Easy Ways To Make The Best Use Of Space In Your Smaller Home

A smaller home comes with its limitations. These are obviously the amount of room you have to manoeuvre and the space you have. However, that doesn’t mean that they have to be any less loved. Sometimes, if your home is feeling claustrophobic, it just takes some décor tips to open it right up. If you don’t have enough space, perhaps you need to redefine your storage. Or choose different equipment to do the same job as smaller bits. If you have a small home and you desperately want to love it, keep reading. These tips we’ve collected should help you.

Add dimension

With a small home, especially an apartment, you don’t have the luxury of adding space. A conversion or extension might not be in the books. So the key lies in illusions, in making things look bigger. How you do that depends on depth and natural light. One excellent way to do this in the home is make use of mirrors. Big mirrors add dimension to the home that in turn makes it look bigger. It won’t give you any more space but it can make you feel better about the space you have.

The kitchen

The kitchen is one of the more difficult rooms when it comes to having a small one. It’s easy for it to feel overwhelming, especially if you leave things lying about. Reduce clutter when you’re cooking and try keep things tidy as possible. Use smaller appliances like fans from Stove Fan Reviews & ONLINE SHOP or mini-fridges. Magnets can also be great replacement for knife blocks.

Add storage

The magnet is just one of the examples of how you really give yourself more space in the apartment. Or rather, how you learn to use more of the space you’re already using. Wall hooks and cork boards can be great places to put things and papers that normally go in drawers. Use the inside of cupboard and wardrobe doors by adding hooks that can hold more. There are lots of great storage tips, but be prepared to think outside the box a bit with them.

Bright it up

The one thing that people hate most about small homes is how light can seem to get lost in them. Maximise the amount of natural light that gets in the home by using sheer curtains or thin plastic blinds. Position your lighting above your main furniture so you rid your house with as much shadow as possible. Wood floors are reflective and tend to hold light much better than carpets, too.

Build it in

One more way to think about storage is how you actually store your furniture. When it comes to a smaller home, sometimes the best trick is to build it in. A lot of installers can build things like beds into your wall. If you don’t have the money, you can do it yourself. By making your home part of the furniture, it means you need less floor space to hold it all.

Buying The Most Appropriate Contract Furniture For Your Café

One of the key points to running a successful café is to ensure that all of your diners and guests enjoy their experience. From the moment they book, or first walk through the door, to the second they leave, you want to ensure that they enjoy every minute. Not only will this help ensure that you can charge reasonable rates, but it will also help to ensure that you always have full occupancy for your tables and seats.

Not only will your diners come back for more but they will be more inclined to share their positive experience. In the modern social media climate, this not only means that they will let friends and family know of their positive experience, but they are likely to leave positive reviews on social media websites. Check ins, and local business reviews, are becoming an integral part of managing a modern business, and this means that you have to pay even more attention to every detail, including choosing the most appropriate, comfortable, and functional furniture options that are available to you.

Furniture may sound like a dull consideration, when designing and fitting out your new café, but it is important. The tables and chairs that you choose can play a major part in determining how appealing your premises look, the type of atmosphere you offer, but also whether you are making the most of the space that you have within your premises. You can even introduce any branding and café design colours that you have in order to ensure an even greater experience.

One of the more popular options in modern cafes is the use of banquette seating, especially when combined with a booth style layout. Essentially, you can create booths through the addition of fixed bench seating, and this seating can be cushioned and upholstered so that it is comfortable and attractive looking. This style of layout typically also enables you to make the most of the space that you have available to you, while providing every guest with enough room and a comfortable place to sit and eat.

Banquette seating is only one option available to café owners, but it is a popular choice. You can create traditional or contemporary designs, provide standard or luxury seating, and you can choose from a spectrum of colours to match your décor, your art, or the theme of your premises. You can also choose from a range of dimensions, including booth seating that is designed for two or three people, while opting for short, standard, or high backed chairs.

To run a successful café, you need to ensure that you get everything just right. From the curb appeal that pulls your diners in, to the price of the food and drinks that you serve, you need to entice diners, ensure that they want to stay, and then encourage them to pass on positive reviews of their experience. The furniture you choose is only one part of the equation, but it is an important part.

Atlas Contract Furniture provides contract furniture for commercial and retail businesses, and has a large selection of banquette style seating for businesses to choose from. Make the most of your space, and offer comfort and luxury to your guests.

Finding your decor style

Have you ever looked for similarities in rooms you are attracted to in magazines or online?
That's one of the best ways to determine what you like for your own decor.  If you don't know where to start here are several suggestions to set you on your way to finding your personal decor look.

Develop a vocabulary for your style by looking,  comparing  and recording

Initially you may not have the words to describe  why you are attracted to a space or why you find it interesting, but you will over time if you do enough looking and comparing.

1. Start with some rooms you  you don't like at all. 

When you have about 10 or so look at them and decide what you don't want in a space.  This is just as important as what you do want.

Here's a room that doesn't  particularly ring my chimes because it has too much glitz and materialism.  It reminds me of  a woman who has on too much makeup and bling,  but there are lots of people who love a glam look.  I'm not judging, just saying it's not for me.

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 2. Have a category for rooms that you like aspects of.

     It might be the furniture or the fabrics or layout.  It could be how it is accessorized. It could have one thing you like or a number of things.  Identify what you like and don't like.

Caleb Anderson 

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You can be attracted to a space and not like all the components of it. I appreciate that this space is dramatic and artfully conceived.  Dark wall colours are not part of my aesthetic nor is traditional decor, but I find myself drawn to this space. Why?

• mix of  some traditional and modern (furniture and art)
• accessories in vignette combine colour, texture, form and  different styles
• the perfect intersection of chair back with art  making the chair an integral part of the vignette
• there is nothing cookie cutter about this space; it's totally individual /unique
• the variety in the vignette arrangement takes my eye back again and again
• it is the opposite of what I like usually (light interiors, clean lines and more minimal look) 

3. And most importantly find rooms you love.
 

 Here are some spaces I love from recent pins on Pinterest.

Room #1

House and Home

 This room couldn't be more different than the one above!  It is a space that I think is timeless even with the bold tile choice.

Here's what I like about it:

• simple geometric patterning in neutrals 
• simple lines in flat panel doors
• mix of open shelves with doors to provide some visual relief
• mix of wood,  white and geometric to add interest 
• this would be in style for years

Room #2 

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There are similarities to the kitchen above if you really look. Here's why I find this appealing:

• mix of warm wood and neutrals
• a room has to have at 3-5 different patterns for me to find it interesting
•  a touch of the outside is important to me (plants and wood) 
• lots of textures
• pared down but inviting because of the rug and the pillows

Room #3

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Such a great space:

• white, black and wood
• it looks like a well composed abstract painting
• very geometric in layout, especially the vertical window and cube lights
• the mirror connected everything visually 
• like how the sink is like a piece of furniture, not hidden
• this is a unique space

 Establish a MY STYLE and NOT MY STYLE boards on Pinterest 

I find it useful to have one board on Pinterest that focuses on my style. I am selective in what I put in there and often go back and delete things until I am left with what I find pleasing. If you don't want to have it open for all to see, set up a secret board and record negatives and positives without insulting anyone!

Find your look/style by doing quizzes online 

The Decorist 

This is a short quiz and was spot on for my style when I completed it.  You have to provide your email address to get your answer. 

7 Quizzes to check out 

There's a range here from Houzz to Lonny and  Better Homes and Gardens. 

I hope these simple suggestions will help you define your decorating style.  We are all unique and that's what you should aim for in your home.   Go for it!

What's hot on my Pinterest?

  Analytics are always interesting when you keep a blog and they can provide insight into your readers likes and dislikes.  I keep a close eye on my blog analytics and also Pinterest. While I look for patterns of pins on Pinterest there often aren't any, but last month was a little different.

 Do  these images  indicate what is popular on Pinterest or do they reflect what I like personally or both?

Here's a selection of  my most liked/repinned pins in order of popularity from last month:

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 What we can say ...

• clean lines are evident in all designs
• versions of gray are very popular paired with lighter walls
• texture is a dominant feature especially from wood and brick
• lighter woods are used to add texture and warmth
• contrast is an evident characteristic 
• nature is present in fruits, plants, woods

That's what Pinterest told me last month. Of course I know what is popular on my feed is influenced by my own aesthetic.  If I pinned all glamorous space some of these would be at the top of the list.  But that won't be happening any time soon.  I am not a glamorous type of gal. 

 Are you influenced by what you see on Pinterest?  Do you what you see changes  how you design your home? 

How To Sell Your Home Quick

When it comes to selling your home, it can feel like a lengthy process. The idea is simple. You want to sell your home as quick as possible for as much money as you can. It’s the homeowners dream. But sometimes you can be your own worst enemy when it comes to house sales. So here is a simple guide on how to sell your home fast.

Clutter will put potential buyers off.

A cluttered home will always put a buyer off. When you are looking for a potential new home, it’s important to be able to envision what the home would be like with your belongings in it. When someone else's clutter is everywhere, that can be difficult to do.

Clutter also gives off the impression of a mess. Your home may not be messy at all but that is the perception you could be giving your potential buyers. The best thing to do is declutter your home as much as possible. See it as a head start on packing. You could box it all away and store it ready for moving into your new home.

A bit of remodelling could go a long way.

I appreciate that spending money could be the last thing you want to do. But what if spending some extra money on your home could gain you some extra money in your home's resale value. Your home remodelling could just be your kitchen and bathrooms, or some other spaces in your home. A kitchen and bathrooms are both rooms that can sell a property. It allows a new buyer just to move into their new home without the need to do the remodelling themselves. Just remember that you are not remodelling for your tastes. So bear in mind that a neutral finish could be the best outcome.

A neutral decor will always be more appealing.

When someone is looking round a potential new home, it’s important for them to be able to see the home for what it is. The room sizes and how their furniture would fit. This will always be more achievable if the decor wasn’t distracting. Bright walls and flashy wall paper could distract your potential buyers. Of course, it’s important for your home to have personality. But when it comes to selling your home it may be worth re-decorating some parts of the house to a more neutral colour. This will also give off the impression that the house is a place that someone could move into straight away. Without worrying too much about what needs to be done.

A clean home is a saleable home.

Lastly, it may seem like an obvious point but a clean home will always be more saleable than a home that could do with a good dusting. When selling your home, it provides you with the perfect opportunity to give your home a thorough clean. This means dusting skirting boards and cleaning windows.

I hope this guide helps you achieve a sale on your home quickly.