teeari1's ideas
Bold and artistic painted-out skirting boards This sort of look is certainly not for those who are averse to rich colour. But if you do love a bold hue for your walls, take the colour all the way down to the floor rather than break it up with a white or neutral skirting. This creates an artistic effect that refuses to be tamed.
Architectural yet inviting taupe and grey skirting boards Sometimes architectural details like door profiles and window trim are key features that make a room feel rich and welcoming. Painting your skirting boards and other trim a subdued neutral shade calls attention to these details without overwhelming them, so what you notice is the interesting shapes and silhouettes.
11. Make a bench-to-bench connection If you’d rather have the versatility and comfort of a proper table (some people just aren’t bar stool people), do away with the kitchen breakfast bar and create a built-in bench seat instead. Pulled up against the kitchen cabinet, it uses a lot less space than a row of chairs, keeps the dining table clearly connected to the kitchen and frees up more living space. A cushioned bench seat with a back is much more comfortable seating than bar stools. You can also enjoy the view of the living area rather than the messy kitchen, post meal prep.
10. Follow a ventilation plan A well-ventilated laundry has windows and a door leading directly outside to a clothesline. A glass door is ideal as it allows more natural light in the room. Keeping windows and the back door open during washing or drying cycles allow for excess moisture to be drawn outside. Similarly, fumes can easily escape externally when soaking white clothing in bleach or using other toxic chemicals in the sink. This will work even better if the sink is located near a window.
Feature tiles This laundry is both practical and pleasing to the eye, thanks to the abundance of storage and a sophisticated colour palette. The encaustic feature tiles on the floor and splashback add visual interest without overpowering the space. Designer tip: Look for a hardwearing yet cost-effective tile that is a bit more daring than just plain white. The laundry is a space where you can be a bit more adventurous than you might dare in the rest of your home.
Concealed ironing board An organised laundry will make even the most mundane of chores easier to carry out. This pull-out ironing board is always within reach, perfect for that last- minute work shirt touch up on a busy morning. It cleverly folds away into the cabinetry, thus staying out of sight when not in use. Designer tip: Depending on the space available, and the layout of your laundry, a fold-down, or slide-out ironing board offers the same convenience and ease of storage.
34. Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Designer: Garde Hvalsoe Features: Two-tone timber and black cabinetry elevates this simple kitchen into something truly special.
Garde Hvalsoe 20. Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Designer: Garde Hvalsoe Features: Rustic mid-tone timber cabinetry, finger-jointed drawer fronts and recessed handles. There’s a streamlined simplicity to this country-style kitchen.
4. Firm: A Finess by Tine Hundrup Location: Denmark Matt black wall cabinets meet clean wooden floor ones and a modern, stylish kitchen emerges. The borders around the drawers have quite an artsy quality. The dark flooring ties the whole scheme together.
Mix up materials Variety won’t just add interest to your kitchen, it’ll also make it more cost effective. “Rarely will just one benchtop satisfy a whole kitchen design. Zoning is important and also helps your budget stretch further,” Buchanan says. Think about placing hard-wearing stone beside sinks and stoves, and use more affordable laminates elsewhere. If you want to warm up your kitchen with wood – a porous material – steer clear of high-traffic areas and confine it to the breakfast bar.
6. Place hangers and hooks up high Once clothes are clean and crisply ironed, hang them from an airing rack or from an overhead rail set across the space between two cabinets. This will make your washing day routine run smoothly. Wall-hung shelves, wire racks that flip up when in use, or canvas pockets slung from the back of the laundry door will also increase your laundry’s storage capacity. A bank of decorative hooks from which to hang small items, such as aprons, keys, swimming goggles or items of errant clothing, will also prove to be very handy.
Splashback
Splashback tiles
Glow Design Group Lift it off the floor Mopping becomes much easier when there are fewer permanent obstacles on the floor to mop around, so consider raising your cabinetry. It also creates less opportunity for moisture, dust and mould to gather in the area where the cabinetry and the floor would meet. Win-win
Create a down-to-earth bathroom The focus of a zen bathroom design is to bring it as close to nature as possible. Natural and organic materials, such as wood, bamboo and natural fibres, should feature in most rooms of the home but especially in the bathroom.
Wall tile flower I like it
Warmth of the seats against the floorboards
Splashback
I'm in love
Bins and recycling Today we are much more inclined to consider ways in which we can sort our rubbish, recycle where needed, and compost what we can. The excellent set-up pictured here has a top drawer for fresh off-cuts which can be composted. There’s also a removable tray to make it easy to empty the drawer as it becomes full. Below are two separate bins – one for recycling and the other for general rubbish. This type of arrangement not only helps you help the environment, but it also saves you time when it comes to bin night.
10. Bottles We all know the items used most regularly should be kept in the cooking zone, but who wants numerous bottles cluttering up the benchtop and encroaching on preparation and serving space. The answer is a drawer for oils, vinegars and sauces. Each drawer can be segmented to ensure the bottles do not bump into each other or fall over as the drawer opens and closes. Easy to grab and easy to put away, it’s the perfect solution for any budding MasterChef
Suitcase coffeetable
Austral Masonry Wall sconces in transitional spaces – such as hallways, entrances, and stairs – can be used to provide functional light in narrow or dim spaces, ambient light in passageways, or simply decoration on wall expanses in place of art or other framed pictures. This Dioscuri lamp with a hand-blown glass shade can be either wall- or ceiling-mounted and provides diffused, incandescent lighting.
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