Homestyle Gossip

Many newlyweds spend so much time coming down from the excitement of the wedding that they forget about starting their new life together. A bedroom should be like a sanctuary; an escape from your stressful lives. When you are in your bedroom, you should be able to relax and unwind from the stress of the day. For this reason, when you decide to decorate your bedroom, there are many factors that you should keep in mind.
The mattress is the most important part of any bedroom, and as a newlywed, you definitely want to make your bed the focal point. Before you get married, try to save up some extra money to buy a quality mattress. Mattresses are an important aspect of the bedroom because having the right mattress will ensure that you and your spouse have a comfortable sleeping experience. The last thing you want is to wake up every morning wishing your bed was more comfortable. The best way to find the right mattress for your bedroom is to do your research. It can helpful to spend time in a mattress store testing different mattresses to see which one feels the most comfortable to you and your spouse.

After you choose the best mattress, you should choose a bed and bedding that makes you happy when you see it. Because it is not necessarily a good idea to paint the walls of your bedroom a bright color, you should accent the wall color with colorful bedding and pillows. Be sure that you don’t overpower your bed with pillows because you want your bed to be a haven, not a burden.
Choosing a paint color for the walls is almost as important as choosing the right mattresses. Try to avoid overly bright colors, instead choose warm, golden colors, such as a warm yellow or subtle green. You want pick colors that will relax and calm your nerves.
Lighting is what really helps to set the mood of your bedroom, so when you choose lighting make sure that you pick lighting options that will reinforce the warm feel of your bedroom wall color. You should consider having a light with a dimmer so you can easily adjust the light according to the mood. If you love the look of candles but you could do without the wax, flameless candles can solve your dilemma.
Try to avoid cluttering your room with too many accessories. Of course you want your room to be comfortable, but you don’t want to feel that you have too many pieces of furniture overpowering your bed. Try to stick to simple pieces such as lamps and end tables and reserve the larger furniture to the rest of your house.
If you were previously married or lived with significant other in the past, it is not a good idea to hold onto those items. Having reminders of a past relationship in your bedroom can cause problems in your marriage. If you must keep furniture items from a past relationship, do your best to avoid having those items in the bedroom.
Before making big changes to your bedroom it is a good idea to discuss your ideas with your spouse. Being a newlywed should be a fun time that helps you build a strong foundation for your life together, so the last thing you want to do is start a fight over your bedroom decor.

When renovating a house, there are many decisions involved regarding style. These can be hard decisions especially if you are planning on selling the property after it’s finished. Catering to other people’s tastes can be a tricky job. For a bathroom, a simple Scandinavian design could be exactly what you’re looking for. It embodies simplicity, elegance and a little bit of luxury, which is something everyone will love. You may be wondering how you can create this look without appearing to have tried too hard.

Depending on the size of your bathroom, there are a few things you might want to do. Firstly, decide on the colour scheme. For a Scandinavian bathroom you’ll want something natural, and simple. Don’t go overboard with colour. Light coloured wood is an obvious choice for furniture, and even the floors. If you can build furniture into the walls this is even better as it will make a more economical use of the space you have and keep the design simple.

For the walls, tiles are a good choice but opt for larger tiles rather than lots of little ones. Elegant black tiles can look fantastic, or if you have a smaller space, then opt for something lighter. Now for the main event – the suite. When looking at bathroom suites keep relaxation and luxury in mind. A whirlpool bath is a must have, and if you have the space, a separate shower enclosure adds to the luxury. Choose a shower bath suite if your space does not allow for separate shower and bath, this will allow you to enjoy both. Now, for the piece de resistance; if you can afford it, consider getting your very own sauna. You can step out of your sauna into an invigorating waterfall of a shower and round it off with a relaxing soak in your whirlpool. The only danger is that you’ll never want to leave.

You can have the most comfortable and softest bed ever, however no bed is ever complete without the correct bed lining. You’d be surprised at how much bedding can end up costing, but it’s important to remember that you (should be) spending 8 hours a day in your bed…that’s a third of your entire day! Therefore, if you think about it, it probably is worth spending a little bit more to ensure your comfort in your bed, as the same sets of bed linen, like a good mattress will keep you going for quite a while.

The 3 main points to look out for when searching for the best bed linen of the highest quality are the following:

-       Material – for durability

-       Thread Count – for softness

-       Style

Different materials for bed sheets include cotton, Egyptian cotton, linen, and satin. All of these have pros and cons depending on what you are after. The key is to get 3 full sets of whatever type of bed linen you most prefer. One for the bed, a second one for the laundry and a third one to keep in the linen closed just in case. Remember, if you have just spent a long time picking the right bed sheets for your home, its not something you would want to do again anytime soon, so its always better to get some repeats, that way if you have extras you don’t have to worry about having to buy get new linen to replace the old.

A full bedding set includes a flat sheet, a fitted sheet and two pillowcases. Alongside this, the extras you can include to improve the aesthetics are a throw, a duvet cover and some decorative pillows to place on top. These extras can be essential to set the tone for the ambience of the room.

The “brave new world” of the Art Deco period combined functionality with simplicity, and beauty with elegance. For this reason, retro gifts evoking the Art Deco look of the 1920s and 1930s are eternally popular. Retro clocks, especially, make excellent nostalgic gifts for all age groups. Instantly evocative, but never kitsch, they fit into any interior décor scheme, be it traditional or modern.

Art Deco had a number of influences – a major one being the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb, in 1922. Egyptian design was a direct influence on the towering pyramid spires of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler building – which in turn influenced interior decor. “Skyscraper” clocks, which took elements of modernist architecture and recreated them in semi-precious materials such as jade, marble and onyx, are just as popular today.
Jazz age retro gifts are characterised by their recreation of materials like Bakelite and chrome – both considered daring and new in the 1930s. Art Deco Bakelite wall and mantle clocks were found everywhere, from public railway stations to film stars’ homes. They varied from simple, round wall clocks to elaborate “Lady” mantle clocks, which combined geometric designs with beautiful and elaborate statuettes in bronze, spelter and pewter.
Statue clocks are especially evocative of the Art Deco period, and make beautiful and unusual retro gifts. The art inspiration came from many sources, including classic Egyptian art and Greek mythology. Although the majority were female, classic male figures like Hercules were also depicted. Modern influences included Hollywood, Olympic gymnasts and jazz music. Statue clocks are among the most evocative and collectible of all nostalgic gifts.

The bed is a statement item in any home but if you want to push the boundaries why not try some of the following statement bed ideas:

The Wrought Canopy Bed

A contemporary piece for the garden for ultimate relaxation

The James Bond Bed - you may have trouble finding a mattress to suit!

A Circular Bed – Circular mattresses could become popular!

Why not try something different for the bedroom!

British taste in style is a somewhat acquired taste, like with the Japanese;

As a matter of fact, London is one of the only places in the world where you can punk, gothic and posh in the same area. Even your grandma could have her hair dyed pink and it wouldn’t shock anyone.
With this said, London is considered one of the trendiest and fashionable cities in the world.
So thumbs up to fashion but how does the British sense of style tally up against other areas of aesthetic appreciation? Home decor for instance? Let’s be honest, not as well. Exhibit A: The Royal Family

So let us paint a picture of the traditional British home decor. Over to the left there is a lovely wall hanging plate
providing a reminder of our biggest loss since Robbie decided to leave Take That. Anybody for a cup of tea in an exclusive Prince Charles mug? Milk, and two sugars please.
Come sit and enjoy your tea here on our well-worn brown sofa and enjoy, whilst taking in the sites of this revolutionary design style. Ooh this is going down a right treat, cushty!
So does British sense of style transcend to the home? In the words of Les Dennis “Our survey said…..YES!”
What you call tacky contributes to that homely cosy feel you can’t get anywhere else. Take for example the union jack printed accessories. All over the house, and you are borderline football hooligan, but in proportion you are subtley displaying patriotism whilst being accommodating to guests. Can’t do more British than that can you?
Just remember, it is all about moderation. You don’t want to go crazy and end up with this;

The union jack is the great British symbol, and we all know we are in England with the bad weather and soppy morning attitude. We don’t need it painted on houses to help confirm our location.
Why not the union jack cushion? When you think about it, it can go with everything and pretty much everywhere (on your couch, on a chair, on your shelves or even on your bed!).
It defies design convention and adds that sense of fun and quirkiness to the home. Plus, it gives you something to grip with nerves during England’s inevitable penalty shoot out in the quarter finals of the World Cup.
All this excitement is too much. Where is my prince Charles mug, I need a cuppa!

The bathroom is one of the two rooms in the home that can be redesigned to add the most value, along with the kitchen. A new bathroom suite can set you back anything from a few hundred pounds to several thousand pounds, and can add thousands to the value of the home. With the current housing crisis the way that it is, adding value to your home for the long haul is a solid investment. It is certainly a better alternative than selling your home in a deflated market.

When choosing from bathroom suites there are many different styles and options available, depending on what you’re looking for and what fits in with the style of your property. One option that is popular among new flat developments is wet rooms, where the shower and the sink are contained within a waterproof room. This is also popular for people who struggle to get in and out of the shower.

One of the most basic choices to make when looking at bathroom suites is whether you have a bath, a shower or both. This is dependent on the space available and whether the bathroom suite is for a family with children.

A classic option for a bathroom suite is a freestanding bath. Freestanding baths look great in larger bathrooms, which are often found in big Victorian or Georgian houses.

The options with bathroom suites are numerous and are only limited by cost and space.

Your bedroom should be your sanctuary where you can recharge and refresh.  The ancient method of Feng Shui helps promote well being and inner peace, resulting in happiness and success. It is important to help Chi energy flow by using Feng Shui to layout your bedroom. Follow these tips for bedroom bliss:

1.    Your Beds Position
Your beds position is very important. It should be positioned so you can see the door but also be as far away from the door as possible.  This helps to promote a sense of safety as you sleep.

2.    Clutter
It is important to get rid of clutter under your bed as this can cause negative energy flows and disrupt your sleep.

3.    Bed Quality
The quality of your bed is also important. Your bed is symbolic of your wellbeing so you should invest in a good quality bed and mattress.  Beware of used mattresses as bad energy might have accumulated from a previous owner.

4.    Pointed Corners
You should not have pointed corners aimed at the bed. Items with square corners should be moved away from the bed or another item should be moved in front of them.  These sharp corners are named ‘pointed arrows’ as they direct negative energy towards you as you sleep.

5.    Use Warm and Calming Colours.
Colour can affect your mood and different colours carry a whole host of cultural and spiritual symbology. Feng shui practitioners recommend warm and cosy colours for a soothing atmosphere.

Most of us look for usability, safety and stability in staircases and leave the design last. This is a top ten of some of the most amazing staircases in the world.  These stairs go far beyond the simple designs we usually encounter and constitute real works of art.

Stairs of undulating steel

DNA stairs

Alternating stairs

Slide stairs

The miraculous staircase

Staircase drawers

Bookshelf stairs

Hanging spirals

Stairs as storage space

Floating on a Wall

Source: The Wooden Hill Company.

When I think of London I think crammed living spaces, traditional town houses & duplexes and statements like “wow, you have a garden? That’s amazing”…

But the lifestyles of the rich and famous are definitely on a whole different level of comfort, modernity and class. Check out some images of London’s luxury homes.

Property 1:

Property 2:

Property 3:

Property 4:

Property 5: