Get their look: Holiday houseboat

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We have a beautiful holiday houseboat for this week’s Get their look. The constant dreary weather and holiday ads being shown over & over again on television are certainly influencing our recent choices for this particular blog feature. I can’t stop dreaming about getting away to somewhere we’ve not been before… and if it coincided with some sunny weather, that would be a bonus!

Justin regularly says that he could live on a boat, but I always reply that I’d never do it, I need space and would feel trapped and claustrophobic. That was, until I saw this houseboat!

The 4-bedroomed, 2-deck houseboat – named Sturdy – is moored in Bembridge Harbour on the Isle of Wight and is available to rent. The interior is bright, airy and the view is just amazing.

5 interior design tips to spruce up your living room for 2018

The start of a new year is arguably the best time to set goals for your personal and professional life, so why not reflect positive change in your home as well? It turns out that your home surroundings have a significant impact on your mental state. A well-styled home that aligns with your personal tastes will be a more relaxing, happy environment for you to enjoy.

The hub of many households is the living room, making it the perfect spot to freshen up. Not only will you appreciate the fruits of your labours, but your guests and loved ones will be able to as well. Thankfully, revamping your living room décor doesn’t have to involve serious renovations or a background in interior design.

Here are 5 tips for refreshing your living room space effectively and without any intrusive remodelling.

Give your living room a beautiful foundation

When you think about giving your living room a new look it is easy to forget one of the biggest statements in this space – the floor. Your choice of flooring can make an otherwise beautiful living room feel drab, aged or even visually cluttered. Rather than fight with your floor, consider the option of having it removed and replaced with a material that will serve as a beautiful foundation to the rest of the space’s style.

A wonderful choice of flooring that is growing in popularity is modified wood. Modified wood is a real wood product that is sustainably manufactured and free of questionable chemicals so common in residential wood flooring. Modified wood is incredibly smooth and available in clear or high character boards, depending on whether you like the look of natural knots or prefer a plain look. Modified wood is about as durable of a wood floor as you can get.

Finish your walls with personal photographs and art

Wall art can make or break a room. Many pro interior decorators are well-aware of how important wall art is, especially when it comes to putting personalized finishing touches in a space. Since the living room is an area often used for entertainment and gathering, placing personal photographs or unique art here is ideal.

Rather than dealing with printing photographs yourself and then trying to find frames, opt for custom canvas prints instead. Custom printed canvas is attractively chic and casual, adapting to essentially any type of home design style you can think of. They are also lightweight and fairly easy to hang.

Invest in matching furniture that showcases your tastes

Certain design styles like bohemian and shabby chic may look mismatched, but even these very flowing aesthetics still need to have some sort of cohesive look when it comes to furniture. Furniture is often the biggest statement piece in a room when it comes to personal fixtures. Not only is the style of furniture important, but also the quality.

Forget about trying to get by with boring or cheap-looking particle board furniture pieces and invest in a matching set. Real wood furniture is always a good option and if you select attractively simple designs, like those you’d find in an Amish living room furniture set, you’ll be surprised at how versatile it can be. A Mission couch, coffee table and a couple of chairs can fit in essentially any living room, whether you’re going for an industrial or an urban modern effect.

Capture the warmth and texture of weathered wood

Weathered, aged wood is highly sought after for its warm appearance and texture that faux products often fail to replicate. While you can find this type of wood used for many interior design projects, consider the idea of using reclaimed wood wall panels in your living room.

Rather than going the usual route of painting an accent wall, cover that wall in reclaimed wood instead. Ideally this will serve as a backdrop to your main seating area, such as behind your sofa, though you really can get as imaginative with this product as you’d like. A huge advantage of this type of panelling is that you can have it installed over your existing walls.

Add sleek minimalist touches with bamboo

Another natural material that offers a bit of a different vibe is bamboo. If you like the idea of wood panelling but want a very sleek, modern look, try bamboo panels instead. Bamboo doesn’t just offer a cleaner look than most wood, but even just as a material, it’s very versatile.

You can use bamboo panels as wall art or a ‘tropical-esque’ backdrop to a built-in. You can even use bamboo veneer to cover tables, entertainment centres or floating shelves. If you’re striving for a green home and are concerned over organic material sustainability, you’ll also appreciate the fact that bamboo is a more responsible material than new wood.

With a little creativity and enthusiasm, you can easily make your living room feel like a whole new space.

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Get their look: Black on black kitchen

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Most people would think it a bold move to decide on having a black kitchen. In fact, it can be a sensible, practical and downright attractive option. Just look at the results here! The owners of this London family home are architects, Jane Heath and Jeremy Walker.

We especially like the matt black tiled splash-back above the nearly-black gloss units. The stainless steel cooker hood, utensils and other accessories work extremely well against the Farrow & Ball painted wall. The white worktop offers a bit of contrast and reflected light.

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Home decorating tips to make life easier

Decorating your home can sometimes lead you down a path of extreme design and striking pieces of furniture, with elaborate and confusing elements. The emphasis on making your home look stylish can sometimes be given priority over the need to make your house comfortable. There are ways of incorporating both style and function into your home to make your life easier and less stressful, whether you need to recover from a tiring day at work or you simply enjoy having a place dedicated to relaxing. Here are some simple home decorating tips to help you update your home with the focus on comfort.

Reduce pain

Home is about comfort, safety and contentment. Whilst people are often made to feel guilty or lazy for needing to rest at work or in public, home is where you’re able to do whatever you want to ease your aches and pains. Unless you feel the need to adhere to a strict design aesthetic, there’s nothing to be ashamed of when adding touches that serve primarily to reduce discomfort. Take a look at stressless recliner sales to find a comfortable, stylish chair to relax in after a long, exhausting day. It will make your home look and feel more inviting as well as taking the weight off your feet.

Comfort food in a comfortable kitchen

Do you enjoy baking but can never find the space to store the proper equipment or gadgets? Do you love coming home to a delicious, stress-free meal? When decorating your home, don’t forget the vital role of the kitchen in everybody’s life. Unlike the cold and utilitarian kitchens found in schools or army barracks, your kitchen should exude warmth and relaxation. Food plays an important part in home life, especially with families and children. Design your kitchen to allow for better flow of movement and efficiency by carefully calculating layout and planning the cupboard space you’ll need. This will make cooking much easier and give you more time to enjoy your mealtimes. Keep your dining area as close to the kitchen as possible. Perhaps find a table that fits perfectly in the kitchen, so the food has less distance to travel from oven to plate. You’ll be less likely to burn your hands, and your food will be hotter when you sit down to eat.

Tactical furniture arrangement

Houses with too much furniture feel cramped and crowded, difficult to navigate. Homes with a large expanse of space seem cold and uninviting. Strike a balance between these two extremes to achieve a stylish cosiness that both entices and impresses. Think carefully about how you move around your house and where pieces of furniture need to be in relation to each other. There’s no point keeping your bookshelf and your favourite armchair in separate rooms. Have a look at the practice of Feng Shui for more detailed information about arranging your home to better suit your lifestyle.