Category: interiors

If your house is a disgusting mess, read this!

If your house is a disgusting mess, read this!credit

The blogging world likes using euphemisms like “clutter” to describe messy homes, but the reality is often different. It’s not just the odd book piled up here and there. It’s chronic mess that never really goes away. The vast majority of home-owners simply have too much stuff – and it’s turning bad.

So what’s the solution? Well, it’s rarely just one thing. Instead, home-owners need to take a comprehensive approach, dealing with multiple aspects of clutter and adjusting the way that they live. If you’re serious about having a pristine home, you have to be willing to make some sacrifices. You can’t afford to have a 1000-strong DVD or book collection in a small one-bed flat. It needs to go.

Before we delve into the meat of the post, it’s worth thinking about why we might want to rid our homes of clutter in the first place.

The major reason is to control stress. Research shows that people who live in cluttered homes tend to have a much higher degree of psychological tension than those who don’t. In some cases, it can lead to depression and even obesity if not brought under control.

By contrast, actually dealing with clutter and living in a beautiful home brings benefits of its own. People who clean up the clutter and live in clean, bright spaces often feel a profound sense of accomplishment in what they’ve achieved.

So, if your house is disgusting and you want to sort it out, what should you be doing? Read on…

Follow the 80-20 rule

The 80-20 rule appears repeatedly in articles on successful living – and it applies here too. When it comes to decluttering, focus on tidying up 80 percent of the time and don’t focus on the small 20 percent of jobs that will drain your energy. Big things, such as rinsing plates quickly after you use them and folding away clothes are much more effective at keeping your home tidy than little things, such as making sure that you store all your mops in a neat row in your utility cupboard.

You can also follow the 80-20 rule when it comes to throwing out stuff that you don’t need. Research shows that we only regularly wear 20 percent of our clothes, with the remaining 80 percent remaining idle in our drawers and closets.

The 80-20 rule can also apply to where you generate the mess itself. Hallways usually remain clutter-free while kitchens can look like a bomb site after preparing a single meal.

Garage full of clutter

Ignore sunk costs

Many people are loath to get rid of stuff that they own because of the so-called “sunk costs”. In other words, you hang onto things that no longer serve you, only because you spent money on them originally.

When you think about it, this doesn’t make much sense. Furthermore, stuff you own is unlikely to go up in price, so all you’re doing is providing storage for it.

You might think, “Storage in my home is free, so it doesn’t matter”. But, as we’ve seen, there are hidden costs. Keeping clutter in your home increases stress levels and may even lead to illness. It also prevents you from enjoying your property in the way that you’d like.

Check your items actually work

Sometimes you hold onto things believing that they will “come in handy in the future”. But that argument doesn’t work as well if things are actually broken.

That coffee machine that’s just lying around in your kitchen cupboard – check that it actually works. Try to make coffee with it. You’ll often find that you can’t. The same goes for your grandfather’s old gramophone. Wind it up and see if the turntable works properly. If it doesn’t, do you need to keep it?

Dark, serene bedroom with white plantation shutters

Start with small projects

If your house really is like a bomb site in every room, it can be hard to know where to start. In many cases, you may feel overwhelmed with the magnitude of the task before you.

If that’s how you feel, start with small projects and build your way up. The best place to begin your decluttering projects is in the bedroom itself. If you can make your sleeping area tranquil and beautiful, you’re much more likely to feel positive when you wake up in the morning, setting you up for the rest of the day.

Small, manageable projects give you a sense of success and put you on a roll. The more projects you complete, the better you feel.

Farm it out

If you really do have too much quality stuff in your home and you can’t get rid of it, you can always farm it out to self storage units. This way, if you notice your home becoming cluttered, you can get rid of it quickly, without having to take it to the dump.

Clutter in a basementcredit

Sleep on it

Another thing you can try is sleeping on it. If you’re not sure whether you want to chuck something or not, go to bed and then see how you feel about it in the morning. Often, when you wake up, you’ll feel more decisive about whether an item stays or goes.

Clear all the flat surfaces

Take a look at all the flat surfaces in your home; kitchen counters, living room sideboards, coffee tables etc. Are they cluttered? If you’re like most people living in messy homes then they are. You’re using them for all sorts of things that should really be tucked away in storage cupboards.

Clearing flat surfaces can make a tremendous visual impact on your home. All of a sudden, all that clutter disappears and you feel like you’re back in control.

In the kitchen, for instance, don’t leave piles of plates or glasses on the sideboards. Instead, only leave a couple of pieces of equipment that you absolutely need, such as the kettle or the coffee machine. If you have a rice cooker you only use a couple of times a month, put it away somewhere.

Neatly folded clothes

Start categorising

Just putting stuff away randomly, though, probably won’t help you deal with your clutter problems. The moment you need something, you’ll have to go digging through all your drawers and cupboards, removing stuff in the process, adding back to the clutter.

The trick here is to start categorising everything by type. Once you have a good filing system in place, you automatically know where everything in your home is, without having to go searching around all the time.

Get rid of anything that doesn’t bring you joy

Marie Kondo says that home-owners should get rid of anything that doesn’t bring them joy. What she means by this is actually very interesting. Her philosophy is that a home should be all about you and your well-being. However, so often, we hang onto objects that no longer serve our needs, just because we feel we have to.

If this sounds like you, put everything you own to the “delight” test. If it doesn’t delight you, get rid of it.

Countertop filled with kitchen appliances

Consider the last time you used something

If you’re still struggling to get rid of things, try considering the last time you used them. For example, if you bought a mandolin set for your kitchen, think back to the last time you actually used it to prepare veggies instead of a knife. If you’re honest with yourself, it was probably a long time ago. Anything over a year, it almost certainly isn’t worth keeping.

So there you have it… how to sort out your home if it’s a disgusting mess.

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How to incorporate personal style into your home

How to incorporate personal style into your homecredit

Dressing your home to suit your personal style is a key part of bringing personality to your abode. Often just tweaking the colour palette and furniture is enough to change the whole vibe of a room.

If you’re looking for ideas and inspiration, Age Co re-imagined one of the most iconic settings shown throughout Downton Abbey, the library, in a range of different interior design styles. This is a room that’s typically recognised for its impressively decorated features, like the distinct bookshelf that goes across the back of the room, the red velvet sofa and the patterned rug. However, with just a few changes, the room is completely unrecognisable in a completely different style, showing how versatile home décor can be.

Farmhouse interior style

The farmhouse style is loved by many as it gives off the feeling of practicality and comfort. Homes that adopt this interior style put a heavy emphasis on wooden elements and white tones, but unlike its more modern counterpart styles, there isn’t a need for it to be perfectly matched. Antiques, throws, a vintage chair all help add to the look. The raw, ‘organic-ness’ of the interior style is therefore defined by practicality and comfort, and its beauty is in the functionality, decorated with hints of personality and history.

Quick styling tips:

  • Rather than the usual hinged door, you can create sliding doors using old wooden barn door
  • Try and find vintage wooden furniture for the aged and worn look, for an added touch of personality, paint in a neutral tone and leave parts of the wood untreated
  • Pale, earthy hues work best in farmhouse interior styles, however, you can also pair it with an accent colour to add some depth to the space

Scandinavian style

For a functional, modern yet cosy home, many opt for the Scandinavian interior style. This is a décor style that emphasises clean lines, utility and minimalism and is perfect for a modern home. To achieve this look, we would find simple furnishings paired with accessories and décor that play with soft hues or fun textures. To create this look, use neutral tones as a base for the room and pair with modern furniture.

Styling tips:

  • Use a neutral colour scheme or tonal shades, some colours that can help create the ‘Scandi’ feel include soft whites, naturals, neutral pinks, soft amber, dark or soft icy blues, dark greens, pale putty and moss colours
  • Choose minimal but functional furniture, many Scandinavian furniture are made out of wood or covered with natural material like linen
  • With the main foundation of the room quite gentle, patterned soft furnishing can give the room a pop of colour

Mid-century style

For those who are looking to add authenticity into their own home, the mid-century interior style is fresh with a hint of retro. The style has an undeniable timeless appeal, often, it is defined by clean lines, organic shapes and high functionality. A mid-century styled home often combines dark wooden features with all sorts of quiet design quirks, like using materials like marble or gold accents. This interior style is less restrictive than most modern designs and allows more opportunities for different pairings and contrasts.

Styling tips

  • Antique and vintage accessories and furniture plays a big part in creating the mid-century styled home
  • You can dress the home with eccentric, high-quality materials like marble and copper or brass
  • Mid-century colours include mustard yellow, navy blue, dark brown, teal, burnt orange, olive green and rust, add a pop of these colours to the room to create a strong sense of character

And there you have it, unique styles that you can add to your room to reflect your own personality. Simply changing the colour palette, the furniture and the accessories can make a big impact in creating the home that is truly yours.

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How to create the best work-from-home space in a studio apartment

How to create the best work-from-home space in a studio apartment

When you have a studio apartment, space is at a premium. If you’re working from home, you have to be extra intelligent and creative when creating your workspace in a studio apartment. That’s okay, you’re in luck! We’re going to help you do just that in this post. Are you ready to optimise your studio apartment for an amazing, cost-effective, efficient workspace? Excellent, let’s begin!

Studio apartment

Analyse your studio apartment

The first step when thinking about creating a stunning workspace in a studio apartment is to get realistic about your space. You need to figure out the square footage, twohe layout of your apartment, and visualise possibilities. If your studio apartment is a large square, you want to take that into account. If it’s a longer rectangle, take that into consideration as well. You need to clearly determine what you have to work with. There’s a significant difference in planning when you have a 250 ft2 studio as opposed to a 760 ft2 studio, for example.

Small studio apartment

Working with a small studio apartment

If you have a small studio apartment (under 600 ft2), no problem! You can still create an impressive work-from-home space. You just have to be more creative! For example, you may need to find a modular sofa to work in your space. You can always use a virtual room design app if you need to visualise how things could work!

When you have a small apartment, you may want to consider things like a Murphy bed. This is simply a bed that folds down from the wall when you sleep. You also want to choose a small entertainment centre. Or, you could consider mounting your television on the wall to save space.

Large studio apartment

Working with a large studio apartment

If you have a large studio apartment (over 600 ft2), you have many more options. You’ll want to begin listing all the things you want to have in your larger studio apartment in terms of furniture, home entertainment features, the size of your bed and additional aspects.

After creating a list of the things you want in your large studio apartment, figure out where in your apartment your work-from-home workstation would fit. You’ll have much more room compared to a small studio apartment. Therefore, you can likely fit more things into your workstation. Create a list of what you would like your workstation to include. You can always remove things later.

Studio apartment workstation

Moving forward with your workstation

Now that you know what you want in your workstation, and where you’ll put it, it’s time to move forward! You’re going to go ahead and source your items. Shopping can be so fun! It also can be super easy when you’re shopping online. Many people shop on huge websites like Amazon or Overstock. However, we do want to point out that buying large items can be a bit tricky online.

The reason it can be tricky is that it can be hard to gauge how those large items will actually look “in person” after you purchase them. So, you may want to go to a store or shopping mall to purchase your desk and other large items. This way, you can measure them, visualise them and really understand how they’ll look when you finish your wonderful new workstation!

Taking these tips into account, you’re on your way to creating an amazing work-from-home space!

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Getting a portable air conditioner with the best value

Getting a portable air conditioner with the best valuecredit

During the summer, the heat from the sun can be unbearable. It can be even worse if you live in a house without an air-cooling system. For this reason, many people opt for a central air conditioner that regulates the indoor temperature and humidity. However, such units require space, venting and even more power consumption.

Not all homes have provision for window air cooling systems. As such, it’s essential to find an alternative. Portable air conditioners are ideal replacement options for these cooling units. They keep the room cool, take up less space and require far less power to operate. In some cases, a centralised cooling system may not get the job done. You can replace it with a portable cooling option to direct air flow more effectively.

Aircon illustration

How efficient are portable air conditioning systems?

“Can a portable cooling system keep my home cool and regulated?”, you may ask. In a word, yes. These air conditioning units are designed to provide unique cooling options, regardless of the size of your home or office. As long as your air conditioner has the appropriate BTU power for the room size and is well vented, you should achieve the required temperature. Most portable ACs provide the same result as window air conditioning units. One of their functionalities includes venting warm air outside.

Do you have a residential, commercial or industrial building that requires cooling? Portable air conditioners can create the desired environment. To maintain your unit, you should drain the condenser on a regular basis. This will prolong the cooling system’s life span.

Air conditioning illustration

Factors to consider when shopping for a portable aircon

The keyword here is ‘portability’. You need an air conditioning unit that provides easy mobility. It has to be the right size for your room and transportation. For this reason, consider the following factors:

Energy consumption rate

All electronic appliances run on energy, including portable air conditioners. Energy takes a toll on your expenses and the environment. Consequently, many households have switched to energy-efficient cooling systems. You need a portable air conditioner that is both low-energy and robust enough to cool your room to the right temperature. Units with small capacities may be inefficient for this task, while those with extreme power demand can make you uncomfortable due to the constant production of freezing air. Understanding your device’s BTU rating will avoid this problem. Ideally, 1,800 BTUs are required for every 100 square feet to produce efficient cooling air.

Energy efficiency

As partly discussed in the section above, having an energy-saving cooling system will reduce power consumption and still cool your room effectively. These units may be slightly more expensive than the standard cooling systems. However, you don’t have to risk high running costs or outrageous utility bills. Research which cooling appliance has the best energy rating and comes with the Energy Star seal.

Air conditioning unit illustration

Bottom line

Portable air conditioners are easy to manoeuvre. You can easily lift, transfer and position them in your vehicle, home or office,. These cooling units also help to eliminate air-borne particles, creating a clean and humidified environment.

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