Choosing new flooring

To set the scene, this house is a 4 year old new build with new build carpets (in case you haven't ever experienced this delight.....it is cheap carpet thrown on top of whatever surface was left - in this case, it was cracked, plaster splashed dusty and dirty concrete).  4 years of prams, dogs, visitors and the joys of dirt from the building site outside on poor quality carpet wasn't great.  

It's a shame I can't show how it started out, even if I had a photo, it would never be a fair side by side comparison so just imagine showhouse cream carpet - after 4 years and countless attempts at cleaning, this was the very sad result.  

Stained, bubbled, awful.  It had to go, it was unsafe and unhygienic.

The final decision after months of samples and discussion was vinyl tiles.  

I know the price is high, and ridiculously high depending where you go (but more of that later) but it also comes with a 15 year guarantee for commercial use and I believe a lifetime guarantee for domestic use so it's clearly robust.  I know from experience that any freak damage can be rectified by removing and replacing tiles - not easy, but possible.  When you compare the initial cost with the cost of probably replacing the other types of flooring over 15 or more years, the figures are easier to handle.

In the end, the decision between Amtico and Karndean came down to colour, I wanted something a bit darker in a wood effect and the one that suited the best was Karndean Rubra (WP316 if you are interested).

The cost....this was an adventure!  I went to several suppliers and the costs varied by £2000.  In the end, I was lucky enough to have worked with a flooring contractor in the past who was able to do it for a sensible price.  Although I had a previous connection, this wasn't 'mates rates', it just wasn't the ridiculous mark up that the shops added.

The result -  It's a bit controversial in that the direction is technically wrong, the main living room should run away from the door and not across it and unlike most vinyl tile floors it doesn't have a border.  This is purely because I wanted the flooring to flow through the whole ground floor, which it does.  Plus, with such wide planks (36"x6") the border would either have to be cut down (extra labour costs) or make the hall really narrow.

Some more photos to show the flow between rooms and the detail.  It's been down for a few weeks now and so far so good.  I'll come back with an update if I fall anymore in love or if any problems crop up.

Making the most of a small bathroom - storage

I have been given another small bathroom challenge. While I'm getting a design together to make the most of the space, I thought I would write some of my 'top tips' here.
If you want to see the previous post about making the most of a small bathroom, it's here.

1.  Floor space, for extra storage space, get an under-sink unit which is wall mounted. Not only is it extra space for bottles of lotions and potions, but also seeing more floor space will make your bathroom feel much bigger. 

2.  Storage. What do you NEED to store in the bathroom?  Could that laundry basket be stored somewhere else?  Do you really need all those bottles of shampoo at once? 

3.  Shelving.  Now that we have sorted out which items are needed and which can be stored elsewhere, the question is how to store it.  An under sink storage unit (above) is a great use of space to store toiletries and cleaning products.   Another brilliant way of storing smaller cosmetics and medicine is a mirrored cupboard above the sink.
Here are a few ideas around pinterest.

                            

4.  Built in storage. 

                              

These ideas are only really applicable in a total bathroom redesign but great uses of space for storage.

5.  Bath.  Do you need a bath? It goes without saying that the bath takes up the most space, and for some it is completely essential, others rarely have a bath so it isn't worth the space it takes.

Another previous client who was very tall said he enjoyed a bath but couldn't  lie down in a regular bath without some serious leg contortion around the taps needed a solution.  I had a pretty extreme solution for him, which was to  put in a large shower in the bathroom and a hot tub outside, for the relaxing soak.  Obviously the cost of this was more than triple the cost of the whole bathroom but as I always say, if it works for you then it's the right thing to do.

Another option, which I have done, but wouldn't work for everyone, is to add an  ensuite. If you have one member of the household who needs a bath and someone else who can't mans age to step into the bath for an over-bath shower. A separate shower cubicle in an ensuite could work.
                              

This is the floor plan and photos from an ensuite I added into a bedroom, the overall size was 2.5 x 1m - small but perfectly formed.  The key to this design working was a small basin, which was ok because there was a full size basin in the bathroom and the shower had an inward folding door to save space.

I hope some of these tips have helped you, let me know in the comments if you have used any or have any other ideas.

*photo credits unknown - except ensuite which are all ©HD. 

Real Home Interior Design - Theming 'Disney Style'

So you've probably have guessed by now, I love a theme, but I'm also boringly practical.  

I adore Disney, and I am really inspired by the theming in Disney hotels, but even I couldn't live with that much theming full time.  So I'm going to look at ways to bring that theming to real life.

In this post, I will focus on a few Walt Disney World hotels for different reasons....Animal Kingdom, Art of Animation and Saratoga Springs.  Animal Kingdom for full on but still quite grown up theming, Art of Animation - Little Mermaid Rooms for 'drop you straight into the film' theming and Saratoga Springs as an example of just a few hints of a theme.

So firstly, Animal Kingdom Lodge, where you are transported to the the African Savannah, complete with Animals outside the window.  Since I can't help you get a giraffe into your garden, I'm going to concentrate on the interiors.

The first thing to mention in the lounge area of the room is the dark furniture, which is balanced by light walls and carpet.  I love the bench by the wall and a small, slightly simplified version would be a great eating area at home.  The plates on the wall above the bench are a really simple way of bringing the theme together too and definitely could be used in a real room at home.

The TV cabinet is great and really adds to the theme although I know I don't have the woodwork skills to create it, maybe some of the tribal style designs could be painted onto some existing furniture if you wanted to create this look. I'd probably decorate a wardrobe in this way rather than a TV cabinet.

Another really fun way to add to this African Savannah theme is to add frames and art or maybe help your child to create their own African style art?










This carving in the headboard is super cute and could be recreated in paint at home for a Lion King theme.

Next to the Art of Animation - Little Mermaid Rooms, these are pretty extreme theming, it would be an amazing child's bedroom, and if money was no object, I'd recreate something similar for a child who loves Ariel.
However, reality kicks in and I'm not really sure that any child would want this for a number of years, so I'm going to pick out some simple elements that will translate to a real home.

The beds are amazing, and the headboard is definitely something that could be bought or made reasonably inexpensively.  Create the headboard easily by buying a shell shaped headboard,  trimming with pearl effect trim or if you are feeling more artistic, paint a wooden one.  Bedding is another item which obviously can be changed easily to keep with a theme.
While I'm not usually a fan of painting, some wall decals could look fab on a pale blue wall.  For more effort and more expense, a full wall mural would be amazing.




Another brilliant feature in the Little Mermaid Rooms at the Art of Animation is the hanging space, I would translate this to a real room by painting the inside of a wardrobe.  Obviously the outside of the wardrobe could be painted but I think in reality the inside would be just as fun for the child and they would not get bored of it so quickly.  I'd also get a light fitting like this for inside the wardrobe to really show off the design. To make it a bit more fun, I'd use the inside of the doors to make a scene complete with attached painted boxed which would be used to store all the little mermaid toys.

The Little Mermaid bathroom is an excellent example of quite an ordinary room being made extraordinary with some very simple theming.  The mirror is a simple and non-permanent item to change for a themed frame and the shower curtain is also really inexpensive and easy.  

And finally, Saratoga Springs, which to be honest isn't my style at all.  What I can appreciate, and the reason I chose this resort as an example is the theming.  The themes here are Victorian and Equestrian but neither are over the top.

I want to focus on the equestrian theme, at a first glance at the Studio room, there isn't a theme screaming out to me.   The first hint at a theme are the pictures on the wall, equestrian themed prints, nothing too eye-catching but a nice detail.  

The next themed item i noticed were the cushions - a much more obvious theme here, but on a smaller item like a cushion, you can be a bit more bold with a theme.  

This is definitely something that would translate easily into a "real" home.  I think it would be a good idea if the reverse of the cushion was plain so you can flip them over if you fancy a change or if, like me, you have visitors that just don't appreciate Disney or your particular theme.

The next detail is probably my favourite from the whole room, it is the bedside lamp bases.  Again, much more obvious theming but still quite small in the room so it would work in real life. There are similar equestrian themed lamp bases available, or many other animals if you have a different favourite you want to include!

So I hope those 3 examples have given you some ideas, I think I'm going to go and make a little mermaid headboard!