As a homes and interiors public relations agency, we read a lot of articles on the latest news, trends and products for the home. This week, we’ve put together a round-up of the most inspirational articles we’ve read throughout the month.
Our write up includes articles from interiors publications YourHomeStyle, Homes & Gardens and These Three Rooms.
Image: Getty Images
YourHomeStyle – How to design the perfect children’s bedroom
Designing a children’s bedroom can be lots of fun but also challenging at times. Although you have multitudes of creative freedom when it comes to putting together a room that is enjoyable and inspiring for your child, it can also come with some limitations and cautions. This article by YourHomeStyle has some great tips for putting together a bedroom for a child.
Not only is it important to make a child’s bedroom look fun and inspiring, but it can also be practical to make it functional for a growing child too. One way to do this is to make sure that the storage in the room is accessible for a smaller child. Wardrobes in particular can often keep clothes out of reach and making sure your child is able to take out and put away their clothes not only helps them gain some independence, but also gives them the chance to tidy up after themselves. YourHomeStyle suggests investing in a double rail in the wardrobe, so that at least one level is low enough for a young child to reach. Alternatively, you can simply keep a stool nearby.
Although it may seem tempting to go all out with creative and exciting designs for a children’s bedroom, you may want to take a step back and consider how adaptable the design is going to be as your child inevitably grows out of the furniture or wants something else for their bedroom. An easy way to do this is to opt for a neutral base and add pops of colour on top, as the coloured items will be easier and more cost effective to change. On top of this, YourHomeStyle advises against using ‘children’s furniture’ as children will outgrow them quickly and they’ll soon need to be replaced.
Despite this, YourHomeStyle also reminds us that children are only young once, so now is the perfect time to get away with a heavily themed and adventurous bedroom. There’s no better way to transform a bedroom into your child’s haven than to tailor it to their personality and interests to truly make it their own.
Speaking of adventurous, as well as making your child’s bedroom look fantastic, why not make it interactive too? Not only do chalk board walls help to inspire creativity, but they’re also great for learning! Giving your child a wall that they can freely draw on with no permanent damage further encourages individuality in your child’s bedroom and allows them to make it their own personal space.
Image: Mark Bolton
Homes & Gardens – Bedroom Feng Shui – 10 ways to use its principles in your sleep space
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice meaning ‘wind’ and ‘water’, symbolising the flow of life. In recent years, it has become a popular trend in western interior design and is associated with bringing a calming balance to the home. There’s no better place for serenity than the bedroom, as it’s important to make your sleeping space a relaxing sanctuary. This is why we loved this article by Homes and Gardens which has some tips on incorporating Feng Shui into your bedroom design.
As Feng Shui is all about balance, your bedroom layout is highly important. As your bed is likely to be the largest piece of furniture in the room, this is the most important item to consider in your layout. Give your bed a central position in the room, but not facing the door, and make sure its accessible from each side. Put your bedside tables on either side of the bed and avoid hanging any mirrors in direct sightline of it; mirrors not only reflect light, potentially disturbing any ambient lighting that you have set up, but they can also encourage nightmares. The type of bed you have also makes a huge difference as beds are usually the focal point of the bedroom. Headboards are often used in Feng Shui designs as they represent stability and support as well as offering more colour, pattern and texture options to the room.
Image: Nicola Harding
Feng Shui interiors often use certain colour palettes to bring calmness and serenity into the room. Natural colours such as pale blues, yellows, greens and neutrals are the best for incorporating a Feng Shui look into your home. Blue in particular is a great go-to colour as not only does it layer well, but according to Homes & Gardens, it’s also often associated with sympathy, encouragement, spirituality, loyalty and thoughtfulness. Green is another colour that works well in Feng Shui design as it represents nature and is said to bring a good and positive feeling to a room.
One of the key aspects of Feng Shui is symmetry as not only does it make a room look much more organised, but in Feng Shui, it’s believed to promote harmonious energy. You can bring symmetry to the bedroom by balancing it around the focal point, which is usually the bed, and you can even mirror smaller touches such as pillows and lighting.
One of the worst things that you can do when trying to create a relaxing atmosphere is not take care of clutter. Not only should your bedroom be neat and tidy to promote sleep, but you should also rid the space of unnecessary items. Don’t neglect to look under your bed too, if it’s crammed full of items then try finding storage solutions to keep it all tucked away and organised. You should also avoid things that remind you of work or stimulation such as books, electronics and desks that could prevent your mind from resting while you try to sleep. If this isn’t possible, then try investing in some room dividers that will separate the more stimulating activities in your bedroom from your sleeping space. You could use screens, partitions, curtains, or even large furniture to keep your sleeping area secluded.
Along with using colour schemes related to nature to further embrace Feng Shui, including actual nature elements in your design will also do wonders for bringing tranquillity into your space. Houseplants are an essential aspect of Feng Shui and are also proven to have both mental and physical health benefits too.
As mentioned in one of our previous blog posts, lighting can make or break a bedroom. You want bedroom lighting that can set the right ambient and mood to turn your space into a relaxing sanctuary. Investing in light switches which have dimmers can make a big difference as it gives you more control over the brightness of the space. Homes & Gardens recommends one decorative main light, which is bright enough for you to use when you need better visibility, and two bedside lamps for a cosier atmosphere.
Image: Industville
These Three Rooms – Small bathroom ideas: how to design a fabulous space
Bathrooms are often the smallest room in the house but for some, they can be even smaller than average. Because of this, bathrooms and cloakroom interiors can be hard to design, as the lack of space leaves little room for creativity. This is why we loved this article by These Three Rooms, which features tips from two interior designers and two manufacturers. Not only is the bathroom an essential room in every house, but it’s also one that your guests are sure to visit, which makes putting together a look that’s stylish and presentable even more worth it.
Dee Gibson from Velvet Orange Design points out that a bathroom should be arranged so that it looks good when walking past an open door and she prioritises having the sink and mirror facing the door whenever possible. Phil Etherden from The Albion Bath Co. advises maximising the visibility of the floor as much as possible to create the illusion of a larger space.
Gibson also has some practical cautions when designing a small bathroom, such as making sure walk-in showers have fixed panes that are big enough to contain the water and drainage is good enough that the room won’t be flooded. On top of this, a small bathroom in particular needs good extraction to eliminate steam and odours. Karina Bondarevska from Mond Design also shared some practical tips such as always taking into consideration the need for a towel rail or hook next to the shower or bath when planning the layout of your bathroom.
Storage can be an obstacle in any small space, so when designing the interior of your compact bathroom, keep creative ideas for generating extra storage in mind. Gibson recommends creating cavity spaces in stud walls to provide shelving. Gibson, Bondarevska and Etherden all suggest opting for multifunctional bathroom furniture such as putting the area under the sink to good use by going for a vanity unit rather than a freestanding basin and also choosing a storage unit which has a built-in mirror to hang over the sink to tuck away any small bathroom clutter. Bondarevska advises listing off what items you would like to display on the open shelves and what you would like to keep hidden away so that you can work out how much storage is needed for each.
Bondarevska also points out that lighting is hugely important as you need to pick out the right lighting for the tasks that you most commonly complete in the bathroom, such as styling your hair, shaving, putting on makeup etc. Marketa Rypacek from Industville advises against using multiple ceiling fixtures as it can look overcrowded and suggests instead combining decorative lighting with LED lighting strips for a more streamlined look.
Image: Industville
What’s your favourite article from this selection? Let us know in the comments!
Ends
Jess
23rd June 2022
About jmm PR:
jmm PR is a PR, social media and influencer marketing agency that offers a range of bespoke and innovative marketing services that can make a real difference to your business.
With decades of experience and proven success in raising the profiles and awareness of brands and businesses, jmm PR has extensive public relations and commercial knowledge, which can effectively contribute to the growth of your business. Services include, writing press releases, proof reading and copy writing, plus campaign and event support, as well as social media and influencer planning and marketing.
jmm PR offers solutions for businesses of all sizes, including PR packages designed to support SMEs in addition to annual press office management to complement marketing plans of larger organisations.
For more information, please visit the website www.jmmpr.co.uk or contact the team on 01536 414555 or contact@jmmpr.co.uk
