If you are still living with the trendy fluorescent lighting in your kitchen from the seventies get rid of it. Once you do, I guarantee you will see things in a much better light…pun intended for once. And what are you going to put up in its place, aside from energy efficient bulbs in new fixtures? Spend a few extra bucks on dimmer switches. Those controls are no longer limited to use in the other rooms of a house, the kitchen can really benefit from it too. Plus, it is another environmentally friendly options you should embrace now that you have the chance.

Chandeliers

Chandeliers are the perfect way to make a dramatic statement without overwhelming anyone. They’re reasonably priced, yet can add a great deal of sparkle to any room. A crystal chandelier will look extravagant and soon attract the attention of your friends. Alternatively, a black chandelier can add a dramatic touch to a room to give a gothic feel.

Rugs

Rugs are a great way to go if you want a small change to go a long way. The bolder the better – and introducing it into a room couldn’t be easier.

Air purifiers

For a modest touch – air purifiers are the perfect addition to your home to impress your guests. They remove contaminants from the air – such as dust and smoke particles – to leave your home feeling fresh and clean. And if you have friends that are allergic to your pets, they won’t have an excuse anymore to not come and visit.

Modern sinks

Bathrooms are an easy room to concentrate on in order to make a little change to go a long way. A freestanding glass basin, paired with modern taps, is a simple way to give your bathroom a modern breath of fresh air.

Wall mounted electric fires

You want your guests to feel relaxed and feel at home, and what better to go about that than a fire? To mix modern with traditional, a wall mounted electric fire is the perfect option. Picture the scene: you and your guests sat around the fire, mugs of hot chocolate in hand, talking about how lovely your home is.

Sofa made out of a vintage bath

For a real talking point, why not think outside the box? They’re rare to find but do exist – a free standing vintage bath with one side cut off and turned into a sofa. They may be quite cosy in size – but who else can say they own one?

A wonderful way to create a craft area is by assigning an armoire to be your “room”. What will make this really work for you is to buy an armoire with a lot of shelves drawers and any other accessible nooks and crannies to house your materials. If you already own the cabinet, and it does not have much in the way of divisions of space, then a carpenter can help you revise it.

The other thing that will play a critical role in making such a unit effective is to label drawers and cubbies clearly. Otherwise, you will forever be floundering through to locate what you need, and more than likely disrupting the organisation of it all to regularly. I personally could not survive without my armoire craft “shop”, and know you will find it to be a wonderful addition to your home too.

Faux leather accounts for the largest range of bar stools on the market, with soft upholstery that gives a luxuriant touch. Faux leather is available in a mind boggling array of colours, from minimalist black and white to traditional brown and cream all the way through to striking primary colours like red and yellow and even funky orange. Aside from these resplendent colours, there a various styles that utilise contrasting two-tone faux leather for added visual impact and may even have an ABS shell to frame the seat.

Real leather is the other form of upholstery and provides an opulent, upmarket feel like no other. With an unmistakeable aroma and tactile feel, genuine leather is a natural material that adds a high class feel to any kitchen or breakfast bar. Hard wearing and resilient to stains, leather ticks all the boxes and reinforces the feel of quality these stools exude, perfect for the discerning individual.

Both leather and faux leather are used to cover the padded cushion and backrest sections of stools, beneath which you can find cosseting high density foam padding. The thickness of the foam depends on the model of stool; some items have a thin layer that keeps the overall look slender and elegant, whilst others have several pliant inches that support your body in comfort for even extended periods of use. The foam is accentuated in some designs by stitch detailing that gives the surface a quilted or segmented look, adding further visual impact.

The dense foam is what makes these upholstered stools sought after, and means they are ideal for all occupants, from the young to the old. These stools are either built on wooden or steel frames, in a variety of styles to suit. Wooden frames are usually found as four legged designs that provide superb rigidity and stability on all floors, whilst steel frames come in one of two finishes.

Chrome plating is a scratch resistant, polished mirror finish whilst brushed stainless steel stools are worked by hand into a subtle striated surface, ideal in contemporary settings. Whether a gas lift bar stool, which comes with an integrated variable height and 360 degree rotating hydraulic mechanism, or a fixed frame stool, all come with integrated floor guards that help keep scuffs and scrapes at bay, perfect from wood to tile flooring.

Of all the different ways to incorporate rope into a design, my favourites are those that are not purchased already in completed form. For example, instead of the base of a lamp covered in rope by the producer of the fixture, I prefer bookends crafted by the homeowner. Another idea for an adorable, and simple creation is the rope coaster. Honestly, coiling rope tightly around itself, and affixing it with a glue gun could not get much easier. Oh wait, I was too hasty with that comment, you can make a rope napkin ring in under thirty seconds, and once you tire of this accessory, reuse the rope for something else. This trend has got my creative juices flowing.

You need not replace these articles, or your metal frames, chandeliers, file cabinets, or lamp bases. The list could go on and on forever, but we think once you get started on this revamp everything else you can spruce up will become very apparent. This project can actually become a tad addictive, because the results are so fantastic, and the difference can be huge.

So how do you do it? Spray paint. Take the object of your affection, and determine if it need prep like primer or sanding. Then move on to the spraying. Get creative with ways to get all sides of things like doorknobs without leaving fingerprints in the paint. Use a pencil placed in the screw holes, or go outside and hang off the end of a pitchfork, or anything you do not mind getting a bit of spray on.

There are heaps of tantalising dispensers ranging from elegant hammered glass and metal-footed ones, to fifties style robin’s egg blue bell shaped ones. Whether you are looking for something rustic, antique, odd, or inventive, you can find it in more than one form to be sure. But, by doing your search now you are likely to get a real bargain, since shops are pulling out all the cold weather items to promote. Plus, they can become the feature of your table, and the anchor to an entire party theme should you want it to.

In this edition we will cover the pots and pans you need for a well stocked, functional kitchen. These will bring you up to speed, and eliminate the excuse that you can’t possibly make that dish because you are missing a key implement in most instances.

1 large skillet

1 large non-stick skillet

1 small skillet

1 Dutch oven

2 Baking sheets with rims

1 medium saucepan

1 large pot

However, a lot of people find that even when they sleep the whole night through they may wake up feeling as if they need a few more hours, or even wake with a slight pain in their back, neck, or shoulders. This is because most traditional mattresses don’t provide the right amount of support and comfort to help you get a truly good night’s sleep – that’s where memory foam mattresses come in.

Memory foam mattresses have taken the world by storm over the past few years becoming more easily available and affordable in the general market. It is predicted that if they keep selling as well as they have for the last year or so, memory foam mattresses will invalidate and replace traditional mattresses altogether. This would be an inarguably good thing. Not only are memory foam mattresses more comfortable and so will help you get a better night’s sleep, they also have a variety of medicinal benefits. You may argue that you don’t suffer from any conditions like back pain or rheumatism, but the truth is just sleeping on a memory foam mattress can reduce your chances of developing these painful conditions later in life.

A memory foam mattress is a great investment, providing you with comfort throughout the night as the memory foam moulds itself to your body shape, evenly distributing your weight. This eliminates the pressure points that would exist on a traditional mattress, where only certain parts of your body are in contact with the mattress’s surface. You will feel the difference when you wake up! To see more great mattresses head over to dreams, dreams currently have a great bed sale on which stretches to most of the range

Much to my relief, thanks to the continuous move towards reducing waste and deforestation, cloth is expected to be making a comeback. With the numbers for the average amount of paper serviettes per person being astronomical, and the knowledge that none of those are recycled, I say it is about time. Plus, it give support to my claim that cloth is the only way to go for a sit down meal.

If I wanted to be a smarty pants, I would claim that being environmentally friendly was always at the heart of my drive to keep cloth napkins on the table. Not, because I have a collection of napkin rings that are enviable, and would look ridiculous around paper. But, since things are going my way, I will just be happy that my efforts led to a good deed while keeping up appearances.