This summer has been the one of the works at home. It seems that the confinement of these long months has caused more than one to notice the failures, defects and weak points that their home had and with which they have had to live during the confinement. What many have saved on travel and vacations have decided to invest in their homes, improvement works in Spanish homes have increased by 43% compared to the same summer period of the previous year, being Madrid (20%) and Barcelona (15%). ) where more building permits have been issued.
For this reason, Thyssenkrupp Home Solutions, the leading company in stairlifts for the home, has carried out a survey among its clients in which seven out of ten have confessed that they have not felt completely comfortable at home during confinement, 32% they have renovated something during the summer and 38% plan to do so in the coming months. The living room (62%), the kitchen (46%) and the bathrooms (35%) are the most renovated.
Wanting to gain space in the living room by reducing the size of a less-used room, a larger kitchen with more functional furniture and more modern appliances, and gaining space and safety in the bathroom by changing the bathtub for a shower, the main reasons.
Doing works is fine, but on many occasions it is a nuisance and involves a large financial expense. A warmer and more welcoming home can also be achieved without getting hammered. The decoration is decisive to make those who inhabit it feel good and without having to invest large amounts of money that not everyone can afford, therefore, the experts at thyssenkrupp Home Solutions offer a series of tips to give to our homes a new air and make them more comfortable, welcoming, practical and safe without the need for reform:
What makes a comfortable decoration?
– Wood, wicker and cotton or wool fabrics are the materials that give the home the most warmth.
– Plants provide natural touches of color, relax the eye, transmit well-being and beautify any room. And taking care of them is a good pastime.
– Rugs give a feeling of comfort to any room
– Less is more. Houses with many objects overwhelm and do not invite you to stay in them.
– A functional, orderly and clean home has many points to be welcoming. If everything is accessible and well organized, it will be more pleasant to spend a lot of time in it.
– Creating spaces to live together is welcoming and fostering family relationships.
color is decisive
We have to pay attention to the natural lighting of each room. If it is dark, you have to counteract with light tones and if it has good light, you can play with more colors. The strong tones are very striking, but they can cause restlessness, betting on neutral and natural tones will make us feel more relaxed and at ease, we can sprinkle these tones with small touches of color. The most pleasing colors to the eye are those that remind us of nature: browns, ochres, oranges, greens and blues.
If we put many different colors on sofas, cushions, rugs, blankets, decorative objects, paintings…, the result will be a very burdensome environment to look at. It is not necessary for the whole house to have the same color relationship, nor for everything to match everything, but there must be a chromatic coherence in each room.
Light, source of well-being
Ideally, the house should have a lot of natural light and large windows, but this is not always possible and there is no sun at night; so, be that as it may, you will have to take care of the lamps to ensure a cozy feeling. Good lighting is one that is warm and enveloping and, to achieve this, you have to install different points of light. Not only the ceiling lamp and the reading lamp, but also a spotlight on the shelves, in a corner… Better several dim, low and diffuse light points imitating natural light than a large central lamp for everything.
The dimmable switches are easy to install and allow lighting to be adapted to the needs of each moment. LED bulbs represent great savings on the bill and there are different degrees of warmth.
To mitigate the light and preserve privacy, curtains or blinds are needed, but not dark or dense. Light tones give a greater feeling of spaciousness and well-being. Venetian blinds are a great solution to deflect the sun as needed.
Decorative objects, photos and souvenirs
– Houses are a reflection of the people who inhabit them. A life is full of memories, experiences and loved ones, but when you live many years, that can lead to having a home full of objects that make cleaning and order difficult.
– There are people who are given to throw away and people who save. Balance is ideal. It is convenient to get rid of the useless and, if it is not possible, understand that it is not necessary for everything to be exposed. Wooden boxes, wicker or fabric baskets, chests and drawers are decorative and can easily hide what you do not want to throw away.
– The frames with photographs end up filling shelves, tables and shelves and accumulating layers of dust. One solution is to make a wall-museum. We will see the photos better and we will clean more easily. In addition, the fact that there are frames with different sizes and shapes will give it a decorative touch. Another option is the electronic frames in which you can upload many photos that will change little by little.
just enter
The hall must be practical, simple and functional; for example, with a wooden chest of drawers with drawers to store keys, masks, gloves or anything else we may need to leave the house. A painting or a mirror, a decorative object or a plant and a coat rack. Nothing else is necessary because an entrance full of things does not invite you to cross the threshold.
Living room… and staying
The living room is the place in the house where we spend the most time and where we share the most with the rest of the family, therefore special attention must be paid to it:
– Furniture must be made of similar or matching materials. Putting one of mahogany, another of pine and the plastic chairs will give it the appearance of a flea market. The more we unify, the better. That doesn’t mean we can’t put something different that stands out.
– The dining table must be adapted to the needs of each one. It doesn’t make sense to have one for twelve diners if you usually only eat two. The comfortable chairs will lengthen the desktops.
– If we want a truly cozy living room, we must give prominence to the sofa. It should be comfortable, spacious and soft. It’s good that it has cushions, but if we overdo it, there won’t be a place to sit. All in perspective. The perfect complement to a good sofa is a warm natural fabric blanket in a solid color.
– For the sofa to be the meeting point, it should be remembered that it is not only the place from which to watch TV, but a place for meeting and conversation. A pair of matching armchairs that form a semicircle and a low table will separate this area from the dining room and invite conversation.
– If under all this there is a soft carpet on which you want to put your feet, much better.
Practical kitchens before beautiful
Kitchens should be like the ones in the movies, but not everyone is that lucky. Even if there is not much space, it is possible to make them practical and even more important: easy to clean. You also have to:
– Organize the closets well and throw away all those pots and pans that are never used to have more space. In a clear kitchen and with everything at hand you feel like cooking.
– Leave space on the countertop to work.
– Avoid disaster drawers. Order makes life easier and having seven cutlery sets makes no sense. The same applies to tableware and glasses: you have to keep what you use.
– If we don’t like the tiles or they have become old or very visible, but we don’t want to get into a reform, the wall papers can cover them, and they are easily cleaned.
– Painting a wall with blackboard paint will give a personal touch to the kitchen, as well as writing down the shopping list, appointments…
to sleep better
The chests of drawers, bedside tables and closets should house drawers, baskets, coat racks and shelves at a good height to organize clothes. Getting out of bed barefoot and having a good rug to protect us will be much more pleasant than putting our feet on the floor.
If we can fit a table or have a place by the window where we can place an armchair to read, we will give the bedroom a new use. Changing the sheets, blankets, bedspreads and curtains of a lifetime will give a completely renewed air to the room.
The joy of terraces and balconies
With confinement we have learned how important it is to have an outdoor space, and not just to applaud, for many they have been their only escape routes outside. For those who do not have a garden or patio, the alternative is to take a little more care of your windows, balconies and terraces:
– If we have space, we can put a small table and a couple of chairs to drink coffee and enjoy looking at the street.
– Taking care of plants relaxes; In addition, they will give privacy and beauty.
– Planting vegetables in pots is practical, entertaining and it is very exciting to see the fruits that we will later eat grow.
Facebook Comments
Disqus