Category Archives: home

I don’t know about you, but I always dread the winter months for one reason, and that’s the difficulty in washing and drying your laundry. I don’t have the space for a tumble dryer, so I rely on using a conventional washing line, and spend most of the winter months flicking through weather apps on my phone to see when it’s going to be dry and fine.

Laundry is something that we often take for granted. We do it because it needs to be done, but we rarely think about how to do it in a more economical and efficient way. There are services like Laundryheap which are a godsend all year round, but in the winter, they really are a saviour as they offer an on-demand laundry service. Where they can do general washing, dry cleaning and ironing to suit your schedule, so

Laundryheap offer their customers free collection and delivery, so you don’t even have to worry about dropping off your laundry or clothing to them. If you want to try their services, you can book via their handy mobile app, or through their website, and they even offer same-day laundry and dry cleaning, with free next-day delivery, and guarantee the lowest price.

I hate washing bulky items like bedding or sofa covers, and never mind trying to iron them, so Laundryheap are ideal as they’ll professionally launder your items, and they don’t use any harsh chemicals within their servicing, making them perfect for those with sensitive skin. Right now, you can take advantage of Laundryheap should you live or work in London, Birmingham, Manchester or Coventry, and hopefully there will more cities introduced over time.

One of the most annoying things about a wet winter is trying to dry your laundry, and it can be a pain to find places to hang your wet laundry, which then takes forever to dry. Whilst conventional clothes horses are a staple for most homes, a heated clothes rail will really help you this winter.

Heated laundry airers are a simple but genius way to make sure your clothes always look (and smell) their best. You may have seen these racks in the dry cleaners, but a heated clothes airer works much like a window air conditioner, pulling in hot air from both outside and inside to circulate around the clothing, which is then pushed out into the atmosphere as cool air, thus drying your clothing.

Another way to stay on top of your laundry this winter, is by using drying balls. They might sound a little random and strange, but they’re usually made from rubber, with lots of nodules on the outside. They’re designed to dry your laundry faster by taking the moisture away from the clothes. This prevents any mould or mildew forming on your damp laundry, and they’re also reusable, environmentally friendly, and durable too.

With the global crisis, many of us tried different ways to improve our homes with how much more time we’ve all been spending at home. House plants considerably increased in popularity, and whilst aesthetically, they look great, did you know there’s actually multiple benefits of having plants in your home?

It’s known that having plants in your home can actually help with improving your mood, help you to sleep better, and even help by reducing heating bills in the winter. Yes, really. Introducing plants into your home is a simple way to reduce stress, increase productivity, and make the place feel more like home with natural beauty.

With so many benefits to be gained from adding some greenery to your space, it’s worth considering if having plants in your home could benefit you too. Let’s take a look at the benefits of having house plants in your home.

What is the Difference between a Houseplant and a Garden Plant?

It might sound obvious, in that garden plants are grown outdoors and house plants are grown indoors, but there’s actually a difference in the needs of both types of plants. The main difference between these plants is that garden plants need to be outdoors, and they require a lot of sunlight, while house plants can grow in the shade as well as in dim light.

Houseplants are usually small and don’t need a lot of space, and can be placed in any room. Garden plants, on the other hand, need more space and cannot be placed anywhere because they will need lots of sunlight. Houseplants require less care than garden plants do – they only need to be watered once or twice a week, while garden plants need to be watered every day.

The Benefits of Having House Plants

Having a house plant in your home can have a number of benefits for you and your family. For example, the plant will release oxygen into the air, which improves air quality. House plants can even improve your mood by releasing chemicals that elevate moods and lower stress levels.

Plants also increase our natural vitamin D intake and can lower our stress levels. While they may not be the cheapest thing you could do for your house, house plants are an investment that will give you many benefits in return.

With Christmas being only ten weeks away, money is going to get tighter over the next few months, and we tend to focus on gifts, food and spending money on other people. We don’t need to neglect ourselves or our homes, especially with retailers like Desenio offering a hugely extensive range of prints for every budget, age or lifestyle.

As the trend towards minimalism spreads, everybody wants to save money and make their homes more efficient. But, there is no need to completely overhaul your house for this. Sometimes, it’s just enough to give your bedroom a revamp. Bedroom revamps give you a fresh start and give you the opportunity to get rid of the clutter and unwanted items that were taking up space in your room.

“At Desenio, you will find Scandinavia’s widest range of posters along with frames, hangers, picture ledges and clips. We frequently add new items to our range, in order to keep abreast of the latest interior and Scandinavian designs. We have something to suit every room and style of interior.“

Desenio have every type of wall art you could possibly imagine. They have quote prints, botanical prints, illustration prints, abstract prints, monochrome prints and a lot more. Their website is so easy to use, with you being able to search by size or design.

Once you know the type of print you’re looking for, you can filter the results by art style, theme, format, colour and size, so you can find your perfect print. There’s even a size guide on each print, to give you a good representation of the print’s sizes. I think we’ve all been there when we’ve ordered something online, only for it to arrive and be a lot smaller or bigger than we expected.

If you love the idea of revamping your bedroom with some new prints, and don’t know where to start, Desenio have you covered with their Gallery Wall Tool. The tool shows you what the prints will look like in your rooms, by choosing the colour of your walls, a picture wall configuration, the print designs, and also the frames.

So you have any idea of how everything looks together, and see if it clashes, before you in order to avoid any disappointment. Desenio take out all of the guess work, and make buying prints super quick and hassle-free.

I personally really love gold prints, and Desenio have a massive range of gold themed prints. Prints featuring gold foil elements tend to be quite expensive, but Desenio’s prints look aesthetically luxurious, but they’re affordable, allowing you to achieve a Pinterest-worthy bedroom without breaking the bank.

My personal favourites from their website are;

• Zodiac Patterns Poster
• Palmistry Poster
• Take A Walk On The Wide Side Poster
• Prada Gold Marble Poster

Wall prints add a unique and personal element to a bedroom. They add colour and texture, making your space feel more homely and allow you to add your stamp to your bedroom’s style. So, if you fancy giving your bedroom a revamp, take a look at Desenio’s website.

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.