Author: barbara

Have you recently moved into a property for the first time?  Or have you been one of the lucky ones that have managed to buy a property?  Buying a property in the 21st Century is incredibly difficult, so count yourself fortunate. As we look to building a more sustainable environment for future generations, how can we put this ethic into our homes? At the same time making them a comfortable and welcoming environment?  Take a look at these few points and get some inspiration if you want to make an eco-friendly habitat out of your habitat!

Step One: Be Practical

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Being environmentally conscious doesn’t mean scrimping on style! With the focus firmly on upcycling and reusing old products, you can afford to get really creative. You could make 3D wallcoverings from something as simple as a recycled card.

Make sure you put everything you have to new use. That is one simple way of being green.

To be practical, you could do something as simple as sourcing everything you need from the same area, town or city. That way, you are not having items made or shipped, which will increase your carbon footprint.

If you live in an area that is thriving, you may have thrift stores or charity shops in the vicinity. The great thing about these stores is that they are likely to have hidden gems. The other great thing about these shops is that you are always likely to find a bargain. It is also an excellent way to find inspiration for a new way to decorate your home. These shops are usually full to the brim with vintage tea cups, decanters, glasses, coffee tables, and so on.

Step Two: Create A Unified Look

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When it comes to really communicating an individual style to your home, making things match is one of the most obvious approaches. While it can cost a lot of money to really get the style that you want, why don’t you try and purchase everything you can from one supplier?

So if you need to make changes to your staircase and your doors, for example, if you get your building supplies from one place, such as George Hill Building merchants or Whitchurch Builders, it will save you on additional costs like shipping.

Step Three: Feng Shui It!

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If you are into more leftfield approaches, you could use feng shui is a way to give your space a more ethereal feel. Feng shui focuses on arranging your space so that it brings harmony to your home. Even if you are not into this, it’s still a great way to get inspiration for new color and a way to bring some harmony and style into your home.

In Feng Shui, colors are used in relation to their elements, and certain rooms can be painted in different colors to change its ambiance. For example, yellow, the color of sunlight and is, in Feng Shui, a fire or earth element. So it can be used to create a more blissful and happier working environment.

Interior design is a myriad of ideas. It is difficult to be sustainable when making your dream home. However, it can be achieved!

One of the biggest selling point that a property sells on at the moment is its character. They are even constructing new builds in the old Victorian style with high windows and iron railings. But no all of us are blessed with a characterful home from the get go. Luckily there are a few things we can do to inject a bit of personality into an otherwise blank canvas. Read on for some tips.

Range Cooker

Something that estate agents are always hearing is that people want a farmhouse style kitchen. A big part of that is having a massive enamelled range cooker.

Some people prefer the more traditional wood burners, while others are happy to have one that runs on conventional power but looks the part. In combination with a rustic style kitchen, a range cooker like an Aga can go a long way in bringing some character to your home. This even works if the property is brand new.

Attic Reading Nook

People also seem to respond well to homes that have small, comfortable spaces in which to cosy up and relax. A perfect way of creating a space like this is to install a reading nook in the attic or loft.

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Before you start the conversion, you will need to get planning permission and make sure that the roof is in good condition. Depending on what your roof is made out of you may need to speak to a company that works with shingle repair. They can help you prevent nasty leaks in your new library.

Once you have the basics completed, you can choose to install a skylight, bookshelves or some covered seating. Add a lamp and a seriously comfy chair to allow you to have the most comfortable and relaxing experience.

Sunken bath

A relatively new trend in home design is the gorgeous sunken bath. The idea is that by sinking the tub into the floor, it becomes more of a bathing pool, than a traditional bath. Some ground floors bathrooms can house dug in cobwork baths, which are full of character and luxury at the same time.

If a cob bathing pool is a bit much for your home, then why not invest in a freestanding roll top bath. Popular in the Victorian period these are still around today and can help even the smallest room in the house be full of life and character.

Indoor Cottage Finishes  

It is entirely possible now to make even the newest and plainest of houses look like a country cottage from the inside. One way to do this is to have exposed brick walls. These are very popular with the industrial look as well as the country look that we see so much of at the moment.  If you cannot uncover the bricks, then you can buy brick tiles which will give you the same effect.

You can also install fake beams on the ceilings, These give the impression of the property being a traditional oak beamed house. Perfect for hanging swag from come Christmas!