Creating a Boudoir Bedroom
For the romantics, the lovers and the more adventurous types of decorators among you, there clearly can be no sexier design statement than creating a boudoir style bedroom. Whilst the bedroom aspires to be a place of rest, it should also be considered a room for enjoyment. If all of the muddle, discarded laundry and empty coffee cups are dampening the passion in your bedroom then it’s time for some opulence and decadence to ignite the flames.
Modern life is rubbish
All the stuff that make today’s lifestyles so convenient can easily be distracting, especially in the bedroom. The very first stage of making your beautiful boudoir is to get rid of any traces of technology and practicality. Ban the TV and relocate the hair-straighteners since there’s no glamour in gizmos and gadgets. Hide as much of the clutter as possible with bedroom storage that will go in drawers or cupboards but display your most prized perfumes and place your rings and necklaces on show with a jewellery tree.
The essence of boudoir
This style evokes an opulent, sensual and rich lifestyle so colours such as purple, pink, gold and black give the perfect look. Your room can be as flamboyant as you desire, but wall coverings will give the most striking change so use pink and purple wallpaper with a strong pattern. Using bold floral prints and stunning damask will give your room a feeling of femininity and extravagance.
Materials play an significant role in the boudoir bedroom. Diverse textures and finishes produce an intimate feel so incorporate plenty of colourful cushions with mixed fabrics created from rich and heavy materials. For an air of sensuality, floaty materials like silks and organza can be draped throughout the room.
If you like the Moulin Rouge style of boudoir, opt for bohemian elegance by including vintage furniture pieces and elegant swagging around the windows. Dress your bed in silk and satin and place candles round the room to spark the romance. Colours to go for include scarlet, gold and black. For a 60s style boudoir, synthetic animal skins with deep pile carpets and fun cartoon’ish furnishings will establish a naughty, fantasy themed room. Choose a blend of black, white and red colours throughout the room.
Lighting the passion
Light plays an important role in creating a sultry ambiance. The boudoir look embraces extravagance and so should your lighting fixtures. Vintage crystal-drop chandeliers are perfect for the dramatic centre piece while antique brass and crystal wall lights controlled by dimmer switch will create the right mood.
3 Alternative Things to Sit On For Your Home
There’s a lot to be said for sitting down on a comfy sofa, putting your feet up and stretching out to enjoy a night in front of the TV. For most households, a three-piece suite from the local household furniture superstore is enough to serve your living room seating needs, but how about the rest of the house? And what happens when you need some overflow seating during visits from friends or when you throw a party? Here are 3 alternative things to sit on that are secure, extremely versatile and look pretty cool too.
Beanbags
Still consider beanbags as overblown floor cushions that are manufactured from cheap material and difficult to get out of? Obviously you have not been introduced to the Fatboy range.
Beanbags aren’t just additional seating options for the living room, they can be used as a sofa replacement in student digs, a chill-out chair for a teenager’s bedroom or even a spare bed if you want to put up your mate overnight. Have one or two of these cool seating options convenient for impromptu events or any time you’ve got more visitors than your permanent seating can cope with.
Hammocks
The simple mention of the word conjures up images of hazy summer days, swinging between two trees beneath the shade of branches while enjoying a long, cool drink. Yet isn’t a hammock just for the warmer months? In fact, it’s not. And before you ask, no you won’t need two trees to tie it to either – at least not with modern hammock technology because a steel-frame manages things.
A hammock can easily be placed in the house as out and should you be short of furniture in your conservatory it’s ideal. When you do need to take it easy in the great outdoors, or when you need something a bit more comfortable than the standard bistro chair and table set in your garden, then a hammock is a good substitute.
Gaming seat
Okay, this one may appear like it’s simply for the gamers and geeks but as a substitute seating choice it’s as adaptable as they come. Should you be of the Playstation or Xbox generation then you may be all too familiar with sitting forward on the sofa, straining to get nearer to the action. Instead of attempting to drag your sofa a couple of inches closer to the box, pull up a gaming seat.
Not only will a gaming chair take care of your comfort while challenging the latest level of Halo, it’s versatile enough to turn into a footstool or an occasional seat for social events if you require further places for friends to park their bums.
Cooking Up a New Kitchen
Arriving at the decision to do a little reorganisation, redecoration or remodelling of your kitchen can sometimes seem like you are cooking up a storm of problems. If you’ve ever felt too overwhelmed to try an overhaul of the kitchen, this approach to the challenge might help.
Rather than contemplating the kitchen as one big project, break it down into small, manageable and practical mini-projects. Trying to do everything at once is a sure-fire way to get you hot under the collar without being anywhere near an oven.
To begin with, have a plan. Focus on what you want to achieve with certain aspects of the kitchen by answering a few basic questions.
The Dual Fuel Aga
So you want an Aga cooker but you don’t want an oven that relies on heat storage. You want a gas stove and electric oven but you want the look of a traditional Aga. If this dilemma sounds familiar, or perhaps you’re just in the market for a new conventional oven, the dual fuel Aga cooker is the perfect solution.
Aga has recognised their iconic range cooker is no longer just the oven of choice for countryside living. There is also a demand among city dwellers and those living in smaller properties but sometimes space or energy supply will not permit a larger heat storing Aga.
The gas and electric Aga
When you want a cooker that complements both traditional and contemporary styles of kitchen, and you want the versatility and efficiency of a conventional oven, then the duel fuel Aga should be considered as a serious contender.
As the name ‘duel fuel cooker’ suggests, it is a combination of gas fired burners and an electric Aga oven. This type of oven, known generally as a ‘conventional oven’, is the most popular in the homes of Britain and across the world. Duel fuel has become the common choice due to the versatility that multifunction electric cooking can offer, along with the controllability and quick reaction of gas fired burners. Recent research suggests that people with duel fuel cookers also see a decrease in their energy bills.
If you’re familiar with the look of the heat storage Aga range cookers then you’ll know the housing is cast iron, the surfaces are protected by enamel and the oven doors are side opening with slam-catches. The conventional Aga oven offers that same classic build and with a variety of options to suit your needs.
AGA Cookers – Q&A
Until you’ve owned an Aga it can be difficult to fully understand all the benefits these range cookers can offer the home. However, what any Aga owner will tell you is that without a doubt once you’ve got one, you won’t want to use any other cooker again.
Potential Aga owners will have any number of questions they want answered before splashing out on one of these iconic range cookers and the best way to get those answers is to visit an Aga showroom where you’ll find experts on-hand to give you all the details. In the meantime, here are just some of the most common questions and answers to help you decide.
AGA & Rayburn Cookers Explained
The king of range cookers is without doubt the AGA. First introduced to England in 1929, it quickly became the cooker of choice for English society, particularly for those who lived in medium and large country houses. Now the AGA range cooker, and the versatile Rayburn range cooker, can be found in rural and urban homes up and down the country.
One of the main questions asked by anyone looking to invest in one of these cookers is “what’s the difference between an AGA and a Rayburn?” In this article we’ll explain the basics.
Caring For Your Knitted Garments
Whether you knit garments yourself or you have received a gift of a hand knitted item you need to know how to care for it properly so the natural fibres stay in the best shape possible. Hand knitted garments take time to make and show the talent of who made it. You do not want that talent to go to waste by reducing the life of the clothes. Caring for items created with wool knitting yarn takes some special care that is not necessarily difficult, but needs to be adhered to in order to preserve the garment.
Type of fabric
The type of care that is required will depend greatly on the type of yarn. If you have an alpaca fibre you will need to care for it differently than cotton. Hand dyed yarns will need additional care in comparison to natural fibres. If you are the one who made the outfit, check the label on the skein of yarn for any special instructions. If you received it as a gift and it is possible, ask the person who made it what it is made of and how it should be cared for. If you are unsure, handle it as if it were regular knitting wools. Regular wool should be hand washed using cold water and lain flat to dry, making sure you shape it before it dries. Washable wool can be washed in the laundry as can cotton, linen and ramie, using the gentle cycle. Synthetic fibres can be laundered with the rest of your clothing.
Ethical Cooking Gifts & Tips
You might say that ‘ethical cooking’ is a strange term but when you think about it you’re probably already following a set of ethics every time you cook a meal. There was a time when free-range eggs were the exception rather than the rule, now of course it is frowned upon to be buying eggs laid by battery hens. If you take a look through your cupboards and you’re likely to find fairtrade or organic products. However there is more you can do. If you, or someone you know, is a keen amateur chef then there are plenty more ways to make cooking even more ethical including buying ethical gifts for the budding Gordon Ramsay in your life.
Ethical cooking and dining
Whether you’re cooking the family meal or you’re having a dinner party for friends, there are a few easy steps you can take to ensure a successful and ethical dinner:
Double Glazing Cost Comparison
We’ve all heard the hullabaloo about global warming and climate change. And whether you believe it or not, the fact still remains that you can save on your utility bills and help do your bit against pollution by undertaking some simple changes in and around your home. This can include installing Double glazed windows – where two sheets of glass are separated by a thin vacuum (or gas-filled space) to reduce the amount of cool or warm air entering or leaving your house. Double glazing can mean in winter your heater is not wasting its time by warming the air only to have it escape through the glass in your windows. Or, cool air filtering into your house won’t need to be heated, thus decreasing your bills. The reverse applies in summer. The cool air is kept in, and the warm outside air is kept out. When you think about it, it makes sense. Even if you don’t care much for saving the planet, you will more than likely care for the money leaking from your pocket – and double glazing can help stem that flow.
Joanna Perry Hand Painted Murals
I create original hand painted wall murals to enhance any room. I’m based in Cheshire and cover the whole of the county and the North Staffordshire area. My contemporary and children’s murals at www.kidswallmurals.co.uk are an exciting and original alternative to wallpaper as well as a cost effective solution to re-decorating a room.
Whether it’s to theme a nursery, update a child’s room or enhance a living space, you can have any style or design, tailored to suit your specific taste and budget.
The Design
As an experienced muralist, all of my murals are drawn free hand with no stencilling or projections involved. This allows me to transfer your ideas directly onto the wall with no scale or design restriction. I can work to all scales and budgets, producing either simple colourful wall murals to enhance a style of room – or completely theme a room in intricate detail. No project is too large or too small, and every project is treated with the same personal care and attention. When producing an interior scheme I can either translate your specific ideas directly or if you would prefer I can produce imaginative design creations for you. You may already have a room decorated and decide you want to take details from a border, curtains or duvet cover and create a mural to finish the room off.