by: Larla

You love browsing through home decorating magazines wishing and hoping that your home will look like one.

However, cutting the cost does not always give good quality products and outcome. Here are the things you should spend on when doing home decorating:

Professional Labor. You would want you home to be like in the magazines do this is the first thing to invest on.

Paint. We may want to try cheap paint however it chips off easily and would require frequent repainting which would cost much more. Paint also is much cheaper than putting on wallpapers which may deteriorate or peel off in time.

Homes on magazines look perfect as they were done by professionals. Ask around for decorators who might help you with your decorating ideas at a low cost.

Safe Bedside Table

In London, it has been reported that fifty percent of citizens are worried about night-time security, particularly during sleeping time. Thus, a need for at-hand self-defense became indispensable.
The Safe Bedside Table converts from such to a duo of club and shield. At any bedtime threat, one will feel ready to combat any nocturnal intruder that shall attempt to go beyond lurking by the bushes.

Ali

Beating the conventional folding bed, Ali can be converted into a long sofa, a pair of love seats, or a bed. Of course, storage is not a problem as it folds upright and can be rolled anywhere to adjust space. No need to cram this inside a closet.

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Safe Bedside Table
Ali

Fletcher Capstan Table

This is an expanding table beyond compare. The Capstan Table is a round table that expands and doubles up its capacity for seating when spun at its external perimeter. Its beauty is seen as it remains perfectly circular despite its characteristic to expand and contract at any time. At its normal state, seating capacity is for six people and goes to twelve when rotated. Transforming the Capstan table lasts as fast as three seconds and varying its size is not a chore at all.

If ever there would be a sudden need for a table that can seat more people than your usual number of family members, the Capstan table is an easy convertible that shall accommodate your seating needs. You can also situate the table outdoors with no difficulty and it will blend with the garden feel, as it is made out of wood and which has a design that can be taken from dramatic dinner to backyard barbecue.

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Fletcher Capstan Table

1. Money – How much are you willing to spend on kitchen renovation. Money is important and so is our budget. Know the limits of your budget and how much you are willing to spend for your dream kitchen renovation project, for a better estimation of renovation plans and materials that would best suit your budget.

2. Time – How much time are you willing to spend on the project will you still be able to go about on your work and other personal stuff. Create an attainable schedule which comfortable and beneficial to you and your project.

3. Design – Do a research on designs and layout that you would like to incorporate on your kitchen renovation project and work out a plan

4. Consultation – Consult a Interior Designer to work out you ideas and design including the time and budget of the project.

Continued from The Top 10 Organizers of Apartment Space

6. Stackable Plastic Drawers – look for drawers that can be customized. If you would only have space for a couple of drawers per room or corner, you wouldn’t have to worry of where to place that huge chest of drawers. Plastic drawers are cheap and can be stacked according to the kind of space that can accommodate it.

7. Hooks – hooks are very helpful especially when placed in the strategic places of your house. Use hooks for your coats, hats, umbrellas and bags. You can also use hooks for your keys, mobile phone, and ID card.

8. Shoe organizer – shoe racks are bulky and won’t even hold all of your countless pairs, while cabinets don’t have proper ventilation and would be more useful holding other stuff. Opt for the hanging shoe organizer, one that can go over your door or wall.

9. TV Shelf – the television is an essential home appliance and even houses with the smallest spaces give room for one. use the opportunity to buy a shelved TV rack, one that can hold not only your TV but as well a books, DVDs, magazines and the like.

10. Bed frame with drawers – this works like that of under-the-bed storage and it won’t collect too much dust.

1. Wall shelves – great for maximizing vertical space. Use your wall space from the floor to the ceiling.

2. Door storage – there is a variety to choose from: whether shelves or racks, don’t hesitate to hook space savers at the back of your doors.

3. Trunks – Trunks are big and they’re spacious inside: perfect for storing linen or old books and toys. You don’t have to worry about the space it occupies for it can double as a coffee table or as a mini bench.

4. Ottomans – are very much like trunks, only the other way around. They’re initially made for seating or as foot rests but they do have space inside that can hold stuff as well.

5. Under-the-Bed storage – go for the clear plastic ones that are especially made to be put beneath the bed. Store bed sheets, seasonal clothing and apparel and even tools that you don’t use often.

… to be continued…

As much as you’d want to shop for new pieces to give your home a new look, you are never ready with the cash to spend for it, especially if you’re into antiques. However, believe it or not, you can find something you already have that you can “antique-ate”.

A wooden table you have in your house for some time now may not be aged enough to be considered antique but it is aged enough to be given a new look. As it may have been inevitably bashed anyway, you can give it another good whacking and set it off for a makeover. Pick a target and use anything hard to hit it (just make sure you won’t hurt yourself in the process). After you’ve whacked it, sand off any splinters or any sharp edges your whacking has left. Then, paint the cracks with dark wood stain using a fine artist brush. After it dries, coat it with varnish of your choice. Voila! Instant antique piece that did not cost you anything (except maybe a sore arm, if you’re not careful!).

While you think that installing new flooring in your home is difficult, there are a variety of tools you can use to put new flooring in just one weekend. For example, if you are a fan of wood floors yet you are on a budget, you can try the wood laminate. Wood laminate is readily available in your home store and installing it is not that hard.

On the other hand, painting is also one thing you can do. Learn the basics of house painting and do it to your own home. And while you’re at it, experiment with colors and do away with boring hues. A gallon or two of paint is probably the only thing you’ll spend on, while hiring someone to paint for you will be more expensive.

(Taken from http://seotraffictips.blogspot.com/2008/01/house-renovation-plans-that-are-easy.html)

Fancying for some pieces of fabulous artwork but don’t have the money to buy it just yet? Check your linen drawers and you might just find something there that can be made into some simple yet quite attractive highlights for your table, without the hefty price.

Materials:

• 18” x 18” (or larger) cloth table napkin/s
• 14” x 14” wood frame (used for canvas paintings)
• Large wire stapler

How to make it:

• Make sure that linen napkin is free of wrinkles and creases. Iron out first if possible.
• Position the napkin with the wrong side up on a flat surface.
• Place the wood frame on top, right at the center of the napkin.
• Fold one corner up into a “hospital corner” (one end tucked in to create a 45-degree fold); staple fold onto the frame to secure.
• Repeat the same procedure on the opposite diagonal side. Make sure that napkin is tightly stretched.
• Repeat procedure for the remaining sides.
• Secure the fabric wrapped on all four sides of the frame by stapling it (again, make sure the napkin is properly stretched!).

Tip:
You can also do this to other fabrics that you find lying idly around your house. Make sure to cut them into sizes that will fit standard wood frames.

(Taken from Real Living magazine, Volume 5, Number 6)

Small spaces can gain benefit from container-based water gardens that have plants and other wildlife that are usually associated with bigger habitats. Container-based gardens can be found at home and garden centers which also sell accessories such as small waterfalls, fountains and even illumination appliances that can make it more attractive and functional.

Patios that have at least five hours of sunlight are the ideal places, but anywhere the sun rays touch would be nice. Shade in the hot afternoons is also needed for plants also suffer from sunburn. Be sure to locate your water garden that is within easy reach of water source in order to lessen the effort of topping it up during hot days where evaporation tends to take toll. Maintain the water quality with regular cleaning, making sure the water is free from pests such as insects and other nasty bugs.

Water treatment solutions can be found in pet stores to lessen, if not halt, algae growth which becomes unsightly in such a small space.