Tag: decorating

Creative ways to put your stamp on your first home

Creative ways to put your stamp on your first home

Buying your first home is a thrilling time. If you’ve spent years in the neutral shades of rental properties, getting your first home means you can finally let your creativity flow with interior design and decoration..

House floor plan

Decide on a layout

This is the first thing you should do when moving into your new home. Decide where you want things to go and experiment with different layouts until you find the perfect combination of cosy and functional. You will want a good flow to your home, so if you’re bringing items from a previous house, you should ensure that they’ll fit well and if not consider investing in some new furniture.

Illustration of bedroom with bed on a circular rug

Flooring

Flooring can make or break the look of a home so you should make sure you consider what you choose carefully. While carpeting is a popular choice, having polished wood flooring with a statement rug could be the perfect way to inject your style into the home.

If you do opt for carpeting, you should always choose the very best quality. Carpets, particularly in areas where there is a lot of footfall, will need to be hard-wearing to last for years to come.

Illustration of hous with a huge front door key

Consider buying a new build

New houses are perfect for making a home entirely yours. They’ll never have been lived in, so provide the perfect blank canvas for anyone who’s been itching for the chance to show their interior decorating skills. You should find a home with a quality housing developer like Castle Green Homes that combines functionality with style and empowers you to get the most out of your new home.

Illustration of a wallpapered wall

Create a statement wall

There’s some gorgeous patterned wallpaper out there to choose from, but papering an entire room with statement wallpaper could be overkill. Instead, you could have a single wall with a bold and bright pattern and paint the remaining walls in more neutral, complementary shades.

You can then tie in the rest of the room to your statement wall with accessories and furniture in colours and styles that suit it.

Illustration of a modern fire

Get creative with heating options

If your new home has a fireplace, consider buying a new fixture to heat the room in winter. There are countless gorgeous options available, from electric wood-burner style heaters to faux fireplaces.

A fireplace is a great way to give a room a focal point and to make larger rooms cosier and more intimate places in which to spend time.

Illustration of packets of seeds and watering can

Don’t forget the garden

No matter the size of your garden, you’ll be able to find the perfect way to put your stamp on the exterior of your home. You could consider hanging baskets if your garden space is limited and outdoor furniture to help you make the most of the warmer months.

Nurturing a green oasis is a great way to make your home your own. This can be low effort if you don’t have much time to tend a garden, by planting easy-to-grow, low maintenance flowers like native wildflowers and evergreens.

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18 tips for redesigning your home

18 tips for redesigning your home

Looking to redesign your home? You’re not alone! The interior design industry was valued at an estimated $16 billion in 2019, and it’s only expected to grow.

If you’re planning an upcoming home redesign, we’re here to help. Read on for our best tips for redesigning every room of your home.

Kitchen illustration

Kitchen design tips

There’s just nothing better than a well-designed kitchen. For many families, the kitchen is the most heavily used room in their home. It’s where they cook, eat, entertain and congregate. Use the following tips to make it functional for all of your needs:

  1. Opt for classic designs rather than trendy. Kitchen renovations are costly and time consuming. Make sure your design will look good and function 5, 10 and 20 years from now.
  2. If you’re working in a small space, choose lighter colours for paint and cabinetry. This will help your kitchen feel larger and look brighter.
  3. Think wisely about the placement of your appliances. If possible, install your oven at torso-height. This will make it easier to get heavy items like roasts in and out. Additionally, never install your microwave above your head. That’s a one-way trip to burns from hot liquid spills.
  4. Make sure to put ample counter space on both sides of your stove to place cutting boards and other items while cooking.
  5. Plan space for both rubbish and recycling. The easier recycling is, the more likely you’ll use it.
  6. Install ample cabinets and pantry space. A kitchen will always look neater when dishes and food items can be put away behind closed cabinet doors.
  7. Put electrical outlets in clever spaces throughout the kitchen. That way, you’ll always be able to use a plug-in appliance where you’d like. These days, outlets can even be installed in kitchen islands and right into counter-tops.

Bedroom mockup

Bedroom design tips

Dreaming of turning your bedroom into the ultimate retreat? We’re here to help. Here are our favourite bedroom makeover tips:

  1. Paint colour can be the ultimate determinant of mood. For a spa-like setting, choose a light-neutral paint like beige, off-white or a light sea-foam. For a cosier feeling, choose deep jewel tones like navy or deep maroon.
  2. Purchase furniture that doubles as storage. The more places to put things away, the more likely you’ll keep things clean. Opt for bedside tables, dressers and armoires with multiple drawers. Additionally, a tall bed frame and a bed skirt can cover under-the-bed storage solutions.
  3. Don’t rely on ceiling lighting. Place several lamps in key places around the room, including on bedside tables and next to any seating. This will help create better mood lighting and make a smoother transition to bedtime.
  4. Choose furniture according to the size of your room. While you may dream of a king size bed, it will probably take up too much space in a smaller bedroom. Conversely, for a larger space, scale up furniture size accordingly.
  5. Think outside the box when it comes to your headboard. Sometimes, a cleverly installed piece of artwork or gallery wall behind the bed can achieve the same thing in terms of focal point, and can be much more economical!

bathroom floor plan

Bathroom design tips

Bathrooms are notoriously hard spaces to design. They’re usually compact spaces; many bathrooms only have enough space for a toilet, a sink and a small stand-up shower. But no matter the size, a bathroom needs to be functional. Here’s our advice:

  1. Think vertically when it comes to storage. You can find over-the-toilet storage solutions, install higher shelves for unsightly items and more.
  2. Similarly, opt for a sink that has under-the-counter storage, rather than a pedestal sink.
  3. Consider a recessed medicine cabinet. It won’t take up as much space inside your bathroom, but will provide just as much storage for your toothbrush, toiletries, vegan CBD oil, and more.
  4. Choose a clear glass door for your shower. It will make your bathroom feel larger than a shower curtain can.
  5. Don’t over decorate. Bathrooms need to be kept clean, and too much clutter makes for too many places for dust and germs to settle.
  6. Install a ceiling light, if possible. This will provide additional lighting, which will make the room look significantly larger.

With these 18 design tips, you’ll be able to elevate your home and create new spaces that you can’t get enough of.

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Get their look: New Year’s Eve 2020

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Erica & Angelica (@ourcozycasa)

New Year’s Eve 2020 is going to be a year-end like no other. For most, it will be a very quiet affair when the clock strikes twelve – with mixing restricted to home units and our various bubbles. We just wouldn’t have believed any talk of pandemics, bubbles and isolating if someone had mentioned it this time last year!

Anyway, all the restrictions doesn’t mean that you can’t do something special with the décor. There’ll be lots of people wanting to say goodbye to last year and look forward to better times in the next. New Year’s Eve is a time for optimism and positive wishes… and what better way to reflect this than through your surroundings.

This console table space captures the mood perfectly. There’s champagne on ice, festooned balloons and glitzy metallics – it all contributes to the optimistic vibe.

Get their look

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Woven basket with white stripe
Woven basket with white stripe
Porcelain 3-section snack dish
Porcelain 3-section snack dish
Cocktail shaker
Cocktail shaker
Hammered copper champagne cooler
Hammered copper champagne cooler
Assorted gold balloons
Assorted gold balloons
Eowyn accent mirror
Eowyn accent mirror
Woven basket with white stripe
Woven basket with white stripe
Porcelain 3-section snack dish
Porcelain 3-section snack dish
Cocktail shaker
Cocktail shaker
Hammered copper champagne cooler
Hammered copper champagne cooler
Assorted gold balloons
Assorted gold balloons
Eowyn accent mirror
Eowyn accent mirror
Woven basket with white stripe
Woven basket with white stripe
Porcelain 3-section snack dish
Porcelain 3-section snack dish
Cocktail shaker
Cocktail shaker
Hammered copper champagne cooler
Hammered copper champagne cooler
Assorted gold balloons
Assorted gold balloons
Eowyn accent mirror
Eowyn accent mirror

How to get your home warm and snug for winter

How to get your home warm and snug for winter

Winter is drawing ever nearer. There’s a chill in the air already, and darker nights have begun to creep in sooner. Also, the colder months can definitely influence your mood, so it’s important that the home space is as cosy and comfortable as possible to lift your spirits.

There are many ways you can achieve these ends, and there are many handy tips for you to learn; from decoration tips to what to do if your radiator is cold at the bottom.

With so many options in this arena available to you, it can be tough narrowing them down to a select few. Well, we’ve taken the liberty of doing that for you!

Consequently, here’s how to get your home warm and snug for winter.

Radiator thermostat

Do temperature checks

Check your boilers, radiators and any other heating systems you use in your home, and look for signs of grime, breakage or anything faulty. Everything needs to be pristine, because if these things break down in the middle of winter, you’ll likely have a long (and cold) wait to get things fixed, unfortunately.

Of course, breakages do sometimes happen anyway, but if they do you can always take matters into your own hands. Sometimes it’s merely a matter of resetting a thermostat or replacing water tanks.

If your radiator gets cold at the bottom, there are some points to bear in mind. If you need a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to embark on these fixes, then here’s what to do if your radiator is cold at the bottom. Everything from draining the radiator to using valves in a quick and easy way is clearly detailed for your convenience!

Lighting candles

Add candles

Flickering candles are a great way of introducing delicate, atmospheric lighting into your home space. Better yet, they’re so adaptable, adding cosy ambience to bathrooms, living rooms and kitchens alike. Candles are also cheap and easy to acquire – you can’t go wrong!

If you’re also a fan of the scented variety of candle, then absolutely indulge yourself there too. Firing on all cylinders and tickling the senses of both sight and smell can add another interesting layer to how you’ve adorned your home.

Thick dark curtains at French doors

Introduce thick curtains

Most people use curtains to block out the daylight or keep prying eyes from checking out their interiors come night-time. That’s a perfectly valid way to use them, but in the winter, they can be useful for so much more!

Curtains also retain the heat within your home, and they ward off the chill of the wintery outside. Pick up a set of especially thick and lined curtains that match your chosen colour scheme and décor, and you’ll create a very cosy ambience in any room in the house. There’s no rule that says you can’t cover your front and back doors with curtains either, so consider that too!

White decorated fireplace and mantel

Decorate the fireplace

Fireplaces can be overlooked, however they’re prime spots in your house for adding a measure of personality. After all, when Christmas rolls around, many people hang lush green garlands across the mantle… but why wait until Christmas to give the area some TLC?

Not only do fireplaces provide literal warmth, but they can also bring a lot to the home in terms of aesthetics if they’re decorated thoughtfully. Elegant ornaments, lush green plants and small but charming art works can all fit on or over the mantle of your fireplace to give it some additional charm. You can also add a stack of firewood beside the fireplace, for either practical use or just to further emphasise a rustic feel in your home.

Bare mantle-pieces and empty fireplaces can feel quite cold, in terms of mood. However, if you fill this space with a few personal touches, you’ll create a warmth that makes the room feel really lived in.

Orange painted wall

Get creative with colour schemes

Sometimes, when cold, dark winter rolls around, transforming your home with colour can be just the ticket to liven things up.

In the colder seasons, you’d ideally like to return to a home that’s colourful and inviting, in direct contrast to the drab outdoors. Warm shades of red, orange or burgundy can really lift your surroundings and envelop you in a snug den that will shield you from the outside gloominess.

Colour really can lift your spirits and can be quite effective used in the right way. Ensure each hue compliments the next and adds to the comforting aesthetic you’re trying to create. From cushions to rugs to wall paint, you can overhaul it all!

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