As technology advances and workplace expectations increase in light of the economic downturn, demand for home offices is on the rise and savvy homeowners are taking steps to transform bedrooms or basements into a functional work space. Whether you are creating a home office out of an unused room or are looking to update an existing space, take a look at these top tips for breathing fresh life into a home office with a few modernising techniques.

Store sensibly

If you have a lot of clutter occupying your home office, the best way to organise the space is with slick, modern storage. Built-in cupboards behind tall sliding doors provide optimal space for hiding office stationary and files, as well as electronics when they are not being used. When choosing materials for your new storage surfaces, opt for reflective materials; this will create a contemporary look and also help to reflect light and brighten the room.

Go ergonomic

To help minimise the strain of working long hours at your desk, invest in ergonomic furniture such as specially designed cabinets and chairs. Ergonomic chairs can help to reduce discomfort in the shoulders, neck and back and for many people can aid productivity, while filing cabinets on wheels allow ease of use and can reduce work related injury. When selecting ergonomic furniture, be sure not to sacrifice the decorative theme of the room and opt for designs that match the style of the rest of your furnishings.

Make a statement

Your home office needn’t be a stuffy space full of dull, lifeless furniture. In fact, a pop of colour and interesting artwork can help you to lift your mood and have a positive effect on your attitude to work. It is also important not to neglect your sense of style when kitting out an office space. Add a splash of personality without going overboard by incorporating a single statement piece such as a quirky desk chair or an unusually designed desk.

Keep it simple

Modernism and minimalism go hand in hand, so for a practical but contemporary home office, keep things simple. This is particularly effective if the space is only used occasionally, allowing it to fully function as an office whilst remaining an attractive feature when it is not in use. Choose one or two light shades to colour the walls and decorate the room with a few accessories such as plants and paintings. Make full use of storage and clear away clutter for a simple but chic space.

Across all of the homes in the UK equipped with a granite worktop galaxy granite worktops just keep popping up. But why is? Is the galaxy granite effect one of the most popular choices when it comes to finishing a kitchen? Well it would appear so. As stated already on a premium granite blog post, granite is extremely sought after for the awesome finish it provides, and galaxy granite seems to be the most popular choice amongst all of the different types. So what does a galaxy granite worktop look like?

To the right you will see what galaxy granite looks like. Granite is a natural stone created right here on earth by mother nature, and whilst some kitchens might differ slightly to the image to your right, one thing can be said; galaxy granite worktops look amazing when fitted against contemporary fixtures and fittings. Other widely popular choices of granite finish worktops include tan brown granite worktops (perfect for a more oldy-worldy look), new venetian gold granite worktops, emerald pearl granite worktops, Kashmir gold granite worktops and blue pearl granite worktops (excellent if you are going for a more bold look).

Over the last 10 years, kitchen work surfaces have changed a lot. Gone now are the marble, granite and quartz effect synthetic worktops and in their place have come granite and quartz stone worktops, two very robust and hard stones perfect for any kitchen within the home.

Between the two, though, which is best? Well although they may appear similar to the eye, there are certain aspects of both which are better than the other.

Granite

Granite worktops are incredibly fashionable within both the US and UK home right now. This is down to a few reasons, however the combination of them looking fantastic under all light and being extremely easy to clean is a major buying factor. The problem with granite worktops though is that they are incredibly delicate, and granite as a stone whilst hard isn’t the most durable surface in the world. Typical scenarios where granite is susceptible to damage include placing a hot pan on the surface, dropping a large weight on a corner and scratching the surface under extreme stress. Unlike wood, which can be sanded down, granite can not be refurbished easily.

Quartz

Quartz worktops and quartz isn’t an earth-grown organic stone, and is in fact artificial, however you wouldn’t think that from looking at it. Due to this, quartz is available in a wide amount of designs and sometimes can even be custom built. A key advantage to quartz over granite is that is a much more durable material due to quartz having an even amount of iron content across one slab, and granite worktops are also a non-porous material – making it ideal for cleanliness and maintenance.

Like granite, quartz is an incredibly desirable work surface within the home.

Conclusion

Granite is a natural stone whilst quartz is an engineered stone. For the purists, granite is going to be the clear choice just for status reasons, however the smart person would pick quartz due to it being a non-porous stone and it also being more durable than granite thanks to it having an equal amount of iron content throughout the board. Price wise, granite can be expensive, whilst quartz can be too. Essentially, you should make the best decision for you based on whether you want to risk a broken worktop just because you want the more fashionable surface.

Overall fashion tends to change over time, so whilst granite may seem fashionable right now it may not be next year. If it were me choosing a worktop right now, I would opt for a quartz worktop based on its shelf life alone.

Homes are becoming more and more sterile. This is down to a few reasons, however technology and neutral colors are the main culprits, creating (whilst modern) rather samey and boring spaces to live. That’s not that neutral sterile colors are bad thing though, do not get me wrong, as they helps to brighten up your home by reflecting light but sometimes, don’t you wish your home was just that little bit more organic? Well, topiary and flowers are a fantastic way to inject some organic pzazz in to your home, at a pretty affordable (depending on the flower type) price.

Now flowers come  in pretty much every shape, size and color imaginable. What type of flowers you like is down to personal choice, however I personally love  large-headed Roses, peach Germini, Lilies, Chrysanthemums and white Lisianthus which create a nice vibrant bunch much like the one pictured towards the top right of this post. Now you can pick up flowers in a number of ways, however due to numerous accidents such as my flowers getting crushed in a car ride, I prefer to order flowers online purely because they remain fresh and guaranteed.

Be sure to check out the different types of flowers online and make sure you enjoy your flowers this winter and remember, bring a natural touch to your home to ditch that artificial feeling.

For thousands of people around the UK making use of plants and flowers in and around the home is common place, however in the past 10 years artificial topiary plants have started to become more and more popular. Now, there are a number of reasons as to why artificial topiary is on the move and finding its way in to homes across the UK and in this article we are going to take a look at what makes artificial trees and topiary a good buy for the average home owner.

Range

There are so many different types of plant in the world that you can safely bet there are an equally different amount of artificial variants. Amongst the most versatile include great looking hanging baskets, silk topiary trees, and regular blocks which can be shaped and made in to a highly modern decorative piece to fit in with the rest of your home.

Cost

Plants can be pretty expensive depending on the type you buy, and with that price also comes the equipment to keep everything in tip top shape over time. What’s more, eventually plants die out or tire with their better days behind them whilst artificial plants and topiary do not; in fact, artificial topiary can last as long as you do as long as it is looked after in order to keep it looking vibrant.

Shelf life

As touched on above, organic shrubs die out over time and a lot of them are also seasonal meaning they won’t look their best until Summer comes by. Now during the seasons of Winter and Autumn in particular, this is the perfect time to invest in some artificial topiary as it will keep your house looking fresh.

Maintenance

When I was younger I used to live in a house with a conservatory, and low and behold, my mum would be tending to plants one heck of a lot. Now whilst I love the smell of fresh organic shrubs, oak tree’s and plants, it was a lot of work to make it look its best. If I knew, I’d have almost certainly pointed out artificial topiary (my favourite’s being silk topiary trees) to her in order to save her some time as quite simply, they do not need watering feeding or spraying (just dusting occasionally).

Overall

So there we go, four pretty good reasons as to why artificial topiary is becoming more and more popular to the average home owner. This type of product in particular is already massively popular within the business sector too, with artificial shrubbery being a hot seller for brightening up the workplace and bringing a bit of outdoors to employees.