Woman`s Day presents some really useful tips, thanks to which any apartment can be made comfortable and, of course, stylish.
It does not matter at all whether you inherited a luxurious apartment with high ceilings or purchased a modest two-story apartment in a residential area. Any home, even more than a modest studio, can be made cozy and comfortable. You just need to follow these simple tips, and you will see how your living conditions will improve.
1. Perhaps you should start with the most important thing and choose a color scheme for the walls. Recently, the so-called white (or Scandinavian) interior has become increasingly popular, when snow-white wallpaper or paint is chosen for the walls. It is understandable, because a light shade can visually enlarge the space and give a feeling of coolness on a sultry summer day. However, on the other hand, too white space can tire or, even worse, inspire sad thoughts about hospital wards. To avoid negative associations and not give up your favorite shade, you just need to apply a design trick – decorate three walls in white, and for the fourth wall you can choose a contrasting bright shade. Thus, you will be able to maintain a stylish design, add positive colors and, no less important, significantly expand the color range of furniture items and accessories.
2. By the way, about accessories. Indeed, light and pastel shades look very impressive and make the interior more airy and delicate. But they only look amazing if they sparkle with cleanliness. Otherwise, it will create a feeling of sloppiness and ruin the whole appearance. Therefore, if you are not sure that you can keep textiles and interior items in perfect cleanliness, then choose accessories not in plain light shades, but with small geometric prints.
3. Lovers of contrast and bold combinations face a completely different problem. So, for example, by choosing white for the walls and charcoal black for the floor, you can be sure that cleaning will take twice as long. Yes, yes, because on a black background, dust and dirt are more clearly visible. Nobody argues, the classic black and white design adds rigor and elegance to any room, but after a while you will want to urgently change the dark color to something else. However, it’s too early to get upset. For fans of a chess interior, we can advise you to use special wipes with an antistatic effect during the cleaning process and by all means get a vacuum cleaner with double air filtration.
4. We pass to the front door. Have you ever thought about the fact that the door peephole should also be chosen responsibly? After all, this element should not only retain heat, sound insulation, but also, most importantly, ensure safety. Therefore, when choosing, pay attention to what height the door peephole is located and whether it provides a wide enough outlook. Remember that you should be comfortable looking at it.
5. But about which floor covering to choose in the hallway, there are many opinions. Undoubtedly, parquet, laminate or carpet look presentable and add charm to the room. However, think about How long time you are willing to devote to these coatings? After all, in order to keep them clean, you will need to stock up on special cleaning agents, especially in bad weather. Therefore, in order to make your life easier and not depend on cleaning, you can give preference to special floor tiles and choose a bright door mat.
6. As for the balcony (or loggia). Often, when decorating a balcony, the remains of floor tiles are used as a floor covering, thus trying to save on building materials. And this is wrong! The result is not savings, but a new headache. After all, such floor tiles are very unstable to temperature changes, and therefore can let you down at the most inopportune moment. To decorate the balcony, you should use a special tile designed specifically for outdoor use.
7. Let’s go back to the laminate. By far, this is one of the most beautiful and easy-to-install floor coverings today. However, when choosing a laminate, be sure to check with the seller about the wear resistance of the material. And do not forget that, say, in the kitchen and in the hallway there will be completely different loads on the coating, so this feature should be taken into account too. If you want to keep your laminate flooring intact for many years, clean it with special products and be sure to paste over the furniture legs with special felt pads to avoid cracks and scratches.
8. If you are fortunate enough to be the owner of a two-level apartment, then for sure you are faced with the problem of installing stairs. Indeed, when choosing this element, you need to pay attention not only to the design, cost and advice of friends. In this case, by the way, economy and advice from experienced people is the very last thing. It is much more important to study the design so that it is comfortable, safe and does not stand out from the general style. Especially if you have small children or elderly parents, then all kinds of structures should be checked with special care and the height, width and even the frequency of the steps should be calculated with maximum accuracy. By the way, it is better to entrust this business to specialists, just contact a company with a good reputation.
9. Do not forget about the windows. Of course, long curtains with a beautiful “train” look much more interesting than their “Roman” counterparts, however, they require more careful maintenance. Especially if you have pets. You will have to spend time cleaning not only carpets, textiles, but also curtains. Therefore, if you are still not ready to give up long curtains, give preference to those made of fabric with dirt-repellent and antistatic impregnation.
10. As for the sockets, there are never too many of them! Indeed, many make the fatal mistake of naively believing that they will get by with three to five sockets. Of course, this is not enough. Experts believe that in every room there should be sockets on every wall. Just before you arbitrarily place them, consult with professionals about the number, type (with or without grounding) and location (for example, according to the European standard, the height of the sockets from the floor should be 30 cm).
11. Another main place in the house is the kitchen-dining room. It is necessary to approach the design of this zone with all responsibility. So, for example, if you have a studio, then you should plan the zones in advance and decide which partitions you will install. Of course, the absence of walls between the kitchen, living room and hallway visually enlarges the room, but also causes some inconvenience. For example, if suddenly your half is watching football in the living room, and the children are playing cheerfully in the kitchen, where you are trying to cook another culinary masterpiece, then the noise can only annoy and annoy you. Therefore, it is better to pay attention to translucent partitions, screens, sliding doors or even shelves – the main thing is to create comfortable conditions for each family member.
12. The next equally important question is which refrigerator to choose? Indeed, today there is a wide range of models that satisfy the needs of even the most demanding customers. Therefore, before making a purchase in a home appliance store, check that the selected refrigerator model has economical energy consumption, a beautiful front, a convenient freezer, an appropriate price, the ability to change hinges so that the door opens in the other direction (if necessary), as well as a suitable equipment, that is, the internal structure.
13. Also, when planning a kitchen-dining room, consider what materials you will use to decorate the walls. No one argues that, for example, walls upholstered with beautiful fabrics look much more effective, but, alas, they quickly absorb odors and collect more dust and dirt. Therefore, you can choose no less spectacular wallpaper that imitates matter, but be sure to choose those that can be safely washed.
14. When choosing furniture for the kitchen, pay attention to the height of the kitchen base. Yes, according to the standard it is 85 cm, but what if you, say, are very tall (or very short) in height? In this case, you can turn to manufacturers who can help you make an adjustment for growth. In other cases, if you have a ready-made kitchen set and it is impossible to change the height, you can, say, attach decorative legs to the lower drawers or use a special bar for these purposes. If the kitchen furniture is too high, then the legs can be simply filed (or removed altogether). For country style, by the way, changing the sizes is as easy as shelling pears. The boxes can be placed on beautifully finished cladding bricks or other suitable materials.
15. The kitchen area should not be cluttered with a large number of wall shelves. It is better to think over a system of drawers, which, with proper division into sections, will streamline work, save space in the kitchen, and provide open access to the necessary containers and products.
16. But instead of the usual lockers with handles, you can use the click-clack system, which allows you to open the doors with one click. Therefore, during the cooking process, you no longer have to be distracted by washing your hands before reaching for the door, all manipulations can be done with your elbow once or twice.
17. Recently, steel kitchen furniture, stove, refrigerator and household appliances have become more and more popular. It is understandable! It looks impressive and stylish, but cleaning such items takes much longer, because even clean palms leave a mark on shiny surfaces. To avoid this, it is necessary to choose furniture and equipment treated with a special protective coating, and purchase polishes that remove dirt and return shine to metal objects and equipment.
18. Many people deliberately refuse to wash with a drain or a second bowl, and then regret this decision. After all, if you are cooking for a large family, then, you must agree, you cannot do without a voluminous multifunctional sink. And the wing, by the way, is a kind of continuation of the countertop, where you can put clean vegetables and fruits or put hot pots and pans.
19. If before the repair you did not have time to decide whether you will use a sconce or a floor lamp, then give preference to the latter: sconces with wires hanging along the walls look unaesthetic. Experts ask the owners in advance where the sconces will be placed in order to securely and inconspicuously lead the wire in the wall (by the way, according to the European standard, the sconces must be installed 150-200 cm from the floor), therefore, in order not to spoil the finished repair, buy beautiful floor lamps and place them wherever it suits you.
20. Many housewives (especially those with allergies or asthma) are familiar with the problem of cleaning dust on open shelves. So if you don’t want to constantly sneeze, opt for furniture with glazed fronts. And in order to get rid of excess moisture in closed rooms, it is enough to install special ventilation holes in the side walls. This, by the way, will be the ideal solution for those who are building a home library. Small vents can help create a pleasant climate and solve the dust problem on bookshelves.
21. We pass to the bathroom. If, say, the dimensions of your bathroom are more than modest, it is better to abandon the bathtub and traditional shower stall, which take up too much space. It is better to lay the floor with tiles (ensuring the inclination towards the drain at an angle of at least 5 °), install stylish transparent doors and a shower set. For decoration, you can choose mosaic tiles (special tiles for swimming pools), which are highly dense, resilient and practically does not absorb water.
22. If you have a large enough family, then by all means install a second sink in the bathroom (the distance between the sinks should be at least 30 cm). Thus, you will avoid long queues in the morning, and it will become much more pleasant to take water procedures.
23. Those who prefer low bathtubs that are installed deep in the floor should consider how comfortable it is to enter and how to effectively clean such a surface. But if you open one side and add simulated steps and a podium (which can be trimmed with wood paneling), you can significantly improve the bathing process. Just check beforehand that the steps are not slippery.
24. By the way, in order to avoid various injuries, it is better to replace the smooth shiny floor tiles with grooved tiles designed specifically for bathrooms. Well, if the repair has already been completed and there is no way to change the floor tiles, then you definitely need to purchase wooden, rubber or textile rugs that will save you from slipping and a cold wet floor.
25. Doors in the bathroom can be made in the same style as other doors in the apartment, however, they must be equipped with a special ventilation hole at the bottom. This will eliminate the accumulation of moisture and condensation on the walls. If your door is not equipped with such ventilation, then you can purchase ready-made plastic grilles and ask a specialist to install them correctly.
26. If in your bathroom for the decoration of the floor and walls, a plain light-colored tile (in the same style) was chosen, this can get bored very quickly. In order not to remodel the entire room, you can buy a special paint for glaze and draw horizontal lines on the tiles (on one of the walls). This will visually expand the space. Don’t like the lines? Then just paint several tiles in different colors (with the same paint), this will add a little positive and create the illusion of creative mess.
27. By the way, the more different shelves in the bathroom, the better! Ideally, of course, think in advance How long and where you will place them. If the renovation is still planned, then make stationary ledge shelves that can be covered with tiles from the same collection as the tiles chosen to decorate the entire room. Well, if the shelves are not planned and there is no more room for their placement, then you can choose light metal shelves with glass elements and complement them with mirrors and additional lighting.
28. In order not to get into an awkward situation when a roll of toilet paper suddenly ends at the wrong time, it is necessary to think over a storage system right next to the toilet. For these purposes, by the way, a wicker basket or a glass vase in the shape of a cylinder is suitable. This way, you can update the bathroom decor and avoid the scenario when there are no paper stocks nearby.
29. Before you start renovating the bathroom, be sure to think about where you will move the washing machine. You can call a specialist to connect it to the water supply and sewerage system, while not forgetting about grounding. In this case, during the repair, you do not have to stumble over the tubes of the washing machine, which will stretch along the walls.
30. A large aquarium with corals and exotic fish looks very impressive. And to protect marine life and prevent algae overgrowth, you need to set up your aquarium in such a way that direct sunlight does not fall on it. It is better to choose a place where diffused sunlight falls and purchase additional artificial lighting with adjustable intensity.