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Thursday, April 22, 2021

6 Unique Garden Projects To Create Paradise!

This post is provided by Luca Yates.

Garden work can be dull, especially if you are feeling uninspired. Sometimes it feels like all you do is cut the grass and clean up mess.

That is why it is fun to give yourself unconventional projects, as not only does it make your garden more exciting but it also gives you something to look forward to and to keep your hands busy.

So below you will find a list of project ideas that you perhaps had not really thought about working on before. If you find these ideas are not for you or your garden then hopefully, they have at least given you an idea of a different perspective of garden work for the future.

Greenhouses And Allotments 

You may already have a greenhouse in your garden, either sat there neglected or just not filling its potential. The great news is that there are plenty of options out there for you when it comes to renovating your garden.

Most classic greenhouses are simple glass structures, with just enough room for one person to step in and work. Something fun you can do, if you are buying prebuilt/flat packed, is to buy two smaller greenhouses and build them together. So, you could build them up normally but leave one side each empty so they can be pushed together.

This will allow you to have more space to walk around, plant and also have more entrances if you want to fit it into a natural spot in your garden without blocking walkways.

If you are feeling stuck for inspiration, you can always check out what others have done with their own greenhouses.

We can go a step further too. If you do not think a greenhouse works for your garden and you want to be a bit outside of the box, then you can do no wrong with starting an allotment. Usually, an allotment refers to an external piece of land you rent for the primary reason of growing flowers, fruit and vegetables. But what some people never really consider is, you can do this in your own garden. 

You could create your garden into a classic allotment style. Pave your own pathway through an organised crop of different home-grown foods. It will really give your garden a farm/jungle feel. You can make it an ‘organised mess’. What this means is that you can spread the vegetables around sporadically to make it look natural, whereas in fact, there are still paths and labels so you know what is going on.

Flower Art

If you have spent time in public green spaces, then you will have noticed the amount of care and detail that goes into flower displays. People are always impressed by flower décor but never really think of doing it at home.

Many people will grow flowers at home but want a variety, which is fair enough. But if you are feeling like going for something more unique and personal for you, then flower art is for you.

A fun method of creating a flower garden is to pick some small flower seeds of your favorite color and pick a spot. It is all about knowing your garden and what will work for you.

Some design ideas could be floral. Which simply means use the flowers to create flower designs as per the season. Or you could do more shape-based art, which is more contextual. It is all about making the design fun for you. If you are someone who wants an ego boost, then why not write your name into soil using flowers! Big or small, just like a signature on a painting.

Chimney Pots

When thinking of garden projects, you can be forgiven for not thinking about utilizing former chimneys. However, they serve a very fun purpose for a garden project if you have got the imagination. 

For example, you can use them as unique plant pots, as a feature for a water garden or just added into some stone to add to the aesthetic. You could make it into a wonderful insect colony if that was your thing! Basically, the possibilities are endless with whatever you want to do.

You could get unique reclaimed chimney pots from a proven reputable seller such as Cawarden. They can provide a variety of different sizes and designs. You can search for colors, age, material and model depending on what ideas you have got. 

These chimney pots are sure to make any garden feel unique and are worth browsing to see what shouts out to you.

Star Watching

A garden hobby that often goes under the radar is star gazing. People think of this as a hobby where you need to be out on the hills far away from city life, but that is not quite true.

A cute and inspirational idea is to build yourself a little stargazing hut in your garden. You could make a tiny little shed for star gazing books, charts, tools and telescopes. Have a retractable roof or have ample window space to pop the telescope and the variety of lenses out. 

This little star gazing spot could be your perfect peaceful paradise. Even in a city where light pollution blocks out the night, you can still explore the sky and penetrate dark spots to find natural beauty. 

It can be awe inspiring as a hobby but will also give your garden a really unique feel. Who knows? Maybe you will have people want to come and hang out to see it for themselves.

BBQ Pits

A fine addition to any home and garden is a BBQ grill. Most of the time, people will purchase a standard metallic gas ran BBQ set. Which is perfectly fine and will still serve a useful purpose, but what is stopping you from going further?

A few decades ago, we started to see the innovations of BBQ pits. People would start sculpting their own stone-built log-fumed pits outdoors for cooking food. This changed everything and is a great idea for any garden. There are a number of designs you can build, but the fun here is that you can create anything you would like with some bricks and cement. 

Once you have got your ideas and started on your stonework, you have got to consider where the fire will go. You could go all natural for a wooden cook or work in a gas cooker. Usually, it is best to use wood for outdoor cooking, for aesthetic reasons as well as safety reasons.

Your garden will feel truly unique with a fun twist on BBQ evenings. Make sure you consider your neighbors and build safely.

Lightshow

If you want your garden to feel more modern, then perhaps looking at lighting is for you. Lighting within gardens can be used a number of different ways. Perhaps you could insert electronic lanterns onto walls of houses, gazebos etc. Or maybe you want to add some cute fairy lights amongst some flowers. 

The aim of adding lights is to make your garden seem magical at night and to make your garden feel more alive during the day, with props and what not.

You can go more advanced too, and use lighting that can be switched on or off via an app. These days, you can even have lights that are programmed to follow patterns and commands. Meaning you can truly create a lightshow in your own garden!

Thursday, April 15, 2021

How To Deter Burglars!

This post is provided by Luca Yates.

Nobody likes the idea of coming home to find that their house has been burgled but it happens all too often in Australia. How do you stay safe and make sure that you are not the next victim of this detestable crime? 

Do Not Make Their Job Easy

Make their job as difficult as you can for them by securing their points of entry. Burglars will usually try to enter your home through the doors and windows, so make sure that these are secure, even if you are only popping to the shop for five minutes. Fit Meshlock doors to your home and this will deter criminals. Meshlock doors are available from Westral and offer the strongest stainless steel doors in the country.  

A burglar knows that if it is going to take them a long time to break into your home then there is more risk of them being caught. This will deter them from trying and they will move on. 

Do Not Leave Valuables On Display

Do not leave items such as money or jewelry on display. It is easy to get comfortable in your home and leave valuables on a hall table or window sill by mistake, but it would not take long for a burglar to reach in through an open window and help themselves. Invest in a safe to lock away your valuables, even when you are in the house, and they will be a lot more secure.

A fancy car is a great status symbol but park it on the driveway and it sends a message to a potential burglar about your status too. If they know you are wealthy, they will think that you are more likely to keep valuables in the house too. If you have a garage, then make sure you always use it to park your car. That way you are not advertising your wealth to a criminal.

Social Media

Steer clear of advertising when you are out of the house by posting your whereabouts on social media. This can be like a red rag to a bull for a savvy burglar. Knowing where you are and how long you are likely to be away for can let them know how long they have to burgle your house. This is especially true if you have gone on holiday. Post pictures of your hotel or airplane and the burglar will know they have a week or two to clean your house out entirely. 

Deterrent Sticker

One novel but effective way of getting burglars to leave your home alone is to purchase a ‘beware of the dog’ sticker. You know you do not have a dog but no burglar is going to risk a tussle with a rottweiler to prove that you are bluffing. This is a sure-fire way to have the thief running for the hills.

Follow these anti burglar tips to make sure that you stay one step ahead of the criminals and do not become the next victim of their hateful crime. 

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Eco-Friendly Home Features To Consider In 2021!

This post is provided by Luca Yates.

It is 2021, and there is no longer any excuse as to why we cannot live more eco-friendly and considerate lifestyles. Even the smallest of adaptations to our lives can make a difference, be it eating less meat, installing solar panels, or having a compost bin in the garden. However, not many of us are aware of these changes and how impactful they can be. 

If you are a homeowner, there are many small changes you can make to your home so that you can live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. These changes do not need to be expensive either, but if you have the finances to make larger adaptations, it can be a great return on your investment as it could power your home and lower your utility bills, for example.

Read on for a list of eco-friendly home features that could make your home modern, but also much more environmentally friendly. 

Invest In Products That Are Made From Recycled Materials

You may need to invest in and buy new furniture or products for your home. However, buying new products does not necessarily need to be considered wasteful. Nowadays, you can buy products made out of eco-friendly materials or materials that have been recycled, reducing the waste and labor needed to create the products.

One amazing way to bring in products made from recycled materials is through decking materials. You may wish to have a decking installed in your garden - and why not? It is a wonderful addition to a home! However, you may worry about your carbon footprint. Fortunately, companies such as Ecoscape offer beautiful composite decking panels that not only look sleek and clean, but are also made up from 55% reclaimed wood fibers and 45% recycled HDPE. By investing in products from companies like Ecoscape, you are getting the best of both worlds: a wonderful decking that can improve the value of your home and make you enjoy your garden more, but decking that also reduces your carbon footprint due to the eco-friendly nature of the materials.

Have A Compost Bin

There are various benefits of having a compost bin. Not only does it add nutrients to the soil and help plants grow and photosynthesis, but it can also help plants retain water and repel certain plant diseases due to the presence of specific microorganisms. However, other benefits include the compost being a viable place to recycle certain food waste, reducing the amount of rubbish that is in your home and being thrown in the bin, only to be taken to landfill. Although your food waste will decompose in the landfill, this still takes time and can cause landfills to expand in nature. Rather, you should be using the nutrients coming from the decomposing food for your own garden!

Furthermore, composting is free! Rather than spend money on fertilizers that are a) costly, but also b) only available in stores, a compost is easily accessible and also more environmentally friendly than the factory-made chemicals. Your plants will be a lot happier and thrive with an all-natural compost!

Install Double Or Triple-Glazed Windows

While you would expect most houses to have at least double glazing installed, this is not necessarily the case. Many homes still only have single glazing, and this can be wasteful. Single glazing can increase your property’s utility bills due to the heat loss you will experience. This means you may need to use more power keeping your home warm during the colder months, but this power will also be lost due to the lack of insulation your home has. 

Besides the benefits of energy cost savings and staying warmer during winter and cooler during summer, other benefits of double or triple-glazed windows include:

Less condensation (reducing the amount of moisture collecting on your window panes)

Less noise pollution (your home will be quieter, which can be wonderful for homes placed on busy main rounds or in cities)

Install Skylights

You may be wondering how skylights can be sustainable. Are not they simply windows in your ceiling? Well, skylights can offer sustainable improvements to your home because they provide a great source of natural light that can warm up your home when the sun is directly above your house. Ideally, you will want to place a skylight on the southern part of your home so that your house can be warmed up the most during the winter. Plus, you will want a skylight that is made with wood, fiberglass or vinyl window frames so that there is a reduction in draughts. When your home also becomes too warm, your skylight becomes a great way to cool down your home.

There are several ways you can make your home more eco-friendly. By making these little changes, you can make a world of difference, and although some may be expensive and considered an investment, you are likely to experience a reduction in energy bills, meaning you are also getting a return on your investment. 

Thursday, April 1, 2021

The Latest Bedroom Design Trends To Consider In 2021!

This post is provided by Luca Yates.

Having spent the better part of 2020 in our homes, it is no wonder that DIY and home improvement is now more popular than ever.

Searches for DIY projects have risen by more than 1200% over recent months, so it is clear that homeowners are eager to upgrade their properties.

One room that we have all spent a lot of time in over the past 12 months is our bedrooms. From sleeping in them, to even working from bed, many individuals have found that their bedroom has become their sanctuary recently.

If you want to upgrade your boudoir in 2021, then here are some of the most popular bedroom design trends that you should consider using this year. 

Create A Bedroom Fit For A Queen

Forget minimalism: 2021’s bedroom trend de jour is a masterful regal room, complete with a statement bed and luxurious furnishings. Inspired by the need for comfort and popular culture trends for period dramas, such as Bridgerton and Downton Abbey, luxury and indulgence are the orders of the day. Consider choosing classic, timeless styles and statement pieces of furniture, such as a bold bed or a comfortable armchair, which can help you to turn any bedroom into a restful oasis.  

Incorporate Technology 

While old-fashion grandeur might be the order of the day, that does not mean that you can not include modern technological flourishes to make your life easier and more comfortable. Technology is changing the way we live, and it can be incorporated into your dream bedroom easily in 2021. For example, you could consider including an entertainment system to make bedtime more fun. Another approach is to include a TV in your bedroom or even your bed. Some homeowners might be thinking: Is A TV Bed The Ultimate Affordable Indulgence? The answer, as this article shows, is most definitely yes. A TV bed will give you the chance to watch your favorite shows and films from under the comfort of your covers. Consider incorporating tech into your bedroom this year to make it a great place to relax and unwind in after a long, hard day. 

Jump On The Rustic Trend

Rustic furnishings, with natural color schemes and materials such as wicker, wood and cotton, are a longstanding interior design trend that is not going anywhere. We first saw the rustic trend in homeware several years ago, but it remains popular thanks to our love of nature and the coziness that this style of interior design implies. So, if you are considering redecorating your bedroom this year, then you could consider incorporating rustic items and botanical prints to bring the beauty and glory of nature into your bedroom. 

Embolden The Room With A Statement Wall

While the furniture and furnishings in your bedroom can quickly and easily be changed, the flooring and wall colors require more time and effort. As such, you should try to choose neutral colors and traditional patterns that will stand the test of time. If you want to make your bedroom unique while still choosing neutral colors, then consider creating a statement wall. Learn how to create the perfect statement wall, so that you can create a beautiful and innovative bedroom that you will love for many years to come.