How to Pick the Ideal Bed for Your Home

Choosing the right bed for you might sound very simple - you just need to find one that looks good and is the correct size, right? Wrong. There are so many times of bed frames available that it is important you get one that is most appropriate for your bedroom and your comfort.

This is why I've written a guide on how you can pick the right bed for you. Here are some things you should consider:

1) The size of your bedroom

The first thing I'd recommend you do is measure your bedroom and work out where you want to put your bed. The width and length of the room will determine the location you can position your new bed and will also give you an idea of what size bed to go for.

You might have dreams of a king size bed, but if you're lacking space in your bedroom, you might have to reconsider. Alternatively, if you have a Victorian property with high ceilings you can even choose a four-poster bed, which is ultra glamorous. There are a number of mahogany four-poster beds available from Woodlands Furniture, so you can have a wide selection to choose from.

2) How much space you need to sleep

Secondly, once you have determined how much space your bedroom will allow you to fit your new bed in, you have to answer the question: how big a bed do you need? Assuming you have a large bedroom that will enable you to have as big a bed as you want, you will have to then decide whether a double will suffice or if you'd prefer a queen or king-size bed.

I can just see myself opting for the largest bed possible then realising it won't fit up the stairwell when it's too late! It is therefore important you consider how it will get into the house, up the stairs and what it will look like in the bedroom before you make any rash decisions. Also, don't forget, you will need to invest in a king-size mattress, duvet and extra pillows to fill that additional space.

3) What do you want out of your bed

 

This might sound like a silly question, but people tend to want different functions from their bed. OK, so most of us just consider it to be a place to sleep, but, for example, if you watch the television in your bedroom, you might love a bed that has an inbuilt TV. These mean your flat-screen TV can rise from the foot of the bed enabling you the best view when you want to watch your favourite show, and be neatly kept hidden away at all other times.

I also use my bed as a great storage device, as I tend to keep lots of belongings hidden away underneath it. If you are the same, you should pick one that either has inbuilt drawers or the space between the bed and the floor is deep enough for you to place under-the-bed drawers yourself.

Some people also require beds to double up as a sofa or futon, in which case you will obviously have to choose one that fulfils both purposes equally effectively.

4) Complement your bedroom décor

Throughout the entire procedure of choosing your bed, it is essential you don't forget that it should fit in with the rest of your bedroom decor. If you've got period fittings and fixtures, you should avoid opting for metal frames and modern-looking beds. Similarly, a grand four-poster bed may look out of place in a contemporary flat. Keep in mind the overall design of the room and you should be in a good position to pick the right bed for you!

Tips and Tricks to Improve Any Room in Your Home with Home Lighting

Lighting can make a big difference to any room and enhance the relaxing, comfortable, and welcoming environment that a home should have. There are so many options for lighting today that goes far beyond the light in the ceiling and a lamp on the table. The range is massive and the results can be incredible. There are a few things you can do to improve your home simply by concentrating on the lighting.

Firstly, you need to look at each room closely, or the room that you are concentrating on. Lighting can only be effective if allowed to be. If you have lighting in the path of a window for example, the sunlight can counteract the effect that you are looking for. You need to consider where you and guests will be placed in the room as well. Where do you spend the most time? For example, there’s not much need for a bedside lamp if you don’t read in bed, so you can consider wall lighting instead. The lighting in any room can affect your mood so it’s important to try to get it right.

Home lighting can help you completely recreate any room. Wall lighting can take away the flatness of walls and promote a cosier feel in a room. Handing lights from the ceiling also remove focus off the walls and promote more comfortable surroundings. You can use mirrors to make your room look larger as well, although remember that if you want to create the desired effect, your lighting should not be drowned out by the sunlight.

You can use home lighting to lighten up any room without having too much focus on the light itself being ‘there’. Down lighting using direction to aim the lighting as opposed to releasing it widely across the room; up lighting and track lighting have the same effects. These lights can be used to your advantage as they can highlight certain features in your room that you want to show off. This could be a plant; plants always make a room feel different and alive, or this could be an ornament of some kind. Use the darker and hidden spaces here like behind the sofa or in the corner. You can use down lighting or track lighting to bring attention to the things you really love whether that’s a picture on the wall, a bookcase, or something else that you enjoy seeing and showing off. The type of lighting you can get can promote your proudest pieces subtly whilst improving the lighting too.

Creating the perfect home lighting is like art. The variety of lighting available enables you to create the design that you want and patterns too. You can highlight those things that you love, create a soft and comfortable atmosphere, and even create beams of light should you have a reason too. Whilst creating your masterpiece, think of the end result you are looking for before you begin. The lighting you choose should work together to create what you are looking to create.

You can improve the lighting in your home to achieve the look that you want. Take a look at the room beforehand and visualise how you would like it to be. The lighting can help you achieve a comfortable, soft, and relaxing atmosphere so you can enjoy the homely feel in any room of your home.

Home lighting can be an easy thing to master with a little bit of planning and design. The lighting you use can transform any room into a homely sanctuary where you can relax and enjoy the environment you are in.

Author Bio

Anna Mathews is a freelance writer based in the UK. Anna has researched the benefits and options of home lighting online. In her spare time; Anna enjoys reading fiction and spending time with her family.

Redecorating the Office for Pleasure, Profit and Efficiency

Offices are often decorated in a rush. Colours are chosen in a hurry, there are deadlines to meet and carpet fitters and decorators need to be in and out before the furniture arrives. Better choices are promised for next time, but then business gets in the way and nothing changes.

How should an office look?

Coming into the same office day after day, it is easy to forget how the building will appear to new staff or visitors. Take time to step back and try to see it with fresh eyes. What image do you want to project? This will depend to a large degree on the nature of the business. All companies want to project reliability, integrity and honesty, but an accounting firm may also want to show that it is predictable, dependable and conventional, while a company that designs posters may want to show that it can think outside the box and produce work that is quirky or traditional, depending on the client's requirements.

Certificates displayed on the wall, such as staff qualifications or company awards, will help advertise the business. Framed news items or photographs of events or products will also project a positive image of the business, while shelves can be used to display awards. A good range of cheap office furniture can produce pleasing results, combining aesthetics and functionality. Tidy desks and files stored neatly will be appropriate for a law firm, while a table in the centre of a room with one or two projects in construction would be appropriate for a designer.

How to encourage staff

Most workers are encouraged or motivated by a smart new office with freshly painted walls, new flooring and plenty of filing space, but how long will this last? New furniture from a cheap office furniture supplier will make the office environment better, make workers more keen to win an important contract or get the new orders out early, but what else can be done to encourage them? How about pictures on the walls? There are many prints available, including those suitable for large spaces. These can be pictures of grand architectural structures or massive mountain ranges, maybe with words of inspiration added, encouraging everyone to strive for more.

Indoor plants bring freshness to a room. If they are looked after and kept healthy, they can improve the atmosphere in the office. Plenty of research has been carried out on indoor plants and it has been shown that the air quality of rooms with plants is almost always improved. Plants have also been shown to have beneficial effects on the health of people in the room; for example, there are observations of reduced sickness and also of improved mental health.

If staff don't have space to store their personal belongings, such as a place to hang a coat or somewhere to keep safe their sandwiches, wallets and handbags, then spending time in the office can be frustrating. A coat may be hung on the back of a chair, while a handbag might be tucked away underneath a desk. It doesn't take much effort or planning to make sure that all workers have somewhere for their personal belongings to be kept during the day.

Decorating an office may seem an unimportant part of getting the office up and running, but get it right and the office staff will be happier and more productive.

AUTHOR BIO

Andy  is interested in the impact the office environment has on the workforce and writes for a number of blogs and websites. He is particularly interested in how choosing the right cheap office furniture can improve the mood and productivity in an office.

 

Why Compromise? Doors Can Offer Security and Style

It is important that the entrance to your home looks warm and welcoming. However, are you willing to sacrifice your family's security for the sake of a stylish front door? Fortunately, with composite models, you won't have to.

When you invest in a new front door, what you really need is the reassurance that the model you choose will stand the test of time. Doors are invaluable in terms of security, but does choosing a door always have to compromise on style? Well, certainly not. There are a variety of doors available in the style and colour of your choice. They provide the security you crave within your family home as well as the aesthetic values that you desire for the doorway to your home.

Composite doors are just one option if you are seeking a long lasting secure solution. They are manufactured from a durable plastic, which has benefits over both wood and normal UPVC. Wooden doors need regular upkeep to ensure they remain up to scratch and weather tight. There is also the chance that they will suffer from rot. UPVC doors were once the model of choice for households. However, they are no longer deemed the most secure option. Low quality UPVC is relatively easy to break into and can start to look shabby in quite a short amount of time.

Why choose composite?

In terms of style, composite doors can be manufactured to meet the needs of even the most discerning households. If your home features dark wooden window frames, there is no reason why a door can't be made to match, allowing you to benefit from a home that is seamlessly stylish.

On the other hand, if you have always dreamt of a home with a red front door, a composite model can be manufactured to suit your requirements. Similarly, these doors are available in green, blue, black, none and many more colours to meet your needs. You can also choose from solid doors or models with windows, in a variety of different styles, from clear to patterned glass.

Benefits of composite

This type of door is ideal for the busy modern family as it requires almost no maintenance, aside from the odd clean and it will last for many years into the future. On top of this, these doors are around six times more insulating than timber models, meaning no draughts and lower heating bills. Inside the door, thermal inserts keep draughts from entering the home, so you remain snug on even the coldest days of the year.

Doors like this are also better manufactured for security purposes, making break-ins much more difficult than with standard doors. In addition, the standards for locks used are higher; they can't be drilled open by criminals looking to gain entry.

AUTHOR BIO

Hazel Barrows writes regularly on composite doors for security and style for a range of home design websites and blogs. She has more than a decade of experience in the home design industry and turned her talent to writing after rediscovering her passion for it in a creative night class five years ago. Hazel lives in a London suburb with her two boys and pet dog, Sammy. She enjoys walking, yoga and, of course, home design television programmes.