ArtaBerryHome Improvement Blog..

Function and style are two very different concepts. A car provides a function; what type you buy into shows your sense of style and says something about you. The same goes for your clothes, your home or any room in it. If you live alone you have free choice to be as reserved or creative as you like however most of us live within a family setup and have to reach a satisfactory agreement that keeps all parties happy.

Function
Firstly there is the question of function. When considering revamping your bathroom apart from the obvious need for the basics, have you considered who would be using the facilities? Do you need special  customised solutions for a member of your family, for instance, walk in baths or showers, low handrail or grab bars, easy seating at basins or safety toilet seats? What about non slip floor tiles for elderly people or easy reach lighting switches? Then of course there may be a need for easy flush buttons or arm adjustable tap leavers for people with arthritis.

Even if everyone is able bodied, do you have a baby that is going to need a secure changing surface or young children that can’t reach the sink and, more importantly, shouldn’t be able to reach the medicine cabinet?

Style Factor
So what about style? Are you short but your partner is tall, who chooses the height of the mirror, do cupboards slide open or swing and catch your knees? Do you want a fancy slow lowering toilet seat, a shower that folds back against the wall or movement activated lighting that does not leave you in the dark before you have finished?

Remember that you have to live with your choices for a long time and what is the latest fashion today could look rather silly in a year or so. It may be an idea to do a makeover first before ripping everything out and starting again. Sometimes a lick of paint and a few adjustments in the way things are arranged can revitalise a tired bathroom and save you a lot of money in the process.

Colour has a psychological effect and can make such a difference to a room; brighten it up, cool it down, make it look bigger. Put a warm tinted mirror in and it will make you look better in the morning when you stagger to the bathroom. Have subtle lighting, accessories that aren’t just functional but add to the ambience. Put in an automatic aroma spray so even the smallest room feels fresh.

If you decide to go for customised solutions remember what looks good in a catalogue may not work in your space as you may have to cut a few bits out to get it in or it might not match other rooms in the house. Try and see examples on the company website or at a showroom to get an idea of how units will look in the flesh before fitting them in your home.

Over the years, We strive towards a life that is better when it came to comfort & elegance. That is why we alter living spaces that are available to us in the house according to our convenience to meet the latest standards of interior designing. Thus, after taking possession of the garden as the most healtheir place to spend the time in house, Interior designers make a new trend by make the bathroom a real living room. So if you are looking for something similar, This article is worth reading.

Why invest in the bathroom?
If we give more importance to the bathroom, In most of the cases, one good reason is the lack space in the house. In addition, the apartments are sometimes unbalanced and thus the problem of small space in the living room can be solved transforming the large size bathroom into an ideal place to spend your time, Finally, interior designers has now realized that all the parts could be used to feel good in the house and so we do not neglect bathroom.

A bathroom as a living room?
When it comes to bathroom built in living room, this does not mean that you can eat in this space. Rather, it means that we now carry as much attention to the bathroom as the lounge and a bathroom can be transformed into a beautiful reading room or entertainment room. The bathroom has also now are as strong as other places in the home in terms of decoration. But the bathroom living room also sign the renewal of furniture. Today, the washbasin is like a buffet and add a chair next to the tub is mandatory for most of the interior designers. In other words word, we can do everything to enjoy our time in the bathroom.

Spaces dedicated to relaxation are many in the house!  But however the bathroom relaxation is quite playful. While remodeling the bathroom, in addition with selecting the right decoration & sanitary material, you must focus on adopting green energy for your bathroom. Some designers in UK are using VELUX® sun tunnels & solar hot water systems in their bathroom renovation projects. You can check VELUX products at www.veluxshop.ie . If your budget allows, you must try their solar energy & window renovation products. Selecting the right furniture for your bathroom is also an important task in bathroom makeover, for example, as you can see in the picture, Rather opting for a contemporary furniture, you can put on a cabinet that can accommodate two washbasins. You can also use the shelves to put baskets of laundry and give a natural style to your bathroom.

To make the bathroom the most decorative place in your home, You can focus on few details that make all the difference. To give you some ideas that will sublimate your room, follow our below mentioned tips.

A beautiful mirror: Prepare yourself for a pleasant morning, nothing like a beautiful mirror is helpful to change your mood in the bathroom. Choose a model of good size and do not hesitate to play with shapes.

A convenient laundry basket:In the bathroom, the laundry basket is not always dedicated to aesthetically glorious. To remedy this, choose a basket in a pretty and original material.

Pretty accessories: Remember to choose beautiful accessories that Will host your toothbrushes and other makeup accessories. Coordinated that prefer models create a beautiful unit in the bathroom.

Decorative soaps: Along with beautiful bathroom accessories, do not hesitate to bet on pretty soaps. You will find solid models but also beautiful bottles for liquid soap. The choice is yours!

A beautiful shower curtain: If you have a shower, the shower curtain is not to be overlooked. Change the shower curtain of your bathroom with an elegant one.

An original mixer: Gone are the old taps that do not value your sink, opt for beautiful & original mixers especially the model that allows you to see the water flow into the tank until it reaches the sink.

A family friendly basin & toilet Seat: If you do not want a sink, opt for a more contemporary version of the bathroom washbasin. If you are looking for a brand that offers latest designs, You can check bathroom heaven for unique family toilets seat, showers & basin.

A bath mat decoration: In order not to slip or get cold feet when you step out of the shower, the bath mat is essential. But it also plays an important role in the beautification of your bathroom. Select a colorful bath mat to increase the decoration aspect in your bathroom.

Cellar conversions can be a really efficient way of adding extra space and value to your house – and don’t have to break the bank. After all it could be a great investment to your property, and help give you the additional space you require for you and your family. Recent research has shown that depending on the style, location and current value of your home – a cellar conversion could increase the value of your property by up to 30%.

There is plenty of advice out there on converting a cellar, though it does take some careful planning. Budgeting for the project is a good first step. Whether you plan to use savings or look into different loan options, figuring out the costs involved is important to ensuring the project runs smoothly.

Once you’ve decided to convert your cellar, you might consider adding an extra bathroom or toilet if you have the space. Second or third bathrooms are a really useful way of utilising cellar space, and as any big family will tell you – this can be a life saver! Make sure to consult reputable experts to help do the job. You can either get an architect to draw up the plans and recommend contractors or you might choose to hire the builders yourself. Either way, hiring tradesman who have been highly recommended will help ensure that they will do a professional job.

If you decide to add a full bathroom suite rather than just a single toilet, then why not make it the bathroom you’ve always dreamt of? You could choose to have a walk in shower or shower room – perfect for relaxing after a long day at work. Or if you prefer baths to showers, consider installing an extra-large tub with Jacuzzi for a truly relaxing experience.

Lighting in cellar conversions is really key to creating the right kind of environment and atmosphere, as often there is not a lot of natural light. Spot lights are perfect for helping to create spaces that feel light and airy and work incredibly well in bathrooms too. You might even want to add lighting into the floorboards; this is becoming increasingly popular amongst homeowners converting their cellars as an extra means to additional light.

Getting the decor right is crucial in making the space your own. Alongside the lighting, using bright whites and neutral tones will help ensure your bathroom doesn’t look dark and dingy. Using mirrors can also help to make a space look bigger and lighter than it is,. If you have modern tastes you could even go for a full wall length mirror, or for a more vintage look, choose a floor-length mirror with an carved wood frame. When choosing storage, think minimal and avoid dark coloured woods. Hidden storage works best for keeping a space feeling uncluttered, clean and tidy.

Don’t feel you have to go with cliche decor when decorating your bathroom. Choose similar artwork that fits with the other rooms in your house, and use accents of bold colour to create those final touches. Decorating your bathroom in the same style as the rest of the house will make it feel much cosier and allow you to feel like it’s a space you are happy to spend time in.

This guest post was written by Fran Swaine on behalf of Money Matters, the Sainsbury’s Bank blog.

Bathrooms offer comfort, relaxation and refreshment, so choosing the right ambience and decor is essential to enjoying this room as much as any other in the house. From 20s to 30s Art Deco styled interiors, quite gaudy or psychedelic colours and patterns of the 70s and 80s through to outlandish 80s and 90s bathrooms, Bathroom designs have always been one of the main issues for home improvement or DIY enthusiasts. One feature as to why is due to the fact that bathrooms need (along with the rest of the house) to hold aesthetic value, especially if reselling the house. Not many new home owners want to pay thousands of pounds on plumbing and decorating when moving, so the safest option for many homeowners (from the year 2000 to the present) has been to keep to quite simplistic designs. By doing so, many bathrooms have transformed from vibrant yellows and lime green used in the 90s to white or cream colours.

Typically, this space is the smallest in the house, so lighter colours tend to present the impression of a more open space to the naked eye. With more and more home improvement programmes such as Grand Designs, DIY SOS, or Homes under the Hammer, more and more of us now seem to be paying more attention to industry design professionals and current trends.

The ceiling is an area of the bathroom which can all too easily be overlooked during refurbishment, often at the cost of risking damage or maintenance issues going forward. Subsidence and damp are common problems, as well as ceiling mildew, especially in spaces that don’t have a window or alternative ventilation. There are now companies providing decorative ceiling panels for bathrooms, which not only eradicate the cost of dealing with these problematic issues, but in also keeping in line with the fit of most designs, old or new! Rather than looking at costly fixes, plastivan or Marbrex ceiling panels would strongly be advised to all home owners looking to resolve all aforementioned problems.

This is for all the fans of  IKEA brand from all around the globe, I believe most of you folks like it, Well! I have a an update about  their famous furniture, accessories & interior designing catalog of this world largest furniture & home accessories retailer. The IKEA catalogue  for 2012 is already released. Ikea was founded 68 years back (in 1943)  by a Swedish boy Ingvar Kamprad. Their annual catalog was published for the first time in 1951, Soon after their first publication the vendor got high fame & now it turns into worlds biggest home furniture & accessories company. IKEA catalog is now published in 27 languages in different countries across the world making it the first choice of interior designers, architects & home owners in the list of furniture & interior design magazines

Yeah if you are among those who always waits for the new version of  Ikea catalog? i am glad to reveal that you can get the 2012 version now. If you want to know where and how to order, here it is.

Availability of the Ikea catalog
- Distributed to mailboxes on August 25
- Diponible in stores from September 8.

Yeah it is also possible to order the Ikea catalog 2012 on the site of Ikea or by calling their customer services from September.