in front of the tap body to trigger the water flow; simple, effective and stylish.

The infra red sensor technology featured ensures that these taps are reliable and easy to use. Infra-red sensor taps are hygienic as the touch free system helps avoid the spread of germs and bacteria (also keeping the tap body free from dirty finger marks). Sensor technology also ensures water efficiency as the water supply is triggered by the detection of movement; this also helps prevent the risk of flooding.

The taps are well suited for either a public bathroom or for home use, there is a more simplistic design but all are stylish. Then infrared taps are a must, It’s a lot more hygienic and it looks extremely professional in a working environment.

This kind of tap is best suited to hospitals, nursing homes, places of food preparation and can also be used in your own home bathrooms and kitchens.

These are the perfect taps in terms of hygiene; no need to wonder who has touched the taps before you, because it’s completely contactless!

Posted in Bathroom design, General Articles, Uncategorized | Comments Off

The Modern Kitchen: Keeping the Balance

May 4th, 2012 by steph

Kitchens have heaps of potential when it comes to creating a stylish and modern space in your home; new styles in kitchen appliances, furniture, colour schemes and fixtures allow owners to create a wider range of themes and styles than ever before. There is however, the danger of going a little too far with your chosen theme by substituting substance for style.

Less is Always More

The key to creating a stylish kitchen that radiates style is subtlety; by replacing old features that serve a practical purpose you can add modern features, colours and styles without overly filling the space with clutter.

Source features and fixtures that express the design you are trying to convey; if you are looking to create a kitchen that is at the cutting edge of modern interior design then features such as the Deva Edge 118 Mixer Tap are sure to enhance the overall effectiveness of the kitchen’s appearance. The sleek, chrome appearance of a feature such as this adds to the effortlessly cool feel commonly found in modern bathrooms. Alternatively, those who are looking to create a more traditional, vintage kitchen would be better suited to fittings such as the Sagittarius Churchmans Kitchen Bib Tap and Stand, as a piece like this evokes a much more ‘classic kitchen’ feeling and yet supplies modern day quality and craftsmanship.

Colour Scheme Supreme

A stylish and contemporary kitchen requires a sleek, modern colour scheme to play host to your new range of features, fixtures and fittings. If you successfully choose a colour scheme that goes hand-in-hand with your new kitchen features then the finished product will be a truly remarkable sight, but if you choose a colour scheme that somehow contradicts the theme you have conveyed through your kitchen furniture and features it’s likely the finished product will look messy and inconsistent.

Modern, chrome fixtures and furniture is extremely versatile, they do not clash with any colours or patterns as such, but the ‘feel’ they give off is what we’re trying to match here. Intense, detailed floral wallpaper or curtains are usually features in more classic or ‘vintage’ kitchens, and white wooden furniture would be much better suited here. For the contemporary kitchen which features many chrome and metal features, a simpler colour scheme is much more effective.

If you are looking to create a kitchen with a bright, ‘summery’ appearance then vibrant colours such as light greens and dark blues can work well with the modern fixtures available for kitchens today. If you are looking to create a more contemporary kitchen with that slightly futuristic edge, adopt a mainly black or white (or a careful combination of the two!) for maximum effect.

Posted in DIY Hints & Tips, Kitchen design | Comments Off

Kitchen Fitters – Tips and Advice

May 2nd, 2012 by steph

Once you’ve chosen and purchased your kitchen furniture , there are still many decisions you need to make in order to acquire your ideal design and layout. Quality products will not be fully benefitted from if they are fitted incorrectly and therefore the task of finding the perfect tradesmen to fit the furniture is a highly important process.

Ensure you research fitters thoroughly, and if possible use companies which have been recommended to you by trusted family members or friends. Word of mouth is always a good way of gaining references and if possible, being able to witness the work carried out by such businesses will reinforce any uncertainties you may have. Fitters in your local area are commonly the most advisable as they are more likely to have worked close by and give you the opportunity to witness their previous work first hand.

Professional and well established companies should have their own site which enables previous customer reviews and responses for potential customers to look at. Independent businesses will heavily rely on self promotion and can sometimes miss lead clients to create work for themselves. Remember a business’s main aim is to generate revenue, and so some can manipulate people into believing their company is better than they actually are. There are specialised sites which concentrate solely on comparing these types of organisations and directing interest to the most trusted and well respected companies.

Sometimes it’s worth paying a little more for fitters who are trusted within the market rather than risking cheap labour which may end up costing more in the long run when the job is done to a poor standard. Experienced workers will have built up a trusted network over a number of years and will therefore be able to provide specialist members who are knowledgeable and highly qualified. If you ask for evidence of their skills, the workers in question should always be able to confirm their qualifications with certified documents.

It is always recommended to observe the work carried out by the labourers to ensure they’re doing the job well and accurately. Keep an eye on progress and don’t be afraid to ask any questions in order to gain the best understanding of the tasks they’re carrying out. The materials and tools they use will be a vital concept in the durance and longevity of the fitting so be aware of quality and again don’t be anxious to raise any concerns.

Get a quote on how much the job will cost before it is actually performed and don’t hand over any money before the job is complete and you are totally satisfied with the outcome. Once you are happy with your kitchen, enjoy, and pass on any contacts you have used in order to ensure that other people acquire the same level of quality service.

Posted in DIY Hints & Tips, General Articles, Kitchen design, Reviews | Comments Off

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