Architectural Wood Turnings

It’s been a dozen years since my family has been living in our house, and its true to say that some of the interiors are in serious need for some TLC.

Unfortunately both the kitchen and bathroom seem to have reached the point of no return and it looks like a total revamp is going to be needed.

The question is where is the best place to start? Currently there seems to be a vast amount of kitchens and bathrooms available. Should you be thinking about a traditional style, maybe modern, or just go for the wow factor?

At present a few of our local DIY shops are offering some great deals on their bathrooms and kitchens, but is purchasing at the local DIY store always the best decision?

It could be that you might be better off buying from a specialist company. Currently some of the larger companies have some absolutely fantastic deals on offer. If you like you can choose Interest Free payments over a 24 month period, maybe for the kitchen you could get all of the electrical appliances thrown into the deal.  With the current economic market as it is, the choice is yours, and if you shop around you will be able to play one company off against another, ensuring you get the very best deal possible.

Of course, please bear in mind that even though you seem to be getting an absolute bargain, these firms are still making a profit out of you. Why not push that little bit harder to see how far they will drop their prices, you have nothing to loose by trying.

Another important consideration when revamping any room is accessories.  Kitchen accessories can make or break a room. You have to make sure they blend in well with the style of the kitchen. The bathroom is a bit of an easier room to transform.  Accessories for the bathroom can be easily mixed and matched, and changed from month to month.

The problem now is if we decorate both the kitchen and bathroom, our lounge is going to look a bit old and tired. Probably we could just invest in some homeware.  These could certainly brighten up the room and do not have to break the bank. With all this work going on, it looks like it is going to be a couple of very busy months ahead.

Tags: accessories, bathroom, ethical, home furnishings, homeware, kitchen

Any respected interior designer will often utter the words “it’s all in the details”. What they mean by this is that you can have lots of stunning colours, huge spaces and luxurious pieces of furniture, but unless your finish is high quality and you have the right accessories, you’ll never achieve a good look.Lets take a look at three easy ways to ensure your accessories don’t let your design down.

Keep With One Colour. Not many people can mix and match colours that well, so if its often best to keep to one. They don’t all have to be exactly the same tone, but it helps if they are all within a close range of a colour. For example, you might have some red pillows, with a red-pink clock on the wall and a ruby coloured candle stick set. Using all the same colour will reinforce the theme of a room and mean that there is less chance of different items clashing.

Qaulity Matters. If you scrimp and save on your accessories, the end result will be a finish that looks cheap. This does not been to say that all your accessories need to be expensive, but the items that stand out and that people interact with benefit from a bit of quality. Tableware for example is a key item to get right, as they are not only often closely inspected, but people actually use the items in everyday life.

Functional and Feature Items. As mentioned above, functional items are not the easiest things to get right. That said, these types of pieces often influence the look and feel of a room the most. Try to pick items that fit your personality. If, for example, you have never left the city you live in, don’t expect a mounted deer head on your wall to fit in with your style. However if you are a big whisky or wine drinker, having the right glassware on show looks good. You might have a glencairn whisky glass on show or some decanters, it really doesn’t matter as long as it represents you well.

Tags: accessories, decor, home, house