Everyone needs a spot in their house where they can “get away” from it all. My favorite homes have little nooks and cranny’s where you might not originally know what to do with the space, it may just become the perfect oasis!
Category: home
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Impromptu Office Ideas
Most people that work from home have a dedicated office space, but for those of you who don’t always work from home and are missing that needed space for the occasional snow day (like here in MD), there are some creative ways to set up an impromptu work space!
My favorite solution is probably to convert and armoire or cupboard into a hidden office. Another plus is it helps keep dust off your electronics, and if you don’t have time to tidy up, just shut the doors!Keep a living or library table housed with a lamp and another few office necessities and you can easily use it for an occasional desk.A narrow sliver of room can be dedicated if you work from home for maybe only one day a week, but don’t have a dedicated office. Consider outfitting one wall with a narrow desk. Then, run some attractive draperies far enough out from the wall that it will be able to hide the desk when it’s not in use.
If you have room for a rolling table this could be used for multiple purposes. A great work space, extra cooking space, a rolling bar for parties, or portable storage! Clear it off for a day of work from home that won’t affect the rest of your house. Baskets underneath can hold supplies.This hideaway desk is perfect for small spaces. If you are lacking the square footage for an office, purchasing a wall mounted desk could be exactly what you need for those random work from home days. Just pull it down when you need it and store it away when you need your space back! -
Ready for that room – or whole home makeover?
It’s easy to dream about the home you’d create if only you’d have the time, and even if you are savvy and a talented decorator, sometime you still need help – or at least to partner with someone to help you keep on track and avoid mistakes that might have been avoided if you’d only had that second set of eyeballs checking dimensions or price tags. Or, if you don’t have the confidence to do it yourself, there are service out there to help you bring you ideas to fruition.
A lot of furniture stores offer complimentary design services, so remember to inquire if you make a purchase.
There are also many companies that will help you with the layout and design of your kitchen like Wren Living. Some of them will even install most of it for you!
There’s also places like Wren’s Living that will do every step with you. They help you plan, design, custom fit things in your space, install, and even go on to extend your care afterwards in case there are any mishaps. What ever company you go with, be sure to familiarize yourself with their warranty and guarantee information.
So if you aren’t comfortable trying to figure out a space on our your own don’t hesitate to ask for help! Sometimes having a designer there to walk you through things can make the process a lot smoother, and give you lots of little tips and tricks you wouldn’t have thought of on your own.
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Dinning Room Do Over
Today I want to share some idea for underutilized dinning rooms! Unless you are entertaining frequently this room seems to be used only on the holidays or large events. Here are some great ideas for utilizing the space year round!
Use your dining room as an office! There are some seriously great perks to having your office in the dining room. Chances are better that you will keep it clean and working with a clean slate is a great way to start a work day. There are also creative ways you can contain your office items so that it isn’t overwhelming when you need to convert the space back into a dining room!
Make your dining room a library too! Adding shelving on your dining room walls to hold your books can make for interesting dining room conversation as well! Add a comfy chair in the corner or by a window and you might find yourself getting away in that room more often than dining!
If you are looking for something a little more family friendly, you can add some games to your library and make it a family game night! Make it a getaway from all the electronic distractions and use this space to have a little more fun. Your dining room might become the families favorite space in the house.
Change up the seating! Make it a more cozy space instead of a stiff dining room set. Use your eat in kitchen for breakfast and lunch but take dinner to a new level by using the new comfy dining room. What’s the point of having a space if your not going to use it?
If you or your kids are crafty you can tie in this pace to store your items for those last minute project ideas! Throw a drop cloth over your dining room table and challenge yourself to make something new each week and utilize this space! The large dining room table will give you great work space and if you need it to go back to being a dinning room just move a few storage items out of the way!
If you need a more kid friendly space. Let the little ones take over this room when it’s not in use! Finding great storage piece that can contain toys and double as a bar table during dinner parties.
There are so many easy combinations you can do to make a dining room a more usable space!
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Attractive flooring options when it’s all about budget
First I’m amazed by carpet tiles – now I’m looking at vinyl tiles!? Now before you say “yuck vinyl” (because that was my first reaction) take a second look at some of the pictures below. Did you know there is such a thing as luxury vinyl tiles? I did not.
Believe it or not those gorgeous wood floors are tiled vinyl! My mind is officially blown! These water resistant floors are making a huge hit these days because they are so resilient and gorgeous at the same time. Durability is something everyone is looking for and these floors are just that.
We have vinyl in our home that I am ready to tear up the second we get a chance but replacing it with luxury vinyl tile flooring was something I hadn’t considered before now.
These may be more of the vinyl tile look that you are familiar but there’s an added surprise to this one above. They are grouted vinyl tile! This makes it even harder to tell apart from the real thing.
If you aren’t a traditional floor person don’t worry – they have some pretty cool designs, colors, and styles available for you to choose from. They are also stain resistant and don’t fade so you won’t have to worry about losing their color. You can check out Zelta Flooring (a flooring company in Toronto) for some more good examples of luxury vinyl flooring.
If you aren’t falling in love with the vinyl flooring like I am, you just might after you check out their prices! They are really budget friendly, which makes it hard not to add into my must haves for my home. I would have to see and feel them in person first, before making a decision, and learn about their VOC outgassing, but they definitely look good! Does anyone have any experience with these?
this post was in partnership with carpetright.co.uk
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Glamorous bathroom eye candy
I have a million deadlines looming and I’m in desperate need of a little escape. One escape I indulge in a lot, especially during the winter, is a nice, hot bath. So, I thought I’d find some dreamy ones and share them with you.
Onyx makes me swoon.
via Pinterest via Interiors Digital
via Pinterest via Miss Design
I love the wall cladding in this picture. It really looks luxurious! If you are not a tile person or want to avoid grouting, cladding is definitely the way to go.
via Pinterest via 2.bp.blogspot
via Decor PadI would probably live in this bathroom if it were mine.via Decor Pad
this post was in partnership with decorcladdingcentre.co.uk -
Kitchen Details That Make All The Difference
Recently I’ve been gravitating more and more to my kitchen (not good considering I’m getting married in 7 months.) I’m not sure if it’s the cold that’s making me think of baking and hot home cooked meals but I wanted to share some pretty awesome ideas for an exhaust fan. Exhaust fan you say? When you have one as horrific as mine – think impossibly loud but completely ineffective, exhaust fans suddenly become a big deal.
via Pinterest
A dream kitchen
via 79ideas
No one likes a burnt smell, lingering odor, or a smoky kitchen (or not being able to hear yourself think when your’s is on). Since exhaust fans have suddenly become important in my life, you learn to appreciate the ones that function as the kitchen gods intended. If you are anything like I was, you probably spend .2 minute of your lifetime thinking about them, but I have started to learn the undeniable value of a good fan! You’d love to read more about the bathroom exhaust fan review by Home Gear Kit. Turns out I’m not the only one, because once I started doing some research to replace mine I fell into the rabbit hole of gorgeously designed (and functional) exhaust fans.
There’s a plethora of sources to find excellent looking exhaust fans, including Westside Wholesale online household supermarket. There are so many options besides the traditional one most homes have so you can find one that will compliment your style and space perfectly.
via Pinterest via Design With Christine
For those of you who don’t know there are plenty of amazing things an exhaust fan can do for your kitchen. Exhaust fans not only purify the air, but also protect the whole home. Think about what happens each time you cook, there is a significant volume of oil vapors, steam, smoke, and other substances accumulated in the kitchen air. These vapors form oil layers on the kitchen ceiling and accessories as well as on the furniture standing in other rooms. An exhaust fan can take that away which can save your furniture from staining and dirt!
via Flor
If you are like me, the second I think about an exhaust fan, I think of the amount of noise it makes. You can get an exhaust fan with minimal noise! It’s an option on most exhaust fans but I’m learning now would totally be worth it! A popular option would be to get a fan that is energy efficient and obtain optimal heat transfer. This feature saves you some costs and reduces electricity bills. Additional lighting, damper, and motor lubrication are some more options that aren’t always necessary but can really help the look or life of your fan!
via Pinterest
via Pinterest via Sharonsftc.com
Now I can’t stop looking at all the options out there! There’s more to exhaust fans then you thought, isn’t there?
this post was in partnership with westsidewholesale.com
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Who Knew Carpet Could Be Fun?
Carpet tiles have been around for a long, long time…well, around 50 years. They are a fantastic alternative to installing a full carpet and are great for both commercial businesses (especially in the office), and in the home. Since we are planning on finishing of our floors with hardwood flooring, this would be a great option for us to cover some of our space with carpet and not hide the new floors!
via Copy Cat Chic
Some of the best qualities are that they are easy to install, affordable and easy to ship, they are easy to clean and maintain, and they look both professional and stylish. They are available in so many styles and textures these days, that they can fit in practically any space.
via Flor
The same great qualities as above make it a great choice for homes as well. Affordable carpet tiles are available widely and are less expensive to ship that traditional carpets because they come packed in boxes. – But best of all they are easy to install, and are DIY friendly. This is especially the case if you are planning to lay them on top of laminate flooring, vinyl flooring or concrete as there is no need for underlay.
Carpet tiles come in a range of designs and colors and the fact that they are tiles makes planning your flooring a lot more fun, because you can be creative. They are easy to custom fit the shape of the room, which is particularly great if you have an awkward shaped room. Recently, popular TV design programs, interior design websites and blogs have started to champion carpet tiles due to the ease of installation and the variety and styles of options available.
via Flor
Don’t forget that they are easy to clean and maintain! Vacuuming works best for keeping them clean and spills can easily be absorbed with towel or sponge. You can even lift up the dirty tile and run it under the faucet to give it a quick clean. And if a tile (or two) is irretrievably damaged then you can simply just pick it up and replace it with a new one. Simple and a lot more cost effective then having to replace a whole carpet. It also makes it a little easier and more practical to have that white or cream tile you’ve always dreamed of!
2 above via Flor
Carpet tiles come in many styles to fit a wide variety of decor styles and many price points. If you are looking to re-floor, carpet tiles are a flooring option that definitely should be considered. There are tons of really great brands out there, but in particular you should check out brands such as: Burmatex, Desso, Gradus, Heuga, Interface and JHS Carpets as style wise, their options are fantastic.
this post was in partnership with everyfloordirect.com
