Category — Live

Paint is undoubtedly the world’s most popular wall treatment due to the fact that it is widely available and relatively cheap. Clever play of colours can draw attention to or away from objects or accents within a room. But what about wallpaper? I’m certain everyone’s seen the brilliant effects wallpaper can have in living spaces but many are often apprehensive due to the common perceptions that surround wallpaper such as:

• high costs involved
• more maintenance required
• isn’t long lasting

Whilst it is true that wallpaper often cost more than painting to decorate a living space, the aesthetic impact of wallpaper is unmatched, unless you’ve got an artist of Michelangelo’s skill to paint you a fresco. Modern wallpaper also last a lot longer (on average 10-15 years) compared to paint which requires repainting every several years. Most modern wallpaper these days offer easy wipe-down cleaning capabilities, voiding user worries about difficulty of wallpaper maintenance. Also, modern wallpaper is no longer difficult to be uninstalled, unlike previous generation wallpaper.

I personally am a fan of wallpaper simply because of the myriad choices available to bring out character and warmth in a living space. It is much more widely available and implemented in modern homes these days and if you really have been thinking about the ’should-I’ or ’should-I-not’ for doing your place up with wallpaper, I’m suggesting you lean towards trying it out – if you’re not adventurous, try it out on a small piece of wall as a feature instead.

Here’s a list of advantages of wallpapering a living space:

• cost effective in the long run
• easy to remove (if you change your mind about it)
• unmatched aesthetic and artistic qualities
• vast number of design choices
• can be used to mimic metallic, wooden, silky, leather, suede, grainy surfaces
• add texture (either through visual motifs or actual textured wallpaper) to walls to hide surface imperfections and cracks
• add character, warmth and oomph to your living space

Coming up: A How’sHouse wallpaper review

Many might not know this but paints typically contain VOC (volatile organic compounds) and it is the VOC in paints that gives it the odour which can cause headaches and nausea. When I was much younger and we had our family home interior repainted every several years, all I really remembered from that experience was my thoughts on how difficult it must be to be a painter because he had to endure the strong odours emitted by the paints.

My mom’s express orders were for us to remain in the designated room that was not yet painted to stay away from the odours. Or she would take us out shopping, which was by far, the more favourable choice. Being exposed to VOC can cause respiratory and allergy issues amongst children and in adults – throat, eyes and nose irritation, on top of the headaches and nausea. Long term exposure could result also in damage to the central nervous system, liver and kidneys. VOCs also affect the environment adversely.

Today, we’re fortunate to have ‘greener’ paints, with near zero VOC. For homeowners looking to repaint or to paint your home, I suggest using ‘green’ paints such as the Nippon Odour-less Premium All-in-One as it does not have the adverse effects of paints with typical VOC concentrations. Painting your home with odourless paints makes the transition of moving in a lot easier, minimizing health risks, especially if you have children. I would definitely recommend parents with infants to apply only odourless paints with near zero VOC levels as infants are more susceptible to respiratory and allergy issues.

What exactly is a conservatory? A conservatory is typically a glass and metal structure traditionally found in the gardens of large houses or public parks. However, these days, conservatories are commonly used as ‘extensions’ to the home, housing plants and greenery for home improvement purposes.

Whilst it is not so common in Malaysia, conservatories are highly common in temperate countries such as the United Kingdom. Glass is the key material to an effective conservatory to allow the right amount of sunlight in for optimum plant growth. Some of the more popular variants to which the glass paneling is implemented are the dwarf wall, raised panel and full height panel options. Both the dwarf wall and raised panel options allow for the conservatory to have a solid non-glass base whilst the full height panel option has glass install from floor to ceiling, allowing maximum light.

Common styles include Victorian, Edwardian, P-shaped and the Double Hipped. More modern implementations usually lean towards the Double Hipped. If you’re thinking about having a conservatory in your home, a really great resource would be Conservatory Prices. The guys at the site have done a great job creating a one-stop centre for home owners looking to build conservatories, especially in the UK. From a knowledge perspective, the site provides you with a simply blog to better understand conservatories – the benefits and aspects of implementation. The site also offers its users the facility to get quotes for a conservatory based on your input and specifications.

If that’s not enough, they are also big on the DIY conservatories scene, allowing its users to create their own conservatories by providing DIY packages which help ease the implementation in terms of effort and time. One day, when I have the opportunity to build my house from the ground up, I’ll be certain to include a conservatory with a very cozy patio set smack in the middle of it and sunlight coming from the sides and top. Remember, a conservatory doesn’t necessarily have to house plants – you could frost out the glass and use it as a living space basked in natural sunlight.

With styles and designs changing all the time, it is often hard to decide on one specific style and commit to purchasing a sofa. Because sofas are such a financial investment for most people it is essential that you feel confident that you are making the right purchase for you. There is nothing worse than buying a sofa only to stumble upon the one you really want one week later.

Although this risk can never be totally removed there are things you can do to reduce the possibility.

Firstly work out all the local stores in your surrounding area. Take the time to visit them all one weekend. Take pictures of all the sofas you like and take note of the basic details to ensure you have a record for later on. Doing this makes sure you will not stroll in to a sofa store weeks later and realise you had forgot about a sofa you viewed. It may even make sense to rate the sofa on comfort so you at least have some metric for this important factor.

The next step is to spend a few evenings checking out design and interior blogs. Doing this will give you a good understanding of the latest trends and styles. Make sure to print out all of your favourite visuals from the blogs you have been checking out.  This process will also give you an idea about how your space could be changed to accommodate a certain style of sofa. Often it is the room that your sofa is going to be located that drives your sofa choice rather than the actual sofa itself. Make sure you realise that a wall can be painted in second but a sofas appearance cannot be altered.

Once you have done this it is also advisable to check out 4-5 of the major sofa retailers online. Often there are great deals to be found online and you may even be able to purchase a sofa you have tested offline online. Many of the major high street retailers also have a strong online presence offering great deals and offers. Trying a product on the high street and then buying online is usually the most cost effective way of buying. Remember to scour the internet for a good few hours or until you feel you have a clear view of what is available.

Print your visual references out, print the photos from your weekend shopping around, compare notes and make the best decision you can.

This process should make you feel confident in your decision.

Good luck, I hope this helped!

When i think about interior design, I love to experiment to find the right layout, style and feel for my home. This process will not come in an instant so I would advise testing out different themes for your home. Here are a few quick tips which could work well in your home:

1. Think about changing the colour scheme depending on the season. When the weather is really special, why not consider changing your interiors to match. This could include buying lighter coloured fabrics, adding more light to the living spaces and decluttering your rooms to give a more spacious feel.

2. Experiment with art and design pieces to add interest to different rooms around the home. Obviously, artwork will depend on your tastes so choose items that reflect your personality for best results. Alternatively, why not choose some nice home decor items such as plates, glassware, soft furnishings or collectable figurines to add a touch of class to the room.

3. Create a greater sense of space of light. By adding mirrors in strategic locations around a room, you can quickly increase the perception of space and light in a room. This is a well known trick used in many interiors to open out a room and give it a lighter feel. Don’t go too overboard however, so mix mirrors with paintings and artwork for maximum effect.

4. Get your floor coverings sorted – A high quality rug or floor covering can add depth and texture to a room, which can be missed in many homes, especially ones with wooden flooring.

Depending on the room, go for something neutral in colour so that it does not detract too much from the existing furniture in the room.

With a few of these tips to hand, let’s hope you can improve your home with ease.

Those who know colour schemes well use that to their advantage to create stunning homes without having to buy the best furnishing or the most expensive accents.Most people know that dark colours usually make a space look smaller while pale colours have the opposite effect. But knowing this alone isn’t enough to help you aptly choose the right colour scheme for your home.

What colour should my walls be? Let’s look at the main colour contributor in any home — the walls. Ever been in a room and immediately get a headache but didn’t know why? Exit the room and instantly feel better? You’ve just been affected by the colour scheme! While I can’t say for sure what colours you should avoid, there are guidelines to select apt colours for your walls. As most people can’t mentally visualise the outcome, they find that the colour charts provided by paint companies usually turn out a different shade. If you want to have bold colours in your living room or bedroom, the rule of thumb is, choose three or four colours that you would like for a room — you will apply these colours to your walls and furnishing.

One colour must be the dominant colour while another colour should be used half as much as the dominant colour. The third and fourth colours are used sparingly as accents. If you already have furniture in the room, select a shade that is similar or complements the fabric colours on your sofa. Note that contrasting colours will accentuate the structural details of your room, but extreme contrasts will leave your guests too distracted to fully enjoy the effort you’ve put into the room. How do I choose colours? Before even deciding on the colours, know what your room is to be used for, and how much natural light usually gets let in. Colours have characteristics that are augmented differently in natural or artificial light.

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An unclean living environment can prove to be an unpleasant backdrop for our day to day lives. But getting your elbows dirty doesn’t have to be as stressful as it first appears, and below are some handy tips to help you on your way.

Let’s start small. We have all been a little too enthusiastic when dunking a biscuit into cup of coffee at some point, but it can go wrong! Cleaning coffee spillages is really simple. For carpets, sponge the spill with cold water and blot dry. If the stain is stubborn, reach for the shampoo. For your upholstery, sponge the stain with cold water then dab at the mark with laundry detergent solution. Rinse and blot dry.

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Who doesn’t like a nice smelling home? After cars and bathrooms, the next place many look to aromatize is their living spaces. Often we find homes with essential oils burning in the background, releasing the tender smells of ylang ylang or the relaxing odor of lavender amongst the myriad fragrances available in the market today.

Metafora Home Ambience fragrances are somewhat unique in that the aroma oil permeates from a jar through rattan reeds. These rattan reeds contain channels within the reed itself to produce a capillary effect that in layman terms, sucks up the oil and diffuses it into the air at the tip of the reed

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In the world we live in today protecting your home is more important than ever for a number of reasons. The increased value of contents that people now have in their homes means that burgling a home is more profitable than ever for the common thief. Also, as we become more reliant on computers and other technology these devices have more and more value than meets the eye with thousands of sentimental photos, personal records, music and other data being stored on such devices.

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Fact- Home renovation and furnishing cost a bomb! Many always start out with grand plans for their new home up until the quote from the contractor comes in. These plans then get stripped down, contractor requotes, stripped down further, requote (well, you get the idea), until the price is right.

This scenario does not apply to those with deep pockets but certainly holds true for the majority of us out there. There are only two things one can do – find another source of income, or save up to get your home done up ideally. The former is definitely the better option- easier said than done though.

Kelly from Almost Frugal has two very real and applicable articles from her blog on things she does to live frugally in order to save more. As she’s a student in France, not all of her tips are directly applicable due to social and cultural differences between Europe and us here in the Eat, but each article offers 25 tips and is definitely worth a read.

Click on the images below to access Kelly’s articles