Author: Sharlene Freeman

Surrender To The Elegance Of Gray!

Nobody likes gray days, but the truth is that this color, when we talk about decoration, has nothing sad. Halfway between bright white and sophisticated black, gray is a decoration classic . Versatile and easy to combine, this shade adapts to all styles and brings its note of elegance to each space. Let’s discover some tricks to use gray in our house:

 

1.Coating

 

The completely white walls have passed away . Today what it takes is to use a light gray tone, less cold and minimalist than white, and just as elegant and bright. It is valid for any room, but if you are thinking of dyeing your bathroom gray, we recommend that you go for microcement. There are many shades, but gray is the most common. There must be a reason…

 

2. Combine tones

 

One of the advantages of gray is that it combines with any color: from the most strident to the most muted. So, if you have painted the walls in gray , take advantage of using brightly colored textiles to give a happy touch to the room.

 

In addition, the range of gray is very wide, so you can mix different tones: so light that they are confused with raw white or so dark that they flirt with black. Gray has a thousand faces. Dare to try them all!

 

3. The color of balance

 

Gray is a perfect color for certain types of rooms, such as the bedroom . And it is that it manages to give balance and serenity to the spaces. Just what we all need when we go to bed.

 

4. Gray pieces: the sofa

 

Go ahead and buy gray furniture. Does it seem strange to you? Well, we have realized that it is not so. Brighter than black, yet just as stylish, gray is preferred over white because it doesn’t attract stains as easily as this one.

 

5. Perfect for all styles

 

Gray is the key color in industrial décor, but it is not the only style in which it has a place. The Scandinavian interiors have known how to use it like no other and it can not be missed if we want to give a modern but classic touch to our house. So there are no excuses. Whatever your home, gray can always bring its note of elegance .

Categories: Home Renovation

How To Give Privacy To Outdoor Spaces?

With the heat comes the desire to enjoy the outdoors of the home. Sunbathe, read, eat, have dinner, take a nap, have fun in the pool … these are some of the leisure moments to live alone or with family and friends, but always in privacy. There are many options to ensure that these spaces are protected, away from outside eyes; Choosing the right one will depend on your needs and budget.

The Garden

Creating an intimate garden, hidden from the gazes of curious or possible intruders, can be somewhat complicated due to its size, usually large. To begin with, the perimeter of the garden has to be closed. The best is the typical wooden fences or masonry walls, but a simpler or complementary solution may be the metal mesh for fences or lattices. For more privacy, you can add wood or bamboo paneling, or heather mesh.

Another option for fences or walls is to plant cypress bushes or trees like poplars. Of course, you must first consider the regulations that prohibit planting any tall species near a neighboring property.

Also, pergolas, gabezos, tents, umbrellas, or gazebos will help create more intimate spaces and, like awnings or tarps, protect from the sun and summer heat.

The terrace

The most common solution to isolate the terrace from other people’s eyes is shading lattices and meshes and canvases, heather, bamboo, plastic, wood, cane or wicker reeds. If the terrace walls are too low, you can also opt for fences or panels of wooden boards, to which you can add heather or hurdles.

Tall plants and small trees can also be very useful to cover the terrace’s view from outside: small palm trees, ficus, fruit trees such as mandarin or lemon trees … For example, those who do not want to complicate the issue of the watering can, If not, opt for artificial plants or artificial shrubs that simulate cypress trees.

To cover and hide the terrace’s dining area, the ideal is to place tarps, awnings, umbrellas, or parasols. A pergola or gabezo can be very useful and, also, it helps to reduce the effect of the sun’s rays.

The Balcony

Making the balcony an intimate and relaxing place can be more difficult due to its small size. You have to be aware of the available space and not clutter it up with things. First, if the balcony has bars, you can put a decorative tarp that hides behind it. Another option is to place meshes, heather, or hurdles that will also be isolated from the wind.

Placing plants, artificial or natural, also make the balcony a colorful and happy place. For the sides, it is best to opt for wooden or metal lattices or meshes and cover them with climbing plants or artificial plants. Awnings, umbrellas, or parasols, depending on the size of this space and the budget, help avoid the neighbors’ glances above while protecting from the sun’s rays.

Categories: Home Renovation

10 Ideas To Reuse Objects

Decorate, recycle and save. Reusing objects to give them a new functionality can be an easy and fun task, you just need a little time and imagination and, voilà, enjoy a new look in your home!

Hangers that were spools of thread or knobs

Sometimes an object as small and simple as a spool of thread can go a long way. Anchored to the wall using a screw, it can work perfectly as a funny and colorful hanger for necklaces or light objects. The door or drawer knobs can work in the same way; an original and cheap way to personalize your bedroom .

Table legs that were magazines

If you are one of those who accumulate magazines over the years, you have to know that one way to make them useful is by turning them into legs for a table and even a table itself. You just have to stack them in columns of the same height, gluing some covers with others, to secure them. To prevent them from spoiling when you mop, place some wooden bases. Finally, add a crystal if you consider it necessary.

Paper baskets that were newspapers

If you like crafts, this can be one of the simplest and most practical. It is about taking newspaper sheets (you can paint them, to make them more striking) and turning them into baskets . First, cut the leaves into strips and, later, go braided with each other, helping you with glue to fix the work, until you get small squares. To give it the proper shape, you must fold the strips 90º upwards, until you reach the desired height of the basket. If you put a ribbon on the upper edge, you will give it more firmness and decorative strength. Once finished, you can protect it with varnish and decorate it to your liking.

Textiles that become tables, headboards or organizers

If you have some pieces of fabric or scraps of beautiful colors and patterns around the house, you can make them useful by framing them. Placing them on a frame or hard cardboard you can turn them into beautiful pictures that, combined with others, can decorate any space in the house. Other uses for the remnants can be to make a new upholstery for a headboard or, placed on a cork board, an original organizer. In addition, you can also reuse sheets to create curtains and other accessories.

Vases that used to be teapots

A glass or porcelain teapot or coffee pot can be equally attractive when used as a vase or vase, especially if it is a classic or vintage design . The same happens with old jugs or watering cans.

Coat racks and shelves that were drawers

Taking advantage of antique dresser drawers and other pieces of furniture can be a rewarding way to recycle thanks to their versatility. Among the new functions that they can exercise, is that of a shelf. Screwed to the wall, they can be used to place multiple objects, from books to decorative accessories . In addition, the front of the drawers can be very useful when creating coat racks for the wall. Creative and cheap.

Desk organizers that were cardboard boxes

Letters, tape, pencils, paper clips, markers and various papers. Turning your desk into a tidy place is easier with organizers. Sometimes, there are objects at home that can help you with this, such as cardboard cereal boxes and others. It’s so easy: cardboard, scissors, glue, wrapping or wall paper, and a little imagination. You dare?

Guitar cases turned into trunks or cabinets

A guitar case can be a perfect trunk. You can also place some rods or spacers inside, to achieve an original closet or shelf. To give it a unique touch, you can cover it inside with a pretty paper .

Plates turned into pictures for the walls

A vintage, incomplete and even inherited tableware. Dishes come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns. Who says they can’t decorate your walls? If you don’t like them, you can customize them to your liking. Forget the pictures.

Key holders or hangers that were covered

Over the years, the cutlery gets lost or broken. Placed on a painted wood it can serve as an original key holder or hanger. You just have to glue the cutlery pieces to the wooden base and fold them up.…

Categories: Home Renovation

How To Create A Recycling Corner In A Small Kitchen

According to the survey ” Recycling habits “, carried out by fotocasa, 45% of people who do not recycle do so due to lack of space at home. However, it is not necessary to have a very large home to be able to make room for this important task and collaborate with the care of the environment.

 

Find new corners

 

No matter how much you have a small kitchen, you can always find new corners to take advantage of. Some available and many times wasted holes are usually the part under the sink, the corners, walls, floor and even some corners of built-in cabinets. In the market you can find a multitude of buckets, bins or containers capable of adapting to the gap available for recycling in our home.

 

A common idea is to use the hole under the sink to place the organic waste container. However, you can also choose to place a bin with divisions (or several buckets of a smaller size) that allows the separation of waste: plastic, glass, organic and even paper. In fact, there are countless removable and / or rotating cubes with divisions designed exclusively for this corner.

 

Another possibility is to take advantage of any corner or dead corner of the kitchen to place stackable, modular containers or separate bins with divisions for the selective collection of waste. The main advantage of this option is that it is an easily accessible recycling point, which aids in emptying. If you have open shelves in this space, you can always choose to place the buckets or containers in the lower part of these, so they will not disturb when passing and their presence will be more concealed.

 

If you do not have much space on the floor, you can always choose to place wall modules, which do not take up much, allow you to go to all corners with ease and provide greater visual amplitude . Furthermore, being modular, they adapt better to the available space.

 

In the case of having a built-in cupboard in the kitchen, you must be careful not to leave organic garbage or other types of waste that can generate bad smells. To avoid this, always choose buckets or containers with lids; Furthermore, it is advisable to place only glass buckets (the containers must be clean before throwing them away) and paper, and empty them often.

 

Although the ideal is to allocate a corner exclusively to recycling, there are areas such as the pantry, which can also have certain advantages when fulfilling this function: in this way it can be hidden from the view of the guests and allows free space in the rest of the kitchen.

 

Batteries and bulbs, apart

 

It is also necessary to remember to have space to recycle batteries and light bulbs since, due to their great polluting potential, they must be separated from the rest of the waste. For them, it is best to have small recycling bins or simply to have some bags correctly identified and stored in any hidden corner and out of the reach of children .

 

An option for each

 

Thus, plastic or raffia bags, which are attached to each other, stackable and modular containers, bins with several divisions, individual bins, removable and / or rotating bins for cabinets and even reused shopping bags. There is no excuse. On the market there are a multitude of practical elements, sometimes even beautiful and decorative, that fit the needs of anyone and that allow you to have a small corner that helps to take care of the environment.

Categories: Home Renovation

Ideas To Decorate The Christmas Table

It is, by far, the undisputed protagonist of the Christmas holidays. Everything revolves around her and is the meeting point to reunite the family and our closest friends. Naturally, we mean the Christmas table . Cozy, elegant and creative, every detail counts to decorate a Christmas table where you can enjoy unforgettable moments. Do you want to surprise your guests? In this article we propose you some good ideas to achieve a magazine table .

 

The arrangement of the elements

 

When decorating the Christmas table we always ask ourselves the eternal question: what order should I follow when placing the dishes and cutlery? The protocol at the table is very important to be the perfect host . But first of all, it is recommended to arrange the chairs taking into account the position that our guests will occupy. This will give us a visual reference when serving the table.

 

Depending on the type of celebration, the arrangement of the elements may vary slightly. In this sense, for a formal style Christmas table it is recommended to place the cutlery that we are going to use with the right hand to the right of the plate and in order of use, that is, from the outside to the inside. And regarding the arrangement of the drinks, the first glass that we should place is the water one , followed by the white wine glass and the red wine glass.

 

A matter of detail

 

The arrangement of the different elements of the table helps us to make things easy for our guests. However, it is the decorative details that make the difference. If we want to surprise diners, a great idea may be to decorate the chairs with hanging decorations . A detail as creative as it is exquisite.

 

For a sophisticated Christmas table we can also place garlands of lights distributed throughout the table , making sure that they do not disturb our guests. An interesting alternative to traditional decorative candles.

 

Bright ideas

 

A good idea to light and decorate the Christmas table is to place a glass bowl with water and floating candles . If you are looking for something different, this chic detail will surprise your guests and help us add an intimate and cozy touch to our Christmas table .

 

Have you had any garlands left over from the tree ? In that case, don’t forget that you can also use them to decorate the Christmas table. A very practical and decorative idea to mark the separation between each guest .

 

A trendy Christmas table

 

Do you want to decorate a trendy table? In that case, don’t lose sight of the tartan print that returns this season to dress the Haute Couture table. Choose colors as traditional as green and red for a cozy and stylish Christmas table. Another elegant and timeless trend that triumphs every season is the traditional centerpiece with pine cones, artificial branches and candles .

 

But if you are thinking of a more informal and fun decoration, go ahead and present the cutlery on the plate tied with a bow and with a decorative star on which you can write the name of your guests. A unique and surprising detail that will not go unnoticed among your guests.

 

Aires scandi

 

Pure white, minimalist design and nature are the hallmarks for a scandi-style Christmas table . How? Accompany your tableware in a simple style and in an elegant white color with decorative artificial branches to add a green and rustic touch to an elegant table with Nordic inspiration .

 

And for those looking for a decoration that combines aesthetics and functionality, nothing better than decorating the Christmas table with sackcloth, as placemats . A great idea to decorate the table and at the same time protect our delicate tablecloth. The final touch comes from the candles that help us to illuminate a cozy table, creating an enveloping and magical atmosphere.

 

Intimate and personal

 

Did you know that Christmas tree decorations can also become practical napkin holders? And so that your guests know where to sit, try personalizing the Christmas table with ornaments decorated with the name of each diner . These simple details help make a difference and make our guests feel at home.

Categories: Home Renovation