5 Bright Ideas to Bring More Light to Your Home

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Being in a dark room can weigh down on you after a while. Thankfully, there are quite a few ways you can brighten a room. Some of these ideas are similar to those of making a small space feel bigger. That makes sense because a brighter room eliminates shadows that encroach on the perceived size of a room.

 

Let’s take a look at these five bright ideas:

 

Natural light

The first step is to make sure you’re getting as much natural light as possible in the room. Expand existing windows or add in new large ones, especially on the south-facing side. If you cover them with window treatments, make sure they’re made with translucent fabrics. Don’t forget that you can also install skylights or solar tubes to maximize incoming daylight.

Most importantly, always clear away obstacles that will hinder sunlight from passing through the windows. That includes regularly cleaning the windows as well as trimming any trees that throw shade on the windows of a room you want more light in.

 

Light colours

Make sure you keep everything light-coloured when you finish and paint the room. The room will instantly brighten up if it has white ceilings and pale flooring. If you really want darker shades of a certain colour, do your best to relegate them to small areas like accents and trims.

 

Diffused lights

Always try to diffuse the lighting around the room. Put in multiple sources of lighting, whether it’s with lamps or wall sconces. It also helps when the light bulbs don’t emit harsh, white lights. Focus on getting bulbs with soft and warm lighting that’s diffused upwards by lamp shades.

 

Reflected light

Mounting a few mirrors throughout the room will bounce the light around and magnify the room’s brightness level. Take care though when you select the frames for wall-mounted mirrors that they’re not too dark in colour. For an additional reflected light effect, get fixtures and accessories with metallic finishes.

 

Minimalistic décor

Keep only the furniture and decorations that serve a useful or specific design function for the room. Move anything else that doesn’t fit that criteria to a different room where darkness isn’t an issue.

The colours of the chosen items should also be light – you can probably start recognizing a trend here! That goes for everything from furniture frames and upholstery to the artwork and knickknacks. To display the knickknacks, put up wall-mounted open shelving. They’re minimalistic and eliminate the need for an extra cabinet.

 

So you see, a perpetually dark room doesn’t have to be a lost cause!

5 Colour Palettes That Will Always Look Good In Any Room

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There are millions of dizzying colour combinations and it can be overwhelming to decide how you want your home interior to be painted. It also depends on whether you want the colours to serve a particular function like visually enlarging a space or even controlling your appetite.

 

If you don’t already have a specific colour palette in mind, here are five timeless palettes that will always look good in any room:

 

Grey with black and/or white

Let’s start with the safest colours first and those will always be the neutral colours. What’s brilliant about playing around with a base of neutral colours is that any colourful items you add will instantly pop out. The power of neutral colours lies in their versatility for any décor.

 

Blue and grey

Still sticking with a safe grey as one of the colours, blue and grey is another great palette to have in the house. There’s a touch more colour to it, but it’s subtle – especially if you use a paler blue – because blue is a one of the non-neutral colours with the closest undertones to grey. Blue and grey is a solid colour palette to anchor any room with as that combination is inspired by mountainous landscapes.

 

Blue and white

This is a brighter version of another safe colour palette. It’s reminiscent of the serenity of quiet seas and clear skies. It also brings back a sense of classic as you’re reminded of the simple beauty of the first porcelain designs in the world. The calm of blue and the purity of white is a tranquil pairing indeed.

 

Orange and blue

Now let’s get adventurous! We’ll keep the blue since it’s so often the favourite colour for most people. When you add in a splash of orange though, it creates a vibrant look that still somehow feels balanced. The balance comes from the fact that orange and blue are complementary colours across the colour wheel.

 

Orange, yellow, and cream

Another safe bet is often combining a bunch of warm colours together or vice versa for cool colours. The orange-yellow-cream palette is a fantastic example of mixing warm colours together. Harnessing the optimistic shades of the sun, this palette will brighten up any room with its cheerful tones.

 

Start with these colour palettes and change them up as your tastes evolve over the years!

Why House Painting Shouldn’t Be a DIY Project

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As you come up with the budget for your home renovation, you may be tempted to take on certain jobs here and there yourself. It’s a good motivation for saving money, especially if you’re already a professional in that area yourself.

 

Perhaps the most popular project that people like to DIY is painting, which can be a mistake if it’s not your field of expertise. Here’s the case for hiring a professional painter and what you’ll get with that decision:

 

More time for other projects

A house renovation project always spawns a whole bunch of other projects that revolve around re-organizing your life to the new changes. One of the biggest benefits of hiring a professional painter is that you get more time for yourself to take care of those projects that are equally as important as the renovation itself.

You also don’t just get more personal time, but you also save on the overall time needed for the entire renovation. That’s because professionals have systems and workflows in place that maximize the efficiency of their job.

 

Expert advice on the right paint to use

Every house is unique from its construction materials to its age to its environment. With a professional, you’ll get peace of mind knowing that the paint type and application method will make for a long-lasting paint job. It’s even better if you decided to go with a general contracting company that oversaw the house renovation in the first place. They’ll know exactly what construction materials were used and work with the painting contractor accordingly.

 

Proper tools for every situation

Not every wall or architectural feature is going to be perfect. There are times when minor adjustments have to be made to ensure each coat of paint is applied without any blemishes. So besides painting tools, you also need a variety of other tools that only an experienced professional painter would know to prepare for in advance.

A professional would also be equipped with the right safety gear as well as field-tested techniques to protect your furniture and floors.

 

Consistency in high-quality work

Professionals have done the job for so long that attention-to-detail is second nature to them. They know exactly what to look out for, especially in preventing future common paint problems. At the end of the day, you can expect smooth finishes and trims that are properly done everywhere.

 

Painting is the finishing touch to a brand-new look for your house and it makes a world of difference when you get the painting professionally done.

5 House Projects to Do in the Summer

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The summer air is always filled with endless possibilities. School’s out. Work at the office is slowing down. Everyone is either in vacation or party mode. It’s the season where people are actively seeking to enjoy and improve themselves. For many, upgrading their homes is a combination of both.

 

If you’ve been itching to embark on an ambitious home improvement journey, ’tis the season! There are certain house projects that are just meant to be done in the summer. Here they are:

 

Home additions

Let’s start with the big stuff first. Building an addition to your house means exposing part of it to the elements. So make sure they’re the warm elements! With such a complex project though, you have to plan for it months in advance. Get a contractor lined up and nail down a start date. Have all the materials you need ordered and stored in safe, dry place. All this will ensure the project is finished as quickly as possible long before the cool weather of fall sets in.

 

Replace roof

The same goes for replacing the roof. Bring down the risk of inviting the wet weather into your house by doing as much prep work as you can to help move things along. Also, summer is ideal for roof replacements and home additions because they translate to cost-savings for you in the end. You save money by not having to compensate with higher heat while the house is opened up. Plus, the long summer days mean longer working hours that lead to a faster completion time.

 

Upgrade front door and windows

A lot of winterizing projects are best done in the dry, summer season. Take front door and window upgrades, for instance. Since you’re making these upgrades with better insulation in mind, it’d be counterproductive to end up sealing in moisture around the frames. For the greatest energy efficiency, stick with dual-pane windows. The space between the two panes will provide extra insulation and even improved soundproofing.

The front door, on the other hand, is more than just about the insulation. You also have to balance that with durability and security. Start looking at the top front door materials and decide which type best suits your needs. You can recoup the costs of these upgrades many times over with your supercharged energy bill savings afterward.

 

Paint exterior

There’s nothing like a fresh coat of exterior paint to give your house a facelift. Whether it’s making the original shade pop again or doing a complete colour makeover, the summer heat helps you do the job much quicker. For a smooth and long-lasting finish, make sure you thoroughly clean and prime the surface first before applying the paint. It can be a daunting task to take on yourself though so don’t be shy to call for professional painting services.

 

Re-pave asphalt driveway

Again, this is about taking advantage of the hot summer sun. Asphalt usually needs to have a temperature of at least 135°C for it to stay soft enough to be laid down. It cools off very quickly though so the hotter the weather is, the more time the crew has to spread it around evenly and create a level surface. An uneven driveway will really grate on your nerves after the fiftieth or so bumpy parking.

 

Done all these and looking for more? Fear not, home improvement fan! Read on for five more summer house projects later on this week.

Unlocking the Front Door Materials

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We tend to focus a lot on sprucing up the interior. It’s natural because we spend most of our time at home indoors anyway. Once we’ve got every room remodeled the way we like it though, it’s time to turn our attention to the house exterior.

 

The front door is great place to start so that you can upgrade the entrance security of your home as well as let your individuality shine through. Here are the three classic and dependable materials that people often swear by for their front doors:

 

Wood

Wood doors are divided into two different groups: solid core wood and solid wood. Some solid core wood doors have an insulating polyurethane core clad with hardwood and plywood. The whole frame is then finished with laminate or thinner pieces of plywood. Other styles use engineered wood as the core with a furniture-grade wood veneer on top. The main problem is that they don’t last for long when exposed to the elements as both heat and moisture can cause the plywood and laminate layers to warp. Damages to the surface are hard to fix, too, because you can’t refinish laminate layers. Even if the door uses a plywood finish, they’re often so thin that you can only sand and refinish them so many times. These are run-of-the-mill doors that are designed to be affordable. So if you’re just looking for a basic front door, solid core wood doors will give you that.

On the other end of the spectrum are solid wood doors. Solid wood is the most expensive of all the front door materials. Although it’s still at the mercy of the elements, it’s usually sourced from higher-quality wood that can withstand weathering much longer. Whenever solid wood doors does start to look weathered, you can always sand and refinish them to give another boost of life. With their natural heavy strength, rest assured that solid wood doors will keep your entrance secure. Plus, you’re guaranteed to have a door that’s unique with one-of-a-kind grain patterns.

 

Steel

When you think of steel doors, you associate them with high-security. And that’s true, to a point. The quality really depends on the gauge of the steel though: the lower the gauge number, the thicker and higher-quality the steel. If you want a solid door, try to get at least a 22-gauge steel door for a sturdy build that doesn’t flex like big-box-store 24-gauge doors. When steel flexes, it chips off the protective paint layer and exposes itself to rust. Another reason to invest in a higher-quality steel is that it minimises dents from blunt forces. Minor dents in steel doors can be pulled out with auto-body repair kits. Larger dents that can’t be repaired that way means you end up having to replace the whole door. The cost of steel doors again depends on the gauge, but they generally cost less than solid wood doors. Something else to keep in mind about steel doors is that they’re not the best at insulation. Although most steel doors have a good insulation core, you can’t change the fact that the metal itself conducts heat. But if you live in a moderate climate and top security is your only concern, then steel doors are a formidable choice.

 

Fibreglass

Fibreglass doors are the ones you can rely on in harsh climates. Because they don’t warp from moisture and don’t conduct heat, they last a lot longer and are better at insulation. They’re also a great alternative to mimic the look of wood at a much lower price. There are special coating techniques that layer the finishing with similar patterns and depth as natural wood grains. The trade-off with fibreglass doors though is they’re not as secure as the heavy-duty steel or solid wood doors. Fibreglass doors crack easily under heavy impact. If you live in a safe neighbourhood where security’s not an issue and you want an affordable door that can weather the elements for a long time, fibreglass doors are the way to go.

 

In the end, choose the material that’s best suited for your climate and lifestyle. Then, find ways to put your own personal stamp on it like custom hardware or personality-matching paint so that you can stand out from the crowd.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU

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