Home renovation Leicestershire

Sometimes it Really is Black and White

There are many ways this spring to give a room in your home a makeover – often involving a feature wall adding a splash of colour, reflecting what’s happening in the natural world. And yet sometimes working within the confines of good old black and white is just what you need to create a chic and elegant room. This piece focuses on the bathroom, from the perspective of our team involved in bathroom refurbishment Leicestershire.

Bathroom design has so much potential – boundless really and it can be great to let your imagination run wild. However working within the confines of a monochromatic scheme not only frames your project with a dose of realism it also helps avoid the mistake of over-gilding the lily.

In addition, there is little as eye-catching as a well designed black and white room with matching accessories. Let’s start with these.

Crisp, white towels offset with a sharp black edge can really look the business.
Soap dispensers or dishes, toilet brush holders and toothbrush holders can all be found in either black or white. Keep consistent both in style and colour and they will add much for little outlay.
For those blessed with larger bathroom spaces, you’ll have the luxury of being able to choose some suitable furniture – from chairs to benches. For the smaller bathroom a little black stool can work as a compromise. Soft furnishings in black or white not only fit in with the scheme but also add a touch of softness to what can be an unforgiving palette.
All black is a real possibility. If quality matte tiles adorn the walls and floor and a nice matte paint is applied to the ceiling, then there is no reason why you can’t go the whole (black) hog, even opting for black ceramics. The effects of this wholesale switch to the dark side can be surprisingly therapeutic. There’s a fabulous all black tiled swimming pool in the spa at The Grove hotel, where the England footballers stay before matches at Wembley and it is a truly memorable and very calming experience.
Black brick-effect tiled walls can look fantastic and fits in with the trend that has seen a shift towards incorporating the industrial into the home.

Black and white really are a perfect pairing – white reflects and black absorbs – which is why this combination can really yield superb results in the bathroom where bold angles and clean lines dominate.

Which Kitchen Island?

The kitchen island is a vital component of an open plan kitchen and the decision as to which design to opt for is a very important one that you will live with on a daily basis, so it is vital to think it through first. The folk involved in home refurbishment Leicestershire are there to help you decide on your plan of action.

Larger kitchens

The chances are that should you be fortunate enough to have a large open plan kitchen it is likely to be the hub of your home, where dinners, entertaining, food preparation and breakfast all take place. In this case, large, built in islands deserve their place, with the added bonus of drawers either side to tidy away all those pots, pans, scales, juicers and blenders that will not only be out of sight but also perfectly placed to be extricated and placed on the food preparation area of your kitchen oasis!

Options for smaller spaces

For the smaller kitchen there are some space savvy kitchen islands that do not compromise on storage, using vertical space, with the elevation allowing for storage underneath. A nifty tip is also mounting a long towel bar on the side of your island for those tea towels, aprons and oven gloves. However, some small kitchens will need a compromise and that can be made in the way of a mobile ‘cart style’ island. Options range from cheap and easily mobile trolley style pieces to more elaborate islands on wheels that can look as good as their fixed cousins.

The upcycled option

Do you have an old dresser that you no longer use or want out of the bedroom? It could, with a little bit of imagination and elbow grease, be turned into a stylish and economical kitchen island. Add some dividers and give the dresser a shabby chic makeover with some vibrant colour – blue or green perhaps – and you could have a storage-friendly talking point in your kitchen! The upcycled option could even involve taking a butcher’s block (auctions often feature them) and adding legs from an old piece of furniture. This will not provide storage, but it will look incredibly satisfying.

The upgrade

Perhaps your kitchen island ticks all the boxes in terms of size, storage space and style but is rather tired and in need of a revamp. A new countertop or some sleek wooden panels can transform an existing island and cost much less than unnecessarily scrapping your island and replacing it with a more expensive model.

Gas fires vs. Wood-burning Stoves: Modern vs. Traditional

In spite of the fact that winter is finally just a memory, now is the time to get planning if you are considering adding or renovating an existing fireplace in your home in time for the next frost. There are very few homes with rooms that would not benefit from a fireplace feature as the centrepiece and even fewer people for whom the idea of huddling round a fire in the depths of winter with a glass of wine does not hold great appeal. The challenge of you dreamers as well as the interior designer Leicestershire is selecting the right fireplace for each home.

This choice may represent country cottages with traditional inglenook fireplaces that simply cry out for a traditional wood-burning stove, or Edwardian houses with a blend of period features and modern touches that could look great with either a traditional option or a glass fronted gas fire with a sleek black surround that sits comfortably below a wall mounted flat screen high definition TV.

When choosing the right fireplace for you and your home, you should ask yourselves the following questions.

What is the primary desired function – heat or decoration?
What is more important among ease of use, authenticity or fuel efficiency?
Do you have a fuel preference?

These three questions can go a long way to narrowing down your range of options before you look into the minutiae of detail and the myriad options on the market today. In today’s fast-moving and costly age the gas fireplace has gained in popularity, bolstered also by the minimal design options that match the sleek technology-centred living spaces that many people choose for their homes. Gas, despite recent price hikes remains a competitively priced fuel option and is especially attractive for those whose homes do not benefit from existing masonry chimneys. Gas fireplaces also provide comparable heat and radiance without the mess and storage required for wood-burning stoves. For the young, working couple the time, money and space saving nature of the gas fireplace is an attractive draw. Elegant and modern glass fronted gas fireplaces can look stunning even in big, old properties, a stand-out nod to the modern world in an otherwise rustic surround can be truly stunning.

This all said, if you are blessed with a property benefiting from a good masonry chimney, properly lined and with a hearty draw, there is nothing quite as satisfying as lighting a real, wood-burning stove and while it can provoke lively debate in the household (“it’s your turn to put another log!”) they really do radiate quite a wonderful heat and atmosphere and you can’t toast a marshmallow through a glass panel.

Open Plan Living vs. Separate Rooms

If there has been one trend in home renovation Leicestershire and indeed in home design in general that has stood out over the last 20 years then it is the shift aware from conventional room divisions to open plan living spaces. There is, of course also the in-between option of a little bit of open-plan space such as a kitchen/diner, with separate living room and bedrooms and even a partially open-plan kitchen/dining space that is more about good flow between rooms than a complete abandonment of division.

It stands to reason that as the typical family dynamic has become more fluid and less traditional, then so has the layout of the average family’s living space. The barriers between male and female division of labour have continued to be dismantled and there are increasingly blurred lines between housework (especially cooking) and leisure time. As cooking and smoothie-making, juicing and other areas of food preparation have become de riguer and somewhat social activities and cooking has evolved into an often shared activity then the role of the kitchen has also evolved. With working roles also ever-evolving, families now spend more time together than ever before and what better solution to this trend than open plan living?

The benefits of fully opening one’s living space are numerous, but the decision can involve quite drastic building work and before taking the plunge it is wise to consider the pros and cons.

The open plan kitchen/diner is ideal for those who like to revel in the glory of the mealtime, those for whom a dinner is not microwaved and consumed over 10 minutes on a tray in front of the TV. The open plan living space is also conducive to minimalist design and enables watchful parents to keep an eye on their children while preparing dinner. For the stir crazy among us it can be especially liberating not to sit in a room and feel like the walls are closing in and open planned space can certainly feel less claustrophobic.

However, with too much open plan space, privacy can become an issue, especially as those children become teenagers and while of course it is possible to retreat to the bedroom this can bring its own worries on occasion! Those with sensitive noses can be put off by the aromas that spread from the kitchen in an open plan ground floor and while this can be partially remedied with odour-neutralising candles, it would be less of an issue in a kitchen shut off from the rest of the ground floor. Even the cons can become pros, however as few could deny the pleasure in the warm waft of freshly baked bread spreading throughout the house. Another drawback of open plan living is that there are obviously less walls throughout the ground floor. Fewer walls equal less wall space to hang art, shelving and cabinets.

While it is possible that the decision to embrace open plan living could be taken out of your hands by circumstance, if you are thinking of renovating a closed room type house and plumping for the open plan option, hopefully this article will have given you some idea as to where your allegiances lie.

Thinking of Opting for a Wet Room?

So, you’ve got a clean slate, but are unsure just what constitutes your dream bathroom – well one attractive option is to plump for a Wet Room. This article aims to highlight the main benefits of this type of bathroom to help you decide whether it suits your needs.

Wet Rooms in a nutshell
Wet Rooms differ from traditional bathrooms in that they must be fully waterproofed as the room itself is one giant shower cubicle, albeit one that contains everything you need for a complete bathroom. There is no need for a shower screen, although if you prefer a closed off shower area then a glass screen is a stylish solution. Even so, waterproofing or ‘tanking’ the whole room is advisable.

Design choices
These days, in terms of suites there is great variety, with the popular and often smartest addition of tiles from floor to wall with a specially painted ceiling, which makes the waterproofing task much easier and gives you the opportunity to make exciting design choices with a range of tiling options. Despite being a relatively contemporary idea, Wet Rooms can be given either a traditional or modern look, principally via tiling decisions. Massage Brighton

Why Choose a Wet Room?
Freedom: On top of the stylish look that a Wet Room can bring to your home, it is also rather liberating to open the door to your bathroom and have everything there, open and free and ready for you to relax into.

Space Saving: If you have a relatively small space for your bathroom, why shrink it with unnecessary partitioning and a bath tub? The relative absence of fixtures and fittings is tailor-made for smaller spaces.

Easy to Clean: Shower cubicles, with all their little nooks and crannies are a grime and dirt magnet, so imagine the relief at waving goodbye to all that scrubbing!

Safe and Sound: With a non-slip tiled floor all over the room, you can relax in the knowledge that your dream bathroom is a slip-free zone. This makes Wet Rooms a great option for anyone living with a disability or those who require easy access facilities.

Long-lasting: With less fixtures and fittings and things to go wrong, Wet Rooms are a sound long-term investment. Quality water-proofing products are not cheap, but being long-lasting, they are well worth the initial outlay.

Considerations
Good ventilation is essential in a Wet Room to prevent the build-up of mould and mildew, while tiles used should be non-slip. In addition it is well-worth considering under-floor heating as it is not a great deal of extra work and as well as providing comfort, it will help dry the room quicker, limiting the potential for mould.

With the design and project management skills of those involved in bathroom refurbishment Leicester, acquiring your perfect Wet Room has never been easier.

Solving the Problems of a Small Bedroom

Having limited space in a bedroom can make for a tricky task to accommodate enough storage space without the room appearing cramped. As well as some innovative ways of integrating clever storage options there are also ways of achieving the illusion of space while you’re at it. For instance, staggered floating shelves are great for serving as a rotating display without adding extra holes in the wall. The staggered aspect also acts as a visual trick, to create a spacious feel. The most obvious trick of the trade is the clever integration of mirrors, but clever lighting and utilising the same colour paint for walls and ceilings – so the parameters as to where the room begins and ends become vague – can also help.

Of course the real trick in bedroom design, and where Home refurbishment Leicester can really help to ensure your bedroom remains clutter-free, is the creation of clever storage. The addition of shelving inset into the wall are a great idea should it be possible. The installation of wall sconces, with integrated lighting can be a real space saver, avoiding the use of precious bedside table space and reducing cluttering.

It may be worth exploring the idea of daybeds, if your room is particularly lacking in the space department as this can help you achieve the living room bedroom look and daybeds often have storage underneath, which is, of course, a must in a smaller bedroom.

If you are in the ‘blank canvass’ position and have a smaller bedroom and are wondering just where the wardrobes are going to go, it may be worth looking into the possibility of using a wall to create sliding door wardrobes. It may seem insane to think about shrinking one whole wall of a room, but this type of integrated wardrobe not only looks minimalist and ultra-modern (although they’ve been used for many years in Japan) but it will actually save space over a bulky standalone wardrobe. The choices are wide-ranging and you can tailor the interior space for your clothing needs.

If you can manage without a wardrobe at all then under bed storage, a chest of drawers and a well placed clothes rail may suffice, but bear in mind that the sliding door wardrobes will only serve to increase the value of your house in the long run. For the adventurous minded adult a loft bed is an ingenious way of saving space – although the stronger ones (for two people) can be rather costly. There is also the option of going even further down the Japanese approach and creating a room with tatami furnishings, including perhaps a space-saving tatami futon.

Adding Space and Value to Your Home

With the festive season approaching, you may be working out how to accommodate extra family and friends. While you won’t be able to create an additional bedroom in time for this Christmas, why not think about converting your roof space in time for next year? Extending into the loft doesn’t usually need planning permission and a Nationwide Building Society study estimated that adding an attic room could add up to 21% to the value of your home.

Using Craven & Hargreaves, an interior design company experienced in home renovation Leicestershire, will mean you get a professional project management service as well as all the ideas and advice you need to create a truly special space in your home.

Trying to organise a project like this can be stressful and choosing the wrong contractors and suppliers can become a costly headache. How much better to let someone else take the strain, leaving you with the much more pleasant decisions such as which window style, colours, furniture and accessories to choose.

You’ll need to decide whether to have a dormer created or use Velux windows and this, plus the orientation of your home, will influence how much natural light your room has. Bear this in mind when selecting colours for your interior scheme. Choose the best quality windows you can afford. Those with both surfaces cleanable from inside are a great idea.

Lighting is another key decision. Ceiling mounted halogen spotlights can brighten a room without good natural light but consider using table lamps around the space and task lighting, such as desk lamps, if you use the room for work or hobbies.

Do you want your loft to be just a bedroom and or could you add a bathroom? Check the headroom available across the space before deciding what should go where. A walk-in shower and a toilet might be more practical than a complete bathroom. If your budget permits though, why not go for a luxury wet room?

Many people use loft conversions as home offices, hobby or playrooms. Your ideas for using the space will influence your interior scheme. For example, in a playroom, use blackboard paint on the lower sections of the walls to create a great base for a constantly changing display of children’s art. Or have storage units built under the eaves for files, to reduce desk clutter in an office.

If you’re keen on crafting, leave space for a large table with good overhead lighting. Coupled with some drawer units, this could double as a desk for home working. Drawers on wheels give great flexibility, especially if you need to convert the room into a bedroom when guests arrive: you can use the drawer units for bedside tables.

To make the room seem larger, have a bed settee instead of a bed. Go for the best you can afford and it will be provide seating and for a good night’s sleep.

Look at interiors blogs and magazines for ideas, employ a professional interior design company and by next Christmas people will be competing to come and stay with you!

Upcycling Ideas for Any Room in Your Home

We want our homes to reflect who we are and we’re increasingly turning away from buying massed produced items and going in search of more individual pieces. This, coupled with a surge in the popularity of all things vintage, means that upcycling continues to grow as an interiors trend, as it not only gives you a totally unique look but is also great for the environment and your home decorating budget.

If you like the idea, you’ll find plenty of inspiration on blogs and in magazines, then start looking in antique markets, auctions, salvage yards and car boot sales to find suitable furniture, home accessories and fabrics in reasonable condition and just let your imagination take over. Avoid anything with signs of woodworm, but almost anything in reasonable condition can be transformed. Why not treat yourself to a course on upholstery, staining or paint techniques at a local college if you need pieces for several rooms? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

An old stepladder rubbed down and stained or painted makes a great bookshelf or towel rail for a guest room.
Cover a school desk, coffee or side table in vintage tiles or decoupage made from old magazines or comics (ideal for a child’s room) sealed with several coats of varnish. Use the same technique for kitchen trays, using pages from old recipe books. Or use blackboard paint to make an ideal play table for a nursery.
Old wardrobes, with or without doors, make great storage. Add recycled timber shelves and drawers to make bespoke storage units for your kitchen, bathroom, utility room or hall. An old dresser works well too. If drawers are missing, fill the gaps with storage baskets.
Line old drawers with paper to match or contrast with your walls, wall mount them and use as individual shelves. Alternatively, paint them, inside and out, to match your walls and use them to frame pictures, photos or mirrors. Or, by adding castors to them, you can create mobile storage units or magazine racks.
Hang spoons or forks from a metal ring (an old bicycle wheel could work) as an eye catching ‘chandelier’ to hang above a dining table.
If you’ve got reasonable DIY skills, you can take on more adventurous projects such as removing the top of a cabinet and installing a basin to make a vanity unit or combining a bed head and timber chest to make seating for your hallway.

If you’d like to embrace the upcycling trend but would rather use readymade pieces, an interior designer will have lots of ideas for home accessories Leicestershire which have been upcycled, which will add unique touches to your home and be much admired for their ingenuity.

Real Wood Floors: Great for your Home and the Environment

If you’re replacing flooring, it’s important to think about not only the colour and finish but also how much time you’ll have for future maintenance. If you want a break from vacuuming, why not choose a real wood floor, which will not only be easy to keep clean but will give you a luxury look and add value to your home.

There’s such a wide choice of wooden flooring now that you’ll have no trouble finding something to suit your home and, increasingly important, some environmentally friendly options too. For example, rather than solid wood, look for a source of recycled or reclaimed timber, or choose engineered wood instead, which gives a similar appearance but is made from several thin layers of wood over a composite, so reducing the amount of timber used by up to 50%. Or if you’d prefer an all natural product, look at bamboo, which is both sustainable and exceptionally hard wearing.

To make sure that you’re happy with the appearance of real wood in your room or rooms, look at samples at home so you can see how the timber appears in different lighting conditions and at different times of day.

Installing a real wood floor will take longer than laying a carpet as it will need to be screwed to a subfloor which has been expertly prepared. If you’re working on a home refurbishment Leicestershire or renovation project this will be easy and, if your budget allows, you could install underfloor heating at the same time.

Whether your home has a contemporary or period style, real wood flooring will look good. The linear effect, if continued from one room to another, will lead to a good visual flow between rooms and make a space appear larger. Be aware, though, that it’s not a good choice for a bathroom or ensuite due to the moisture levels there.

If you like the look of solid wood but would like a softer feel, some well chosen and placed rugs will help and add a splash of colour to your room. (If your home has a strong retro feel, why not make some rag rugs using recycled fabric strips?)

You can choose between pre-finished and unfinished flooring. If it’s prefinished you’ll be able to walk on it immediately, while an unfinished floor will first need to be sanded, then stained – if you’ve decided on that option – and sealed, so you’ll have to be patient for two days. But you’ll be rewarded. While dirt gets hidden in carpet fibres, any stains or spills can be removed quickly and easily from a solid wood floor without having to get your vacuum out. Having the floor re-sanded from time to time will keep it looking good for years to come. Choosing real wood for your floor may take a little more time than carpet but you’ll Certainly reap the benefits of your good looking investment.

Some Recipes for a Great Looking Kitchen

The kitchen is increasingly becoming the most important room in our homes, used not just for cooking but for working and socialising too.

One of the most on-trend looks for kitchens is to use white for cabinets teamed with a mix of white, metallics and natural textures. As white reflects light, if your kitchen faces north or east, you’ll benefit immediately from the effect. If you’re able to extend your kitchen, a glazed roof would also help.

If you like a very tidy look, keep to white gloss cabinets and counters, with minimal appliances on show, perhaps, using a line of Perspex containers as an non-invasive storage option. If you need additional storage, find room for an island unit with white or silver down lighters hung low above it.

This contemporary style looks good matched with a grey floor. (Remember, when choosing your flooring, that natural stone, for example, may be unforgiving if you have young children or very precious china!) You could also have grey marble or natural wood worktops if you feel that too much white would overwhelm the space. A firm of interior designers in East Midlands, or your own area, would have lots of ideas on how to create the look you want in the space available.

Maybe you prefer to have everyday china on show? Then have white floor to ceiling cabinets in a ‘dresser’ arrangement along one or more walls. Adding glass doors, means you’ll be able to find what you need easily.

This option also works well if you want to go for a ‘farmhouse’ feel but, instead of having fitted units, you could use freestanding cabinets in painted wood and use wood for the worktops and flooring too, though these will have to be treated to protect them from potential humidity. Using open baskets as shelf and counter storage fits well with this style of kitchen.

You may have a table and chairs in your kitchen and these would look good all in pale, natural wood or a wooden table paired with metallic or Perspex chairs. If your kitchen opens onto the garden, try and place the table and chairs so you can enjoy the view when eating (even though it might be a distraction if you work from home.) If your kitchen is large enough, why not also create a second seating area using a small sofa and coffee table? You’ll be able to entertain friends as you cook or take a few moments to relax between the stages of cooking a meal.

You’ll find plenty of inspiration in interiors magazines but your kitchen must work for you and your family so take time to choose and make it the heart of your home.

Why Use a Professional for a Home Renovation Project?

Renovating your home can be time consuming and disruptive but if the project is planned and costed carefully and overseen and carried out by professionals, the finished result will not only give you an attractive living space but potentially increase your home’s value. With the cost of moving increasing all the time, property renovation is a cost effective way of turning your property into the home you’ve always wanted.

A design company experienced in home renovation Leicestershire is the perfect starting point and, working with experienced subcontractors as required, they will make sure you get a professional final result.

Renovation can take many forms including the installation of new bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens or the upgrading and modernisation of existing facilities to suit the changing needs of a growing family. For example, if you have teenagers, you can never have enough bathroom space! Alternatively you may be thinking about age proofing your home for later years with a walk-in shower or wet room.

If you’re involved in property development as an investment, you may need to carry out major renovation work on an older house or apartment in order to meet modern standards for heating, wiring and plumbing, for example. You’ll need to budget for the services of an architect if you’re going to make structural changes.

When looking for ideas for lower key renovations, collect pictures of interiors which appeal to you and an experienced home renovation company will be able to interpret your ideas and, where necessary, suggest alternatives to match your budget.

While at one time a period property would automatically be decorated in a period style, nowadays anything goes. Adding a modern, glazed extension – either single or double storey – at the rear can flood a dark Victorian or Edwardian villa with natural light while keeping the style intact at the front: especially important if your home is in a terrace.

You may decide that while you love your home, the layout of rooms isn’t ideal for your family’s lifestyle. An interior designer will be able to make practical suggestions, such as swapping the functions of some rooms, streamlining your life and your home.

Incorporating items like a butlers sink or dresser into a redesigned kitchen, along with contemporary units in neutral colours and a natural stone, or wooden floor gives a fresh update, incorporating the convenience of modern living with the unique character of an older property. Neutrals, paired with metallics would also particularly suit a 30’s style home adding light, colour and a feeling of luxury.

But whatever style of home you have, you’ll find that shopping for furniture and the all important ‘finishing touch’ accessories for the project will be both easy and enjoyable, with a huge range of sources, whether you go for antique pieces or modern reproductions.

A renovation project isn’t to be undertaken lightly: you may even have to move out temporarily but working with professionals is a cost effective way to the home of your dreams.

Finding the Right Finishing Touches

Whatever style, colours or furnishings you choose for your home, the things that make it really individual and truly ‘yours’ are the home accessories. Picking the accessories that will both complement your décor and reflect your personality is an exciting final stage in any refurbishment project.

In order to get the best result, ideally you need to allocate part of the project budget for accessories but you may find that you already have favourite items which you can incorporate into your new interior. For example, perhaps you have a favourite picture which isn’t currently displayed whose colours blend perfectly with the colour scheme of your newly designed room? An interior design company experienced in helping clients chooses home accessories Leicestershire will be able to make suggestions to help you get the most from your budget.

In living areas, accessories will include artwork, lights, lamps, vases and cushions and the colours and styles you use can blend with, or act as a contrast to, your colour scheme. If your style is contemporary with plain walls and floor, look for lamps and vases both in toning shades and bright zingy colours. Pile a mix of plain coloured cushions topped with a few in eye catching patterns onto your sofas. Metallics are another key trend. So look for metallic hanging lights, floor lamps, and lamp bases, occasional tables with metal legs, plant holders, clocks and dramatic wall sculptures.

For a retro scheme, source vintage lights, lamps and posters and look out for old school desks, small tables or individual chairs at antique fairs which can be renovated or recovered. If you enjoy upcycling, you’ll find plenty of ideas in magazines and on the internet for quirky uses of old furniture, containers, even pianos made into tables!

It’s not just living areas that benefit from well chosen accessories. For bathrooms, buy the largest mirror you can afford or use one or more mirrored cabinets to increase storage. Natural materials can be introduced through wooden bath racks, towel rails and folding stools, while wicker baskets in a range of sizes keep clutter under control. In a period bathroom, antique glass dishes and shaving equipment make great accessories.

In a kitchen, open baskets and plain or decorated tins work well for storage. If your kitchen has a plain, uncluttered colour palette, arrange matching white or glass vases or planters along the windowsill for single blooms or herbs. Use a Perspex or white trolley for additional storage alongside an island unit. Vintage and retro kitchen utensils and accessories are widely available and your designer should be able to suggest sources.

Whatever the look you want for your home, you’ll find plenty of choice in accessories. Take your time, enjoy choosing and continue to look for items to add to the scheme in the future; subtle changes will keep your interior fresh and vibrant for years to come.

← 1 2 3 4 →