Are you attempting some DIY projects this year, or making over a room? Where do you turn to for ideas? Today we are sharing 5 top sources of home and interior inspiration – let us know which are your favourites!
When life gets complicated is your home the first place where the cracks start to show? Keeping on top of things when you are busy can be tough, but there are a few simple principles that have been shown to make a big difference when it comes to keeping our homes tidy. Keeping things running smoothly at home helps with the other stuff too, tidy home, tidy mind and all that. Want to know more?
Have a tidying routine
Work out how much time you can dedicate to tidying each day and divide your time between the tasks that need doing. It sounds boring and obvious, but the most highly effective people have clicked that automating processes takes away the pain and the head space. It’s oh so easy to drop important but non urgent things like tidying from your lists, so prioritise them by scheduling the time slot. One big slot at the weekend or lots of little slots – it’s entirely up to you, but don’t scrimp on making your home feel, well, like home.
Little and often can really work
So for example Saturday you spend 30 minutes sorting the kitchen, on Sundays you spend 10 minutes folding washing and on Tuesdays you spend 10 minutes cleaning the bathroom etc etc. Trusting it all gets done is a good feeling and makes you more likely to put the little bits of time in, rather than face catching up on a huge mountain of tidying.
Train your family to help
Delegating can seem more painful at first but it is really worth the effort invested. Plus with kids, you are encouraging them to be responsible, independent and helpful – amazing qualities. Start with making a bed, bringing down dirty washing and putting their dirty plates in the dishwasher – if they can operate an iPad there really is no limit to what they are capable of.
Don’t have more stuff than you have time to tidy
Obvious, but so true, if tidying is taking too much time, before you actually get to cleaning, it is time to revisit your storage and rethink your clutter.
Have a place for everything
The only person in our house who can never find his toothbrush is my son, who likes to wander round the house with it or when he is late, take it on the school run. But, on the whole I bet you know where your toothbrush is? If things have a home, we don’t lose them and they don’t cause clutter. Tidying is great, but sometimes, if you are repeatedly looking for the same thing or tidying the same clutter, it is time to problem solve.
Have the right kit
Make sure you have to hand what you need to keep cleaning things organised and to make jobs easier and tidying does become a little more pleasurable.
If you want to know the secrets to cleaning a house fast , do check out this fast cleaning tips post.
Do you have any tidying hacks to share?
Photo credit: Jason Briscoe via Unsplash.
Whether you follow trends or not white can be an incredibly versatile colour to paint your home. Despite bolder colours making it into homes, we’ve seen a real return to this trend, or perhaps it never left? Here are some reasons to embrace the whitewash…
Modern florals offer a fabulous array of possibilities for your home. Whether you look to French country homes, English Country cottages or further afield to jungles or hidden temples, there are so many ways to incorporate florals into your home. From classical and romantic to modern and minimalist, shabby chic and rustic and plenty in-between, floral trends can work for all kinds of homes.
Research expert Micheal Skaff made four predictions for the Flower Trends Forecast 2017, on behalf of the International Floral Distributors. Will these flower trends filter down to our homes?
Skaff suggests that as grey increasingly takes over our homes in a subdued and tricky age, florals have a stronger role to play in bringing nature in and creating homes that are sanctuaries.
Interestingly we’re all keen to be authentic in building our homes, and they are increasingly inspired by our travels and the souvenirs we collect. All four of these trends have strong bases in places around the world.
Have a look at the four trends he has identified and let us know what you think. Continue reading →
We would all like a magic tucked away homework area like this, how brilliant! Well, maybe we can’t all convert the space under the stairs, but there are defintely ways to approach homework that keep it more stress free.
If you are fighting homework battles, the last thing you want is for things to be in the wrong place when you have finally persuaded them to settle down to do some. You don’t have to build a dedicated area, especially when kids are still at primary school, but having a space for dedicated resources helps. We do homework at the kitchen table, it’s the easiest way to tackle things when kids are younger and need support.
A Homework Station or Area
I like to keep our homework things out of the way, so that I know they are always there when we need them, and the supply doesn’t get raided. I use jam jars and boxes to keep it all together in a tucked away cupboard. Out of sight means it is less likely to be raided. We also have a shelf for reference books that might come in handy. Over on Pinterest I’ve seen some fab ideas for a homework station. This could be a tray, a shelf or an area of a cupboard that is dedicated to the stuff they need to get the work done. It can easily be moved to the table whenever it is needed, and put away on a shelf or in a cupboard when it’s finished, ready for next time.
Homework station supplies
Glue stick, Scissors, Pencils, Pencil Sharpener, Rubber, Handwriting Pens, Plain paper, Ruler, Calculator, Dictionary, Thesaurus, Reference Books, Felt tips, Colouring pencils, Highlighters, Maths equipment, Good lighting.
Homework Station Fun Additions
Stickers and stamps can help motivate, mainly little ones, but not always!
Snacks and hot chocolates always help in our house.
Mini whiteboards are a fun way to practice spellings. The magnetic ones that stick to the fridge are handy for this.
Post its are a fun way to spread facts and spellings around the house, especially good for visual learners and dyslexics who need to remember the shape of the word.
They might not be strictly necessary, but most kids love to play with hole punches, staplers, paperclips, cork boards and drawing pins. Make it feel like their office and they are more likely to want to be there!
What does your family’s homework set up look like? Has it changed with time? Any tips?
When did you last light a candle? Writing this I realise mine has burnt down too far to light, and it is time to find a new one. It’s been a gloomy grey Winter this year and I seem to need them more than ever.
Here’s five reasons to light a candle:
If you have a small bedroom you need to maximise every possible storage space, here’s a quick small bedroom design checklist to work through.
We’re tackling toy storage ideas today, sharing solutions that encourage fun and minimalism and work in any room of the house, because we all know toys like to travel!
If your goals this year involve getting more productive, here are some great little tips to help you kickstart a happier, more productive you!
How feng shui works
Feng shui works on the principle that different areas of our homes represent different areas of our lives. A bagua is a map which helps you to identify which parts of each floor of your house, and also each room are tied to which area of our lives.
Disorganisation in the North area of you home might indicate you are becoming to absorbed in your career. If I stare down the corridor in our house, I can see that the money corner is a toilet, the relationship area is a pile of laundry, random junk and a dying dishwasher. Doesn’t bode well! On the other hand, our most organised room, the living room represents friends and travel, two areas of life I think we have pretty sorted right now.
When I look at the map I perhaps didn’t need an expert to tell me that disorganisation in the youngest’s bedrooms is causing problems in the ‘children and creativity’ area of our home and our lives, but it is fascinating to look at the map and see that!
Of course, Feng shui isn’t going to work if you believe it is some kind of magic, instead, if you appreciate that is is about the science between how humans and their building interact, your getting closer and more likely to bring about change. It’s all about the art of placement to bring about balance, comfort, and harmony into your environment. It’s named after the elements of feng (wind) and shui (water).
It’s tempting to start in the easy areas, but in feng shui, clutter stops the flow of chi. Everything has energy, so tackling the cupboard under the stairs or an overstuffed shed might be the bigger game changer. Another way is to start with the entry way and then the centre of home, or to focus on the areas that need most attention…
Feng Shui Tips
To feng shui specific areas of your home areas try these ideas. Remember that the map above can be applied to each floor of the house and also to each room within it.
Wealth: Place fresh flowers or a jade plant (pictured above) here – there is hope for my downstairs loo after all! This is also a great place to keep cash or a important treasures.
Reputation: The place to display awards, certificates or medals is the middle back of the house or room.
Relationships: The back right of your home or room is the place to experiment with pairs, especially potent are lovebirds, butterflies, and cranes or an image of two trees intertwined. Matching chairs or pairs of cushions can also work well.
Children and creativity: The middle right of your home or room is the place to indulge creative pursuits, a craft or hobby space, or a place to indulge your inner child too with colour, fun objects or a memo board.
Friends and travel: This is the spot for fun, whether it is artwork made by friends, or a map that reminds you of a favorite trip or a journey that you hope to take.
Career: This is often the entrance hall in a home, and needs to be bright and well lit. We recently made our hallway travel themed, little did I know this is exactly what feng shui recommends – reflect your passions and job.
Knowledge: Reading nooks are a rising trend, so here is the place to create yours! If you meditate, this is a great place for it.
Family and health: Focus on cleanliness here to boost health and wellbeing. Of course it’s the perfect spot for a family-photo wall too!
If you want to quickly put problems right in your home and see how it affects you, try some of these quick fixes.
Feng Shui Inspired Quick Fixes
- Get a round paperweight, these promote growth and strength, stick on invoices owed to encourage action.
2. Get rid of broken stuff, it affects vitality
3. Large plants like lily, bamboo and jade varieties are top on the list for good energy.
4. Use a screen, or cover elements like technology or clutter.
5. Add music for yan active energy.
Have you experimented with feng shui in your home? Which ideas might you experiment with in your home?
Original article and pictures take www.wayfair.co.uk site
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