Using Planters To Breathe Life Into Your Home

Posted on January 6, 2016January 6, 2016 by josh andrews

Most of us take great pride in our homes. After all, the biggest purchase we will ever make is usually hour home. We want to take care of it and make it beautiful, so it is only normal to want to decorate it in a way that we consider to be pretty or comfortable. One way to do that is with artificial house plants. These plants give us the color, texture, and touch of nature in the house without the mess that often accompanies living house plants.

Allergies

One of the problems with house plants is allergies. Some people are simply allergic to dirt. Others are allergic to the spores or pollen ejected into the air from certain house plants. Ferns, for example, have tiny black spots on the underside of leaves. These are spores that, when mature, are ejected. Calla lilies have pretty blooms, but the pollen may be a problem. In addition, some plants that require a lot of water can start getting mildewed in the soil. This can also cause problems for allergy sufferers.

Artificial plants, however, don’t come with these problems. The plants do not need real soil, so you can use decorative rock or mosses to make them look nice. You can use any kind of planter you want, too, because it will not have to actually hold water. This gives you the option of using wicker planters or wooden boxes that you just love. Baskets look nice with artificial plants in them, too. All of these indoor planters may not work outside, but they are great inside your home.

The “Mess” Factor

No matter how careful you are, you can always count on your live plants making a mess. At the very least, there will be dead leaves that have to be removed. But, what about the watering mistakes? You may think a plant sitting on the floor is insulated from the flooring, only to find a rude shock when you move the plant to clean. You find a discolored part of the wooden floor or carpet right under the plant, when all along you thought you had waterproofed that spot.

There is also the problem with overflow. You pour water into your plant, and all of a sudden, there are water and dirt running over the back edge and running down behind the television. Or onto your antique table.

Artificial house plants don’t bring you that kind of grief. You can select seasonal flowers without the allergens, and put them in pretty indoor planters, and never have to worry about your furniture or floors being damaged. You don’t have to worry about overflow creating havoc with your furniture. All you have to do is dust them occasionally, and they even make a spray for that. You place a towel under the plant, spray it, and the dust rolls off!

Yes, artificial plants are great for your home. Change them out with the seasons, and you have instant decoration for the holidays!

The Future Of Millionaire Luxury Accommodation

Posted on November 24, 2015November 24, 2015 by josh andrews

The rich and powerful have always had their own retreats. Whether you consider the famous Stanley Hotel and Jekyll Island from previous centuries, or Dubai, Monaco, Ibiza for the new-age, all have their place in the hearts of millionaires. Luxury accommodations, fine cuisine, exotic locations, and excellent service can be expected at these exciting locales, and the wealthy certainly know how to get their money’s worth. Knowing that some of the most fabulous artistic and architectural marvels throughout history have been the result of “money to burn,” what could the future possibly hold for well-heeled travelers? How about an airship?

Halo – The New Luxury

Costing a mere $330 million, the Halo is the vacation of the future. Millionaires who get tire of their yacht can stay on the Halo, instead – and stow the yacht in the cargo bay. Yes, the Halo is that big.

Halo is designed by the same company that has designed some of the most magnificent superyachts and homes on the planet, and now, with Halo, Andrew Winch Designs strives to lift the wealthy far above the bonds of Earth.

As large as 4 football fields, the Halo may be in the air as soon as 2025. They’ve already successfully test-flown a prototype, so the way is paved for purchase and construction.

Amenities

The Halo will feature a series of open-air decks as well as cargo space for the owner’s cars and motorcycles. Much of the floor is transparent, to allow free viewing of the landscape passing beneath. It will have a descending deck that can be lowered to the ocean or earth, so the owner can launch from wherever they want.

It will also have a ballroom, and 20 bedrooms. Enjoy screenings of new movies in the cinema, relax in the spa, and get in shape in the gym.

What kind of furnishings will be on the Halo?

Well, you can expect comfort and style, as well as some of the most modern materials in existence. With an eye to reducing the amount of weight in the ship, most furniture will be made of carbon fibre, which is not only lightweight, but very comfortable as well. Most interiors will be custom made, with furnishings molded and upholstered to fit their respective areas.

It is expected that much of the furnishing will be done by 3D printers, expressing high-tech visions of furnishings designed for the most dramatic living spaces. It is anticipated that technology will work hand in hand with design as new pieces are created.

Many of the new furnishings will include screens and circuit boards. For example, kitchen counters will have build in screens to display recipes. These screens and the technology supporting them will be solar powered.

Other furnishings will be made of recycled materials, such as food packaging and polyethylene.

With space-age materials, expert design, and an eye for the future, the new Halo can be expected to be the newest millionaire hang-out.

How Important Are Furnishings To Your Hotel Or B&B Visit?

Posted on November 24, 2015November 24, 2015 by josh andrews

Whether you are choosing a bed and breakfast, or a 5 star hotel in London, a lot of your enjoyment on your holiday will be based on the furnishings in your lodging. Yes, the type of furniture in the facility may positively or negatively affect your holiday. How important are the furnishings? They are so important that you should take care to check for certain items in your hotel or B&B so that you will book the right room.

Bed

First of all, there is the bed. Now, most people realize the importance of the right bed, but how do you know what to look for? First of all, if you can get by with a single bed, it may leave you more space in the room. If you are not comfortable on a single bed, choose a double with similar benefits.

If you are sharing a bed with another person, you will want, at the least, a double bed. However, for a step up, a queen or king sized bed is ideal. Rooms with queen and king beds are usually a little more expensive.

You may have another person sharing your room, but not your bed. While there are some bed and breakfast Quantocks that provide two single beds in a room, they are somewhat uncommon. You will be more likely to find a room with 2 double or 2 queen sized beds. Sometimes, there are rooms that have a double and a queen bed.

While you may be tempted to choose smaller beds in order to save money, keep in mind that your comfort will be the most important feature. Get a bed that will give you a good night’s rest.

Chairs

One of the most frustrating types of rooms to stay in is one without chairs. If you want to sit down, you have to sit on the bed. This creates all kinds of problems with comfort, with the necessity to kick off your shoes and balance drinks and snacks. Most hotel rooms have at least one chair in them, but believe it or not, you may end up with a room with nothing but a bed. Look for chairs in which you can rest and watch TV or read.

Table

You will also need some sort of table in your hotel or B&B room. Whether this is a coffee table, desk, or dining-height table is irrelevant. The key here is that you have a solid, flat surface. You’ll need a place to put your jewelry, rings, eyeglasses, or drink cup. Without these tables, your stay will be frustrating, and you could end up losing items.

Settee

Finally, you will probably want a settee in your room. Sometimes, you just need to stretch out and prop your feet up, and a settee will do nicely. Also, you need places for guests to sit comfortably. This also goes along with having a room that is big enough to be comfortable.

Furniture That Goes Well With Tall Planters

Posted on November 16, 2015November 30, 2015 by josh andrews

Tall planters make a dramatic statement in the home or garden. They are more available than ever, too, because of a number of reasons. Advancement in the use of materials have made large planters more light weight and easy to transport, and new manufacturing techniques have lowered the prices on these great items. You may have added one or more tall planters to your deck, your contemporary garden furniture collection, or home. If so, you may have some decisions to make about what kind of furniture to place in those spaces. Here are some suggestions for choosing furniture that goes well with tall planters.

Contrast

One strategy is to plan your furnishings as a contrast to tall planters. Most of the time, this type of planter will also have tall plants in them, such as palms, or topiaries with ivies growing through them. In these cases, don’t try to compete with the scale of the planting. Use it to define your area. Groupings of smaller armchairs, with a side table between them, will look cozy and welcoming. You will see this used in hotel lobbies, where the management wants to create gathering areas. The tall planters and greenery overarch the area, filtering light and reducing noise.

This can be a very effective technique in small spaces. You may think that a tall plant would be out of scale in a small room, but the key to getting the most out of your room is to use all of the available space. By drawing the eye upwards, you create a sense of volume in the room. Then, you can group your furniture beneath for a welcoming sitting or dining area.

Complement

If you have large rooms, then you can complement the size and presence of the planters with larger furniture. For example, in bedrooms, a four-poster bed flanked by tall fern trees in attractive vases will look very exotic.

In the den or media room, large sectionals and/or recliners will provide scale with the taller plants in the room.

On the deck, a bank of benches that also serve as retaining walls look great with tall planters framing them. The bulk of the benches complement the plants.

Styles

In general, just about any style of furniture will go with this type of planter. However, wicker and rattan look especially nice, when you are looking for contrasting furniture. This lends itself to a more outdoor atmosphere, and adds to the natural fee of the spaces.

For complementary furnishings, overstuffed, plush furnishings fit quite naturally with the aura created by tall plants and planters. It invites you to relax and feel the comfort in a secluded spot.

Furnishings with straight lines and rigid, metallic and glass construction should be paired with more modern styles of planters. There are beautiful obsidian or metal planters that can sport arrangements of unusual plants that would look nice with modern furniture. But, with more traditional furniture, fit the lines of the planters with the lines of the furniture.

Choosing The Right Garden Furniture For Your Home

Posted on September 29, 2015October 6, 2015 by josh andrews

We’re usually pretty selective when we buy furniture for our home. The average person tests about 8 mattresses before they decide on a new bed. At least 5 recliners have to be tested before we decide on the one we want, and buying a sofa is a matter of measuring, re-measuring, and agonizing over styles, upholsteries, and a dozen other little details. The last thing we want is to go through the same mind-numbing process, nail chewing when choosing garden furniture. With the goal of comfort and peace of mind, here are some pointers on choosing the right garden furniture for your home.

Budget

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Always at the forefront of any shopping trip is the budget. You can plan to spend a pre-determined amount of money, or you may plan to seek financing through the store from which you make the purchase. Just keep in mind that even if a store offers “X months no interest,” this could still end up being a money pit like lawn care services. If you are late by even one day with a single payment, the contract is broken and the store can start charging you enormous interest. While the payments may remain affordable, you will find the principal is not going down.

Value

The next factor to consider is the value for your money. Cheap garden furniture may get you through the season, but that is all. Cheap frames will bend, unable to withstand the daily use, especially if you entertain in your garden. Fabrics and fibers will mould quickly and become frayed from use. This may be just fine, if you expect to move within the season, or simply don’t spend much time outside.

However, if you do entertain outside, it will be well worth the money to budget for higher quality construction. Cast iron, wrought iron, powder coated steel, and heavy gauge aluminum will be more durable, and stylish as well. The difference between inexpensive and quality lawn furniture will often be seen in the frame, with smooth, strong joints and quality welds. The fabric also should be treated to be moisture resistant. This will make it last longer and help to avoid that musty smell that you encounter with so many outdoor fabrics.

Style

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You can choose just about any style of garden furniture. Once you settle on a budget, and decide the value of your purchase, you can start looking at different styles. Do you want casual, lounging style furniture, with seating walls placed around, or do you want more formal seating areas with tables and shade? Will you select monochrome hues that don’t draw attention to themselves, or do you want bright colors that will serve as a focal point in the garden?

Protect Your Lawn

Proper lawn furniture can actually protect your lawn. Seating walls help to direct traffic, keeping large groups of visitors off of the lawn areas. Comfortable seating will also provide an obvious center of activity, saving your lawn from wanderers.

As you shop for garden furniture, remember to take a deep breath. It will be fun!

What Are The Differences In Wood Types?

Posted on August 12, 2015October 6, 2015 by josh andrews

The type of wood you use in your project will affect the quality of the ultimate finished product. Some woods are perfect for crafting, while others are needed in making fine furniture or flooring. Some of the characteristics of wood include the density of the grain patterns, the length of the grain, and the hardness of the wood. Crafts are usually made of softer woods, while hardwood floors are popular with many homeowners for a reason.

Soft Woods

If you build a chest of drawers out of yellow pine, you had better plan on sealing and painting it. This is because yellow pine has a hard yellow grain throughout the wood. You can see it in the raw wood, but it is really obvious once the piece is finished. The variation between density of the yellow streak and the white streak makes the wood take stain differently. This will leave a yellow streak in the finish, because the harder section does not absorb as much stain. In addition, these yellow streaks are more saturated with pitch, and tend to seep, even when the wood is fully cured. This can create a bleed-through on a finished paint surface. For this reason, yellow pine is best used for structural purposes rather than for furniture. It can be sealed and painted, but the best sealant will still allow some pitch to seep through.

Other softwoods are better for craft projects. Balsa and white pine are preferable for smaller projects, because they are lightweight enough to easily maneuver. They also will not dull the blades of your wood working tools as quickly.

Cedar is a popular wood for fencing and outdoor projects. Western red cedar cladding is a beautiful product that withstands weather and elements without rotting. When you shop for cedar, you’ll see that some of it is red, and some white. The red part is called heartwood, and is preferred to the white grain, although both are very good for outside use. The predominantly heartwood cedar timber will be more expensive.

Hard Woods

Hard woods are used most often in cabinetry and furniture. They are also used for specialty items or heirloom construction. Hardwoods typically have very tight grain, which makes them harder to cut. They will dull your woodworking tools quickly. Common hardwoods for furniture, cabinets, and flooring include oak, maple, mahogany, and ash. Other exotic woods are used in smaller amounts, mostly for accent and inlay. These include ebony and acacia. Some woods are so hard they have to be professionally cut.

Hard woods typically will take stain evenly. However, the exotic woods may be so dense that the best you can do is oil them, because they won’t take stain. Usually, people don’t paint hardwood furnishings or cabinets, because the wood rain is considered a work of art. However, painting of these surfaces is done for effect, when the owner wants to.

The type of wood you select for your project will depend on your budget and on your project. Get your sales person to advise you, if necessary.

Choosing The Right Plant Pots For The Home

Posted on June 15, 2015November 30, 2015 by josh andrews

After spending 17 years in a house decorated in warm earth tones, I was eager to stretch my wings with new colors. The kids had moved out, and I actually had two bedrooms to decorate as I wanted! The office came first. For years, the kids each had their own room, the husband had the basement, and I had – the kitchen? Nope, for the first time, I would have my own space, defined and separate from the rest of the house, and it wasn’t going to be in warm earth tones. I planned it out for months, down to the large plant pot in the window.

Express Your Style

The new office has light turquoise walls – I know, I know – with pure white trim and shelving. None of this “creamy white” nonsense for me anymore; pure white is crisp and clean.

The wall-mounted shelves gave me plenty of floor space, and the color combination is invigorating and pretty. Knowing that my husband would christen my new office with our family tradition of a Norfolk Island Pine tree, I chose the pot for it when I chose the other furnishings.

The modern lines created by the shelves, and updated lift from the colors are easily complimented by the streamlined, large plant pot. Pure white glaze, with a slight terra cotta tone showing through at the edges and square corners, make this the perfect piece for my very own room. Adding some bonsai techniques that gracefully arch the trunks over the linear pot, and I have a lovely, natural addition to my office.

You can do the same thing. Plant pots are available in every finish, every color, and every style. Glazed pots, like the one I bought, have a more formal, controlled look. Raw finishes, such as unglazed terra cotta, bring an earthy look to your rooms.

More Than Plant Pots

Interestingly enough, when I bought my large pot for the tree, I found matching ones in smaller sizes. About the size of a tin can, these are great for organizing my desk items such as pens and paperclips.

This triggered other ideas, and the rest of the house is now populated with various plant pots made of different materials that hold everything from crochet materials to decorative ornaments. My granddaughter even has a plant pot on her dresser. She painted it herself, and keeps hair bows in it.

Choosing Size

How do you choose the right Large planters uk for your home? It depends on the use. Generally, the diameter of the pot should be roughly 1/3 the length of the plant. If, however, you are going to use it for storage, you can select size and shape accordingly. Books stack nicely in square pots. Choose a pot shallow enough for the book spine to show above the edge, and lay the books in with the spine parallel to the floor.

Think outside of the box, and you’ll find other kinds of ways to use plant pots in your home.

Saving Money With Home Insulation

Posted on April 28, 2015February 29, 2016 by josh andrews

The UK Green Deal has been an attempt to get homeowners to switch over to green technologies in their homes, affecting the daily uses of utilities. However, the expense of switching over to solar and wind powers is often prohibitive, even with government subsidies to do so. In addition, many home owners are reluctant to take on the construction that is often necessary to install solar panels and their associated storage batteries. There is, however, a less expensive and intrusive way to save money with the energy rises that accompany cold weather. The simple addition of insulation to your home can make all the difference.

Why Insulate?

Hot air rises, so when you warm your home, the heat goes straight into the attic. You’ll probably have a nice warm attic space, even if the house is uncomfortably cold. That’s why your two-story house is always warmer upstairs – even in the summer, when you don’t want it to be. Insulation will block the transference of heat, keeping it in the room of origination. This not only makes your home more livable, it significantly cuts down on your utility bills. So whether you go with full blown insulation, or even just timber cladding on your home, you can keep the temperature perfect.

Blow-In Insulation

One of the greatest innovations for homeowners and for builders alike is blow-in insulation. No longer do you have to hire a contractor to come into your home and remove drywall or lathe and plaster to install betting. The contractor can remove a section of trim, drill a hole, and blow insulation into the dead-air space, insulating your home. He may also install the insulation from the outside by drilling through the brick, stone, or by removing exterior trims.

This type of insulation can also be installed in floors between stories. This can help to maintain consistent temperature throughout the house by keeping heat in the lower floors. Chances are, your kitchen and living spaces are in the lower floors of your home, and that’s where you spend most of your time in the winter. By installing insulation in the floor above you, the temperatures will be maintained, cutting down on your fuel bills. It will also allow you to set the temperature of your upper rooms as you wish, rather than having to deal with unwanted heat from lower floors.

Blow-in insulation can also be installed in the attic. Most experts agree that it should be extended to the eaves and across any overhangs. This makes blow-in especially useful, since it’s often difficult to reach those areas with batting.

Batting Insulation

Batting Insulation has been around for many years. The fiberglass kind is especially useful inside walls where there is no risk of physical contact, as it can be irritating to the skin. Some contractors will use a combination of batting and blow-in, using the blow-in for hard to reach areas and voids into which it is difficult to push batting.

A little advertised benefit of insulation is noise reduction. So, this winter, to control costs and have a quieter home, have insulation installed.

Using Planters To Make Your Home Fresher

Posted on November 26, 2014December 17, 2014 by josh andrews

Planters in your home can be an enormous boost to the health of family members and to the overall feel of your home. Using planters in your home can make it feel fresher, and reduce dust, as well.

Oxygen and Moisture

Most people know that plants create oxygen. But, did you know that they also absorb carbon dioxide? A plant in a 6 inch pot will completely change out the air in a small room once a day. That is pre3tty significant, when you think about how tight modern homes are constructed. So many times, in our efforts to keep allergens out of our home and to make our homes more energy efficient, the windows and doors seal very tightly. This keeps outside air from coming in, and our climate controlled air from escaping. However, the nasty side effect is that everything else stays inside, too. The houses do not get “aired out”. Not only do germs stay in the house, requiring germicides for cleanup, but all of the off-gasses from construction materials stay in the house, too.

Carpeting, paint (even low VOC), drywall, varnish, and other construction materials all have VOCs, or volatile organic compounds. They contain formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene. In addition, most things we bring into our homes, such as grocery bags, contain these chemicals.

Plants, however, absorb all of these chemicals. The foliage and roots all thrive on these gasses, which serve as fertilizer for the plants. So, when you have planters in your home, the plants absorb gasses and release oxygen!

In addition, plants release about 97% of the water they absorb into the atmosphere. This is a part of photosynthesis. Studies have shown that, in homes where homeowners have a good selections of house plants, the people who live there are less likely to have dry sinuses. The incidents of sore throats declines, and even problems with dry skin are lessened. The added moisture from plants is a great antidote to the forced-air heat we use during the winter.

Which Plants To Choose?

In general, the best plants to put in your planters in the house are the kind with large leaves. This is because the larger leaves absorb more carbon dioxide and VOCs, and release more oxygen and water.

Other plants that are good for this are ferns. While the individual leaves are tiny, there are so many of them that the total surface area is huge, yielding the same results as larger-leafed plants.

During the night, plants do not perform photosynthesis. Therefore, the release of oxygen and moisture stops. However, some plants perform photosynthesis during the night. This can be a big help in the bedroom, especially if you have trouble with sinuses while you sleep. Succulents such as jade plants, sedum, hen and chicks, and others, as well as orchids and bromeliads are great for keeping the air fresh throughout the night.

Plants can create a relaxed atmosphere in your home. With planters in your home, you can enjoy cleaner air and better health.

Choosing Mattress Covers For Your Baby

Posted on October 15, 2014November 4, 2015 by josh andrews

Choosing a mattress cover for your baby may not be as simple as selecting the best coordinating colour in the store. It also may not be right to reuse the mattress materials that were in your old crib left from when you were a baby. You’ll want something that is not only safe, but something that will be easy to wash and then dry on a pully clothes airer .
A lot has been learned about infant safety, and one of the most stringent rules has to do with materials that are used in infant bedding. Your mattress and the mattress cover can present a real health threat to your infant. In fact, doctors are now saying that many of the cases of SIDS in this country may very well be due to the off gasses emitted by infant bedding.

Foam Stuffing

Most baby mattresses are filled with polyurethane foam, which is made from petroleum and several chemicals. Some additives, such as benzene, toluene, and formaldehyde can be toxic. In some cases, the chemicals used to fabricate the foam are hydrochloric acid or hydrogen cyanide. Care should be taken that the foam in your infant’s mattress is not made by processes that use any of these chemicals, and that none of them are in the foam itself.

Waterproof Coating

Most baby mattresses and mattress covers are made of some waterproof substance. Quite often, this is vinyl. However, vinyl is made of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. This is one of the most toxic substances used in the plastics industry. Vinyl itself is made from the by-product of the production of PVC, and is tempered with plasticizers to make it soft, like cloth. PVC itself is very rigid and hard. The plasticizers, called phthalates, have been associated with premature births, early onset puberty, reproductive damage, kidney and liver damage, cancer, and asthma. In some mattresses, the phthalates may make up as much as 30% of the weight of the vinyl surface. These chemicals can leach out of the fabric and be inhaled by the infant, or absorbed through its skin.

Some phthalates have been banned in the last few years, but there has been no recall of infant mattresses that were manufactured with these chemicals. No new mattresses can be manufactured with some of the phthalates, but there are still some classified as reproductive toxicant that are allowed in manufacture.

Fire Retardants

Fire retardants are required on all PVC materials use in mattresses, because PVC is very flammable. The unprotected PVC burns at an alarming rate. The fire proofing chemicals used on PVC are polybrominated diphenyl ethers, otherwise known as PBDE. This has been known to cause hormone disruption, immune suppression, memory problems, cancer, and behavioural changes.

So, what can you do to protect your baby? Choose a firm mattress and cover, so that your baby won’t accidentally suffocate. Make sure it is not made with any of the chemicals mentioned above. The foam in the mattress should be very dense so that it is firm enough. For waterproofing, simply put clear plastic wrap over the surface, and cover it with safe, clean cotton sheeting.