Category Archives: Home, Car, Yard, and Pets

7 Hacks To Make A Tiny Living Space Comfortable And Practical

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When you live in a small apartment or house it is important to make the most of every inch to feel comfortable. Multi-purpose furniture, proper organization and smart storage are all necessary to have a tidy, clean and uncluttered home. How do we make tiny living spaces seem spacious? Is that even possible? Here are 7 hacks to help you get inspired.

  1. Compact bedroom sets

Space-saving bedroom sets are meant to fit anywhere, particularly in tiny rooms that take up a lot of space. For example, you could have a sleeping platform installed in a bedroom rather than an average bed. This way you will double the sleeping space available. Younger kids will definitely enjoy climbing up the ladder to sleep at the top, while older ones can take the ground floor. Many compact bedroom sets feature storage spaces too. Some even have hidden tables with stools and desks. When you don’t have a lot of room for additional furniture, these sets are the perfect addition into your kids’ bedroom.

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  1. Elevated Platforms

Elevated platforms for working or sleeping are an excellent way of saving up space. When dealing with minimal square footage, we have a tendency to focus our attention on the ground space only, thus totally ignoring the upper space. If the room you’d like to decorate has enough height, then you should focus your attention on lofted designs, such as elevated storage, lift beds or working spaces. This way the space available on the floor remains free.

  1. Fold-up desks

Some people don’t use desks on a daily basis. So there’s no pointing in having a huge table occupying so much space in a room. A fold-up desk on the other hand, could be a much better alternative. Use it only when you need to and then wrap it nicely to make room for additional space activities.

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  1. Multi-purpose side furniture

Side furniture pieces with multiple purposes are an excellent way of saving space. Go for a custom-made model with a headboard or nightstand; this way you can slide over the bed and have breakfast on it in the morning without struggling too much. If you live in an apartment that’s really small, you could consider placing your desk by the bed, and give it a double purpose.

  1. All eye on the rug

For a room to look and feel comfortable it has to have a proper rug or carpet. To create the illusion of space, go for a geometric rug with squares or circles. Add a minimalist touch to the overall room and it will certainly appeal to other people’s senses. As for the dominant color, stick to neutrals; this way you’ll be able to decorate and redecorate numerous times without replacing the rug.

  1. Custom-made furniture

Many people believe that custom-made furniture is expensive. It doesn’t have to be. There are so many DIY projects available on the web you can do yourself. If you want to replace current kitchen cabinets, do it. But don’t throw away the old ones. Use them to build something else; maybe a console table for the hallway or nightstands for the bedroom. Custom handmade furniture is designed to fit specific spaces, particularly small ones. Put your imagination to good use and create something fun and practical for your home.

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  1. Fold-up beds

When attempting to maximize space it is important to consider practical furniture ideas. Fold-up beds for example, are excellent in tiny flats or compact rooms. They’re excellent when you have guests over and don’t have where to put them to sleep. Furthermore, if you live in a one-room apartment with very little room for roaming around, a fold-up bed might be exactly what you need to make space, and throw a little party every now and then.

Transforming tiny living spaces into practical and comfortable spaces is easier than meets the eye. It is important to focus on de-cluttering. Select compact or multi-purpose furniture and accessorize properly. Add mirrors to create the illusion of space and rugs to make yourself and your guests feel comfortable. Stay away from cold nuances and opt for warmer tones or neutrals to widen a room and make it seem airy.

Selling Your Home – Tricks Of The Trade To Help You Get Top Dollar By Jason Phillips

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Selling your home is easier than you think. It all comes down to several basic principles: marketability, price, and advertising skills. Hiring a competent realtor to sell your home is equally important; you think you can do it all on your own, but you’re wrong. Here are some cool tricks of the trade to help you get the best deal.
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Settle on the right price
Before putting your home up for sale you’d better find out how much is it worth first. After you’ve done that, shave about 15% off that price. You’ll instantly be pelted with bids from multiple buyers; and that will happen even if the market is not strong. They’ll start bidding and the initial price you gave will go up. Your house’s value will increase, although let’s not forget that we’re talking about an investment. You are taking a risk, so it is important that you know what you’re doing.

Pay more attention to half empty closets
Many home buyers crave for storage. If you want to make a good impression on potential investors, you are advised to empty your closets. Take your stuff out and make sure all storage spaces left available are neat and clean. This will create a positive impression. Buyers like to snoop around, so it is fundamental that your cabinets and closets look tidy and organized.

Let your home shine
Light up your home if you want to people to like it. Apart from an ideal location, buyers search for good lighting. This is key to purchasing a home. Nobody would want to invest in a property that’s dark and unappealing, so keep that in mind when putting your house up for sale. Take down all the drapes and curtains, make sure the light bulbs are bright, clean all windows and change the lampshades. Welcome as much natural light as possible and you’ll make your house appear welcoming and sellable.
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Hire an informed broker
Believe it or not, hiring an informed broker is easier said than done. There are so many inexperienced realtors out there who claim to be the best. Make sure yours knows what he’s doing. Perform a thorough check on his background before employing his services. He should be able to monitor multiple listing services, know property types that hit the market, as well as neighborhood comp. Go for someone who likes to use technology; a tech savvy broker will have all the tools necessary to help you sell your house at a convenient price.

Avoid over-upgrades
It’s always a good idea to go for quick fixes prior to putting your home up for sale. However, stay away from over-upgrades because you won’t any cash back. Significant improvements don’t pay off. As an alternative, you could stick to updates that are worth it. Painting the walls, cleaning the curtains, or even purchasing new ones, can be a convenient and effective way to make your home appear more welcoming.

Minor décor touches can go a very long way when aiming to sell a home. Replace cabinet hardware, door handles, and it might even be a good idea to place welcome mats at the entrance. Clean the grout too, and be sure to fix leaky faucets.

Depersonalize the home
When trying to sell your home it is important to depersonalize it. If you keep things that are too personal, buyers won’t be able to imagine themselves starting a life there. Put all your personal stuff in storage. Memorabilia collections, family photo and other personal keepsakes should go away. To maximize your home’s potential; you could consider hiring the services of a home stager. A stagger is a professional that will help you arrange the furniture in order to maximize the space available.
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All eyes on the kitchen
Many home buyers would say that a house’s most important room is the kitchen. There are endless benefits to remodeling a kitchen prior to making the sale. The best part is that you have 85% chances of getting back the sum invested. The most convenient, fastest kitchen updates are painting and replacing old cabinet hardware. Stick to a neutral color in order to allow the buyer to envision a personal style.

Whether you’re selling a property in Turkey to a foreign investor or you’d rather stick to the US marketplace, it is essential that you abide by several basic principles to get top dollar. And believe it or not, sometimes the most effective upgrades are the simplest.

Money Saving Home Decorating Ideas By Lubna Ali Khan

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1~ You can always go out in your backyard to find beautiful things like cones or flowers and bring them in your home to add a beautiful and natural feel to the room.

 

2~ A room’s floors can add to its beauty because floors are an important element. Redoing hardwood floors can be very expensive so you can place rugs or carpets instead. They create a sense of warmth and coziness in the room. You can look for amazing overdyed rugs for sale and pick the ones that are the best match for your home.

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Photo credit: http://www.mybutterfly.com

 

3~ Decorate with affordable toss pillows. Toss pillows are relatively affordable and the right pattern and color can really add an impact to your space.

 

4~ You can look in magazines or on the web to find a room that speaks to you. You can choose picture of a high end room and then mimic that in your space. Look at all the details of the room that you like and recreate those details in your space by going to inexpensive and budget friendly stores. Look at the placement and execute your design.

 

5~ Make sure that those budget friendly things are not low on quality. The last thing you want for your home is to look like you have designed it with a bunch of second hand items. Plus it won’t come together like you want it to.

 

6~ Calender’s are an excellent budget friendly way to get artwork in your home. Basically they’re printed on quality paper and they look good when framed. You can get inexpensive frames from yard sales, discount stores or thrift shops. If they look old then you can always paint them a nice color to give them a fresh new look.

 

7~ Take your time and don’t feel like you have to rush in and design your home all at once. If you do that you won’t be happy with it because you rushed into it.

 

8~ Take your old furniture pieces that are worn out but are in a great condition and paint them white to make them refresh and new again. Painting anything white totally brightens up the room.

 

9~ If you don’t have the time and money to spend on curtains then you can take some spare bed sheets and make curtains out of them.

 

10~ If you keep your eye out then you can get really good deals on furniture. You can go to auctions, yard sales or garage sales to buy inexpensive furniture or decorating items.

 

11~ You can make your own picture frames by repainting old frames and gluing pearls or beads on them to make them more sparkly and pretty.

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Photo credit: http://www.theotherduckling.co.uk

 

12~ If you’re tired and bored of looking at the same sofas everyday then instead of buying a new sofa set or dining chairs you can simply change the fabric as the trends change over time. This is an inexpensive way to make your home look completely different and better.

Author Bio: This article was written by Lubna Ali Khan. She is passionate about home improvement, beauty, arts, writing, healthy living and entrepreneurship. She blogs at alrug

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Patterns Of Roman Blinds To Complement & Update Your Home Décor By Jason Phillips

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Roman blinds are a design classic – often neater than curtains, and simple, clean and effective. Of course, it’s always easy to fall into the trap of assuming they’re dull, but that’s just because you’re not looking in the right places! Roman blinds are incredibly versatile, and there are tons of creative patterns out there that you can use to complement and update your home decor.

Go Bold

Think big, bold and bright. If you’re finding your room a little dull – perhaps it’s cream, beige or a lovely shade of grey – add some wow in by picking some big bold patterned blinds. Think modern art and geometric patterns. Whether it’s vibrant reds, electric blues or hot pinks, adding a splash of color to your blinds is a great way to bring color into a room without having to repaint the walls. Don’t worry about it clashing either – as long as you’re careful, clashing colors can be just as fun as matching ones. Try this color wheel for which colors you can pair together safely as opposites.

Think Floral

If you’re after a cosy, quaint look, go for a classic floral. Whether it’s tiny little flowers dotted across a pastel background, or big, blocky roses, a good floral is great for adding a homey feel to your room. If you’ve got a particularly large window, you could even get one of the on-trend patterns with some birds worked in too – but be careful with smaller spaces, because you don’t want too heavy a pattern.

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Travel Time

If you’re the kind of person who loves to travel – or even just loves the idea of it – why not pick something along those lines? Old-world style maps are in fashion at the moment, and instead of trying to find space for a print of one, why not make use of that blind space you’ve got? Or, for the more modern-thinking among you, go for something particular – whether it’s a map of the world, one continent or even one city. If you can’t find blinds with the map you want in style, it’s always worth seeing if you can get the fabric printed – or for the particularly brave, try it yourself!

Cutesy

Cute isn’t just for kids. If you want elephants following each other trunk-to-tail, pink owls sitting in trees or dinosaurs stomping around, then go for it! Adding some whimsy to your room can add a hint of quirky fun. This is especially good for home offices, or other spaces where you’re starting to feel a little bit too grown up. After all, the only difference between the children’s range and the adult’s range of made to measure blinds is the name – so just ignore it!

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Stripes

You can’t go wrong with stripes. If you liked the sounds of bold colors, but are a bit nervous about having the whole roman blinds that shade, then why not work it in in stripe form? Whether it’s ombre, a gradient or even just harmonious color, stripes let you play around with bright shades without the risk of it becoming too much for the eye. Vertical or horizontal can both work, though we recommend vertical if you want the window to look taller, and horizontal for wider.

Faux-Wood

If you like the idea of wooden blinds, but prefers the practicality of fabric roman blinds, then why not go for faux-wood style? Enjoy the benefits of blackout fabric and the ease of opening/closing them, with the great aesthetic of wood. From deep mahoganies to fine bamboo, there’s a print out there for everyone.

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If none of these appeal to you, you can always DIY things! If you’re especially sure in your sewing skills, take some plain blinds and jazz them up – and if you’re not, you’ll be able to find someone in your area who can. This way you can pick exactly what you want – whether it’s cheeky unicorn print fabrics, classy brocades or even an elegant Japanese silk, you’ll be able to find a fun and creative print to match your decor. You could even get some fabric paint and go to town with a design all of your own invention!

Do You Make These Simple Mistakes While Selecting Entrance Mats? – By Jason Phillips

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Moisture and debris trapped inside homes or buildings can damage flooring surfaces severely. Basically, this mean you’ll have to mop, sweep and vacuum a lot more often. An entrance mat is the only support you have against harmful debris, dirt, and grit. This is a much cheaper solution than replacing floors. Furthermore, it’s a lot safer too; nobody likes to walk on wet floors. Entrance mats are not that expensive and they don’t even require a lot of attention.

Any type of facility, whether home or office buildings, demands entrance matting. They’re an excellent protective layer from falls and slips. Companies and homes should have such a mat at the entrance because they control the amount of dirt that enters that building; on top of that, they’re trendy and are available in all kinds of interesting models and designs. In special circumstances, entrance mats are also warning signs or advertising billboards. Considering they have such a diversified purpose, they do demand care and maintenance to function correctly and effectively. A lot of people don’t know how to purchase mats. They often make the mistake of buying the wrong size or they don’t think that material is important.

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Invest in Adequate Mats

Entrance mats come in a wealth of qualities and types. When it comes to keeping floors protected, there’s no room for compromise. It is important to invest in a powerful entrance matting system. Generally speaking, there are 2 common types of entrance mats used. The first type is a blending mat that removes larger quantities of debris, moisture and dirt from people’s shoes. These have various tufting levels, which basically mean that they scrape the shoe very efficiently, removing dirt and trapping it on the mat.

The 2nd type of commercial matting system has a wiper or finishing at the bottom. It is best during the warm seasons when people’s shoes are mainly filled with dust. As a company, you are advised to opt for a matting system. Placed correctly in areas with intense traffic, these have the capacity to trap as much as 90% of dirt.

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Periodic cleaning of your mats is mandatory

For a space to remain clean the owners must clean their mats periodically. Vacuuming a mat is the easiest way, although if you have anti static mats made of rubber, you can just shake them weekly and wash them every month with warm water. Dirt that gets trapped on a mat doesn’t spread throughout the premises of a home or building. If you make the mistake of buying a cheap mat, you’ll have to mop and vacuum the floor a lot more often to keep the air breathable.

Vacuuming mats properly – how to avoid mistakes

Many people don’t vacuum their entrance mats. They usually change them when they notice they are filled with dirt. This is a huge mistake because by the time you’ll notice the dirt, a large portion has already managed to lie on the floor of that building. Opt for vacuuming using a backpack or canister, or direct suction because the brush on upright vacuum cleaners has the capacity to stir up dust in various levels on mats with different styles and materials. Vacuums with direct suction provide deep cleaning; they use a carpet extractor when it’s impossible to wash them with pressure or hose them out. Avoid using soap during the process, or use in very small quantities. In wintertime, vinegar or a neutralizer are excellent; they remove salt residue thus keeping floors (and mats) protected. After you’ve cleaned them, make sure to leave them to dry. Don’t make the mistake of placing them back on the floor while they’re wet. Leave them on a fence to dry for a few hours.

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Don’t postpone the replacement of a mat

Extending the life or a doormat is a mistake. At some point, you will be compelled to replace a current mat with a new one. Sadly, very few people know when to do that and most of them do it too late. When mats don’t get replaced on time, cleaning a whole building become a nightmare. You risk spending over $1000 in equipment and maintenance, and you certainly don’t want that to happen.