Archive | January 2019

House name

It’s kind to name our house

Mudroom

So-called mudroom is a common room in houses with garden in many countries. It is a useful area which helps to separate the inner parts of the house from the outdoor dirt.
The mudroom is placed near the backdoor of the house. It’s worth to create one in the case of a lifestyle in which intensive garden works, animal welfare and walking on the neighboring fields or forests has an important role.
Since it is for getting rid of dirt and mud here, it is important to make it easily cleanable. The floor has tile pavement: it is covered with ceramic tiles, bricks or natural stones. Walls are covered to dado level or at least painted with washable wall paint.
There is enough storage space (hangers, shelves, boxes) for the took-off dirty clothes, boots, umbrellas etc. Commonly it is staffed with a sink also where not only hands can be washed but even the freshly picked flower bouquet can be arranged. It is common among dog owners that this is a built-in washing basin where the pet can be washed after a long walk, before the dog enters the house with them.
Let’s treat it as a real room. It should have a window and proper lighting. Don’t neglect its furnishing, the design, it should be connected with the other part of the house.
If there is not enough space for a separate mudroom, it can be jointed with other rooms, for example, the back part of the laundry room. If the house has only one entrance door, the windshield at the front of the hall can have this function. If there is an entrance from the garage, one of its corners can be used for this also.
Ask for help of an interior designer for creating your country house.

My project 27.

Jan25

My prior work: waterside weekend house’s living room (furnishing plan for an exam)

Mattress

Jan23

Never buy a bed mattress by someone’s opinion/recommendation! Always try the different types of mattresses and choose the most comfortable one.

Home office

Jan21

Creating a home office requires great care. Several facts have to be considered for that our health and private sphere don’t get injured.
If we need a place only for a short time of surfing on the internet, writing letters or reviewing bills – which takes about 1-2 hours per day from our free time – then a working corner is perfectly enough for that. This can be created as a part of another room (living room, kitchen, corridor etc.) or hiding for example in a wardrobe.
A home office is needed for those who work at home, so would spend most of the day (or every weekends) there. In this case, it is reasonable to create an individual room – of course, only if there is enough space and possibility for it.
If we have a job which requires receiving clients, it’s worth to place the office near the entrance door, with a small lavatory not far from it. This way, clients won’t go through the private rooms. In an ideal case, the office can be created in an outbuilding (garage, shed etc.) but this is possible only for few people.
Desk is one of the most important furniture. Its size has to be chosen to get enough space on its top even if all the needed equipments are set out. The ideal height is 70-73 cm, its depth has to be at least 60 cm (in the case of types with superstructure, this grows with the size of the superstructure). Don’t sit back to the window because the light reflects in the screen and we drop shadow to the working area from the natural light before ourselves.
The ergonomics of the office chair is very important for our health. Anyhow, it has to be comfortable, possibly with adjustable height, adjustable backrest, arms and rolls. It’s worth to pay more for these. Take care for choosing the one that properly rolls on the cover, so a sagging carpet is probably not the best choice. Never use a spare dinner chair for this purpose!
The computer is an average working tool. A different space is required by a laptop and by a PC with monitor. Think it over which kind of accessories will be needed for it: keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner etc. These all need space, so this has to be considered when planning the furniture, not only for the amounts of files and papers have to be stored. Keep the storage areas within reach of frequently used items.
The proper lighting is essential for efficient work. It is good to have natural light, this means a window. A desk light is also required beside the central, diffused lighting. These have to be chosen that way the light doesn’t hurt our eyes, don’t be reflected in the monitor and there has to be a proper lighting in every seasons/time of the day. For those who write/draw a lot by hand, it is important to get the light from the opposite side of the dominant hand.
Outlets are never enough. Count it how many devices need electrical power and don’t forget those which has to be connected in the socket only occasionally (charging mobile tools). If there will be a landline phone or TV, their connections have to be built also.
The job defines the needed fixtures and stationeries for working, since there are different requirements of an accountant, a programmer or a sewer. Ask for help of an interior designer for planning your home office.

LP storage

Jan18

Storage ideas for vinyl records, so we can take pleasure in them

Inspiration 9.

Jan16

Get inspired by winter tit-bits

Subway tile

Jan14

The ceramic “subway” tile appeared at the beginning of the 1900s in the stations of New York subway inaugurated in those days. It became popular very soon, so it appeared in pre-war homes as kitchen and bathroom pavement. Easy to clean, reflects light and doesn’t absorb grease. It didn’t change at all in over hundred years. Its modern variations are different only in size and color.
The most frequently used size is 10×20 cm. It’s easy to count with and to handle. Size 7,5×15 cm is also a classic one. Models with size 10×30 and 7,5×30 cm represent the modern line.
The shiny surfaced is the absolute traditional, original type. Matt surface came in fashion a couple of years ago, rustic/vintage styles were serviced with cracked glazed variation.
There are two types of surface. Beveled: all four edges are cut angularly, so it is three dimensional. Simple: its surface is flat and plain which is different from an ordinary wall tile only in size.
Among colors, white was always the most popular – just like today. Cream, sage green, dark green and black belong to classic colors also. Current trends here are: turquoise, grey, lime green, mauve etc. We can surely find a perfect one for our taste.
The size of the applied interstice for metro tiles can be between 2-5 mm. Wider one can be applied for the beveled type. Traditionally, its color is the same as the tile’s, but using a different colored interstice is popular also. White-grey pairing is the most common which gives it a more modern, industrial look. Interesting space can be reached with a bold colored (red, green etc.) interstice.
Decor elements can be also purchased for metro tiles. They can be combined with self-patterned or color printed elements. The really special metal (golden, silver colored) decoration elements can be bought by piece, the others by square meters. Long and narrow finials and square beveled complementing pieces can be found in the collection.
We can try several tiling patterns. The classic half-offset brick pattern never goes out of fashion. Herring bone and double basket wave are popular for a long time also. The modern solution is without any offset, where all the interstices align.
Since it is a perfectly traditional and simple-lined tile, it fits for almost every style, especially the shiny beveled type. That’s why it’s easy to pair with other pavements. Maybe it’s the most elegant with wooden like tiles, but it can be put with concrete tiles, black-and-white paving, old bricks or even polished concrete floor.
Ask for help of an interior designer for choosing the proper pavements.