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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.

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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!

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Cutting Down Electricity Usage in your Kitchen

July 5th, 2012 by steph

Energy consumption in an average UK home in lighting appliances alone has more than doubled in the last 40 years, and it’s no secret that the cost of electricity is on the up too. In this quick tips guide, the Tapshop321 are hoping to help you shine a light on more ways to turn down the power on those ever-expensive electricity bills.

Monitor Your Usage

A great place to start is to purchase a wireless electricity monitor. These fantastic devices literally show you exactly how much electricity your home is using and how much it is costing you; turn off a few devices around your property and you will see the numbers change. This can help making the challenge of energy consumption much more real and achievable for you and your family.

Energy Conscious Products

There are tons of fantastic new products out there to help us reduce our monthly energy usage, and there is no simpler or easier way to do that than using energy saving light bulbs. Lighting accounts for an enormous part of our electricity bills and by installing these efficient bulbs, you will see the energy usage drop dramatically. The technology within these bulbs has advanced very quickly; the ‘warm-up time’ is barely noticeable and the quality of light is fantastic. Compared to traditional light bulbs, these energy saving fittings can last up to ten years, saving you further expenditure on replacement bulbs.

Energy conscious ‘intelligent sockets’ can save you an absolute fortune in energy costs; when you switch off the main gadget that is plugged into the master socket, any associated gadgets (such as a printer or monitor for example) that are plugged into the ‘slave sockets’ are automatically switched off too.

Spare a Thought

Some of the biggest contributors to the rise in energy consumption have to be the huge amount household gadgetry and appliances we have running 24/7. Just by turning off televisions and home computers at the wall, you could save you and average of £37 a year! Other gadgets such as mobile phones take up too much energy too; around 90% of the energy used when charging the phone is wasted as the charger is often left in long after the charge is complete.

A great way to reduce energy wastage when charging phones, laptops and other portable devices is to create a household ‘charging station’; long multi-sockets are available which feature a power switch for each socket on the device. This allows the user/s to reduce the power supply being fed to the multi socket once one device is fully charged.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to reduce the energy usage in your home; why not take the challenge and see exactly how much money and energy you can save over the coming year!

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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.

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Small Kitchen Design

April 23rd, 2012 by steph

Finding new and innovative ways to ensure each room in your home is as stylish and aesthetically desirable as possible is always a hot topic for homeowners. As popular styles and fashions change over time, it’s important that homeowners source modern products and fixtures which accentuate a contemporary style of interior design they are trying to create; this is all well and good in rooms and areas which have a lot of open of free space to play with, but smaller more compact rooms require a much more tactful approach.

May cottages, bungalows and standard homes all over the UK come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and it’s not uncommon for them to feature a smaller, compact kitchen. Transforming smaller kitchens such as these into a suave, sleek looking room requires a little forward planning and good use of organisational skills, so with that in mind let’s take a look at a few great small kitchen design ideas that radiate style without compromising on space!

Contemporary Fixtures

The small fixtures and features in your kitchen can have a huge influence on the style and ‘feel’ of the rest of the room. For example, choosing to add some of the Tapshop321 Traditional Kitchen Taps, your kitchen would evoke a classical and almost ‘vintage’ feeling; whereas a piece from our ‘modern kitchen taps’ range would add a more current and contemporary hint to the kitchen.

There are many styles in kitchen fixtures that you can incorporate into your small kitchen design, but it takes some forward planning to decide what theme you wish to adopt. Swapping out your standard old washbasin for a new countertop (of the same size, we’re trying to save space remember) and new fitted round basin can add a stylish new feature that your neighbour’s standard fitted kitchens certainly won’t have!

Use of Colour

When planning out your small kitchen design, try to incorporate a new colour scheme that fits perfectly with the theme you are looking to create. If you wish to create a light, summery kitchen the light tones of green or standard neutral cream, white or even peach tones may sit well in your home; alternatively a more modern and contemporary kitchen would likely benefit more from a black and white colour scheme, or a more vibrant red. Either way, is sure to carry the colour throughout the kitchen, if you can replace kitchen cupboards and draws with some which adhere to the colour scheme, you will add heaps of style to the room without taking up any extra space.

Add some colourful finishing touches to your rough draft of your small kitchen design by sourcing some kitchen accessories that continue the colour scheme and theme; dishcloths, cutlery, crockery and matts can all be bought to match, and if done correctly will add the perfect finishing touches to your kitchen.

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