It’s in every story. The prince climbs up the to the tallest tower of the castle to rescue the princess and they live happily ever after. Well, your little girl may not need to be rescued by a handsome prince, but she absolutely does need a room at the top of the tower that is just for her! Having a daughter is like having a whirlwind tornado that has pink and glitter all over it. Sure, you get the girls out there who prefer to go for a more neutral look, but given the chance, most little girls will have a unicorn themed bedroom, complete with real life unicorn, please.

[Photo courtesy of Sarang/wikipedia.org]

For older girls, privacy is so key and so sharing with younger siblings isn’t always the easiest thing for them to do. Sometimes, lack of space causes there to be a room share which can then cause friction and solving this problem isn’t easy. If you’re lucky enough to own a home with a loft space that’s currently covered in boxes and could possibly use a shout to termite control, then you do have a solution ready!

A loft conversion is a big job but if it would mean your tween daughter having her own space she can call her haven, it could be very worth it! It’s a big job, so what should you remember when converting your loft into the princess tower it could be? It all depends on the structure of your roof.

• Have someone come out and measure up the loft for you, including the headspace, to get a good idea if you could even begin your planning to convert the space into a bedroom.
• Get a quote for the reinforcement of the floor. You’ll need to change it over so you actually have somewhere to put a bed and furniture.
• How much space do you have for skylight installation? You’ll need to make sure you have enough room to allow for natural light. Sometimes you can so a dormer loft installation over the ‘room in roof’ loft conversion, which is more expensive but doesn’t require you to make any dramatic changes to the roof.
• Gather quotes for electric, heating and lighting installation as well as a staircase being put in.

[Photo courtesy of webdesignonlineschools.com]

Like we said, it’s a big job. Once it’s completed, your daughter could add her own touch for the decoration. Make it a project you can do together and sit down and decide colours, posters, light shades and bedding. You want her to have her input to the bedroom; after all, it’s her space. A project of this size may require planning permission and you should also get some advice from the fire station nearby as they can fit fire alarms for you in the extra room you’ve just acquired.

Not only will you have made your daughter’s day and given her a sense of independence, you’ll have potentially stopped sibling scraps by splitting up the younger one from the older. Peace at last, indeed!

What is it that makes a house feel like home? The people, the decor, or the accessories? It’s probably down to individual tastes, but living in a homely, personalized house is important for our sense of well being, belonging, and relaxation. There is a whole host of different things you can add to your home if you think it still needs a homely touch, from books to rugs, and everything in between.

1. Sentimental photographs

There’s nothing more comforting than being surrounded by people you love, so when they can’t be there, make your home feel special and personal to you by filling it with beautiful pictures of your nearest and dearest. It immediately adds a sentimental edge, which can be both reassuring and grounding.

2. Cozy rugs

Whether you have hardwood floors or carpets, nothing quite says comfort like rugs. Layer rugs of different textures and patterns to create a really comfortable look – faux sheepskins are especially great for this. Bedrooms and living rooms have never been cozier.

3. A fire

Is there anything more romantic than snuggling in front of the fire in a room you love? If your home is fireplace-less, you’re seriously missing out, and this needs rectifying immediately. Check out the fireplaces on this blog to choose one which fits your decor, and see how much difference a fire can make to the comfort of your living room.

[Photo courtesy of Counselling/pixabay.com]

4. Soft layers

Without rugs, blankets, throws, and cushions, homes can see quite sterile, with lots of straight lines and sharp edges. Layer fabrics to soften these harsh lines. It works in any room – dishcloths in the kitchen, towels in the bathroom, fluffy blankets in the bedroom, and you can really go to town with cushions and throws in the living room. Soft layers can really make a house a home and add a sense of luxury.

5. Feature walls

Painting all four walls in neutral colors might be the easiest to coordinate, but it’s not pushing your style to the next level. Consider creating a feature wall as a focal point in a bedroom or living room. Dark or bright paint, wooden cladding, or even a curtain wall all act as a point of interest, making the room feel cozier and more unified in style.

6. Reading nook

Every bookworm’s dream is a reading nook, and every home should have a library, so why not combine the two, while also making use of a little space that’s always been forgotten before? All it takes is a few book shelves, a wall lamp, and loads of comfy cushions to create the reading nook of your dreams.

7. Fairy lights

The soft twinkle of warm fairy lights can make a space really relaxing in the evening, but can also add classy elegance to any space.

8. Something fluffy

Every home needs something fluffy to curl your toes into on a cold winter’s evening. Whether it’s a cat, a fluffy cushion, or a faux sheepskin rug, it immediately brings the home to next level cosiness. Throw in a fluffy housecoat and slippers, and you’ll never want to go outside again.

Fill your home with beauty and things that you love, and you’ll see that making a house a home is as easy as pie.

If you live in Britain, you’ll know that houses don’t always have the largest floor plans. As a result, many people are looking for ways to expand their living space into the outdoors. There are all sorts of ways to do this from installing a patio to getting decking, to creating an entire outdoor kitchen. Have a look at some of these tips to get the most out of your back garden.

Invest In Amazing Furniture

[Photo courtesy of  Wicker Paradise/flickr.com]

Garden furniture has come a long way in the last decade or so. We have moved well beyond simple wrought-iron furniture and wooden tables. Now it is possible to get outdoor furniture that is actually comfortable and relaxing.  One of the most popular types of garden furniture is rattan furniture. This is made out of the kind of plastic vinyl that is both comfortable and resists the weather at the same time. You can also get outdoor cushions which are waterproof and won’t rot if left out in the rain. Most people keep their outdoor furniture under some type of cover, but given the quality of modern materials, this isn’t actually necessary. What’s more, modern furniture looks great too.

Make Your Patio Enormous

[Photo courtesy of Field Outdoor Spaces/flickr.com]

Back in the 1990s, patios were all the rage. But their idea of what made a good patio was something which is actually quite small. However, if you want to make your outdoor space function as a kitchen, a dining room or a living area then, you’ll want to make sure that it is actually big enough for this purpose. Go to a local vendor, like George Hill Builders yard,  find some patio tiles and then surround the entire area with gravel and plant beds. Doing this will help make your patio area look larger and get the most out of your space.

Connect Outdoor Spaces To Indoor Spaces

During the depths of winter, most people don’t want to spend time out in the garden. But connecting outdoor and indoor spaces means that you can take advantage of your outdoor space all year long.  One idea is to use decking in the same style as your interior flooring for a seamless outdoor, indoor look.  The decking itself can then be skirted with some railings and be connected to the interior space using retractable doors. Decking has come down a lot in price over the last few years, and has become much more affordable for families.

Hire A Professional

[Photo courtesy of rhyslud/pixabay.com]

If you are an expert DIYer, you may be tempted to lay down your own patio. This is fine for small areas which aren’t too technical. But if you want to pave a larger area, you’ll need help from a professional. Professionals are experts at grading the landscape in such a way that is just right for water to be directed away from your home and to avoid destroying your foundations. In some situations, it might also be necessary for you to build a retaining wall to hold back moisture from your garden. Always shop around for the best quote.

The doors in our new home were already installed, they are made of mahogany wood.  Before it was made I have told my mother that I want a good design of door handle, it was not that hard to show them what type of design I would like to use because there are many different types of door handle to see on the internet when you searched for images.

My mother agreed to design I like it turns out she also want something good and unique for our home. The door were designed by my uncle who is a skilled carpenter like my father.  Our house is still far from finishing but we are hoping that we can save for glass windows soon so my family can move already and there’s no water rain to come in when it is raining.

Part of the excitement of taking a break is that feeling you get when you step into your hotel room for the first time. Just one night spent in the right hotel can lift your spirits, give you a great night sleep and even bring you closer to your partner.

If you have children at home, you’ll know how important it is to create a zone that is peaceful, tranquil and above all tidy! The bedroom is the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night. So it makes sense to create a place of luxury and class here. It might be worth reviewing Is It Practical To Create A Room Just For Relaxing In after reading this post.

[Photo courtesy of Living Rooms London/flickr.com]

You don’t need a huge budget to make a few changes to a bedroom. One of the most important things about this room is, of course, the statement bed.

Hotel beds are always dressed to impress. Think minimal when it comes to choosing your bedding. White sheets will entice you to crawl in. They look clean and calm. Adding a plethora of cushions may seem pointless when you’re just going to throw them off at bedtime, but every time you step into your room, you’ll feel a sense of pride. You might even start leaving the bedroom door open for your guests to see!

Hotels tend to offer a simple white dressing gown and the fluffiest towels you’ve ever buried your face into, this is probably why people often ‘borrow’ them!

Instead of cluttering up your dressing table with make up and cuff links, leave your surfaces bare placing a couple of neatly folded gems like these bath towels on show, perhaps with your favourite body lotion next to them.

[Photo courtesy of  Thomas Cotton/pexels.com]

A well upholstered chair. There is something wonderful about having a seemingly pointless chair in your room. However a chair placed by a window with a good book laid next to it always entices you to read and even if you don’t get the time, simply knowing it’s there will remind you of the relaxing peace a quiet read can give you. Try reupholstering and painting an old one.

Well hung, contemporary frames with large white mountings and photos of your fondest memories or things you love can have a huge impact on a room. Waking up in the morning to see your kids smiling back at you, kick starts your day the right way. Unlike a miss mash of slightly off centre frames. Be precise.

[Photo credit Abigail Ahern]

Finally, lighting. Lighting can change a room completely. Instead of switching on your ceiling light, invest in a statement lamp like these from Abigail Ahern. If your budget won’t stretch to that, consider something soft which creates an amber warmth. Place in the corner of your room and let it work it’s magic.

It’s time to see your bedroom in a new light. Make small, well considered changes. It’s not about impressing other people. It’s about impressing yourself. Lying in your bed, surrounded by luxury.  

It’s sometimes hard to know what to get for your daughter’s birthday. No matter what age she is, kids’ interests are always changing and it’s difficult to know what to get. Why not try out a brand new room decoration for her next gift? Here are some tips on how to do it…

Talk To Her First

Make sure that you communicate clearly with her about what she’d like from her new bedroom. Think about what exactly she uses her bedroom for – if she likes drawing and writing stories, then make sure she has a well-lit desk area. If your family pet sleeps in her room, make sure there’s space for its bed. Talk to her about what exactly she wants to make sure that’s what she gets.

[Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures/pixabay.com]

Use It As A Bonding Experience

If you’re planning her room together, you can use it as a bonding experience. Take her out so you can choose paint colours and look at wallpaper samples together, and make a day of it by going out to lunch or dinner afterwards. If you’re planning on decorating it together, show her how to paint walls and let her play her favourite music while she helps out. Remember not to get irritated if she gets bored with decorating and wanders off – this is a gift for her, after all!

[Photo courtesy of Skitterphoto/pixabay.com]

Get Some Unique Pieces

Make the room into a really special place by investing in some unique pieces. Check out girls’ cabin beds and consider creating a canopy with pretty, floaty material. Look around antiques stores to find some pieces that are a little different from the norm and that are made out of good quality, durable materials. These are the things that she’ll end up keeping for the rest of her life and that she’ll transfer to her own apartment one day in the future – which may seem like a million years away, but which will come around more quickly than you think.

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pixabay.com]

Make Sure It’s Practical As Well As Pretty

It’s important to make sure that the room is as useful as it is pretty. Make sure there’s plenty of storage for clothes, toys and books – and that there’s some spare space for the new belongings that she’s bound to pick up over the next few years. Remember that kids are ever changing and that they grow up a lot more quickly than you’re expecting they will, so make sure that nothing is too permanent. She may have wanted a huge Frozen mural on the wall when she was four but she might not like it as much a few years later!

[Photo courtesy of Gilmanshin/pixabay.com]

Create A Grand Unveiling

Even if your daughter’s helped with some of the decoration and given you pointers about what exactly she wants, make sure that the final unveiling of what her new room looks like is a surprise. Treat her to a really special experience – put a ribbon on the door to demonstrate that it’s a gift and try to make sure it’s ready on her actual birthday. Arrange her things in a similar way to how they were in her old room and make sure that her favourite possessions are on display.

One of the main important things in the home is safety. There are many things that you can let slip, but you can’t reduce the safety of the home and still be happy calling it a home. The truth is, this is the primary concern of anyone who wants to feel at home in their house. But not many people are actually as safe as they want to be; there are many homes out there which do not get the proper kind of attention in regards to their safety levels. In this post, we are going to try and rectify that. We will do this by taking a look at some of the unavoidable aspects involved in keeping a home safe. Without further ado, let’s take a look and see what can be done.

Don’t Advertise Anything

One of the major threats against any household is the possibility of a burglar breaking in. It goes without saying that this is not something you want to experience, and yet so many homes seem almost set up to encourage burglars in. It is vital that you pay attention to the kind of signals your exterior to the house is giving off. If you are keeping your curtains open the whole time, then people will be able to scout out your living room and see if you have anything worth stealing. Burglars are known to do this, so you would be wise to make sure you are not advertising anything in your home. Being burgled is the last thing you want; it can cause a huge amount of destruction and loss.

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pexels.com]

Protect Your Home Against Disaster

Something much less common, but still hugely important, than burglary is natural disasters. There are many kinds of natural disaster, and it is important to try and protect your home against as many of them as possible. Depending on the area you live in, some kinds of disaster might be more common or more likely than others, and it is worth protecting against those first and foremost. You never know what might happen, and it is always worth protecting your home as best as you can. You might decide to install roll up shutters to protect against hurricanes, for example. Or perhaps you are keen on protecting against water damage from storms. Whatever it is, make sure you don’t delay it any further.

Internal Risks

Not all threats come from outside the home; some come from within. One perfect example of such a threat is the risk of fire. Fires are relatively common, and nobody ever expects to start one in their own home. It is a good idea to only use electrical equipment which is in perfect working order, to make sure the home electricals are not kept on the whole time, and to make sure that any smokers do so outside. Fire can damage and badly hurt you and your possessions, so make sure that you put every effort into minimizing the possibility of it happening in your home.

I don’t get bored easily, but if I do I just sit in our living room or  porch while looking around like the blue skies, birds and the  flowers we have planted. Sometimes I read the pocketbooks from my mother’s collection, I read them all over again I can’t remember anymore how many times  I have read them.  Staying in the outdoor portion of the house is very relaxing, smelling the fresh air and seeing the beauty of nature.

[Photo courtesy of Pexels/pixabay.com]

We are using portable plastic chairs if we want to stay in our porch, there’s one old buggy table their that my cousin’s uses when they have drinking session under the tree in front of house, I have thought of doing little improvement on our porch I guess it would be nice adding outdoor furniture like wooden chair swing. It could be more relaxing and comfortable to have this swing and could be a perfect place as well to bring visitors and friends who come over for a coffee.

What is a modern home? For many people it’s the decor, for others it’s the location and to some, it’s the technology. A modern home can mean a couple of things, but it’s usually a combination of all of these. Whether it’s contemporary furniture and experimental decor or a smart home that can read your temperature and adjust the thermostat automatically, there are hundreds of technological and artistic advances that have turned the home into more than just a home.

[Photo courtesy of Life of Pix/pexels.com]

The Smart Home

A home is considered smart when it can adjust all of its functions to suit the owner automatically or via a control system. For example, a fridge can be considered “smart” if it has a display on the front that can show what’s inside, monitor temperatures and even order groceries. It’s not a dream or science fiction either. There are smart fridges that people can buy right now which come with all sorts of gadgets and gizmos to take some of the most annoying tasks of managing a fridge out of the way and either automates them or makes them easy to manage.

In addition to smart fridges, there are also smart entertainment devices that can be linked together to create a seamless entertainment experience. For example, you could be watching a film on your smart television but the kids might want to play on their games console which is hooked up to the living room TV. In this case, you can simply head to your study or bedroom and turn on the TV and connect to the same network and services to resume watching your film while the kids play their games. Blogs like Smart Future are great resources to find out the latest and greatest technology advances that people are adding to their homes.

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pexels.com]

The Contemporary Home

A contemporary home should consist of just one thing: ultra-modern design. Most contemporary homes aren’t created by mixing and matching Ikea furniture, but instead, they’re created by hand with custom-built pieces of furniture that mold to the contours of the house to create specially designed rooms that ooze style and function. Contemporary homes are all about minimalism, style and practicality. Think big designs such as living rooms that are illuminated with powerful but concealed ceiling and wall lights. Open-plan houses are popular in contemporary housing as well.

For example, one piece of contemporary furniture that’s on its way to becoming a modern staple is the wireless charging bed stand. It’s a simple concept: a piece of furniture that also acts like a modern wireless charging dock. The idea is that it should look sleek, fit with the decor, and have functionality built into the desk. When you’re ready to go to bed and you need to charge your phone, there’s no need for cables that are dangling from the bedside table or anything; you simply pop your phone on top of the bed stand and it will start charging. These devices are incredibly creative and can be expensive to make, but with more technological advances they will start to become more commonplace and as a result, cheaper to build.

You may think that the winter season is never going to end, but there are only a few months to get ready for the summer, and this is without mentioning any bikini figure! You need to think about getting your house ready for the hot season, and this isn’t something that you can delay too much. It is important to start planning right now with this list of summer essentials for your to go through.

Make Sure You Have All You Need To Keep The House Fresh

It might seem odd to think about keeping cool when the weather is still cold outside, but now is the right time to check the state of your air conditioner system, fans, and your swimming pool. If you don’t have any air con, it is time to consider an A/C installation to prepare for summer. As you still have a handful of months left before the hot months arrive, it is good to get in touch with expert engineers to service your pool and keep your cooling systems up to date before the summer rush begins.

Look After Your Garden Now To Find Freshness In Summer

You’re sitting inside, looking through the window to see only cold, gray rain. Taking care of your garden might well be the last thing you want to do with your time. But it is essential to maintain your trees and plants throughout the cold months to help them be strong and healthy for when you will need their shadow and their freshness. While you don’t need to spend every week kneeling outside in the wet grass and the mud, a monthly list of maintenance tasks should include:

[Photo courtesy of jensullivan113/pixabay.com]

• Mowing the lawn,
• Trimming the trees so that they can grow strong and high in summer,
• Pruning flowers and fruit trees to ensure a beautiful and vibrant garden,
• And protecting your precious plants from the frost and the rain.

Prepare For A Change Of Interior Décor

[Photo courtesy of pexels.com]

Winter is naturally characterized by a change of décor inside your house: A warm blanket lies on the sofa to keep you warm in the evening; a series of tall mugs is piled up in the sink for a hot cup of tea; and every room has received a touch of warmth with scented candles and fluffy cushions. Everything is there to provide a cozy sensation. But soon the time for bbq parties and summer drinks will come: You need to rethink your décor to bring back a sense of sunny freshness inside your home. There are many options to do so on a budget: You can choose to hide all reminders of the winter months away, such as blankets, heating units, and candles, or you can decide to bring touches of bright colors inside the house with picture frames, funky cushions, and decorative plant pots. Just remember to check every room to make note of the wintery elements to store away during summer. And why not already plan your first bbq party of the warm season? Maybe you could celebrate the arrival of spring around a grilled burger with friends, so if you start now, you could prepare your DIY décor.