Making room for your child

April 1st, 2009

Just like us adults, children need things that represent them – including furniture. The bed they sleep on, the table they do their homework on and even their own personal thinking chair like many of us adults have! I’ve noticed that, with my own children, earmarking a piece of furniture as exclusively theirs helps them look after their stuff from a very young age. A bed purchased or made to measurement and individual taste is a favorite in many families. The days of wooden furniture painted in pink for girls and blue for boys are passe. Nowadays, furniture are more in keeping with the current trends of the children of today – Disney characters being a favorite. A place for work is another idea that can be adopted in almost households. Making a study space that is made conducive to learning is a great idea to encourage reading and reflection time among children. A study desk and a book shelf for the children helps them value the idea of having ‘their space’ and to respect it. In households where there is no separate furniture, such as a study table or bed, made available, children tend to struggle with their homework when the rest of the family is watching television. Other pieces of furniture, such as a closet to put away their clothes, a chest of drawers for their bric a brac and bedside table are other additions, if they can be accommodated. If they have their own room all the more perfect. Having their own furniture enables children to put away their belongings and act responsibly from a young age. And if the furniture is as unique as your child, decorated with stickers of your child’s most favorite characters, it adds an extra element of exclusivity.

A work-at-home possibility

March 31st, 2009

Functional is the word that comes to mind when one thinks of office furniture. When you work from home, not only do you need your own workstation, but you also need to ensure that the area is warm, well-lit and quiet. This may take some planning and organizing. The desk, the bookshelf, your chair and a side shelf or a filing cabinet are the basic furniture that will probably start with. How you face your computer is important because the source of light should be perpendicular to the monitor for healthy viewing of the monitor. If your study room or the place where you plan to build your workstation has a window then you might want to consider positioning your desk accordingly. Next, invest in a good ergonomical chair that is gentle to your back, since you’d be spending considerable periods of time in it. Finally, the position of your filing cabinet should not obstruct free movement as you get in and out of that chair. There are a range of workstations available with clever storage options and space-saving features. Get one that meets all your needs, if need be. If you have no choice but to put up your workstation in a common family room such as a bedroom that you share with your partner or a living room, you might want to consider desk edging that can give you some privacy. Make a plan on paper, take measurements of available space, and then visit a office furniture shop if necessary to browse through options. Alternatively, pore over the myriad choices of office furniture available on the internet.

Living room ideas – Living it ‘in’

March 30th, 2009

What might be the one thing that might want your entire family to stay in for an early night? Spending family nights indoors have been a rarity, with every member of the family going their own way and doing their own thing. But if there is one thing you could do to make it not only possible but a tempting option for everyone at home, you might want to consider rearranging your living room furniture or changing them altogether! Yes. It may seem like a weird suggestion, but honestly, think about it. What would your family want to do and where would they like to gather if you do get them all to stay home one evening? The living room, isn’t it? So why not try and turn into a cozy haven, where they’d want to return to night after night? For starters, consider the sofas. If they look too eclectic and classy, they are unlikely to feel homely. If you have a spacious living room you might want to consider allotting a corner for family time. Use rattan furniture or other cane furniture with rich cushions for this corner. A large, glass-topped coffee table, a recliner for the old man and a cabinet to hold your bottles of wine and glasses, that could function as your bar. Even better, if you install a small bar refrigerator near the drinks cabinet. Oh, won’t that be just perfect! Throw in some large cushions on the sofa or on the floor. Be daring. Contrast your sofas with cushions in ethnic prints or mirror work. If you have a coffee table as a centre piece in your seating area, enhance it with an attractive candlestick stand. Light aromatic, colorful candles. Get bunch of fresh flowers for the vases. Think about the lighting. Is it too bright? Maybe changing the wattage of the bulbs will soften the ambience? When you come to think of it, there is no dearth of ideas to change your living room into a place where your family would love to hang out together in every other day. The point is to go soft instead of garish. Go soothing instead of loud. The right music that the entire family enjoys in common, a movie collection that is the family favorite, or even playing a family video are ideas to get the family spend time together in this haven you have created. It could well turn out to be a great bonding experience for everyone!

Where To Get The Best Gazing Balls

May 27th, 2008

Years ago, it was tough to find gazing balls.  Only a few people had these delicate looking glass or acrylic balls in their gardens which really seemed to make a statement.  At that time, gazing balls were mostly purchased at specialty catalog shops. 

Since the internet has become such a common staple in the lives of everyone, we have seen more gazing balls in gardens.  In addition to internet venues, gazing balls are also available at most garden centers.   Once only available to a select few, gazing balls are now everywhere.

If you want to get a gazing ball that is unique and does not look like every other gazing ball on the block, you should take a look at the online stores that offer garden ornaments.  A gazing ball is the ultimate garden ornament.  When it catches the light, it adds both charm and beauty to any area of your garden. 

Before picking the right gazing ball for you, decide what type of gazing ball you want in your garden.  Do you want a large gazing ball or a small one?  Do you want it made of plastic, acrylic or glass?  Where are you going to place the gazing ball once you get it?  What type of stand are you going to use?

All of these questions need to be answered before you think about buying gazing balls.  And do yourself a favor and do not purchase a multitude of gazing balls.  You want your garden to look charming, not junky.  Many people just seem to have no sense of order when it comes to decorating their gardens.  Think of your garden as your outdoor home and decorate accordingly.  You would not have four sofas in your living room, would you?  Then why would you need four gazing balls in your garden?

Take a look online so that you can get gazing balls that do not look like every other one on the block.  Find a gazing ball that is unique and will make a statement about you and your garden.  Then add the ornament to your garden. 

A gazing ball is one of the most inexpensive yet beautiful additions that you can make to any garden.  They are easy to set up (just put the ball on a stand) and require no maintenance.  You will want to be sure that the ball is secure on the stand, however.  If it is not secure on the stand, you should take it in when it storms.  A gust of wind can blow a gazing ball so that it is propelled through the window of you or your neighbor.  Not good.  Be responsible and take the ornament in when it storms, unless it is secure. 

You can get the best deal on gazing balls by shopping online.  Not only will you get good prices, but you will also get a myriad of different choices when it comes to color, size and even stands for the gazing ball.  If you want something truly unique in your garden, take a look at the gazing balls that are featured in the online garden stores. 

Using Planters On Your Balcony

May 27th, 2008

Just because you live in the city is no reason not to have a garden.  You can use planters on your balcony and even in your home.  There are many different ways to use planters to spruce up your city apartment. 

One way to use planters is to hang them on your balcony railings.  This may seem like a small thing and easy to do, but it really makes a difference.  If you have a balcony, you can have a little mini garden on the balcony.  You can even set out a little table to make the balcony look nicer.  Hang some wind chimes and put some planters on the railings. 

There are wooden and plastic planters that are made to hang on apartment balcony railings.  You can fill them with dirt and fresh flowers that will give your apartment balcony an air of the country.  Using planters on your balcony is one way to really give your city dwelling a homey feel. 

In addition to hanging planters on the balcony railings, you can also use stationary planters on the ground  on your balcony.  Here you can put in some small trees or other items that can grow in moderation to give you balcony a garden look. 

Another option when it comes to using planters on your balcony is to plant ivy.  Unlike flowers, ivy will continue to come up year after year and continue to grow.  You can cover your balcony with these charming vines if you train them to grow.  In order to train ivy to grow on your balcony, you will need to have twist ties to use for the vines when they grow long.  Tie the vines to where you want them to grow and they will grow in that direction.  You will need to keep adding soil to the planters in order for the vines to grow.

You can also hang planters from the roof of your balcony.  Hanging planters are usually filled with geraniums or other flowers that are seasonal.  This can make all the difference to your balcony décor and give you a touch of country.  It is relatively easy to install a hook in the ceiling of your balcony to do this. 

Garden Planters can be made out of a variety of different materials and come in different sizes as well as shapes.  Many of them are long and can be fitted right to the top railing of your balcony.  Others can hang on the outside of your balcony.  In addition to planting flowers, you can also plant fresh herbs on the balcony to make it look even nicer in the summer.  During the winter months, however, you will have to bring your garden inside. 

Another way you can use planters on your balcony is to fix them with silk flowers and plants.  You do not want it to look tacky, but you can put a fake silk tree on your balcony as well as other silk plants.  If you lay off the flowers, it can look almost natural.

Using planters on your balcony is an innovative way to make your city dwelling have a taste of country.