As per a Checkatrade survey, UK households spent an average of £2,608 on various home improvement projects in 2020. Many of these projects are geared towards increasing comfort within the home and making it more aesthetically pleasing. Curb appeal is also essential because it is your home’s first impression and can attract potential buyers. Therefore, boosting your property’s curb appeal is worth considering if you want to sell your home or simply improve its look. Please consider these points to learn more about making your house more attractive.
Wash your windows
Washing your windows is undoubtedly an effective way to freshen up your home’s curb appeal. This activity will eliminate grime and dirt, making your house look as good as new. However, if you have particularly dirty or outdated windows, you can replace them altogether with more stylish shutters. Window washing is relatively easy if they tilt out, but you may need a friend or family member to hold the ladder while you wash if otherwise. You can wash your windows by spraying them with a garden hose to clean any dirt and cobwebs. Then, sponge them down with a bit of detergent or vinegar diluted in warm water and rinse afterwards.
Add a splash of colour
A lick of paint can make a significant difference when looking to improve your home’s curb appeal. Sell House Fast research estimates that paint can boost curb appeal so much that it can convince potential buyers to part with an additional £7,000 when buying some properties. Therefore, consider painting your home in a bold colour that will make it stand out from your neighbours’ properties. Then, select a contrasting colour to paint your doors and shutters. Painting your house is typically an affordable project, but it can be time-consuming, so you may need at least two days to paint if you take a DIY approach. Alternatively, you can hire qualified and experienced exterior house painters to get the job done quickly and professionally.
Maintain your garden
Clean and tidy garden will automatically be more attractive than unkempt ones, so proper garden maintenance is key to improving curb appeal. Thankfully, there is no shortage of things you can do to enhance your yard’s look and boost your home’s charisma and aesthetic. For instance, you can cut your grass regularly and trim your hedges and trees frequently. In addition, you can plant plenty of bright and healthy flowers in your front garden that is sure to capture people’s attention as they walk past your house.
Deck your door
Your front door is one of the focal points people see when looking at your home, so it is vital to make this door something worth staring at. Consequently, consider hanging a seasonal wreath on your front door to make your house feel homier and more inviting. You can select wreaths to make your home’s exterior look more fun and festive, depending on the time of year. For instance, a wreath with pastel colours will work well during spring, while a floral wreath with daisies will be excellent for summertime. Similarly, a wreath with ornaments will be a big hit during winter, while a wreath with leaves is appropriate for Autumn.
I am a big fan of Downton Abbey – the beautiful backdrops, the drama, the scandal and of course, not forgetting the absolutely stunning stately home. Of all the many appeals of a grand mansion like Downton Abbey; as an avid reader and bookworm, their home library is my absolute dream. Floor to ceiling bookshelves crammed full to the brim of every genre imaginable, a cozy roaring fire and the giant red backed sofas – who wouldn’t want to relax and drink a well earned cup of tea whilst taking your imagination off on it’s latest escapist adventure? The only problem with Downton Abbey however, is that, well it’s not quite up to speed with the latest trends now is it?
Age Co recently reimagined the grand Downton Library in the style of a number of famous celebrities, from the much loved great British baker Mary Berry, home schooling locdown hero Joe Wicks, to my favourite Loose Woman Ruth Langford. Looking at how the Downton Abbey interiors could be redesigned and repurposed to suit each and every personality was really impressive to see. You can check out all the #DowntonReimagined room settings here – which one is your fave?
My #DowntonReimagined
Using a few of the celebrity repurposed room as inspiration, here are some of the changes I would make to bring my own personality into the Downton space…
Bucket Chairs
Sticking with the reading nook theme, I would invest in a giant bucket chair. These deep love seat style chairs are the perfect place to snuggle up in those cold Autumn and Winter evenings with an oversized throw and your slipper socks tucked up against you. Think pale shades of duck egg grey (the ones from the Joules range are to die for), wooden feet and a surface area big enough for you (and the cat) to hibernate in and you’ve got yourself a pretty good starting point. Coordinate with a contemporary rug on Parquet Flooring (underfloor heated of course) and you have all the luxury of home comfort whilst keeping a modern feel.
Made to Measure
This girl has a LOT of books, so to fully make the most of the space available, I love the integrated made to measure shelving units, ideally with the addition of a sliding ladder, helping me regularly pull down the old faithfuls when I suddenly crave a bit of Sophie Kinsella or T.M Logan. Whilst yes, in truth I would probably spend more time than is normal rearranging my books into colours, alphabetical order or genre, having all my books beautifully presented (including those sprayed edges) would be an absolute joy.
Bring on the plants
When it comes to a calm and tranquil living space, you can never have too many plants. I love the large oversized unkillable plants -from the hardy Parlour Palm, the beautiful Vriesea Astrid and an oversized Snake Plant – not only do these plants provide a calm and relaxing environment, but help reduce radiation and co2 as well! Perfect for a bit of mindfullness and escapism at the end of a long day.
Turn up the fire, grab your latest hardback and there it is – my little slice of Downton Reimagined 🙂
We all know just how important it is to feel comfortable in our work surroundings – even more so after working at home around our families for the last 18 months. We are currently in the middle of building a garden office in our home and one of the biggest advantages for me is that I will be able to create a working from home space that meets all of my needs – no more navigating my way through children’s toys to reach my desk; no blurring of my work and home space and no sitting at the dining room table where I should be eating my tea.
One of the things I am most excited about is designing a space that is entirely mine – reflects my personality and is aesthetically pleasing, striking and unique. Of all the things I have considered when designing my new office space, two of the most important are lighting and plants.
I have a real issue with some office lighting – the fluorescent over head lighting often gives me a headache and I hate the lack of control over the brightness of my surroundings. Top of my list in the garden office is ensuring no glare from windows by purchasing bespoke shutters or blinds and adding dimmer switches and focused desk lighting that can create more localised lighting and simply be turned on and off as required.
Secondly, I really want to add some green plants into my work space – something hardy that is hard to kill and is not high maintenance in terms of it’s feeding / watering routine, but that will add some much needed oxygen and positivity to my, at times, pressurised work space.
I recently came across the brand Floately at www.floately.co.uk, who have two options that are just the ticket when meeting my home office requirements. Not only do they look great, but provide a little touch of magic to my office space with their cutting edge levitation technology.
Who are Floately?
Floately are home to a range of innovative levitating accessories targeted for the home and office, that just like magic, actually float and levitate from their stands. Here are two of the options from the Floately range that I felt would work well in the new office.
Airsai
AIRSAI from Floately is a levitating planter that is not only relaxing and mesmerising to watch, but has super smart spinning technology, meaning that the planter will quite literally levitate of its base, spinning whilst floating in the air. The addition of a spinning planter will ensure my plants of choice are not only beautifully presented, but nourished with 360 degrees of sunlight exposure 24/7, allowing them to grow stronger and healthier, all while floating mid-air.
Suitable for any type of houseplant up to 200g, Airsai planterscan not only help reduce radiation and increase oxygen in the my workspace, but also create a real masterpiece to impress any guests.
VOLTA
For focused desk lighting, the Floately Volta is another excellent choice. The Volta is a levitating desk or surface light, which spins with elegant grace. The VOLTA Wireless induction technology allows the LED bulb to cast a warm, soothing light while being suspended in mid-air – ideal for working or reading, whilst creating a calm and comfortable environment (and without a rocketing electricity bill!)
Volta is shatterproof and durable, and designed to help ease anxiety, stabilise emotions and make people feel more comfortable.
The VOLTA is incredibly calming to watch whilst on a call or listening to a podcast. You can even turn off the light but keep the revolving on to use Volta as a mindful, calming accessory.
I will be sharing the journey of our garden office build on the blog over the coming weeks so watch this space! In the meantime you can learn more about Floately here.
Running a household can get expensive. That’s not only because of the house itself needing maintenance, but of course, the people that live within it, namely your family members, do require a little investment to keep going. For this reason, it’s understandable to want to reduce some of these costs a little, so that your money can stretch further from week to week. Even if budgeting isn’t much of a consideration for you, there’s no need to waste your money on things that aren’t worth it, or to replace goods when they could be fixed, or to spend just because you can.
The idea of value is important here, as is knowing how to get a good deal. For instance, collecting reward points all year during your grocery shopping may give you enough to pay for the Christmas meal for free at the end of that annual period, which isn’t a bad way to go about saving and thinking long term.
In this post, we’ll discuss how to save money on your household appliances such as washing machines and fridge freezers, which are considered the biggest singular purchases you may make.
Learn To Repair!
Learning to repair sounds like a tough job, especially if you haven’t much previous experience in repairing devices or even opening them up. However, the ‘right to repair’ law is becoming an essential piece of legislation in the UK, demanding that appliance manufacturers design each product for longevity and owner repair when necessary.
Reading the manual of each appliance you buy and keeping this in mind can help a full replacement downgrade to a full repair, implying saved costs and more autonomy over the tools you use. For instance, you might need to replace a blown thermal fuse if your dryer is acting up, and knowing where to source certain replacement parts can be very helpful.
Use Voucher Codes
Many browsers and browser extensions like Honey and generalized coupon services can help you utilize voucher codes for a range of websites. This enables you to purchase goods with certain discounts or with free delivery and better warranties. This might help you define which kind of brand you go with, and of course, what your budget could be for stocking your home.
Wait For Sales Day
Wait for sales day if necessary, as this can make a massive difference in terms of how many appliances you can acquire or the quality of that which you buy. For instance, saving your appliance purchases for Black Friday each year may help you save hundreds of pounds, and combining items together in a basket may also offer those kinds of savings.
Furthermore, a sales day will allow you to purchase better quality items with the same budget, and the more expensive items you can reach will generally be more robust and well designed, lessening the need for repairs or in some cases, another replacement.
With this in mind, you’re sure to save money on household appliances in the best way.
Since the pandemic struck in 2020, many people have had to adapt the way they live and work at home. Many of us have had to create work areas in our personal spaces, with makeshift offices in bedrooms, kitchen corners and living rooms. Not only has this affected our productivity, but also our mental wellbeing, with switching between work and home life becoming increasingly more difficult! One of the best ways to accommodate this new working from home lifestyle is by creating a dedicated workspace with a garden room.
A garden room is a spacious living area situated in your garden, taking up as much or as little garden space as you want. At Hawksbeck Garden Rooms, each garden room is completely bespoke to your needs and aesthetic preferences, being made from the highest quality materials that last over 60 years! What could be your new office space for the next couple of years could become your exercise studio or cinema room once you no longer need your office space. Versatile, dynamic, and personal – a garden room is the height of home fashion in current times.
For your garden office there are many ways you can personalise your space, which is a unique benefit to having a garden room versus an office in your home. It is a known fact that productivity increases with natural light in office spaces, which can easily be made possible with the glazing options for your garden room. With bifold doors and fixed glazing panels, you can have as much, or as little, natural light entering your garden room as you like! There is no need to worry about your garden room heating up in the sun either, with structurally insulated panel’s providing the best insulation and the option of having an air conditioning unit inside too.
A garden room can enable you to put some space between your work life and home life, giving you a dedicated workspace that doesn’t need to be confused with any other space.
Making a distinction between the spaces you relax in and the spaces you work in is important for a healthy work-life balance, and something that is worth investing in! Your garden room can be fitted out for whatever you need for work – that can be electrical sockets for computers, mounted tv’s for video editing, or mirrored walls for those working in fitness. If you need a bathroom space or individual rooms, you can have this to, with a garden room being fully customisable to your needs.
Unlike many other construction projects, a garden room is quick to construct, being built in under 2 weeks! If you need more space quickly, a garden room is the perfect option for you, with minimal disruption to you and your family as it is constructed. It can add considerable value to your property, but more than this, it can give you the space you need to enjoy
working at home.
Across the UK, the housing market is experiencing a boom, with house values being the highest they have been in several years. This is great news for those wanting to sell their homes, but this is balanced by the cost of buying a new property at higher prices. For many homeowners, the wise choice would be to extend rather than sell, to add further value to their property. This can be used to buy a larger house or generate more money to renovate a new home too. If you want to be smart with your money, now is the time to extend rather than sell…
Typically, an extension can cost upwards of £45k (+VAT), depending on the size and type of extension you choose to extend your property with. The most popular type of extension is a rear extension, which extends your home further back into your garden space. If you do not have much garden space already, you may prefer to opt for a side return extension, which
uses the dead space down the side of your property, increasing the width of your home. If you are lucky enough to have the space for both extension types, you can have a wrap around extension that can add lots of new space to your home. A wrap-around extension costs upwards of £65-70k (including VAT). The architects at Simply Architects have designed many different home renovation projects, including many rear, side, and wrap-around extensions for properties of every type and size!
There are many benefits to extending your property outside of increasing the value of your home. Many people choose to move house when they outgrow the space they are living in.
With an extension, you can add lots of space to one of the main areas of the home that can turn into a bottleneck as children grow up. You can create extra space in your kitchen area with a kitchen extension, allowing you to have an open-plan kitchen diner and new living area. This can make all the difference when you are preparing dinner in the evenings or rushing to after school clubs and trying to run around finding the right equipment or clothes!
It is difficult to find the perfect house when you decide you want to move, with every family having different needs that they need their new house to meet. When your architects design your new extension space, they can tailor it to your exact needs and preferences. This can include creating a downstairs bathroom, new pantry cupboard, or utility room! This is a level of personalisation that cannot be matched when moving home, and another reason why extending your home could be better suited to your needs than moving house.
So, what are you waiting for? There has never been a better time to extend your home, whether that is to boost your house value or create much-needed space for you and your family.
Hi, I’m Lucy, a thirty something mum of two from Birmingham. A memory maker, tradition keeper, stationery addict and Mr Men fanatic. HR Advisor by day and sleep deprived Mama by night!
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