Category Archives: home

The pandemic has made all of us change our day-to-day lives in one way or another, with working from home becoming a new normal. For some it has been blissful, avoiding long commutes and leisurely lounging in comfy clothes whilst popping off emails. For others, it has been a nightmare, with cramped working spaces and workstations in bedrooms. It is for these struggling souls that a garden office can be life-changing, allowing you to work from home with ease, comfort, and safety. 

So, why is a garden room office so good? There are so many reasons why a garden room office will enhance your life, but we have narrowed it down to our top reasons…

Avoid Fuel Shortages

Let’s start topical and go straight in the deep end with avoiding all the delays you face with a commute to work. Whether it is the fuel shortages we find ourselves dealing with currently, or daily changes to our work routes due to accidents, roadworks, or bad weather, you can avoid it all by working at home. A garden office gives you a simple commute, and you can even stop for a coffee on your way in as you walk the handful of metres from your kitchen to your garden office!

Tailor your Space

You may need a variety of different screens, files, or products around you whilst you work, and having a garden office gives you the space you need to spread yourself out and get stuck in. Previously, Hawksbeck Garden Rooms have built garden rooms for financial advisors which need multiple computer screens, and small business owners who need to create their products and organise their accounts from home. Separating your work life from your home life is a healthy choice too, so not only will you be happier, but it will also make your life healthier. 

Office to Anything!

A good garden room will be built to last, so when you decide to stop working you can easily change your garden room office to suit a different purpose. Commonly, a garden room can be used as an annexe that relatives or friends can use when visiting your home. Equally, rent it out as an Airbnb and make a passive income after you have stopped working! You can design your garden room to have as many rooms as you like, including any toilets or bathrooms. 

Most importantly, a garden room office can give you freedom. Freedom to choose how and where you want to work, with comfort and style that is bespoke to you! Whilst they can seem costly, renting it out can be an easy way to make back the cost, and a garden room can add substantial value to your property too. So, what are you waiting for?! 

Environmental awareness is on the rise, and many people are attempting to create more eco-friendly homes. But what exactly is an eco-friendly home? It’s not as simple as one may think, so let’s take a look at the things which could make a house more eco-friendly.

The definition of “ecological” is “of, relating to, or concerned with the scientific study of the physical environment and its influence on life.” Your home could be considered environmentally friendly if it doesn’t have any toxic substances that could harm living organisms in its vicinity. So an eco-friendly home must have non-toxic indoor air quality, non-toxic water quality, non-toxic outdoor air quality and so on.

Some may not want to remove toxic substances from their home, and instead focus on easy switches they can do, in order to make it more eco-friendly. For those who are looking for ways to do their part for the environment, here are a selection of simple steps that you can try;

Reduce your energy consumption by making sure that you seal in any windows or doors with a draft, try insulating your tubes and pipes to conserve energy, swap your technological devices to more energy efficient alternatives, turn off your electronic devices when they’re not and use, and stop leaving them on standby.

You could paint your walls in your home with a low VOC paint, which are said to be lower in toxins, and thus will reduce air pollution indoors, which is especially good should you or anyone in your family have health conditions such as asthma.

There’s swaps you can do within your cleaning cupboards, where you can opt for more natural cleaning products, instead of the heavy chemical cleansers, which produce harmful, toxic fumes

Install low flow water fixtures like low flow toilets, which use significantly less water, and will reduce your water bill too, especially if you have a meter. There are many things we can do to make our home more eco-friendly, but even one tiny swap makes a difference, so give one of these suggestions a try.

With so many distractions in our daily lives, people are looking for ways to unwind and relax. Wellness is a priority in many people’s lives. This can be done through meditation or by taking time out for yourself.

The most common place you would find yourself doing this is your bedroom, where there are no distractions, and you can focus on your thoughts and feelings without any interruptions. The perfect space for relaxation should be calming and should also include natural light sources such as windows or sunlight coming through an open door.

What is the Best Way to Make Your Home a Place of Peace and Tranquility?

Peaceful is a state of mind. It is the ability to exist freely and without worry, and it’s what we strive to achieve in our home. Many people don’t know how to make their homes peaceful. But there’s no need to struggle; there are many ways to make your home a peaceful place for your family and guests.

How to Create a Relaxing Atmosphere in Your Home with Plants and Essential Oils

Plants and Essential Oils help create a relaxing and calming environment within and outside your home. Plants can give you a sense of peace and harmony, while aromas from essential oils can invigorate your senses, relax your body, and reduce stress.

Some plants that are also popular choices for calming the mind include Lavender, Lady’s Slipper Orchid, Rosemary, Cedarwood (which is great for de-stressing), Chamomile, Lemon Balm (also called “sweet balm”), and many more.

The Best Ways to Set Up a Mindful & Creative Space in Your Home

There are many ways in which you can set up a mindful and creative space in your home. Here are some DIY ideas on how to create a mindful and creative space with easy steps:

1. Choose a color or color scheme for your entire house

2. Stick to the same lighting scheme throughout your home

3. Add plants and artwork

4. Make sure that the room is tidy and clean

5. Create an inspiring playlist

6. Buy quality furniture that will last for years

In order to have a relaxing space in your home, you have to have a place where you can go and get away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. But with a busy commute and loud office, this may be all too difficult. But with a little bit of effort on your part, you can make your home more spacious and comfortable for yourself.

There are many benefits of our home feeling brighter, and homeowners have the option to change up their home, and adding brightness without having to spend a fortune.

There are many benefits to having your home feel brighter. However, on the flip side, reducing the brightness in your home can help with insomnia, but the human eye prefers more light than dark, so homes that have too much darkness can make people feel sad or depressed.

Bright colours can be a lot more inviting, and they can make us feel happier. They make our homes look less dingy and more vibrant. When it comes to decorating our homes, we tend to gravitate towards warm, cozy colours like browns, tans, and oranges.

These are all natural earth tones that remind us of what is familiar. An alternate way to freshen up your space is by using bright colours such as greens, yellows, and blues. They have a different feeling altogether, and they can work wonders for your mood!

What are the benefits of having a brighter home?

A study from Harvard University has found that people feel better when they are exposed to more natural light. It boosts their mood and makes them more productive in their day-to-day life.

Having a room that is lit by natural light makes it feel more inviting and warm. It can also increase productivity. The benefits of having a brighter home are not just aesthetic – they extend to the health and mood of residents, too.

People with depression or seasonal affective disorder can benefit from a well-lit space. In addition, those who work from home may find that they can be more productive in a brighter environment.

Add mirrors for an infinite reflection of light around the room

Mirrors can reflect light from one area of a room into another, which can make for a more vibrant and energetic space.

Designers traditionally put mirrors on the walls to bounce light around the room. They sometimes have mirrors in ceiling corners to reflect natural light, or they use them strategically so that the sunlight passes through them.

Decorate your space with light colours to add brightness

Decorating with light colours is a great way to add brightness to your home or office. They can make a space feel more spacious as well as provide a calming environment.

Light colours are best for spaces that are small and lack natural light because they reflect off of surfaces and bounce back onto the walls. This not only brightens up the room, but also helps it feel more spacious.

Light colours can also help create a relaxing environment for people who spend most of their time in that space. They have been shown to reduce anxiety and stress, so they’re perfect for bedrooms or reception areas where you want people to enjoy their time there instead of feeling nervous or anxious.

Add Some Plants to Your Decor to make your room feel brighter

Plants can give your home a bright and vibrant atmosphere. The aesthetic qualities of plants are well-known. They can make your room feel lighter and brighter. They also release oxygen into the air, purify the air, and improve its quality. This is also why they are used in hospitals to help patients recover faster.

Use lighter fabrics for your curtains to allow more light in

Lightweight fabric curtains like voile, or net are a great way to lighten up a room. These curtains let in more light than regular curtains, and the fabric is usually much thinner than regular curtains. This allows more natural light to come through, making it seem brighter.

Opt for lighter coloured fabrics

Lighter coloured fabrics can make a room feel brighter. They can also reflect light and cause a room to appear larger. Light colours provide an airy and open feeling to the space, as well as making it an enjoyable place to spend time in. This is because light colours create a sense of space, balance and harmony, which in turn can lead you to feel more peaceful, calm or energized, and there’s lots of things we can do to give our home a brighter, more airy feel.

I think we can all agree, we’ve had to spend more time at home in the last eighteen months. With travel restrictions, and restrictions in general, we haven’t been able to have holidays and trips away like we previously could, so being stuck at home more, is the perfect excuse for a revamp.

You can use your home decor to make budget-friendly changes. Some items that are more expensive than others, but you can still find a cheaper but aesthetically pleasing alternative. For example, curtains. You don’t have to spend a fortune on fancy curtains to keep your home nice and cozy. In fact, there are many different options for curtains that will provide the same benefits at a fraction of the cost.

Shop Your Stash

Shop your home! Take an inventory of what you have and find creative ways to reuse old items. This is a very important skill to learn for people who live in small flats and can’t afford to buy new furniture or other household items. You might have many old items sitting around your home that can be used for something else.

Lighting

Replace standard light switches for dimmable ones for added function – With the help of a dimmable light switch, people would be able to adjust the lighting intensity in their house themselves.

Dimmable light switches can be installed on standard light switches. This way, people wouldn’t need to use two switches and both the brightness and colour of lights could be adjusted with one switch. Dimmable light bulbs are also available for those who want to enjoy more control over how they use their lighting.

Decluttering

Clutter is everywhere, whether we notice it or not. It takes up physical space in our homes and in our minds. It takes away from our productivity and may lead to depression. The best way to get rid of the clutter is by purging what you no longer need, use, or want. This will give you a cleaner home that feels more spacious and less cluttered. You can also find joy in giving things away that might be useful for someone else, which is an act of charity that makes everyone feel better.

Soft Furnishings

In order to update old furniture and give it a new look, you have to think about three main things: the colour, pattern and texture. You can choose a neutral colour such as white or grey. You can also go for a bright accent colour if you’re looking for something different. As for patterns, you may like stripes or polka dots. Finally, textures are usually an overlooked aspect of furniture, but they can make all the difference.

Plants

Plants and flowers are known to have positive effects on our moods, but some of them also serve an important role in the ecosystem. Bringing plants into your home is a great way to add some colour and life into your space.

There are many benefits to adding plants to your home décor. For starters, they can help purify the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen as a by product. They can also help you take care of indoor air quality because some plants produce natural substances that act as natural air fresheners. The right types of plants in the right locations can even help lower stress levels and improve moods.

Repurposing

Re-purpose items in your house for new purposes: If you don’t have the money to buy something new, think about what items you already have that could be used for a different purpose.

Saving money is a critical component of financial success, so it’s important to think creatively about how to re-purpose items in your house for new purposes. For example, if you need a vase and don’t have one on hand, try using a decorative plate or candleholder.

Making adjustments around the home doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t need to hire a contractor or designer or spend thousands of dollars to make your home look better. You can make inexpensive changes with paint, plants, art, or furniture, and it’ll still make a massive difference in revamping your home.