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Posts Tagged ‘design’


Choosing the Perfect Taps

November 12th, 2012 by steph

 

Choosing the taps for your bathroom can be an extremely difficult decision. Taps can often bring the decisive, finishing touch to the overall look of the room, which makes it vitally important that you make the right choice. The problem however, is that there are so many different factors to consider, that creating the right combination becomes much harder than you’d first expect. Not to worry though. Here you’ll find a selection of easy to follow tips, which will help you to make the right choices and add the perfect finishing touch to your bathroom décor.

Shape

The shape of your bathroom taps can have a massive impact on the rooms’ appearance. There is a wide selection of tap shapes; from square to spherical and round to semi-circular. The best way to optimise the style of the room through tap shape is to match them up with the mirrors. So, for example, if you have square mirrors purchase round taps, if you have circular mirrors purchase circular taps etc. This will add a feel of stylish consistency to your bathroom and allow both the mirror and the tap to blind into an overall interior design.

Bathroom Décor

The key to choosing the perfect tap lies mainly in the décor that surrounds it, meaning that modern taps suit a contemporary bathroom décor, whereas traditional taps suit a classical décor. So, for instance, a sleek, metallic style within the bathroom would be complimented perfectly by a curved tap with a chrome finish.

Ease of Use

Alongside style, the perfect tap must also be highly functional. This is hugely important, as you want the equipment in your bathroom to easy and quick to use. Taps that require twisting may be difficult for some people, like the elderly, to operate. Therefore, taps that offer easy use become a massive part of the decision process. You can purchase taps with an easy lift lever, or, if you have an ultra-modern bathroom, get rid of the handle all together with a sensor operated laser tap.

Flexibility

Continuing the need for functional taps, flexibility is another important factor in selecting your perfect tap. Some taps are fixed in one set position. Whilst this will probably not be a regular issue, there will be times when its lack of movement will restrict what you can achieve. Taps that swivel can be invaluable, especially if it is installed in a tight space, like a cloakroom suite, where there is little room to manoeuvre.

Keep these tips in mind and not only will your decision making process be a lot easier and quicker, you will also have the tap that is perfect for you, both in style and convenience.

Posted in Bathroom design | Comments Off

Tiling a Kitchen

July 9th, 2012 by steph

It’s no secret that kitchens can be very messy areas of the home from time to time; with so many delicious concoctions, soups and sauces being splashed around in various pans, pots and blenders, it can be difficult to keep the walls spotless. Modern fitted kitchens commonly incorporate an easy-wipe ‘splashback’ which is designed specifically to create wall space that can be situated next to cooking stations. These tiles walls can be a life-saver, so older kitchens that are due a facelift could really benefit from this.

In this quick, step-by-step guide we’ll be looking at the best way to begin tiling a kitchen; so without further delay, grab your overalls and let’s get started!

A Few Things worth Noting

Cutting tiles to fit around small corners or rounded edges can be more complicated than it may seem, so removing obstacles from your walls such as under-cupboard pelmets can prove to save a lot of time and effort. Pelmets are easily removed by simply unscrewing them from the base of the cupboard.

Measure the thickness of the tiles you have and compensate for this space by removing the equivalent at the ‘wall end’ of the pelmet. Plug sockets and fittings should also be removed, so also be sure to isolate the socket before any fittings are removed and wires are exposed.

Measure the width of the splashback area; be sure to find and mark the centre as this is where we will begin tiling from; taking a spirit level, mark a straight vertical line through the centre of the splashback area and straight to the bottom.

Be sure to get a ‘notched’ trowel before you begin, this will allow you to notch the adhesive quickly and properly.

Getting Started

Now the preliminary steps are taken care of, we can start to apply our adhesive; you needn’t use too much at once, applying it to a small area at a time allows you to take your time with each section. Be sure to apply the adhesive away from the edges of the splashback area; this will prevent you from having to use tile cuts (smaller pieces which have had to be cut to fit the small area that remains untiled). Once your area of adhesive is applied, you can begin to notch it (with the notched side of your trowel and place tile spacers at the base of the wall, keeping the tiles a suitable space from the bottom (which can be filled with sealant later).

When tiling a kitchen, each of the tiles applied to the wall must be spaced out with a tile spaced placed in the cross section located at the meeting point of 4 tiles. Tiling a kitchen requires lots of time and attention, you may find it beneficial to tackle one section at a time and leave each to set before returning to take on the next section.

Once the base has settled you can begin to move upward and outward, under cupboards and meeting the corners of the wall.

Finishing the Job

It is extremely likely that you will need to use cuts when tiling a kitchen, so be sure to accurately measure the space that remains to be filled as you begin to approach the end of the wall. Account for the space needed for filler (typically the width of the limbs on your tile spacer) on either side of the tile and then deduct this from the overall width or height of the tile.

So there we are; some preparation tips to ready you for the mammoth task that is tiling a kitchen!

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

Redesigning Your Bathroom for a New Season

June 28th, 2012 by steph

The fashion world is undoubtedly dominated by an ever changing group of ideologies based on an innumerable set of factors, which range from celebrity dress codes to designer opinions and even to current events and popular cultures.

Far from the unpredictable nature of the celebrity world of fashion where cuts, patterns and colours can go out of date in a week and styles can shift based on newly popular cultures, there is one ever potent factor which all stylists and fashion dedicated souls can rely on and follow. It is a shift which is as reliable and unavoidable as our seasons, and it is in fact these very times of change which create its rules and time frames.

The seasonal changes impact the fashion world as much, if not more than culturally relevant celebrities who must follow them. Autumnal and winter shifts bring darker shades and palettes into the spot light which become a fashionable excuse to wrap up warm and create a cosy atmosphere at home. Summer and spring in turn create their own colour codes, both for clothing and for in-house decor and decorating fashions.

Although it often hardly seems appropriate to even consider redecorating your entire house based on seasonal changes there are some rooms which can benefit from a season change each year. In particular the bathroom of any house hold can seriously benefit from a seasonal re-vamp based on the shifting temperature, light levels and time of year.

In winter and autumn darker shades help to retain actual warmth and create a cosy more home like feeling within what, let’s admit is one of the more personal rooms in any household. Where as in spring and summer a bright and reflective colour scheme helps the whole room seem a little bigger and will create a sense of space during a generally hot and humid seasonal change.

As well as the colour schemes and palettes there are other options to take into account which can make a huge difference to the feel of your bathroom during seasonal changes. For example the style, shape and colouring of your shower enclosure can have a huge effect on the size, functionality and stylistic preferences of your bathroom.

A bright chrome skeletal structure with a set of fully transparent glass panes can give a great, bright and open feeling during the summer and spring months. Where as a darker metallic frame and slightly more translucent set of panes can help to keep that more personal, warmer feeling during the colder and often more body conscious months of autumn and winter.

Remember it’s not only the colour and cut of your clothes which seasonal fashions should affect, it’s also the colour schemes and styles within your own home. Changing just a small number of simple things within certain rooms can really help to create the right sense of welcoming warmth, or open spacious light you need to maintain for the next two seasons.

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

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 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

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