Top Tips for Choosing the Right Curtains for the Bedroom

We do it every day. By the time we reach the age of 25, we will have spent 10 years doing it, in fact, an average human will spend over 26 years doing it across their lifetime!! 😲 What is it?  Wonderful, glorious, magical sleep! Of course. 

For a great sleep, we need a great bedroom – somewhere restful and relaxing, but also somewhere for romance, entertainment, study, mindfulness and more – it’s somewhere we spend a lot of time.  

Dream Big!

If we want sweet dreams, environmental light, heat and noise control play a vital role. An oft-overlooked consideration is what curtains should we choose in order to achieve the most functional and form-fitting solution.  

What Works for You? 

When it comes to it, you want a curtain that is both beautiful and practical. Think about these questions, their answers will go a long way to you getting the perfect window coverings for your bedroom. 

The look 

Do you want a traditional, contemporary, minimal or floral look? Do they need to match or accentuate other parts of the room? What size is the window and where is it compared to your bed and external influences? 

The feel 

Are you a very light sleeper?  Do you like natural light to wake you up?  Is your house or bedroom cold overnight? Do your windows let in a lot of drafts? 

Practically, window size and shape can dictate your curtain choice. Standard size windows can fit standard curtains with minimal cost and fuss.  

Benefits of Readymade Curtains

• Cheaper 

• Ready to use 

• Wide range of colors and fabrics.  

Disadvantages of Readymade Curtains

• They can’t accommodate specific styles, fabrics or requirements  

• Difficulty finding a match to existing fabrics and soft furnishings 

• Cheaper fabrics and materials generally so less luxurious finish 

• No ability to lengthen curtain length if required (might as well use bespoke if essential) 

If your windows are not standard, or you want particular effect, fabric or finish, then bespoke curtains are the only way to go.  

Advantages of Made-to-Measure Curtains

• They can match to existing soft furnishings 

• Perfect fit (if measured correctly). 

• You can choose handmade and high-quality fabrics and linings and unique fixtures and fittings  

• They offer an opportunity for bespoke solutions to aide sleep or other problems.  

Bespoke solutions include: 

• Use of a thicker or additional fabric - curtains with thermal lining - to prevent heat loss. Long curtains can also act to retain heat if they drape across the floor. 

• Use of dark, black or opaque lining or fabric to create blackout curtains if you are sensitive to light, if you work nights and sleep during the day or if your bedroom is overlooked by strong artificial light. 

Why Bother Getting out of Bed? 

A slightly indulgent but less common option is the use of automated curtains and/or blinds. These carry similar positives and negatives when you choose between bespoke or ready-to-use, but they can offer a stunning blackout solution and could be set with a timer for easy use in different seasons.  

Top tips! 

Finally, if you do choose bespoke curtains, consider how to measure window frames correctly and what length and width you want your curtains to have. These choices are vital! 

Here are some tips to remember:

• Floor-length curtains must actually touch the floor by at least a 2-4cm 

• Don’t hang the curtains too low 

• Don’t go too narrow, it will frame the window all wrong. To calculate curtain width, measure the width of the window and multiply this by at least 1.5. 

• Make sure the curtain rod exceeds the length of the window frame or recess by at least 10cm either side to ensure privacy or blackout. 

• Make your windows appear higher and add drama to the room by hanging curtains as high as possible – as little as just 5cm from the ceiling. 

Guest Post - 6 Polished Concrete Flooring Ideas To Make Your Home Stand Out

For years, concrete flooring has been associated with the commercial industry, which does not enhance the beauty of the place but offers the basic functionality of being able to handle rough usage with little maintenance. But polished concrete floors are currently becoming popular amongst many homeowners and hoteliers. The variations available in terms of color and design, the functionalities, and durability of the concrete coupled with very less maintenance makes this material ideal for flooring, especially for the heavy traffic areas.

Trending Polished Concrete Flooring Designs to Consider

One of the main reasons polished concrete floors are considered en vogue is the fact that it lends great creative freedom to both the installer and the creator to make their room stand out. Be it a uniform and unicolor look or you are thinking of making the floor pop out, opting for polished concrete floors has many benefits. 

1. The Minimalist Design: Nothing beats the whole white look for a minimalist with edgy furniture. Opting for polished concrete floors of the same hue will create a seamless and expansive design. For lovers of a bit of pop, opting to have the floor in a color that complements the white walls will do the trick.

2. Grey For More Light: While this might seem a bit contradictory but having a foyer with a huge glass wall will make having light grey flooring the perfect balance between brightness and contrast. With natural sunlight streaming in, resin-covered polished concrete floors can make the room feel brighter and livelier. So, you can save your power consumption cost and use minimal lights in your indoor. 

3. Darker Is Sharper: This theme works best in bathrooms; the white sanitary appliances and fixtures get a distinct sharp look when paired with black and patterned flooring and walls. This color also allows lighter timber fittings like vanities and light-colored rugs stand out and give a welcoming vibe.

4. Matching The Furniture Accent: Concrete polished floor a great option for kitchens and bathrooms, the accent of the furniture and the floor color matching is one way to make the appliance shine out. Concrete can take up any color present in its surroundings and make it look flawless makes this design a safe bet for people not looking to play around much with designs. Apart from that, the polished floor is stain and water-resistant, and you can easily use it in your bathroom and kitchen. 

5. Rustic Look For Nature-Lovers: One of the benefits of polished concrete floors is that it can be designed in any way you want. One design that many nature-lovers goes ballistic over is the wooden plank design. This not only provides a very rustic look for the room but also creates a good balance between modern and traditional furniture.

6. Earthy Color For Vibrancy: One of the benefits of opting for polished concrete floors is its ability to be molded into earthy tones. This design works best for the living room and large foyers and you can balance the vibrant yet warm pastels with contrasting colors, be it in furniture or curtain. You can install such polished concrete floors in your commercial area. Such floors are coated with epoxy coatings, and they are completely chemical resistant. 

Many times, concrete floors have been said to lack the warmth required for the homely environment, but polished concrete floors have proved this theory wrong. Whether you are opting for earthy stained flooring or sticking to the traditional concrete color, you can achieve your goal with a concrete polished floor. 

Author Bio: Alyssa Moylan is an ordinary woman from Australia, a writer by day and a reader by night. She writes on various topics like home improvement, business, lifestyle, health, travel and fashion. She likes to think of ways on how to solve daily life problems of people. Follow her on Twitter to stay updated.

5 Tips For Decorating a Large Home

Decorating a room alone can be daunting enough as it is. However, when you have an entire house to decorate, it can be even more overwhelming. In order to pull your homes look off, you'll need to have a design plan in place. 

Making sure that you make use of all of the space you've got to work with, is a question of following the right tips. Take a look at some of the best pointers for decorating a large home. 

Match Textures 

It's important that the materials and textures of your home match each other.  if you fail to use similar textures throughout the home, it can create a messy feel. Whether you're choosing blinds or a couch, it's ideal if the different textures complement each other. 

While it's OK to have some sort of variation, it's not encouraged to have too much. Clashing textures and materials can lead to an undesirable effect. 

Choose a Theme For Each Room 

When you have a lot of space to fill, it helps to choose a different theme for each area. Not only will it make exploring your home that much more enjoyable for visitors, but it can also be fun for you to choose the theme for each room!

There are all sorts of different styles to choose from. Whether you want something modern and light or something more along the lines of vintage and classic, choosing a unified theme for each space is a great way to decorate a large home. 

Paint Your Walls 

When you have a huge home to work with, you might as well take advantage of what you've been given. Rather than leaving your walls a dull white, why not paint accent walls in exciting colors? As long as your walls match your furniture, there are no rules that you have to stick to. 

One of the best pro tips is that no color is off-limit. As long as you like it, you can manage to make it work with the right accessories and furniture. 

Make Use Of Wall Space 

A big home needs to be filled out in order to avoid feeling like a warehouse. One of the best ways to do that is to fill out your walls. Don't be shy when it comes to displaying art on your walls or installing shelves. Choose your decor so that it fills out the room nicely. 

Don’t Forget Rugs 

One of the best parts of having a big floor space is being able to put rugs on the floor. A large home can easily feel too spacious without the right accessories. A rug makes a big home feel cozier and more closed in. 

It may take you a while to fill out a large home completely; however, with enough motivation and patience, you'll fill out your big home exactly as you want it over time.  

Guest Post - CREATE AN OFFICE SPACE THAT FEELS LIKE HOME

If you plan to give a makeover to your office space, this article might help you. I personally suggest you break the monotony of opting for the old school corporate office like theme and go for something that feels like home. Most of the people would love to work from their homes if they get a chance to. But wouldn’t it be great if they get the same cozy and homely atmosphere at the workplace. 

A person spends most of the day at the office. You might end up spending over 50 hours a week at your office. Therefore, it is very important that your workspace provide you with some comfort that you get at your home. Providing yourself and your employees a place where they get homely vibes will surely have a positive impact on work productivity. 

The following tips might help you design your office space that gives a homely experience to your employees. 

Don’t only go for the office chairs, add sofas into the furniture

Comfortable couches will help you break the monotony of your office space. These can be used in common areas where the employees can relax. Set them in a place with good lighting in peaceful ambient music. You might find your employees sipping coffee sitting on these couches. Also, this space can be a unique alternative to the monotonous conference rooms. 

A homely kitchen is what you need

A kitchen is the heart of every home. In many workplaces, there is no such place. However, domestic-styled kitchens with dining areas have become a new trend nowadays. The long dining tables add-on to the beauty of it. After office hours, you can sit and munch some snacks with your team in the kitchen. 

Ask your employees to decorate their cubicles 

One always places the pictures of the loved ones at home. The same can be done in the cubicles as well. You can place pictures of the employee’s parents, friends, family which will cheer them up and bring a smile to their faces. Also, try out different frames and design it like you design the walls of your home. Keep adding the photos and keep updating your collection. 

Fill up the bulletin board 

Add your favorite quotes, pictures with the staff, the fun moments, the person that inspires you and all the things that make you happy. It is quite amazing that looking at some pictures and motivational messages changes your mood drastically. 

Bring in fresh flowers and plants

Putting in some greenery in your office will add more life to the boring formal environment. The flowers are an add-on to the colors of your workspace. Don’t go for artificial flowers for decoration purposes. Alternate it with fresh flowers you like and don’t forget to take care of them daily. Do not worry if you are tight on budget for fresh flowers. Bring in more and more houseplants. 

Healthy snacks for munching are a must 

What do you do most of the time when you are at home? Eat! Keeping dry fruits or any other healthy snack in the office for the employees will make them feel at home. Also, it will surely keep the energy levels of the employees who love to work late in the evening. 

The wall colors make a huge impact 

If you want to give your employees a homely experience in the workplace, do not go for boring and dull colors inside office space. Bring in some vibrant and soft tone colors. Not only the wall color, but the color scheme of accessories around also makes a huge difference. Also, one can experiment with different wall paintings. These are definitely a great alternative to the boring single color walls. 

Most importantly, the people around you will make the office space home. Therefore, take advice from them and ask for their favorites. Try to provide the environment they want. 

The lighting should complement the walls 

Use bulbs of different shapes and place them accordingly. Do not rely more on the natural daylight in your office. Try something unique and different for every place in the office. Do not place white LED lights all around the office. 

Board games and playing cards are really important

Do not let your employees become “corporate robots”. A stress-releasing factor is really important. Bring in several board games and playing cards and give the employees some time to spend with each other. Bringing video games can be risky as your employees might end up without doing any work at the end of the day. 

Author Bio:

Manav Bansal is working as Creative Content Writer at FourModules for last two years. He has been writing on various topics related to IELTS, PTE, CELPIP and CAEL exams. Other than this, he loves to write about health, lifestyle and technology.