Holiday homes with inspiring home décor

Holiday homes are the best places to spend your free time with your friends, family, and loved ones. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a rustic resort, coastal hideaway, or villas for rent in Palm Jumeirah. Plus, you could see inspiring designs of holiday homes that could can imbibe in yours.

Now the issue is, there’re lots of destinations and holiday homes to choose or be inspired from. The creativity and inspiration we can get from modern décor in holiday homes is mind-blowing. To search for the best holiday homes, it’s advised that you get a good Airbnb management company in Dubai to help you filter your options.

Without further ado, let’s look at some inspiring home décor ideas for holiday homes that will leave you wanting more.

Ready?

Inspiring décor ideas for holiday homes –

  • Long drapes

This home décor design is simply but greatly underrated. It has the dynamic power to change a living space from ordinary to extravagant within seconds. Floor-to-ceiling blinds can be used to create a romantic environment for couples spending the holiday there.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s an open plan home or loft-style apartment, long drapes can combine and create feelings of romance, comfort, and most importantly, privacy.

  • Darker hues

Do you want to create a mysterious, elegant, and classy look? Then, think of darker hues for your next holiday home. When you combine richer palettes and dark-hued furniture, you create a sophisticated environment.

Plus, contrary to popular opinion, darker hues create a cozier and more comfortable environment.

  • Natural and durable furniture

Customers always look for durability and sustainability in any product they buy, and it’s not the less for furniture. We’ve all heard of the dangers plastics and other harmful substances pose to the environment.

Now is the time, more than ever, to be environmentally conscious and make decisions that will reduce the effects of environmental degradation and climate change.

Use more sustainable materials like wood to make furniture and other household items. Not only will it last and give you value for your money, but it will also the environment much good.

  • Wallpaper in bathrooms

This is one of the most inspiring designs in holiday homes. The bathroom is one of the best places in a house because it’s easier to experiment with colors and designs there.

Bold wallpapers in bathrooms make such huge and amazing statements, but unfortunately, they are largely underrated. If you want to make your bathroom’s design bold and defiant, you are encouraged to use large wallpapers (especially dark-hued ones).

Depending on your personal style and taste, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a nice wallpaper since it’s a small space. First of all, think of the kind of atmosphere you want to create, then choose a wallpaper that aligns with that thought.

  • Wildlife prints

Do you love nature? Do you love taking on adventure?

Then you should consider getting wildlife prints that reflect that part of you. colorful wildlife and animal prints can also be great for kids’ rooms too.

Why the Sofa Created the Modern World

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The humble sofa is a ubiquitous piece of furniture. Chances are the average person has sat or reclined on a sofa at some point in his/her life, and it’s difficult to imagine a home without one. Presumably at some point in the distant past a protohuman looked around, despondent at an empty living room and wondered why he had nothing for his guests to sit on, but surely that moment is lost to ancient history, right?

Where did the sofa come from? Who was the genius who first installed a soft upholstered bench in his home for the relaxation of his family and guests? We can start with the word “sofa.” It comes to us via Turkish from the Arabic word “suffa.”

These early sofa ancestors were primarily used by the wealthy as a tool of leisure, and were even adopted by the Romans who preferred something more akin to what we now know as a chaise. Poorer Romans would use stone benches, while wealthier Romans might have Cushions or blankets to cover their sofas.

In both cultures, this furniture was intended to create sitting areas in the home for resting or for entertaining. The Sofa’s cousin, “couch,” gets its name from Middle English via Old French, where the word “couche” is used to mean “to lie down.” At a glance, this difference would seem to imply that sofa is intended to refer to a piece of furniture for guests to sit while visiting, while the couch was originally intended to be furniture that pulled double duty as a place to sit and a place to nap.

Sofas were a luxury.

The average person couldn’t afford the space to keep a sofa, let alone the time to lie around a spare room in the house relaxing. However, while the Cushioned sofa was for those of means, the ever humble bench was not unheard of. The bench would find a place in the common areas of houses in the Middle Ages and could be used for resting, sitting, eating, or conducting business within the home.

Most proto-sofas had to wear multiple hats as well. These benches could be placed around a hearth or table and used for a variety of functions. Comfort became less of a priority with the growing power of the Catholic Church, as the body was seen as a driving force of sin, and thus to be comfortable was to give in to bodily temptation.

Like church pews, sofas of this era were designed by intention to keep you awake, alert, and pure of thought. It wasn’t until the height of the Renaissance that sofas returned to their slightly more extravagant roots. No longer rigidly confined to the teachings of the Church, furniture makers were more open to experimenting with comfort and aesthetic.

Furniture makers in England and France began experimenting with this exciting new field of craft, producing early prototypes recognizable to the modern viewer as “sofas” in the late 1600s. The new field of upholstery was coming into fashion, with craftsmen making pillows and cushions stuffed with materials such as horse hair, moss, feathers, and hay.

While still considered luxuries, the goal of the sofa transitioned from function to form. Sofa producers began using ornate materials and expensive and intricate designs to turn the sofa into a true work of art. The image of the sofa was one of the uber rich.

Ladies in pale makeup and expensive frilly dresses could be seen in paintings draping themselves delicately along their expensive new furniture, free from social conventions that demand they sit up properly and keep good posture. However, the sofa’s day as the relaxing furniture for the everyman and the center of the modern home didn’t really dawn until the Industrial Revolution.

As manufacturing power began to grow across the developing world, access to manufactured goods became less and less expensive. Cheaper steel meant that expensive cushioning materials could be replaced with springs, which were more comfortable and much more affordable. Industrial grade sewing machines made upholstery easier to mass-produce as well. The sofa was becoming affordable enough to offer comfort to the everyman. Where once a sofa might announce that you were a person of extravagant wealth who could afford to spend money on trivia such as a place to sit, the sofa now was an invitation to take a load off at the end of a hard factory day.

One major holdup, however, was the lack of anything compelling to do while on a couch. In a time of limited higher education, reading was not a common pastime. Meals would be eaten around the more convenient table, which could also host games or social gatherings.

5 Reasons Why a Lean-To Garden Shed Is Practical for Your Home

Owning lean-to sheds is a very practical solution for storage issues. This style of building works perfectly in tight spaces or down the side of the house due to its unique design. It is perfect if you are looking to store items or have a keen hobby or craft. Below are 5 advantages of a lean-to shed and why you should consider purchasing one when you are looking for extra space.

Extra Storage

This type of building is seen by many as a practical and cost-effective way of storing items such as gardening tools and equipment, or removing some of the clutter indoors into safe storage. The size of a lean-to shed would allow the perfect amount of space if you are looking at storing memorabilia, toys, and equipment as well and means that instead of throwing away the items you can’t let go of, you can store them and retrieve them easily.

Using the Building as a Workshop

If you have a keen hobby or passion for hobbies or crafts, such as carpentry or metal work that requires an organised space, then lean-to sheds are a perfect building for your needs. This type of building can have an electrical feed to the shed, so you are able to power lights and machinery. This will ensure that you do not make a mess indoors and also keeps the garden clear of tools and ensures it looks tidy. You also have peace of mind that your tools can be locked away securely and do not have to worry about losing materials as everything is kept together.

Storing Bikes

You might us a bike as an alternative mode of transport for work or commuting or you might have them for the summer so you are able to take the children on bike rides. Either way a lean-to shed is the ideal way to store and retrieve your bikes. You can fit a special anchoring kit inside the building for additional security and they are also locked away out of sight to any potential burglars.

Potting Plants

If you are planning to cultivate plant throughout the winter period or doing general gardening then a lean-to shed is perfect for this. A wooden lean-to shed can come with polycarbonate glazing which helps enhance the temperature within the lean-to shed greenhouse to provide the perfect temperature for plant growth. They can also be fitted with vents and skylights to let heat escape on warmer days.

Storing Tools

Whether its general gardening tools and equipment or you are a specialist by trade, such as carpenter, then a lean-to shed building is perfect. You are able to have a specific place for each item so that when it comes to finding the tool it is simple and easy. A well organised shed will benefit your life and make doing any task, either round the house in or in the garden much quicker. Another purpose for storage is to store harmful chemicals to ensure they are kept well away from pets or children.

Make the Most of a Small Bath With Lighting and Décor

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Of all the rooms in your house, your bathroom is the one that’s most likely to be uncomfortably small. Making a room physically larger is complicated and expensive; but don’t worry — there are plenty of lighting and décor tricks you can use to create the illusion of expansive space in your tiny bath. Bright lights, tall and narrow or visually open cabinetry, mirrors, wallpaper, recessed storage and use of color can all come together to make your small bath look much bigger than it is.

Use an Airy Color Scheme

Dark or bright colors can make even a large bath look small and cramped, but a light, airy color scheme opens up the space. White fixtures and finishes are an excellent choice for a small bath, but any soft, light color will help the room feel spacious, especially if combined with a white floor.

Use a few contrasting tiles to add splashes of color to a white tile wall or shower stall, or decorate one wall in a contrasting color or pattern. A single wall done in glass tiles can add depth and sophistication to your bathroom; a single wall done in a contrasting wallpaper has the same effect.

Vertical stripes on your bathroom wall can make the ceiling seem higher and the room larger. Just make sure to use light, subdued colors, since a bright, busy pattern of stripes will have the opposite effect. Lead the eye upward with decorative touches near the ceiling. Matching the décor of your bathroom with the décor of its adjacent room or hall can also make it look bigger by making it seem like part of the larger space.

Light Up the Space

Bright bathroom lighting combined with an airy color scheme can make your miniscule bathroom look huge. Many bathrooms don’t have a lot of natural light, which causes them look and feel crowded. Add light fixtures, like wall sconces, to those parts of your bathroom that feel shadowy. Make sure your bathroom vanity is well-lit from above and from the sides with natural-light emitting bulbs. Consider installing pot lights, backlit mirrors or recessed lights to further illuminate the space.

If your bathroom does have a window that lets in natural light, dress that window in such a way as to maximize the amount of light it lets in. Of course, you don’t want to sacrifice privacy in your bath, but consider using mini-blinds, a Roman curtain, matchstick blinds or a curtain made from sheer fabric that lets in lots of light while still protecting your bathroom and its occupants from prying eyes.

Change Up Your Storage Space

Wide, chunky cabinets and vanities take up unnecessary space in a small bathroom. Replace them with tall, narrow cabinets; open shelves help preserve the illusion of space in the room. If you’re handy, install recessed shelves between the studs in your bathroom walls to increase storage space in your small bathroom without adding clutter. Keep your bathroom storage sleek, streamlined and flush with the bathroom walls whenever possible.

A pedestal sink can really open up the space in a small bathroom. If you need your under-sink storage, you could use an open cabinet or mount your sink basins in a tabletop. Use baskets under the sink for storage; if you want to hide your personal items from view, hide the under-sink area behind a curtain. A sink skirt on a pedestal sink hides the plumbing and creates under-sink storage.

Banish the Clutter

Small bathrooms don’t have room for clutter. Minimize knickknacks and remove things you don’t use. Everything that’s in your bathroom should have a reason for being there. Consider some organizational tricks that give your useful bathroom accoutrements a decorative twist. Roll up your towels and store the rolls upright in a basket or stack them in an open shelf. Tie your shower curtain back when it’s dry to make the room appear larger. Use baskets and glass canisters on open shelves to store cotton swabs, soap and other personal items.

Use Mirrors

Mirrors can make any space seem bigger if they’re used properly. If you have an exterior window in your bath, try to place a mirror opposite it to create the illusion of increased space. Set mirrors up so that they reflect your bathroom’s ambient light to make the room look even bigger and brighter.

Small bathrooms don’t have to look and feel uncomfortably cramped. With the right lighting and décor, your small bathroom can look and feel generously roomy. Keep things light, bright and streamlined for a look that helps your small bathroom realize its full potential.

About the Author: Contributing blogger Kate Hamilton is a licensed interior designer who transforms private living spaces in the San Francisco Bay area. She enjoys the outdoors and prefers to spend her free time hiking.

Kitchen Lighting Design Ideas

Most people tend not to bother with the lighting design of their kitchens because it always seems to be the last thing that comes to mind. However, little do we realize that the kitchen is actually a place we visit very often everyday, most of the time to grab a drink, prepare a meal or to wash the dishes.

With that said, a good lighting setup in the kitchen is really important, and it’s all about placing the right type of lighting in the right position. The most common mistake done by many homeowners is relying too much on ceiling mounted fixtures to light up the entire kitchen. Additional lights should be installed on different areas of the kitchen to provide a good level of lighting.

Not to forget, natural sunlight is always the best source of lighting at daytime, so make sure your kitchen windows are in the right spot and use window coverings such as kitchen shutters or blinds if you want to control the amount of exterior light coming in. Otto’s Windows and Doors suggests you make sure your windows are energy efficient so you can save money every month on your electric bill.

Not to forget, natural sunlight is always the best source of lighting at daytime, so make sure your kitchen windows are in the right spot and use window coverings such as kitchen shutters or blinds if you want to control the amount of exterior light coming in.

Now below I’ll explain some of the varieties of kitchen lightings, which hopefully will be useful to your kitchen building and remodeling project:

Ambient Lighting

Creates a warm and welcoming feeling to those who enter the kitchen. Ambient lights are best placed above the cabinet while not reaching up to the ceiling. They are great for most kitchen designs with kitchen fans and are widely used in modern homes.

Task Lightings

These lights can provide a good amount of brightness to aid all your kitchen works be it reading recipe books or chopping up vegetables. They are best placed right over a person’s head and in between the working surface. You’ll usually find task lights installed right under the wall cabinet unit in many homes.

Accent Lightings

When you have collectibles or glassware kept inside a glass cabinet, you can always highlight them with accent lighting. This concept of accent lighting can be used in just about anywhere in your house to illuminate your displays.

If you have to work within your budget, you don’t have to buy an entire set of lightings. Just take them one at a time.

Leather Sofa Buying Guide: A Durable and Elegant Furniture Choice

Leather sofas are the perfect way to add a touch of class and luxury to your home. They don’t just look elegant, they are also very durable. But before you set out to buy yourself a new leather sofa, there are a few important things you should keep in mind.

Different types of sofas

The number of choices is practically endless. To name a few, there are sleeper sofas, sectional sofas, recliners, one, two as well as three piece sofas. It is important to choose a leather sofa with the right colour, size and style that matches the interior of your room so that everything will look just great.

Sectional or corner leather sofas are very versatile and are especially great for small rooms as the L shaped sofa can be fitted right into the corner of the walls to save a great amount of space. Some sectionals can also be split and placed in different places to create a unique style of room decor.

Reclining sofa on the other hand offers more comfort with each of its individual seat being adjustable, and even better with its additional armrests in between the seats. Some pricier sectional sofas are also available with recliners.

Thirdly, there are leather sleeper sofas which are great substitutes for guest beds. The sofa bed that is built into it can be easily folded in and out to make for sleeping space. This can really come in handy when you have overnight guests. When the sofa bed is folded back in, the sleeper sofa will look just a like a normal sofa.

Leather colours

While you may find black leather sofas popular, there are still a lot of colour choices to choose from. Brown leather for example, gives a warm and cozy feeling whereas bright colours such as blue, green, orange and red which are more vibrant suit well with modern interiors. Beige and white are also some of the more common colour choices.

Not any sofa colour is suitable for a certain type of interior. If they don’t blend well with each other, it might just ruin the entire atmosphere of the room. So make sure you have thought it through before buying.

Leather care

With proper care, a leather sofa can last for years. It can be cleaned with a simple soap or water solution and wipe dry with a soft cloth. In cases where the leather starts to tear, it can be patched with a repair kit but it would be wise to consult an expert for help.

Top Ways To Recycle Your Unwanted Pallets

When you no longer have use of your pallets don’t throw them away! There are many things you can do to give them a second lease of life, here are our favourite ideas:

Inside The House:

You will never have to lean over your laptop again with this helpful stand. Not to mention having a cleave place to store your keyboard and mouse.

By building complementing furniture like this, you can achieve a high end look for a brilliant price.

Your child will never fall out of bed again with this clever life hack. You can also build your own headboard for a sophisticated feel.

Unwanted pallets make perfect entertainment units. They look fantastic yet are so simple to construct.

Outside:

Custom building your very own water feature is easier than ever when you use unwanted pallets. Use an outdoor paint for an authentic finish.

For the more experienced DIYer, why not challenge yourself and recreate this beautiful and relaxing summerhouse?

Pallets make brilliant deck chairs. Get the kids involved with the painting and alternate colours for a summery feel.

Relax away the afternoon with friends while soaking up compliments about your high-end furniture that you built yourself.

If you are particularly green fingered, why not try experimenting with growing your own vegetables? You already have all the materials for a sturdy plant box.

And if you run out of this valuable resource mid-project, we have a vast array or recycled pallets at your disposal, with a delivery service that is second to none. Open Monday to Friday, call us on 01604 230579 to find out what we have in stock.

Ottomans For Decoration and Storage

Home decoration has become a real trend among people these days. Some take it as a part of their hobby while others find it a necessity to make their house look better. There are of course a lot of home decors available in the market and ottoman is one of them. If you don’t know what an ottoman is, put simply it is a piece of furniture with a padded, upholstered seat and without a back or arms, which is similar to a stool.

A storage ottoman is definitely a brilliant addition to your living room. It benefits you in several ways. First, it provides comfort and relaxation as it serves mainly as a footrest. Secondly, it can be used to store items thus saving a decent amount of room space. Last but not least, it is available in a wide variety of styles, designs and colors which can really liven up your living room.

Besides living room, various designs of ottomans can also be placed in different sorts of rooms such as the bedroom, gaming room, family and guest rooms. While small pieces of storage ottomans can be used as mini seats or footrests, larger pieces of ottomans such as coffee table ottomans can be literally used as coffee tables to serve coffee and they are capable of storing a great amount of goods as well. Leather and bench ottomans on the other hand are great alternatives to sofas.

Storage ottomans are typically ideal for small homes that do not have much space or store rooms. When purchasing for an ottoman, remember to choose according to the size of your room. Although it is used for storing items, an ottoman must be cleaned regularly just like any other piece of furniture.

Master Bathroom Suite Design Ideas

The master suite is usually the largest and most luxurious of all bathrooms in a home so it deserves to be given the extra attention and design elements to really show what a master bathroom suite is all about.

Firstly, the interior decoration and theme of the bathroom should match well with the design of the master bedroom in which it is attached to and more importantly, the rest of the home’s architecture style. Some popular architectural styles are for instance, the old Victorian and modern loft style. Design elements in the master bathroom must flow well with this basic theme of your home.

When starting out with the design plan, you shouldn’t be worrying too much about space constraints because there are just so many kinds of nice bathroom accessories in stores that will work well with any size and style of the bathroom.

If the space is a little bit small then it might be a good idea to install either a corner shower or a corner bathtub to make it more spacious. On the other hand, you can have a bigger glass enclosed walk in shower plus a tub area, if you have plenty of room. Add in a vanity unit and a water closet, and you have yourself a bathroom suite. While, a better idea would be to purchase these bathroom suites in a set from a furniture store so you will have all the units in a matching design.

Among the most popular additions in a modern bathroom are glass bowl vessel sinks, pillars on tub area and of course, mirrors! Full wall mirrors are the best choice in my opinion because they simply look great and the bathroom feels so much larger with these mirrors.

Also, don’t forget to have a few storage units or wall mount cabinets to store all your toiletries, towels, bathrobes and such in one place to prevent them from cluttering the bathroom. Colour scheme of the bathroom units should be matching with the tone of the interior and the wall. Take a look at some of these bathroom suites designs for inspiration.

Design inspirations can come from anywhere. Websites, magazines and TV programmes are some of the great places to obtain new ideas.

What 2016 Has In Store For Bedroom Trends

2015 oozed of minimalistic elegance, with a focus on multi-purpose space. The colours of choice were soft, calming options with warm metal tones; but as the year draws to a close, it is time to start thinking about the coming year and the trends that are already being put in place – even as we speak.

Luckily for you and your bank balance, 2016 looks to be quite similar in terms of bedroom looks – and who can blame the fashion-gods-that-be, after such a successful year thus far? But if you are looking for a change, incorporate fresh coastal chic where you can.

London Fashion Week taught us to choose duck egg colours which are sure to reflect a clean and calm atmosphere. And don’t forget to ensure you have sufficient wardrobe space to induce a minimalistic feel. Perhaps invest in a beautiful desk area and bookshelf, so you can relax and spend some down time which, of course, means you will also require soft, cosy furniture.

The main aim of bedroom décor for the new year is to induce a feeling of relaxing luxury – something that every girl deserves – so incorporating a multitude of cushions is, of course, a must; along with a rug or carpet that your feet practically sink into! Investing in fabric is another lesson from the city central fashion week, so choosing a rug from a reputable company such as Brookside Carpets promises that your beautiful purchase will also stand the test of time.

The similarities in terms of a minimalistic approach in 2015 means that trends for the new year shouldn’t cost you the earth, but are sure to make you feel like a queen.

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