Latest Designer Bathroom Ideas and How To Guides for your Home

It is the subtle finishing touches in a room, such as coving, which make all the difference. If your rooms would benefit from having coving installed, it is a job you can easily do yourself. Many different styles of coving are sold, in different widths and patterns, so you can choose the right one to suit your home. Traditional coving is made from plaster, but you can also buy polyurethane versions.

To put up coving, you will need a tape measure and pencil, a stepladder, coving adhesive, a coving mitre block and a fine tooth saw. You will also need a friend to help, as this is a two-person job. When you buy the coving, you should get an extra length on which to practise cutting the corner angles. If your room has any curved walls, there are flexible polyurethane covings available.

Take your time to put up the coving and make sure you measure all lengths and angles accurately. You cannot assume that every corner is a right angle. Do not rush it and you will end up with a beautifully finished room.

Blinds are an effective way to ensure privacy in the home. Privacy is a particularly important consideration in rooms such as the bathroom and the bedroom. In homes that are overlooked or located next to a busy walkway, blinds can help to ensure that rooms also maintain a level of privacy.

Different styles of blinds provide varying degrees of privacy. Roller blinds can be an effective solution as they can be rolled down easily to block a window completely. Roman blinds can also block a room from view effectively and can add an extra touch of luxury in rooms such as living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms. Vertical blinds and Venetian blinds can also block a room from view and have the added advantage of obscuring rooms from view whilst allowing some light into the room through simple adjustment. Blackout blinds provide the highest level of privacy as they prevent light from travelling in and out of a window, ensuring total privacy when the lights are on indoors at night.

Window blinds can be an important tool in maintaining home security. By using blinds to prevent people from seeing into a home, homeowners can ensure that valuable items are hidden from view. This is particularly important for people who live next to busy pedestrian areas and those who live in overlooked flats and houses. Venetian and vertical blinds can be a sensible choice as the angle of the slats can be altered to let light in while protecting valuables from being seen.

The major advantage of blackout blinds is that they prevent almost all light from entering a room. This is particularly useful for bedroom windows. Babies and children can benefit from having blackout blinds installed in their rooms as blocking out light allows them to take daytime naps more easily and can prevent them from waking too early in the summer. Blackout blinds can also help adults who have difficulty sleeping, especially those who work night shifts and have trouble sleeping during the daylight hours. The material used to make blackout blinds also prevents the light inside a house from being seen from outside, providing an additional level of privacy in rooms such as bathrooms.

Most blackout blinds have a coating on their reverse that not only blocks out light but can also reduce the amount of noise that travels through a window. This can be very useful for people who live by busy roads. A further advantage of the blackout blind is that they can help to reduce energy bills by preventing heat from being lost in the winter. In addition, blackout blinds can also help those who need to sleep in the day during the summer months as they can prevent the sun from making a room too hot.

Blackout blinds can be practical and stylish as they are available in a range of styles, colours and patterns to suit any room. The most common and effective types of blackout blinds are Roman blinds and roller blinds. Roman blinds can look very stylish and luxurious in their own right. Blackout roller blinds take up very little room and are hidden from view when rolled away, meaning that they can also be combined with other blinds or curtains in rooms such as the bedroom or the living room.

Blinds are incredibly versatile and also help to provide an attractive window furnishing which can really add to any room in the house.  They are most popular in practical rooms of the house, such as in the kitchen, home office or bathroom, but are becoming more and more popular in living rooms and bedrooms as well as they can add sophistication and style to any room.

It is worth taking your time to consider the different types of blind available when deciding which one might be right for you.

•    Roller blinds are compact and practical as well as being durable and offering great value for money.  They are usually made of long-lasting material which has been specially treated to ensure that they are easy to keep clean with the minimum of fuss.  Roller blinds are ideal for bathrooms and kitchens and their simple operating mechanism makes them easy for the entire family to use.

•    Blackout roller blinds are made from a thicker fabric which stops any light getting through and are ideal for those who are light sleepers or who need to sleep during the day such as shift workers or young children.

•    Venetian blinds offer a unique look which consists of vertical blinds which can be lowered or raised depending on the amount of light you wish to allow into the room.

•    Roman blinds are made from soft folds when they are raised and are operated by a cord which is attached to dowel rods or slats.  They are great for those looking to create a contemporary look in their room.

•    Vertical blinds consist of vertical slats which can be opened or twisted to adjust light levels in a room and are available in a wide range of materials and colours.

The style of your bathroom, particularly a bathroom suite, needs to reflect your lifestyle.  Do you like the old-fashioned look of a period or stately home?  Victorian bathroom furniture could be your perfect choice, perhaps including a cast iron or roll-top bath with claw feet.  A vintage-look reproduction or a genuine refurbished Victorian bath from a salvage yard can be installed in your bathroom, together with a classic Victorian toilet with angular lines, a high-set cistern and a porcelain pull-chain.  The look can be neatly finished off with a wooden seat and cover, and even a bidet to add that extra touch of authenticity.

If you have children, you may require a more robust and easy clean look.  The simple lines of modern bathroom furniture, together with some flashes of colourful Ideal Standard bathroom accessories, a fish mobile perhaps, novelty shower curtains, maybe bright, washable window blinds, will all create an airy, cheerful family look that is easy to care for.

If you are more interested in high-end design, you may incorporate opulent features like a Jacuzzi bath, a walk in shower, and the sumptuous finish of marble, chrome or glass.  The couple with everything may even opt for twin sinks, set side by side for efficiency of use and ease of companionship, and no more quarrels about who will use the bathroom first.

Whether practical, historical or aesthetic considerations are uppermost in your mind, there are many looks to choose from to ensure you will be happy with your bathroom furniture and style.

Even those who hate doing any kind of DIY will find themselves having to put together a piece of flat-pack furniture at some point in their life. Unlike some DIY projects, where you have to rely on your own knowledge and experience to get the job done, these do at least come with a full set of diagrams and instructions, as well as all the parts you need. Be warned that it is still possible to do the job badly even with all that help.

Preparation

The key to making a good job of flat-pack furniture assembly is preparation. Before you even begin work, read through the instructions once to make sure you understand everything. Most companies have websites or helplines if you have any questions or problems. The next step is to make sure that you have everything you need, both in terms of pieces and tools. Flat-pack furniture often claims to require no specialist tools, but this assumes that every home has items like screwdrivers and hammers. Give yourself plenty of time and space to get the job done and put everything within easy reach.

Shelves are perhaps one of the most popular DIY projects. Not only do they instantly change the look of a room, they also provide more storage space. The only problem in choosing shelves is identifying what type you need. There are so many different options available, you might be unsure as to which type to select.  As with all wall-mounted shelves, the amount of weight they can bear is largely dependent on the construction of the wall to which they are attached.

Floating Shelves

Floating shelves are so named because they appear to float on the wall. The mounting bracket is attached to the wall, then the shelf to the bracket, hiding it from view. These shelves are primarily used for light to medium weight objects. 

Fixed Bracket Shelves

Fixed bracket shelves are comprised of two vertical bars and the shelving is laid across the top. This tends to be the most common type of shelving. These shelves can be used for medium to heavier weight objects, depending on the material used for the shelf itself.

Adjustable Shelving Systems

Adjustable shelving systems comprise of two vertical bars, with notches in them, which are attached to the wall. There are brackets that fit into the notches and a shelf is then placed across the brackets. These shelves are able to hold a great deal of weight when properly installed.

Built in Shelving

These shelves are generally among the strongest of all. The shelving supports are typically affixed to all three available spaces on the wall of an alcove or other small, enclosed space.  The shelf is then placed on the supports.

Have you ever wondered how Roman blinds got their name? It’s not easy to see how a particular style of window blind, involving ruched material, is in any way Roman, but the story goes that it really does date back to ancient Rome. The Romans were very civilized and invented many modern conveniences which are still around today, including Roman window blinds.

In the dry and dusty climate of Rome, most people had no glass in their windows but they needed to keep the dust out of their homes and keep them ventilated. In those days there was no tarmac on the roads and pavements, and the air was thick with dust from passing carts, pedestrians and from building work too.

People found that the best method was to hang woven fabric across their windows, so that dust and dirt would be trapped, but cool air could still come in. Nowadays, Roman blinds are still raised and lowered the same way, using cord to gather up the fabric, but they are now made of modern materials and add a pretty, romantic effect to a room.

Gone are the days when fashionable homeowners ensured the privacy of their homes with net curtains. Blinds have become increasingly fashionable as a very practical alternative to curtains.

There are many types of blinds and even more types of material from which they can be made. The nature of blinds means that they are versatile and can be adapted to accommodate multiple requirements.

Blinds are more adaptable to different needs than curtains as they can be adjusted to let in as little or as much light as is required. Fabric blinds can, depending on the room, can be made from almost transparent material to let in a lot of light or lined with blackout material to let minimal light in.

As well as providing privacy, blinds can control the amount of light and sunshine that enters a room. Blinds can prevent sunlight entering a room, thereby protecting furniture and furnishings from harmful and destructive UV light.

Blinds can help insulate a room from either the heat or the cold. This has made blinds popular in a time when homeowners are highly conscious of insulation, and is also why blinds are installed in many conservatories and rooms that have multiple, large windows or large glass sliding doors.

For the environmentally conscious, many wooden blinds are made from wood that is sustainably harvested.

Blinds are easy to maintain, inexpensive to install and easily repaired. They are simpler to clean than curtains, and do not take up as much room.

Mirrors in the contemporary modern home are important.  Contemporary mirrors are far more than mere objects of vanity, they are what we use to prepare ourselves to meet the world and in the modern home they must be equally stylish and functional. 

There is a wide selection available including wall mounted and free-standing mirrors.  Designs range from multi-faceted to ornately framed or cut into abstract shapes.  Mirrors are a vital way to compliment the existing lighting scheme in a house and can either maximise the effect of existing lighting appliances or, if used correctly, extend the reach of natural light further into your house.  

If choosing a mirror, an important decision will be whether you require a mirror with a contoured edge or with a straight edge.  Contoured mirrors may be more likely to fit with the existing curves of your home although many people also prefer a more traditional square or rectangular cut for mirrors.  The purpose of a mirror will often be the simple practical need to see how well you are dressed, but often mirrors can be used for decoration or to extend the light in a home.  There are many mirrors by designers such as Tonelli which are best suited for this and can include clever segmented designs.  More traditional pieces are available from designers such as Antonella Italia, pieces such as the Eliot Wall Mirror with a rectangular frame which are well suited for use as a practical hall mirror.