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.

As society changes, tastes change, and something which is particularly popular amongst young first time home buyers today is the open plan kitchen.

Although combining your kitchen with your living room is not to everyone’s taste, there are a lot of advantages. Not only does an open plan kitchen allow you to cook spaciously without the common problems of narrow fitted kitchens with not enough space to manoeuvre, but also to chat and socialize with your guests or family whilst doing so.

One thing to bear in mind when deciding on this type of kitchen is the appliances you choose to decorate it with. Obviously they have to be practical, but also attractive to a certain extent as they are more on show than in a normal kitchen.

During a dinner party you may want your guests to notice your colour coordinated appliances or stylish pots and pans. Remember this doesn’t always mean extra expense, just a good sense of style.

If you boast a particularly large open plan kitchen, you might want to consider breaking up the space a little with such things as a breakfast bar or a small dining table. These things make your kitchen practical as well as stylish and become a popular way to bring the family together in an informal way.

A separate oven or stove top is a very attractive way to decorate your open plan kitchen and is not as pricey as it may seem. It all depends upon your individual needs of course, perhaps you prefer extra worktop space for the chef in you, or would rather have a larger oven for those numerous family members. However you choose to decorate, open plan fitted kitchens bring that modern and sociable touch to your kitchen that every household needs.

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 might not believe it, but it is entirely possible to make cheap bathroom suites look as good as more expensive ones so long as you know what you are doing. If you accessorise your bathroom appropriately, you can have it looking beautiful and tasteful regardless of how much the suite itself actually cost you.

When researching into accessories, you might want to start out by looking online. You will be able to get a much greater idea about how much prices on specific objects tend to vary, and often you will be able to find much better deals than you would by just walking into a store. Online, you have a far greater market at your fingertips, therefore although you might want to have a look at a high street store, an online specialist store is where you will get the best bargains.

To make bathroom suites look great, some small and simple accessories are a must. Towel racks will always look good, and you should make sure they go well with your suite. You might also want to match the towels on them with the colour of the bathroom. Storage cabinets are always a great idea too, especially if you’re stuck for space. These don’t have to cost a lot and can allow you to keep all your soaps, towels and such like together.

Additionally, you should think about your lighting. Lighting can really add to the atmosphere of clean white bathroom suites and cloakroom suites. There are many types of lighting you can go for, and what you pick will depend on the look you want to achieve. Whatever type of bulb you pick, you should ensure it imitates natural light, so don’t go for fluorescent lighting. Bulbs that emit very white or yellow light are best avoided, since this alter your perceived skin tone. LED lights are becoming more and more popular these days, and they can offer a good level of brightness while still producing relatively natural-feeling light.

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.

A garden can be a space for you to relax and indulge your love of nature. You may have just a few garden ornaments dotted around it, or you may have an elaborate display of plants and flowers.

Your garden is an area that can be enjoyed by you on your own quietly and by family and friends for entertaining. Your garden should be thought of as an extension of your cherished home. You can put your mark on it and design it in a way that best suits your personality, giving those extra finishing touches to a garden that you will be proud of.

The plants that you choose to display in your garden should represent your character and your individual style. Garden ornaments are also an extremely great way to add some personality to your outside space. There are so many different garden ornaments and wide varieties of garden statues on the market, that it can make it quite difficult to choose the ones that will suit your garden décor.

Some of the most popular garden ornaments that are purchased are often the ones formed like garden animals, as these garden ornaments tend to bring even the average garden to life. However, if you desire a garden that is that little bit different or bespoke, why not treat yourself to some retro gifts such as a bird bath; it can make your garden into a quaint little haven for you to enjoy. Why not look for the perfect garden ornament and get your garden looking beautiful for the summer.

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.

If only home improvement was as easy as TV property shows make it look. Nowadays, you can go into Homebase or B & Q to buy a pot of paint, and just because you watched someone do it last week on TV, you end up leaving with all the products you’ll need to re-tile your bathroom and rewire the entire house.

As George Clarke knocks down walls and converts lofts, it looks as though anyone can do it. It’s not impossible; it’s just that seeing it in a thirty second montage on a TV show seems to instill confidence in people who have never even held a hammer before. Unfortunately the shows don’t fully demonstrate the step by step methods of how you plaster a wall or repair a burst pipe. Lack of knowledge is what makes us stop and start all over again, leading us to leave projects for months, even years.

But what if there was another way? What if you could see someone demonstrate how to do it? Or ask an expert what they would do? All the days you’ve spent cursing the bathroom tiles for not staying on the wall because you bought the wrong grout or almost electrocuting yourself could be over. The National Home Improvement Show at Earls Court from 2^nd and 4^th October offers Home Improvement Masterclasses and over 200 exhibitors will be there showing inspirational products for your home. You’ll also get the opportunity to ask celebrity experts their opinions including about your DIY dilemmas.