ArtaBerryHome Improvement Blog

You have bought your new home, you have stripped out the old dated decoration plan of the previous owner, you have had new windows fitted and a new damp proof course, you have painted the walls, fitted cupboards in the kitchen, bought new carpets and put up some vintage wallpaper in the living room… Now what’s next? The furniture of course!

The furniture you add to a room can be the finishing touch to transform it into the designer home of your dreams. There are a few key rooms in the home to think about when looking to buy new furniture, the living room, the dining room and the kitchen. The furniture for the kitchen is important but often practicality is the key concern so I am going to focus on the living and dining rooms.

The Living Room; It is surely a favorite room in the home, the room you go to relax and unwind. So your furniture decisions should reflect this… think about large leather sofas to sink into, luxurious soft furnishings and thick curtains. If like me you like to unwind with a strong coffee and dark chocolate in the evening you might want to think about a solid pine coffee table, these look great in a natural colour or in white. The fireplace is often the key feature of any living room, and I like to try and keep the original fireplace surround when possible, if this has already been removed though you can take the opportunity to be bold and look at some modern examples of fireplace surrounds.

The Dining Room; This is a room of elegance, a place to enjoy fine food, expensive wine and the company of friends when hosting dinner parties. This room is all about the dining table, it will be the focal point of the room and the choice of table and the way you decorate it will be crucial. My personal choice is a glass dining table but you can get some beautiful oak tables from the finest craftsmen. Keep an eye out for dining table and 6 chairs sets which you can buy online and get some great furniture at even better prices! Of course there are other rooms in your home such as bedrooms and maybe even a study room, so remember not to use your entire budget on three rooms!

Summer is a wonderful season! Most of the folks might agree with me at the point that long days provide you lots of time to enjoy your favorite activities at home (& outdoor too). No matter who are you, a school going kid or just a housewife. To get the best excitement & fun of summer I always suggest going for an exclusive summer renovation plan at your home. Summer makeover is all about bringing a fresh look to the interior of the house. & off course! Making your home more comfortable, by adding climate control, cooling system, swimming pools renovation, applying fresh colors themes on walls & adding other summer accessories. Here are few tips you can follow to get better results in making your house more beautiful in summers. People from relatively hotter places across the world also check these tips for giving their house with a fresh look.

The first thing you can start with is the color theme of your house, specially the colors of walls at your bedroom & drawing room. if you feel that it is giving a dull impression, Try out different light & bright colors like white, sky blue, baby pink, light green.. However! to give a sparkle and bright effect to your room. I always suggest white in the summers. You can also use colorful custom wallpapers if you are intended to make something exclusive in your bedroom. moreover try adding the furniture in contrast with the walls color.

Give a little attention to flooring also. Check the tiles at bathrooms & kitchen. Replace broken tiles or if your budget allows, renew the old tiles with fresh tiles. Moreover if the floor is wooden or bamboo. Polish it. Don’t opt for carpeting flooring in summers. It creates heats & dust so I didn’t suggest it for summers. add a couple of indoor plants..

The garden: Yes this is the place where you are expected to spend a part of your day. Try adding some new plants in the gardens. Buy a set of elegant garden furniture if you find the old one rusty. Make proper arrangements for watering the plants. Specially the garden grass, which is surely the center of attraction in summers.

Decorate the terrace with fresh money plants; you will feel a more refreshing day while gazing outside from the terrace of your house. Add windows Blinds for a gentle & fresh wake-up. Probably a green one will work more efficient. Moreover a home insulation works better to make your house cooler in summers. Cleaning up the swimming pools & renewing bathtub & showers (if necessary) are another important element of home makeover in summer.

When it came to furniture! Some wood species are well known as an excellent raw material for home furnishings. While some are good for other purposes. The most common property of a fine furniture wood is its beautiful natural grain and fine finishing with varnish and hand rubbed stains by usual oils. Another equally important aspect to consider in furniture wood is the hardness, durability & the fashionable & decent look according to the ease of use. So combining all together, the most important elements of wood recommended for home furniture are determined by its fine quality, durability and ease of turning them into furniture.

While talking about the common types of wood species for the manufacturing of furniture. Mahogany is one of the most commonly used, its natural color is closer to orange than red, but most eventually ends with a dark red stain. Mahogany is the first choice among the finest high-end furniture carpentry.

Cherry is another favorite to make shelves and cabinets and woodwork for a hobby. It can be tinted to produce darker shades, cherry comes naturally to light yellowish hue which often brightens the room they were standing. Teak Certainly, in particular, is one of the most sophisticated hardwoods, it also lends itself beautifully to make sculptures, teak wood one the other hand has excellent qualities, like it resist degradation, it has come to be a favorite for outdoor furniture and shipbuilding as well. It is naturally dark brown to golden brown.

Beech Cherry; Beech is the favorite for the light wood furniture as it naturally grained light brown, almost beige. It is perhaps second to the most common mahogany wood furniture. Yes! the Red Oak hardwoods is also a choice, that are difficult to cut, Red Oak stain easily and reveals a deep red or pink Natural texture. It is excellent for doors and flooring that can last more than one life. Walnut wood may have the most beautiful glossy finish and it became a preferred material for musical instruments and wooden decorative panels also. Here I want to mention that some of the most beautiful & expensive tables and cabinets are finished in walnut.

Among different types of print designs and fabrics, choosing the best curtains is not always easy if you want to make something unique & elegant in the interior of your house.  it is  relatively a heavy investment if your house is big,  Ask yourself a questions about the usefulness of the curtains in the room.  always check the direction of sun then choose the type of cloth that best serve the purpose.  are they just decorative precisely, do they protect you from the outside, light? Once your needs are identified, take your measurements and go store to choose rods and curtains.

Choose the rod depending on the width and type of tissue for your curtains.  for instance! there are many types of rods such as, the Flat rods to fix the walls, this is  ideal for light curtains or draperies, one the other hand the round rods made up of Wood, plastic or metal is mostly useful for rooms where the curtains are heavier.

Now coming toward the curtain designs,  some  curtains were hemmed in their own end or a single node in which we move the rod inside. these finishes are not always very practical if you need to open and close the curtains regularly, also ideal if you want a decorative effect.  in grommet finish, the curtains are torn at their end to get a round bead. The opening of the curtains is simplified and they are quite decorative & appealing. There are actually many techniques of finishes, including those using a braid.

Measure the width of your window (including frames): add 30-50 cm for the length of the rod. To find the width of curtains, allow a width equivalent to two to three times that of the rod, depending on the effect desired pleated (depending on the fabric used as so. To measure the height finally, remember that the rod is raised 10-15 cm above the window. Know then that, generally, it leaves a space of an inch between the curtains and the floor. But the effect of a curtain falling on the ground can be so beautiful (it increases the feeling of headroom). Allow then 10-15 cm tall curtains and more. Finally, keep in mind that some fabrics can shrink when washed. When in doubt, always leave more tissue than necessary in the hem for a touch up possible.

Now the question is what  fabric best suits your requirements?  And what is the best cloth for liner? Select the fabric not only meet the need to hide the light of sun but also suits the desired decorative effect you aimed to make at your house. for better results doubt, ask for a sample in curtains shop and put it on the furniture in your room for a better analysis. If you want to put a liner in your curtains, opt for shades or close the curtains chosen for a beige uniform, mat.

Besides many hidden benefits, one of the well known usefulness of insulating your home is energy saving & protection from extreme weather effects. In winter, it helps in reducing the flow of sun heat directly to your house. While in winters it didn’t allow cool air to directly affect the building. So as a result you get a warmer house in winter and a relatively cooler house in summers. I believe if the insulation of your house is done in the best way then it is sure that you will save up to 35% of your energy costs. All you need to do, is to make sure that the installer understands the process of insulation at an expert level. It is the best way to protect environment as well. The insulation of home can helps in cutting the usage of fossil fuel which destroys the process of greenhouse effect.

One the other hand if you want to cut cost of home insulation due to limited budget, I suggest that didn’t go for insulating the whole of your house. another good option is wooden blinds, by which you can reduce the extreme effects of heat & cold from outside. Moreover i suggest you to choose those portions of the house for insulation which is used quite frequently. For instance! You can ignore the laundry & store. similarly the guest room which is not regularly accommodated. You can also leave it in your insulation plan..you can buy memory foam mattress from the saved money. By doing this you can save up to 40% of your total insulation cost, you can easily save few bucks from your budget that you can later utilize for buying home accessories..

Majority of the real estate agents got the opinion that remodeling the kitchen and bathroom increase the value of the house. I agreed with them up to some extent. So if you are aiming to sell your house in near future. You needed to give special attention to specific areas for cleaning & renovation, this will ultimately increases the value of your house & you can bravely quote a good price to home buyers.

One area that is considered most important & use frequently by the occupants in the house is surely the kitchen. Your ideas of renovations should start from here. Starting from little things in given budget, try to improve the quality and overall appearance of the kitchen. If you have good budget for renovation, I suggest that you should go for installing new tiles over the walls & floor. Buy new appliances & replace every old & rusty looking material from the kitchen. This seems quite costly but believes me this will give you a good return.

You can consider making a playroom for kids or adults with a corner allocated for bar from the store (if any) in your house. You can get the services of professional contractor to complete the remodeling job you aimed to do. They better assist in the planning and process of your home renovation as they have greater experience to build a better home. Try to fix & clean every part of your house, including hvac cleaning. the more you work the more is will be the profit while you are out to sell your home, so focus on many small things that add value overall.

Purchase some new deco accessories & replace the old sofa with the new one at your drawings room; it will help in making an elegant appearance of your home. When it comes to your house decoration I suggest, you should keep it simple and classic, as each person has their own taste. However! At last I would like to advise that don’t spend more money if the area where you live didn’t have much potential for home buyers.