home inspo

Boost your productivity: How to positively decorate your home office in 2020

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With a new year in full swing, we all have dead cert ideas on how to tackle and conquer this new year and decade. And many of us will probably want to knuckle down in the work front. Maybe your finally starting that blog you have always wanted to. Or you want to create your own side hustle to earn some pocket money. Or maybe 2020 is the year to take your home business to the next level.

Whatever your work agenda, you will need a chic, workable and creative inducing space to do it from. You don’t want one that will distract you, much rather help you hone in on creativity and help aide you in working effectively.

But what makes the perfect office decor? How do you make it a space to work from but also aesthetically pleasing too? Hold tight, I have all the answers.
Here’s how you can positively decorate your office space this year to boost productivity.

Read : Creating a office nook in any home

Use Light paint colours – Avoid dark, deep tones.

Getting yourself siked for working when at home can be a mighty task. So having a space that is dark and deep in colours won’t help. Make it bright, airy and full of light. Make sure its a space that embraces natural, earthy tones. Consider using just white, or inject some creative passion with pastel pinks, greens and even yellows.

Offer lots of storage

We all manage to collect lots of paperwork and office materials and without the correct storage to organise it, it can quickly look messy and out of control. Make sure your office space offers you all the storage space and solutions to hide it away in a sensible and organised way.

Installing lots of shelves can be a great way to offer storage and space to inject some of your accessories too – creating the perfect balance.

Comfort is key

You might have to slog for a fair while at one time. Being uncomfortable is only going to make it harder for you to concentrate at the task in hand. If you make any changes to your office space this year, invest in a nice comfy desk chair, or an arm chair to work from.

Inject personality

Office spaces might be where the boring stuff happens, but it doesn’t have to lack in personality or character. Add your own personality with prints f motivational quotes, quirky desk accessories and nick nacks.

Accessorize with plants

Having natural plants in a home will create a serene atmosphere, so don’t leave them out of your office. They can also have a positive impact on your concentration and productivity, so make sure you have a couple bouncing around your space. If you’re worried about keeping it alive, going for a faux version can have similar positive effects on mood and productivity.

It’s never been easier to upgrade your office space to a creative haven – and hopefully this post has spurred you on to create the ultimate work station to conquer the new decade!

What does your office space look like? Will you be upgrading your’s after this post? Lets get chatting, in the comment section below!

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How we will be transforming our open plan living space

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As you may have guessed from my previous content, we have been umming and ahhing over whether to up-sticks and purchase a home. We currently reside in a 2 bed, 1st floor apartment in a quiet village between Eastbourne and Brighton. Ut’s a modern, new build bursting with features, since it was remodeled on the original building that once stood here – a mental asylum.

It’s our first home, which we bought a little over 3 years ago and we have always been proud of what we have. But since saying I do, and considering the future with little people living with us too, we did wonder whether we should buy a property fit for a family sooner rather than later.

Fast forward countless chats, a mortgage meeting and a couple of afternoons wandering round show homes, we decided we may as well stay put. We love our little home, and whilst it doesn’t have a huge kitchen with island, a sweeping driveway or even a little slice of outdoor space, we do have enough space for us and one other. Plus we don’t have to go through the stress and expense of moving just yet.

So what are we doing?

A rather lot actually. We bought this place with it being a completely blank canvas. With the last 3 years being a time to which we focused on furniture and wedding plans, we are now turning our attention to the details of our home. We are implementing colour, shades and more importantly, furniture that works with our space.

It’s something we have been planning and organising for some weeks, but I am so excited to get our home looking and feeling it’s best for us. ( Of course, there’s the added bonus being that it will look super snazzy for when we do want to sell ).


https://unsplash.com/photos/YAHlwESEjXo

The Open planned space

Our lounge / dining space / kitchen is just that, a rather large open space. It’s been one we have fiddled, re-organised and shuffled around rather a lot. We are lucky enough to be able to have the room multiple ways, but not 100% sure what way works best.

We really want to hone in on a space that works for us, and guests when hosting and just relaxing in general. This summer we hope with some built in extras and a re-purchase of key furniture pieces, we will be able to finally have a space that fits us when relaxing, but also family and friends when hosting dinner parties and more.

Using colour

Is there anything more exciting than injecting in some colour into your home or even just re-adjusting the style in your space. As mentioned our apartment really is a blank space, with us only painting our bedroom ( which took us 4 whole days and ended with me crying because I just didn’t want to paint anymore. )

We really want to add some colour to the whole apartment, using clever tricks, and painting some walls. I’ve found lots on inspiration on my chum Pinterest and even found clever ways to inject colour into rooms with stupidly high walls. (Who’s idea was it to buy an apartment with 4metre high walls anyway?)

Organising

You know how it is, you have a load of crap, cupboards filled with most possibly items not needed, or simply keeping hold of for the sake of it. Even worse, you have cupboards full of stuff we need, it’s just not organised appropriately. So what’s the plan? Get it all organised. If Mrs Hinch has tought me anything, it’s that there’s nothing a plastic box can’t hold or organise.

I have big plans for my utility cupboard, and I really want to utalise every nook and cranny into usable storage solutions! Unfortunately we lack loft storage and without outdoor space, we lack a garage or shed too. This is the most exciting part for me as I really want to showcase that you can store what you need in your home, without it looking unsightly and with it being completely usable.

Overall, we have pretty big plans for our open plan living. Many say our apartment is spacious and a great start block. It is, and always has been. We just need to be more clever with what we do with it.

Do you have any plans for your home this summer? Anything you think I should consider for my open space? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Curtains & Bedding: For a Peaceful Summer Bedroom

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During the summer months of warm weather and still nights, it can be pretty tough to get a good nights sleep. Just settling down into bed and getting comfy can be hard work, let alone getting some decent shut eye.

With a little help of some small but seasonal changes to your bedroom, you can achieve the best nights sleep, even through the heat of summer! So sit back and relax, because I have all the things you need, from the best curtains and bedding to create the perfect, peaceful summer bedroom!

Picking the perfect pair.

I’m talking of curtains of course. If you haven’t splurged on a decent pair of curtains yet, then this is the time. You need curtains that will keep out the early morning sun, yet keep any cool air in. There are many places to shop for the perfect pair, and neither break the bank. If you don’t want to waste the pair you do have, but they don’t quiet do the job, you could always purchase blackout curtain linings that can be added to almost any curtains.

Be sure to shop around and explore various styles too. Choosing the right style for your window will help tremendously with accentuating yours in the right way. Whether you go for a Eyelet curtain or a pencil pleat curtain, be sure to shop around and do your homework with what will work best for your bedroom and window style. If you want a versatile range, you can check Yorkshire Linen for ready made curtains.

If you want a curtain that will block out the sun, reduce noise and keep your room cool in summer and warm in winter, purchase eclipse curtains.  Who knew curtains could offer soo much, but they will be perfect for any bedroom!

Keeping it lite.

Keeping your soft furnishings lite through the summer months will make the heat much more bearable. Shop for natural and light feeling bedding for the hotter months and you will surely sleep soundly. Be sure to switch your duvet over to a summer one too, as it has less cotton to keep you warm. 4.5 Tog is the best in the warmer nights.

Neutral and natural.

Keeping your bedroom a neutral and natural room will not only help you sleep better, but it can create a calmness in your room and keep you cooler. Always try and use natural and neutral shades and colours with all your soft and hard furnishings. White furniture and off white bedding, curtains and rugs call all create a calmness and coolness to your room!

Stay away from dark and heavy colours, especially in the warmer months!  Here are some gorgeous patterns and colours that will work perfectly this summer!

Madison Duck Egg (Green/Blue) – Duvet Cover Set – Double / Ashlea Grey – Duvet Cover Set – Double / Pom Pom Duvet Cover Set, Double / Tropical Copper – Duvet Cover Set /

Hopefully this little guide will help you create the perfect bedroom haven to get some much needed shut eye, whatever the weather outside. 

Do you change your bedding for summer?

Do you have any tips to creating a summer bedroom? 

As always, leave your comments and thoughts below! 

Charlotte x

Simple home improvements that will change your mind about moving!

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Whilst we may feel like there is no hope left in our property, I live by the idea of ‘improving before moving’. Money can be lost with constantly upping sticks, and packing bags. Improvements can always be made to any property, whether it be big or small.

Even the most smallest or cheapest improvements can make a bigggg difference to your home, and the overall feel of your property. Feeling like you have outgrown can be pretty hard to combat, but there are plenty of changes that can be made to make your property suit you all over again.

Read : Giving your property that curb appeal. 

Reorganize.

Every now and then, people get that itch to change things around, even the furniture. Have a look at the rooms in your home and figure out how you can switch the layout. Declutter what is in the bookcases and shelves and even give the walls a fresh coat of paint. This is a bigger job when you’re actually doing it, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s a small price to pay compared to buying all over again. The change to the layout for a room can impact hugely on how you use the space, or even feel about the room.

Mini-Renovations.

What jobs around the house have you wanted to start but haven’t got around to? Renovating the loft space to add an extra room, having someone come in to do the garage door servicing so that your car has a safe and dry place to stay and even digging out the garden out the back so that you can plant greenery. These are all mini renovations that your house could benefit from. Look at the funds that you have and how long each job would take as well as the disruption and go for it!

Flooring.

Sometimes, simply changing the type of flooring in the house can transform it. Adding wooden tiles or lino to the ground floor and tearing up darker carpets in favour of lighter options can make your house look ten times brighter and bigger than it ever has. This small improvement can be done cheaply, especially if you know a good carpet fitter who can give you a deal.

Lighting.

Older houses have outdated lighting fixtures. You can choose to either honour this original feature or tear it out in favour of something sturdier and more modern. Take your time to choose and watch how your home lights up in style.

Moving out isn’t always the right answer, but if you do your small improvements and still don’t feel like it’s right, it may be time to call the estate agent!

Read : The real cost of moving home.

I’m a hugeeee advocate for improving rather than moving and hopefully some of these improvements have swayed you into working on what you have before looking to move.