Useful Stuff

One of the big styles that seem to be making a comeback in the world of interior design appears to be the retro style. That funky semi-modern look that was largely about experimenting with brand new breakthroughs in technology during the 1950s, 60s and 70s is making a comeback in a big way. The style extended from large pieces of furniture such as lounge chairs and tables through to soft furnishings and small items such as lamps.

The retro style was eclectic too with something that looked dated and traditional just as likely to be placed in a room with a space age Arco floor lamp. The fact is that pretty much anything goes when it comes to using retro furniture in the home. The style is carefree and daring and willing to challenge the eye without too much concern over whether anyone is impressed or not.

Another part of the retro era, apart from the furniture itself, is the artwork that can make a bold statement when used in sensible proportion. In other words, don’t completely overcrowd the room with retro hangings or sculptures. Less is very much more when it comes to the funky appeal that an odd piece will have on a room.

Co-ordinating this kind of a room can be a lot of fun. You get the feeling that the gloves are off and your creative energy can be let off the leash. Mixing and matching with all kinds of retro furniture and accessories can throw up some very interesting combinations and unusual results.

Every house requires some kind of window furnishings that you use to give you a couple of results, the first is privacy and for this you can use just about any old thing that will block the view. The second result you’re after is more of a personal taste thing and that’s the kind of curtains you choose. This will be decided by the décor of the rest of the room, your own personal style and preference and what mood you are in when making the decision.

There are a number of different types of curtains that you might choose from, one of them is a style of curtain known as eyelet curtains. These curtains naturally give you curtains with geometrically perfect pleats that form neat, straight lines. From a design standpoint, they form a pattern that is particularly pleasing to the eye.

The eyelets allow the curtains to run smoothly along the curtain rod, so they are an easy to use solution when installing new curtains. You would be swayed towards using them if you expected to be opening and closing them on a frequent basis. The curtain eyelets are fairly strong little units and so they will be able to stand up to the frequent use. So, functionally, eyelet curtains will provide you with many years of dependable service.

On the whole, eyelet curtains are made with lighter fabrics such as cotton or linen, however they also look very effective made with faux suede or velvet. It comes down largely to the ability of the eyelets to stand up to being stressed regularly and the fabric into which they have been sewn.

Eyelet curtains are a popular choice as a means of decorating your windows. They look good, they’re stylish and, if you’re making them, they’re easy to make.

Storage space is an eternal problem that seems to plague everyone. It doesn’t seem to matter how large your wardrobes are, they eventually cannot handle the growth in the number of clothes we own. An ingenious, but very simple answer to a possible lack of hanging storage space is a product known as a Hanger Cascader.

The Hanger Cascader is effectively a hanger that, when hung horizontally looks like a set of 6 normal clothes hangers. But when you drop one end the cascade effect comes into action and the result is 6 items of clothing hanging in the space that is normally taken up by a single hanger. Effectively you can hang 6 shirts in the same space of 1.

For a tiny sum you have increased your wardrobe storage capacity by 600%. The Hanger Cascader is capable of hanging any types of clothing such as shirts, skirts, pants or belts as long as you have the height to accommodate the longer clothes that will now be hung from a lower height.

For those worried that the hanger will not be capable of holding heavy or bulky items of clothing, people have reported that they have stored 6 bulky hoodies on the Hanger Cascader and it has remained solid throughout. Although they’re available in plastic, you really want to get a steel set so that you can be sure they will hold up under heavier clothes.

You can buy the Hanger Cascade in packs of 2 for under $10 which is an absolute bargain given that you’d pay a lot more if you had to buy a larger wardrobe.

A home appliance that seems to be making a big impression these days is the air purifier. These handy little machines sit in your room in an unobtrusive corner and work away clearing the air in the room of smoke, odors, dust, pollen, mould spores and other impurities. Basically, any allergens that conspire to make your life a misery can be removed from your immediate environment.

One of the most popular air purifiers that is being sold today is the Honeywell HHT-011 Compact Air Purifier with Permanent HEPA Filter. It is extremely inexpensive at well under $50 and it works quietly while its compact size means that it sits unnoticed and out of the way. By the way, HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air and is the part that does all the work in removing airborne particles.

This particular unit operates at three speeds but the unit works so well that you would probably only need to operate it at the lowest speed, saving the higher speeds for emergencies.

The unit has a washable pre-filter to capture the larger particles and, when it needs to be cleaned there is an indicator to alert you to the fact.

You might find that when you first plug this air purifier in and start it up that there will be no noticeable change to the conditions. However, after continued operation there will be a definite improvement to the conditions in the room. To get the best results you would operate this unit is a smaller room and have the door closed for the initial operation. It is recommended for use in rooms up to 8 by 10 feet.

When looking for a new wardrobe for the bedroom, the obvious choice is to buy something that will be sturdy enough to stand up to daily use. Second on the list of needs for the wardrobe of choice is that it will have to look nice enough to adorn your bedroom. I mean, who wants to look at a piece of junk last thing before you go to sleep and first thing when you wake up in the morning?

A solid pine wardrobe will give you the sturdiness you’re after as well as the type of material that will look good and can be easily decorated. You can get these wardrobes in either 2 door or 3 door configurations or they can be part of a complete bedroom suite.

Not only will you get a piece of furniture that will look good and will last for a long time, the price of pine wardrobes is very reasonable compared to wardrobes made from other types of wood. It is also a light enough material that the wardrobe will be able to be manhandled around the room without too much fuss. For some people this is a significant feature to have in a major piece of furniture.

The grain and look of pine is interesting enough to use as the feature of the exterior. A light varnish or stain will be enough to bring out the natural colors and contours within the wood and will add its own detail work.

A final point about wood as a material that is good for the environment. Pine is grown in renewable plantations that have been especially grown for the purpose of supplying timber. After the trees have been cut down they are replaced with new seedlings ready for the next growth. By using pine you are reducing the demand for slower growing wood that often come from wild forests.