Mike Scores with What Color Means For Your Bedroom

According to a survey published in Houzz and conducted by Travelodge in the UK, if you want lots of intimate moments, paint your bedroom caramel. If you want great sleep, paint your bedroom blue. Funny about colors. Colors make us feel a certain way.

Mike over at FabNest has lots of advice about the use of colors in the bedroom.

Houzz Survey Surprising

 www.caribouhighlands.com

A recent survey by Houzz has some surprising information: 

Forty-four percent of the home owners surveyed say they would like to do a complete overall of the décor of their homes, while 36 percent say they just want to refresh their existing décor.

What’s guiding their décor decisions? Personal style and comfort, the survey finds, while basing decisions on current design trends is a low influencer.

Younger home owners tended to say more often than older home owners that they wanted to get more “bold and dramatic” with their décor choices, such as incorporating wallpaper and brighter color schemes.

Among some of the survey’s findings:

• White paint is the most popular wall covering.

• Artwork is sprucing up more wall décor. One-in-five of home owners say they use art prints and original art to decorate their home’s walls.

• Accent walls remain popular but are most likely to be reserved for the study/home office, followed by a kids’ room or the master bedroom.

• Solids are the most popular fabric choice, followed by classics like stripes and florals. However, home owners under the age of 45 are more than twice as likely to use Chevron patterns than home owners over the age of 45.

• Hardwoods are the most desired flooring throughout a home, but 38 percent of home owners also said they planned to add carpet in the master bedroom.

• Nearly two-thirds of home owners are creating living rooms in the master bedroom by adding seating, a fireplace, or even a mini-fridge, the survey found. (If hanging out in the den, with a beer and the TV is a couch potato, could a person inhabiting a bedroom living room be a bed bug?)

• Dining rooms are getting more use and attention. Nearly three quarters of home owners surveyed say they use their dining room on a weekly basis. They most want to decorate the dining rooms with rectangle tables in dark wood or glass tables, with seating available for up to six people.

5 Life-Changing Organisation Tips

Now you’re probably reading this because you are sick of the mess in your bedroom. You may spend hours organising, only to find that the room never stays as neat as you would like. Organising can also be very time consuming, and you can never find a moment to do it. You’re too exhausted after a long day at work, the weekends are reserved for your friends, so there’s generally no time to actually sort through the mess. However, you don’t have to be in this predicament, there are a few quick ways that you can try out to help you be more organised and live in a neater space.

Before I even begin sharing the tips, the first step is to completely get rid of unnecessary things in your room, whether this is clothes or general possessions. If it hasn’t been used or worn in the past 6 months, donate it to charity. You really don’t need your prom dress from when you were 16, or your broken clock that reminds you of your childhood bedroom. Be brutal and get rid of it. My very simple motto is ‘if you don’t use it, you don’t need it.’ Now on to the tips:

1.  Invest in fitted wardrobes. These will revolutionise your entire storage system. Fitted wardrobes are custom built according to the space that you have, allowing you to utilise the entire height of your room. This is especially great for attic rooms with slanted ceilings, as it can often be difficult to find a wardrobe to fit into the space. Fitted wardrobes are often much larger and give you a lot more storage space. They don’t have to solely be used for the purpose of storing clothes; you can use them for storing boxes, cosmetics and anything else. They just ensure that everything has a place to go, keeping it off your bedroom floor!

2. Use different colours for your hangers. You can develop your own system and choose specific colours to symbolise different things. For example, allocating yellow hangers for summer clothes and blue for winter clothes. You can even assign different colours for clothes that you want to make an effort to wear in the coming months; you can put these on red hangers and change the colour of the hanger once you have worn them. It can also be a good way to see what you have and distinguish between items. This also allows you to switch up your clothes during seasons as you will be able to easily remove clothes that you will not be wearing.

3. Curl up your wires. Have you ever considered just how much time you spend in your life trying to untangle wires? It can be very stressful, especially if you are in a hurry and end up having some sort of meltdown as you are trying to head out of the door. There are lots of little devices for keeping your headphones untangled in your bag, but it’s usually your bedroom where the real problem is. A very simple method to organise your cables is to find a storage box, whether this is a decorative gift box or a plain old shoebox, anything will do. Once you have done this, collect some cardboard toilet-paper rolls and then store them upright in the box, until the box is full. It is important that you fill the box; otherwise they will be rolling around. You can then neatly place the wires into each roll and prevent them from being tangled. If you find that the wires are too thick, you can use take-away containers and stack them on top of each other inside the box. You can even do this in your drawers to store jewellery and other accessories.

4. Collect your bobby pins and put them inside a Tic Tac case. You may ask why it must be a Tic Tac case, and the reason for this is because these cases have a small opening. This means that you will only dispense the amount of hairpins that you need, preventing the others from spilling out everywhere. Now it may not sound particularly life-changing, but consider the amount of hair pins you find in the strangest of places, and how often you have to purchase new ones. It’s not so much the storage of the hairpins that is life-changing, it’s more so the fact that you know exactly where they will be. This provides you with a little bit of control, making you feel more organised because you know the exact location of the item. You can also use this to carry in your handbag which can make life so much easier. Alternatively, you can use Tic Tac cases to store your pills. This can also be another means of remaining organised.

5.  Use space wisely - There is lots of dead space around the room, whether this is beneath your bed or in awkward corners. These places are often used as dumping grounds and can contribute to making the remainder of the room look messy. This is because things are literally thrown into these corners. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with using this space, there is an effective way to use it. Buy transparent boxes with wheels to roll under your bed. You will be able to see exactly what is in them which will be especially useful when searching for things in the morning. For any awkward corners, you can stack up storage boxes and use these as a form of decor. There are lots of different patterned boxes available and you can even label them to take your organisation to the next level.

While these tips may seem very simple, they can really help to change the way that you live. You can also adapt these to the rest of the house and you will find that it will substantially reduce your cleaning time later on. Good luck and happy organising!

By Qurratulain Zaheer, an expert in the field of interior design and avid lover of organisation. She recommends Hammonds Space for their stylish fitted wardrobes; her personal favourite is the 5 panel door in pomegranate glass.


I have also linked to some of her previous work:

http://diamondinteriors.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/guest-post-10-ways-to-update-your-bedroom-by-qurratulain-zaheer-of-hammonds-space/#more-1052

http://diyhintsandtips.com/fascinating-and-strange-bedroom-ideas/

http://www.blackcatinteriors.com/mastering-art-minimalism-guest-post-qurratulain-zaheer/

Nine Years Ago Today

UPDATED: The July-August, 2005 Oregon Home, this highly readable magazine, has an article by Ken Logan titled 16 Master Bedroom Mistakes to Avoid.

Ken was gracious enough to allow me to quote from the article.

Here are the 16 Mistakes:

1. Not springing for a mattress that's going to maximize your chances of getting a great night's rest.
2. Not considering the size of your bedroom when choosing furnishings.
3. Letting your master bedroom drift off to the bottom of your building or remodeling budget. It's too easy to focus on the public spaces and neglect the area where you may spend a third of your day.
4. Assuming that knocking out the wall between two small bedrooms is the best way to create a master bedroom during a remodel. Don't rip out the thing you are paying for.
5. Not keeping a consistent design between the master bedroom and the bath. Work for "visual coherence".
6. Not making the most of storage options. Clutter is not restful.
7. Underestimating the effect lighting has on your bedroom. The spectrum of natural light that comes from the sun is best.
8. Skimping on finishes or decor in the bedroom because "no one's going to see it." You deserve a beautiful, restful space.
9. Letting a large space tempt you into using the master bedroom for functions that are better suited to other parts of the house. Mike and I do not have a TV in the bedroom.
10. Assuming you can't add a master bedroom just because you don't have-or can't create-a big plush space.
11. Passing up the chance to have your morning cup of coffee waiting for you when you step out of bed.
12. Neglecting what's outside when planning your restful retreat.
13. Forgetting to allow for lifestyle changes in your sweet design. We are all getting older.
14. Working so hard on the look of your bedroom that you forget that quiet is also crucial.
15. Opting for flooring that's too cold and hard.
16. Minimizing how huge a factor color is in the feel you're trying to create in a master bedroom.

In each of the 16 mistakes, Ken Logan has consulted local resources to offer solutions.

Also, remember Landfair Furniture + Design can recommend a number of interior designers we work with that are knowledgeable in helping you avoid these mistakes or providing solutions.

Furniture for the Festive Family Gathering

There’s nothing like Christmas to bring families together. And, if you’re lucky, this may happen all under one roof, with many members of the same family getting together to celebrate and break bread en masse. In today’s society, where family members no longer live near to each other in the way that used to be the norm, it’s often the case that large family gathering will invariably end with several people needing to stay the night.

However, this is where a problem may arise for the host who doesn’t quite have enough space to provide comfortable beds for sleepy guests. But no-one likes the idea of ending up in a sleeping bag on the floor, so it’s therefore imperative that hosts who are expecting overnight guests be aware of what they can do to make their guests’ experience more enjoyable.

Furniture Options

The first thing any host should do is to take stock of their existing furniture, and consider the possibility that they may have to invest in some new pieces. This could be either to add to their furniture collection, or to replace existing furniture with pieces that are more practical.

The most practical item of furniture, in this context, is of course the sofa bed. But sofa beds come in all shapes and sizes, from the foam filled single to the plush un-foldable double or even the space age slide out. So your next step should always be to assess how much space you have available in your home.

Space Saving Solutions

Modern furniture is all about maximizing the space potential of your home, so there simply isn’t any excuse any more to not be able to provide a bed for your guest. Soft foam beds can be laid on floors then stored away easily in cupboards. Sofa beds can be slept on at night and then converted back into seating during the day. And slide out beds can be easily hidden underneath permanent beds, providing a fast, simple solution which won’t impinge upon your day-to-day activities. Whatever the space in your home, there’s a solution ready to save it.

Luxury Extras

If you’ve got the cash to flash and you fancy the idea of really treating your guests then you might want to consider investing in some optional extras, such as beautiful bed linen, personalized pillow cases or soft slippers which they can wear around your house. Little gestures such as these will really show your family that you care about their well-being, and will make their stay much more comfortable for both you and them.

The Beginners Guide to Bedroom Decorating

image from house to home

Bedrooms can be difficult to decorate. They need to reflect you as a person, be a quiet and tranquil place where you can relax and unwind, and fit in with the overall style, which can be quite difficult to achieve. This is made particularly hard when you can’t even decide what you like. Here are our tips for your ideal bedroom.

Design

Mixing it up when it comes to your design for your bedroom. You could contrast masculine and feminine styles, old and modern, and use different patterns in similar colours to add depth and intrigue to your bedroom.

Dark colours will create a rich, sumptuous atmosphere and a luxurious feel, whereas bright colours will add character to a plain white room and will instantly inject colour into any room.

Create a feature wall with patterned wallpaper and a big gilt mirror. The wallpaper needn’t be expensive, as there are stores like Wallpaper Sales that have a vast array of beautiful designs that don’t cost the earth.

Soft Furnishings

If you’re renting, but you still want to add your own personality to your bedroom, then the soft furnishings are the best and easiest way to make a difference to a drab room. Pop a deep pile rug next to the bed and enjoy the feel of softness underfoot in the morning when you get up. Layer throws on your bed and a few cushions to add personality, and hang heavy curtains to make sure you block out light and make it feel cozsy too.  

The Practical Bit

Always buy the biggest bed that you can for the room that you have. Comfort in your bedroom is the ultimate priority, and having a big bed ensures comfort whether you’re sharing it or not. Take a look at the beds from Metal Beds Ltd for some lovely examples.

The lighting for your bedroom is really important. Unless you do your make up in there, you don’t really need strong task lighting. Instead, lots of different types of lighting will make sure that you can use the room in whatever way takes your mood.

Your bed linen is a great way to add character. Pattern and texture adds interest and a sense of comfort and layers on your bed makes for a luxurious bedroom experience.

Don’t forget your bedroom storage either. An essential part of every bedroom, you should aim for ample storage. If your bedroom is small, opt for multifunctional storage to maximize space.