Decor Ideas

The 3 Main Types of Home Lighting and How to Use Them

There are many home lighting solutions available. They serve different purposes, answer to different needs and are designed for different rooms. To know everything on

Recent Posts

The Top 9 Gardening Tips for Beginners

This is your go-to gardening guide now that you want to get into this beautiful and rewarding activity. It allows you to work outside and is great to relieve stress and improve mind and body. Whether you want to grow gorgeous flowers or organic produce, these tips have you covered.

How to get started

If you don’t have an actual yard space, just start a container mini-garden. Even if you do, we suggest you start small. With a beginner container garden, you can easily prevent weeds and ensure the fertility of the soil. Curiously, placing your container near a window or a back door to make you work on it while looking outdoors will trick your brain into start working on a bigger garden eventually.

Soil and drainage

soil 1024x683 - The Top 9 Gardening Tips for Beginners

Your container must have plenty of compost, which will translate in having good and dependable soil and drainage. Compost is essential to be a good gardener. And it’s easy to get. Save your food waste, especially fruit skins and cores, as well as egg shells and coffee. To ensure drainage, just make holes in the bottom and line in with rocks.

Location

Location is a top priority aspect. Know if your plant needs more sun or shade. Typically, plants need both. A solution is to have the container on wheels to move it around effortlessly.

The right types at the right time

right plant 1024x636 - The Top 9 Gardening Tips for Beginners

An amazing resource is the plan hardiness map from the US Department of Agriculture. It will let you know if the plants you’d like to grow will actually do so in your zone. Then, be sure of the right time to plant. You can read that information when you buy the seeds.

The best plants for beginners

Some plants are extremely easy to grow. We’re talking about tomatoes, onions, peppers, bush beans, chard and basil. When it comes to flowers, some beginner go-to choices are sunflowers, roses, dahlias, petunias and clematis.

Watering

watering 1024x768 - The Top 9 Gardening Tips for Beginners

Young plants need plenty of water, so pay attention to that. However, never wet the plant’s leaves. It can lead to rot, mold and overall sickness. As they grow, you must keep in mind this golden rule: give the sprouts an inch of water per week. If you start noticing some yellow leaves, that’s a sign of too much water.

Organic choices

organic 1024x683 - The Top 9 Gardening Tips for Beginners

If you are doing it yourself, one of the main concerns should be to go as organic as possible. The organic choices come up along the entire process, from soil and seed selection to fertilizing and pest control.

Trimming and pruning

This process is crucial to increase air circulation. It also helps you with the effort of never wetting the leaves.

Get a head start inside

You can start even before getting your mini-garden container. How? By using toiler paper rolls. Just seal one of the ends of the tube and you’re ready to go. Place several on a tray and grow different plants. See? There are no excuses to drag your decision to become a conscious beginner gardener.

The 3 Main Types of Home Lighting and How to Use Them

There are many home lighting solutions available. They serve different purposes, answer to different needs and are designed for different rooms. To know everything on how to choose correctly, follow our guide of the three main types of house lighting, how to use them effectively and which fixtures to choose.

Ambient/General lighting

gheneral light 1024x683 - The 3 Main Types of Home Lighting and How to Use Them

This is the most common type of home lighting. It’s a soft glow that covers the space enough and is not supposed to be too bright. At home, ambient light is created by making the room’s lighting as flat and seemingly natural as possible.

General lighting creates the perfect environment to relax or to perform activities that don’t require your close attention. These are some of the fixtures you can use to get ambient lighting.

Track lights

These work well with all ceilings and especially in bathrooms, living rooms and kitchens.

Chandeliers/pendants

chandeliers 1024x683 - The 3 Main Types of Home Lighting and How to Use Them

Perfect for tall ceilings. They can be hung higher or lower depending on the lighting needs.

Wall lights

These are great when placed sparingly across hallways and patios.

Task lighting

task light 1024x683 - The 3 Main Types of Home Lighting and How to Use Them

Task lights are smaller and more concentrated. They are the perfect solution for working environments and provide a finer light for cooking, sewing or writing. This lighting works best when contrasting, so the general lighting in the room should be low.

Task lighting naturally stimulates your brain. The contrast allows you to be more concentrated and alert and is proved to help deliver better working performances. That’s why offices often opt for this solution. Here is what to use to create task lighting:

Desk and floor lamps

The best fixtures for desks and tables around the house, including office, coffee and bedside furniture. Swing arm lamps are also great since they let you adjust the lighting anyway you want.

Under-cabinet lights

The ultimate solution for all tasks involved in cooking.

Vanity lights

Perfect for bathrooms and dressing rooms, and even for workstations and garages.

Pendants

The greatest advantage is that they can be hang directly above work spaces. They work perfectly in rows of desks and kitchen islands.

Accent lighting

accent light 1024x683 - The 3 Main Types of Home Lighting and How to Use Them

This is the lighting designed to draw attention to a specific point. It can be used to illuminate artwork and furniture and adds a lot of style to your home. It creates museum-like sophistication. What can you use?

Wall lights

The best choice to highlight paintings on art walls.

Recessed lights

Put them at the base of a wall to widely display art, textures or design pieces.

Landscape lights

Perfect to illuminate beautifully pathways, statues, architectural elements or holiday decorations.

Follow this essential home lighting guide and make sure you always choose your lights correctly from now on.

Advice on Kitchen Appliances With a Dash of Style

kitchen style

Among the household items that take up a sizable chunk of your budget are kitchen appliances. This is large because they last for a long duration and while this is the case, it is always important to buy the right appliances that meet the needs of your family and household. The key towards achieving this end is buying the right combination that matches up to your budget.

Kitchen appliance buying guidelines

Requirements

Before you start shopping, it is advisable to weigh your requirements and needs. This is crucial and it ensures you are satisfied with your investment. In some instances, it is advisable to spend more on chic appliances for the kitchen that are beneficial to you.

Size

It is important to note that kitchen appliances come in different sizes and styles. For this reason, it is important to choose one that matches up to your preferences. Also, you should not purchase appliances without measuring the space available. Make sure that you take careful measurements to avoid any unpleasant surprises. When going shopping, take a detailed note of what you are looking for with you. This will keep you focused on the mission at hand and ensure you make the right choice.

Cost

There are several factors that influence the cost of kitchen appliances. This includes the size and style and while you might be interested in saving money, it is imperative to ensure that you don’t settle for the cheapest model you come across. This is because this could work to your disadvantage. Note that you will only get what you pay for and as such, if you want the best, you must be willing to make some sacrifices. Also, when comparing different weighing prices, it is advisable to ask questions on delivery and installation and this is especially true when shopping online.

Features

Kitchen appliances development has come a long way and this has lead to development in features and options. For this reason, it is important to note that the higher the number of features and options included in an appliance, the more expensive it tends to be. For this reason, when shopping, it is advisable to take such factors into consideration to ensure that you make the best possible decision and hence get value for your money. Note that it is possible to cut down on these costs without necessarily having to compromise on the quality of the kitchen appliances.

Warranties

There are several companies that offer warranties and it is important to capitalize on this. The contrary popular belief that this could be an indication of substandard quality, it is important to note that it is a way of giving consumers peace of mind. It’s therefore advisable to use your own judgment to determine if you need to get an extra warranty or not.

Note that once you have looked into all these factors, it will be a trifle easier for you to make an informed decision when buying your kitchen appliances.

Some of the kitchen appliances you need at your home

1. The Fridge Freezer

Today, refrigerators are in the form of fridge freezers in the United States. These kitchen appliances are great for storing lots of food. You don’t have to spend a fortune to buy a fridge freezer because they can cost close to $500.

2. The Electric Stove

The only way you’ll be able to cook food in your kitchen is if you have an electric stove. An electric stove is simple to operate. A gas stove is a better option if you want better temperature control when you cook.

3. Elegant Small Appliances

There are many amazing small appliances including an ice cream maker, sausage maker, juicer, a pasta maker, a food processor, a waffle maker and more.

Water reverse osmosis in the kitchen is one of the most effective filtration methods to clean your water. It is a prolonged process because the input water must pass through small pores of the membrane. For home reverse osmosis it will take 2-3 hours for enough water to pass through the membrane to produce one gallon of water. Because it is so slow, they use small storage tanks holding 2-5 gallons. So, when you get water from the kitchen smile, it comes from the tank. Then it will slowly begin to refill the tank.

4. Basic Small Appliances

Other kitchen appliances you need for your home include a coffee maker, a coffee bean grinder, an espresso machine, reverse osmosis systems, a water filter garbage disposal, and a grill for your countertop. These are very handy to have when you are spending time in your kitchen. These are just some of the information you want to know about kitchen appliances before you start shopping. There are a lot of different kitchen appliances to consider. It is important to know what you want and need before you go shopping. List the kitchen appliances you need

Benefits of buying kitchen appliances

• Make life more luxurious and comfortable.

The appliances for the kitchen, in fact, make life more luxurious and comfortable. A fresh cup of coffee to start your day afresh or to keep working till late night is what a coffee maker can aid you with. Instant, heated, fresh food served right into your plate is what a microwave can offer you. A bread maker can help you prepare fresh bread for breakfast almost instantly to help everyone stay healthy and balanced on the nutritional chart.

• Available in an array of designs

Available in an array of designs, you can design your kitchen fashion around the style and look of your kitchen appliance or simply the other way round. So, don’t just keep cooking the traditional way, instead change your lifestyle with time and make cooking an easy, quick and tastier affair, which you never will say “No”, to indulge yourself in. Add ease, convenience and comfort in your kitchen and also the style and look through the kitchen appliances.

• Offer the latest and the newest technological advances

The kitchen appliances of today offer not just the latest and the newest technological advances but also energy efficiency, requiring low energy consumption than what the appliances utilized some years back, these simply help you save on the renewable sources. When considering appliances that should be placed in the kitchen, features, performance and price are the most important aspect one looks for. Also, is the look, that whether the kitchen appliances you are investing on will add to the kitchen’s look or not is what most buyers seek for as an important consideration.

Kitchen, one of the most interactive rooms in the house, is also the most important of all rooms. Here people, appliances and even work surfaces all work together to produce meals that are nutritious and tasty and keeps the family going. The kitchen appliances that assist with the food preparations are a great help for anyone working in the kitchen, and they in fact make the work get much easier and quicker.

8 Incredible Furniture Repurposing Ideas

The world of home furniture repurposing is vast and incredible. Some people come up with brilliant ideas, ranging from extremely simple to month-long projects.

Before dragging your old pieces of furniture, take a look at these eight fun and practical repurposing ideas. All of them are simple, quick and very enjoyable to work on.

Plant drawer

plant drawer 1 1024x683 - 8 Incredible Furniture Repurposing Ideas

An old side table with a single drawer is a great home for some flowers. And it’s so easy to repurpose. Just sand and paint the table, seal the drawer, fill it with soil and let it open to store a plant. It gives a nice touch indoors or outdoors.

Chair-bench

chair bench 1024x682 - 8 Incredible Furniture Repurposing Ideas

Repurpose your mismatched chairs and create a bench. Make sure all the chairs are the same height. After sanding and painting the chairs, you just need plywood, foam and fabric to stretch across them.

Rocking chair swing

rocking chair 1024x683 - 8 Incredible Furniture Repurposing Ideas

Imagine the added fun of using a rocking chair as a swing. The kids will be ecstatic. Instead of using a wood plank, use all the parts of the rocking chair except the legs. For this one, you need to use some more tools as well as rope, screws and hooks, but it’s still a simple project.

Dresser island

Two of the most necessary things in kitchens are storage and counterspace. This DIY hack responds to both. If your kitchen doesn’t have an island, sand and coat an old dresser and place it right in the middle. Apply a customized countertop and you’ll have a 2-in-1 place to work and store.

Bookcase nightstand

boocase 1024x641 - 8 Incredible Furniture Repurposing Ideas

The storage capacity of a bookcase answers to the need of having everything easily reachable, including books, boxes, gadgets and personal essentials. Apply a new coat of paint, contact paper and four legs to add height. Place your new nightstand right next to your bed.

Office crib

office crib 1024x683 - 8 Incredible Furniture Repurposing Ideas

Now that your kid grew out of the crib, what will you do with it? Remove one of the side rails and insert it inside the crib to create a shelf. Top the crib with glass or wood and you’ll have both a desk and a bookcase.

Puppy drawer

pupp drawer 1024x683 - 8 Incredible Furniture Repurposing Ideas

Offer your furry friend an original and comfortable new bed by just repurposing a drawer from an old dresser. You can also add legs. Paint it and stuff it and watch your dog take the best naps ever.

Door rack

door rack 1024x683 - 8 Incredible Furniture Repurposing Ideas

Doors offer countless repurposing opportunities. For this one, just remove a cabinet door, sand it, paint it and hang it. Then, get some strong wire hooks and you can make several coat racks with just one door.

Choose your first project and get to work!

10 Tips and Ideas for Stunning Wedding Decor

Weddings should be as unique, beautiful, warm and fun as possible. Whether you’re the one about to tie the knot or a designer, follow our guide to get it right.

The color palette

colors 1024x682 - 10 Tips and Ideas for Stunning Wedding Decor

Think about the colors for the wedding as a color palette and not just as two colors you want to combine. Decide on different shades and color coordination. It will add richness and feel to the visual experience.

Textures

texture 1024x683 - 10 Tips and Ideas for Stunning Wedding Decor

You can use different textures in a way that feels consistent with the overall style. The chair and table covers, as well as the sashes and linens come in a variety of different fabrics. Use fabrics as a way to create bold stylish statements.

The tables

tables 1 1024x683 - 10 Tips and Ideas for Stunning Wedding Decor

We are all accustomed to go to weddings and only see round tables with the dance floor in the middle. Changing the layout plan won’t cost you anything but can help create a brand-new atmosphere. Without being too messy, you can even use both round and square tables, with different sizes and heights.

Lighting

lighting 1024x768 - 10 Tips and Ideas for Stunning Wedding Decor

Innovative lighting ideas are now common-place at weddings. Lighting allows you to add personality and diversify the moods across various parts of the venue. You can even control the lights and switch between cooler and warmer shades throughout the event to suit the feel of each moment. This is an exciting way to change the atmosphere from song to song throughout the night.

The surroundings

surroundings 1024x683 - 10 Tips and Ideas for Stunning Wedding Decor

Take advantage of the surroundings. A wedding at a garden or park lets you take care of almost the entire decoration naturally, without having to rely on so much interior decor to set the ambience.

Decorations

decoration 1024x683 - 10 Tips and Ideas for Stunning Wedding Decor

The wedding decorations should be thoroughly planned before deciding on the menu or sending invitations. That’s because everything at the wedding must be coherent with the themes of the decoration. The way food is plated and presented as well as the design of the invitations are no exception.

The cake

cake 1024x862 - 10 Tips and Ideas for Stunning Wedding Decor

The cake is a decor item. It should be displayed prominently in the venue. Elevating the cake table can solely add grandeur to the room. Experiment with colors, flavors and textures. You can decorate it with fresh flowers and fruit.

The couple’s expression

couples experession 1024x683 - 10 Tips and Ideas for Stunning Wedding Decor

Ultimately, every single visual element must be an expression of the personalities of the couple. You should look at the final product and actually love it, while making sure it is also pleasing to the guests. On websites and magazines, there are very fun and innovative ideas to represent the couple’s individual interests and hobbies through decoration.

Now that you’ve went through our eight essential steps for beautiful and stylish wedding decoration, take a look at two specific ideas for the big day. The plus is that these are extremely simple and easy to do, but can simultaneously elevate the decor to a new level.

Drape the ceilings

Fabrics can turn the casual into elegant and unique. You can go with virtually any cooler or pastel color depending on the vibe.

Hang flowers and lanterns

flowers 1024x742 - 10 Tips and Ideas for Stunning Wedding Decor

This will fill up the space and make guests feel surrounded by the atmosphere. It can also help you save on carpeting and table pieces.

You have your mind swirling with ideas, right? Now go plan!

5 Tips for Choosing Your Home Furniture

It happens many times. You look at a piece of furniture and instantly love it. You just wish you could bring it home immediately. But you start thinking about everything that’s involved.

The right furniture for you and your house needs to go with the overall vibe and decoration. It needs to be functional and respond to your daily needs. It needs to be the right size depending on the room. And it needs to be as durable and affordable as possible.

That doesn’t mean you can’t combine aesthetics and functionality when buying furniture. Here are 5 tips.

Construction

construction 1024x683 - 5 Tips for Choosing Your Home Furniture

The piece must feel solid and robust while simultaneously not looking overwhelming when put in the room. Solid wood frames will last longer but you shouldn’t pay a fortune. Match your needs to your perceived quality-price ratio. Avoid particleboard and aluminum frames. When it comes to sofas and chairs, they need to feel comfortable. Always sit and test.

Design

design 1024x696 - 5 Tips for Choosing Your Home Furniture

The design of the furniture must be consistent with that of your other pieces. Are they trendy, vintage or timeless? Choose something that you know you will like when you see it every day.

Finish

Look for stains, exposed wood or inconsistent color. That doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t buy it. If you are into fixing or repurposing, that can be a great way to save money when buying the furniture.

Fabric

If the furniture will be used frequently, it’s suggested that you go with darker colors. If it is meant to be more formal or to serve a room that only hosts specific occasions, you can opt for lighter fabrics to give it a distinct touch.

Element of surprise

styl 1024x683 - 5 Tips for Choosing Your Home Furniture

Look for something with shape, style and personality that will be practical at the same time. The pieces of furniture you buy should be a reflection of your personal style. You don’t want to wake up every day in a house filled with block-like furniture with no distinctive elements.

Follow these 5 steps and get the perfect furniture tailored to you.

10 Tips for Lighting Your Home

The lighting in your home has much more of an impact than you may actually imagine. The distinct variations in natural light from dusk till dawn affect us psychologically and are one of the factors that explain our differences in mood, comfort and humor throughout the day. Our home lighting does just that.

Lighting can both help us feel better and work better. It can help us rest or be more productive. That’s why your lighting solutions should be different from room to room across the house. They should be adapted to the purpose of each place. This is even more important now that millions of people work from home and many do it in badly lit environments.

Nowadays, designers know the importance of multi-color lighting around the house and how to alternate between cooler or warmer lights in a way that contributes to the wellbeing of the inhabitants.

Take a look at some of the tips you should definitely consider when adding light to your home.

The kitchen

aaron huber 401200 unsplash 1024x678 - 10 Tips for Lighting Your Home

In the kitchen, you should try lighting the working surfaces directly. You can do so by using downlighters, strips under the cupboards and pendants. They should create layers of light instead of it coming from just one source.

Downlights

Downlights are very functional and affordable. But they won’t emphasize your decor or improve the atmosphere. Try thinking of other lighting solutions before opting for downlights.

Daylight

adeolu eletu 101178 unsplash 1024x702 - 10 Tips for Lighting Your Home

Artificial lighting will never surpass the quality and the benefits of the natural light. If you spend a lot of time at home you should go for a quick walk every day. Our bodies are not designed to constantly live under home lighting. Also, try eating and reading near the windows.

Switches

yung chang 108329 unsplash 1024x574 - 10 Tips for Lighting Your Home

Think about if you want two-way lighting switches or something different. Decide where they will be and if they should be adapted to kids. You can even opt for ways of controlling the lights that don’t involve switches.

Looking around for ideas

rodion kutsaev 48565 unsplash 1024x683 - 10 Tips for Lighting Your Home

Every time you go somewhere, whether it is your friend’s house or a café, look at the lighting choices. Public places like bars, hotels, book stores or restaurants often have very exciting, innovative and pleasing lighting solutions. Go to the department store and see how the model rooms are lit.

Sleeping lights

patrick tomasso 406271 unsplash 1024x769 - 10 Tips for Lighting Your Home

Ideally, we should sleep in complete darkness. Our body’s need for darkness while sleeping is just as important as the need for brightness during the day. Only when we are exposed to absolutely no exterior stimulae will our bodies release the natural healing hormones. If you prefer to have some kind of lighting, use low-level light in shades of amber or red.

There you have it. Some specific lighting recommendations that are not at all difficult to apply but can make a difference in your wellbeing. You should also never forget some of the more general home lighting rules, such as:

Planning ahead. You should decide on your lighting before completing your decoration. You need to consider how to apply cords, sockets and switches.

Covering all the main lighting points: general, temporary, functional and decorative.

Choosing energetically efficient bulbs such as LED or neon-compact.

Having a well-lit home office environment. Place lamps on the desks, nightstands, furniture of corners.

All of the tips we went through will make your home living more healthy, functional, fun and efficient.

Top