Mar 5, 2013

Subway Tiles-Are Subway Tiles Still Fashion



What Are Subway Tiles?
Subway tiles are probably the oldest and one of the most widely used backsplash tiles till date. The subway tiles have been around since the early 1900s and started to gain popularity in the 1930s. This is a tile design that you would normally get to see in a subway and its rectangular in shape. It will be like a line of bricks lined up in a horizontal line. These types of tiles were used in the subways and slowly found its way into the designing of a house.  You will tend to find subway tiles in most of the country style houses and is still widely used by home designers.
History Of Subway Tiles

  • The firm Heins & LaFarge were the first to create subway tiles.
  • Two artists George C Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge were the brains behind these tiles.
  •  They are both related to the renowned stained glass artist John La Farge.

At the turn of the 20th century Beaux Arts architecture was the style that was gaining popularity and it was greatly due to the efforts of these three artists. Heins & LaFarge began working with Rookwood Pottery and Grueby Faience Company who were both prolific ceramic manufacturers to produce a tile that was heavy duty and was able to maintain its looks even after frequent scrubbing and cleaning. It is that very design that they incorporated in early 20th century that is in use even today and that speaks volume of the great designers they were.

Subway Kitchen Tiles
With better durability and the ability to withstand regular scrubbing and cleaning, it is not a surprise that the subway tiles found its way into the kitchen. Just like in a subway, a kitchen tile will have to deal with a lot of cleaning as there is bound to be splattered while cooking and cleaning of dishes. Subway tiles are stain resistant and are made of ceramic, which is moisture resistant. This allows you to clean the subway tiles with ease. Ceramic is considered to be a good material where hygiene is of importance as ceramics do not retain allergens or stains and is able to withstand high temperatures. Moreover, as the color of the tile is fired directly onto the surface, it does not fade when exposed to sunlight and high temperatures. Subway tiles are cheaper than stainless steel tiles and glass tiles and this allows you to stay within your budget.

Why Subway Tiles Are Still In Fashion
With a whole host of advantages in maintaining subway tiles, it is not a surprise to see the popularity of subway tiles. But earlier subway tiles used to come only in white and that was a restriction while designing a kitchen. 

  • Nowadays, subway tiles are available in a wide variety of colors, designs and textures. This has opened up a lot more design opportunities while using subway tiles for your kitchen.
  • The usual size of a subway tile was 3x6 inches and that size is considered to be a classic. But nowadays subway tiles are available in various sizes like 4x4, 4x8, 4x10 inches and this has added to its popularity.

The famous subway tile has had a makeover and is now a lot more fashionable that what it used to be.  If you are interested in knowing the different types of subway tiles that are on offer nowadays check out wholesalersusainc.com and select a subway tile of your choice.

Mar 4, 2013

At a Barbershop

A few weeks ago I accompanied my husband to have a hair cut at his usual barbershop. While waiting for his turn, he got a chance to capture a boy who sat calmly during the hair cut. The comb is yellow :)
Sorry for the blurry pic. Happy Monday!
 

Infographic: What British Homeowners Want from Their Bathrooms



Designing a new bathroom needs you to consider things like budget, expectations, styles, trends and accessories. 

But what about the Great British people? What do they want from their new bathrooms? Based on lots of unique stats from a recent survey of 2,000 UK homeowners, Utopia Group has created an infographic to reflect the thoughts of those up and down the UK. Take a look!


Source: Utopia Bathroom Group

How to Make Your Office Look Stylish and Inspiring with the Best Office Furniture



homezweethome.info - It is important that your office space looks inviting, professional, stylish and inspiring. You need to provide you and your employees with the best conditions for working. They need to feel like they are valued, and giving them a fantastic working area certainly shows that they are. Moreover, a happy working environment breeds productive staff and therefore you will feel the positive effects of this as well. Moving away from the in-house benefits, you also need to consider the impact your office has on your reputation and your brand identity. Every time a member of the general public walks into your office they need to be impressed – whether it is a customer, a post man, a competitor, or anyone else. If they leave feeling impressed, then your reputation has been enhanced, and this is pivotal.

The key to a great office often lies within the office furniture found inside of it. There are lots of unique, contemporary, and stylish designs available today. But before delving into the different styles of furniture available for offices, it is important to bear in mind the fact that you need an overall vision from the beginning – or you at need least to develop one. You should keep a clear theme and style throughout. If you mix too many contrasting colours, designs and/or styles then you will achieve a confused and cluttered look. This will lower productivity levels and create a negative impression around your company.

When it comes to office furniture, one of the most important pieces of furniture you need to concern yourself with is office chairs. This is highly important because you need to make sure that your employees are comfortable. After all, it is likely that they are going to be sitting on those chairs for a large proportion of eight hours, and therefore they need to feel comfortable. Additionally, chairs provide you with a great opportunity to add some contemporary style to your office space. You will be able to utilise different colours in order to add life and personality to the area. You can even incorporate the colours of your business logo – this works extremely well. Furthermore, there are lots of different styles and designs of office chairs nowadays. These work particularly well in the reception area. You can add some unique and unusual styles of chairs in order to attract the attention of your customers or any other members of the general public. These are stand out pieces that are bound to get people talking.
Aside from chairs, you also need to consider desks. There are lots of different types of desks you may need to purchase, these include; reception desks, standard office desks, executive desks, call centre desks, adjustable height desks, and so on and so forth. The main thing you need to consider is space. You need to think about who is going to be sitting at the desk and how much space they will need. As an employee, there is simply nothing worse than sitting at a desk and feeling like you have no room. This can affect productivity levels because individuals do not feel like they have the means to work properly. There are also some fantastic designer desks available at the moment as well. These boast shiny sleek styles and are unusual pieces. Don’t be blind sighted by style though, consider practicality first and then allow fashion to play a role.

And a final part of office furniture worth considering is storage. Storage can provide a headache for a lot of companies. You need to make sure that everything is neatly and efficiently packed away. Your employees should have easy access to everything that they need, yet don’t keep everything on show because this looks untidy and unprofessional. If you consider storage, chairs, and desks, then you have the basis for a stylish and inspiring office space.

About Author:
Andy is a professional interior designer. He has a vast ideas on interior decoration specially on office furniture designing.  Is his spare time; he likes to read different journal from web.

What to Look Out for In Maid Services



There is no doubt whatsoever that hiring maid services can help you out in many ways including:
  •  Giving you the flexibility to do other things
  • Freeing up your time
  • Taking the stress out of maintaining a clean home
  • Giving you the peace of mind of coming back to a clean home when you finish up your work
  • Doing a very thorough job of cleaning

With all the benefits that maid services offer, there are a few things that you should also keep in mind before settling for the company that will help maintain your home.

Hidden charges
Most maid services firms will give you a price quote depending on how often you need the house cleaned and whether you are willing to give them the cleaning supplies and equipment they require. But, you will be perfectly within your right to ask whether they have any other hidden charges that may come up a little later. For instance, try not to hire a firm which does not send a representative to actually assess the size of your house beforehand. A few maid services firms may also have extra charges in case you have a pet inside the house.

Security verification
Most maid services firms will also tell you that they have got their personnel whetted for security clearance. This is extremely important because you would not want your belongings to be burgled or worse. You are also within your right to ask for referrals of work done before. Before hiring maid services firm it would also be beneficial for you to conduct an interview of the maid who will be coming to your house.

Special care with babies and infants
When you hire a maid services firm, you need to watch out for the person’s hygiene, behavior, physical and mental fitness when you have a baby or an infant in the house. You also need to keep in mind that their police verification has taken place correctly. The maid should also come with an identification card. 

Job description
Be very clear about the services you expect from the maid services firm and get a price quote and clarity on everything before you start off. More importantly, you should also pay attention to detailing the job description so that there is absolutely no confusion once the maids have started working for you. It would be best not to assume any aspects of service as far as it comes to the cleanliness of your home. Also make sure that you describe your requirement correctly in the title if you place a classified advertisement. For example your title should look like this: “Require Housekeeper in LA” or “Require Maid in LA”. This will ensure that your requirements are met correctly.
 

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