Real Home ImprovementThe Home Improvement Blog with real advice

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.

Homes should be friendly and welcoming and one of the main ways people keep up with maintaining this friendly atmosphere is with fresh flowers and neutral colours. Flowers have numerous benefits in the home, and whilst they look fantastic, they also help to purify the air with thanks to the main gas flowers consuming being Carbon Dioxide. Flowers come in a wide range of flowers however for the neutral, light magnolia type home, blue flowers and cool colours look amazing. For main rooms of your home, such a syour living room, warmer colours should be usedso that it brings a feeling of coziness to yourself.

One of the most convenient ways for you to get lovely flowers for your home is to order flowers online, as high street stores have a limited amount of stock according to the size of their showroom.

Statistically bathrooms are the third most used room in your home behind your kitchen and main bedroom (for obvious reasions, zzz) however it is always nice to be able to go to your bathroom for that nice relaxing bath and feel cosy. Much like a fireplace in a living room, bathroom furniture can become the focal point of your bathroom if you allow it to be, and in the majority of cases bathroom furniture is also an amazingly affordable way to make your bathroom more usable.

One type of furniture which is common place within any bathroom is a mirror with a cloaked or ‘hidden’ cabinet within, however furniture within a bathrrom can also be placed and used to aid actual users; one type of modification many home owners have done to their bathroom is to have compact bathroom units which, utilizing space effectively, integrate a sink and toilet close to one another. You can find a prime example of one such product here.

Because the average bathroom in the UK is the size of your average spare bedroom the modifcations I have made, and over 50% of the UK make, is to use bathroom furniture which saves space.

If you’ve decided to finally get started on that project to do up your spare room, a call to your home contents cover provider is unlikely to be high on your list of priorities. With exciting things like colour schemes, new furniture and the ambience of the room to think about, the comparatively dull world of insurance could seriously dent your creative mojo. However, avoid making that call to your contents insurer at your peril; if you’re spending a quid or two on the job, you’ll want to make sure everything is covered, especially considering the number of accidents us Brits have when carrying out a spot of DIY. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, a staggering 600 people go to hospital every day after suffering a DIY mishap. Every year 20,000 Brits are injured while using scalpels and knives during their home improvement projects, while an eye-watering 15,000 suffer an injury while using a saw. More painful still, 2,000 end up in A&E after a sticky situation with an axe, plane or wielding equipment.

Scary statistics, but there’s a real message behind the numbers: accidents can and do happen and it’s best to be prepared. Before you start a project, this could include making sure that you have adequate home insurance, including accidental damage cover. Although it’s nice to think of a project going as smoothly as possible, it’s not hard to imagine the things that can go wrong, whether it’s spilled paint pots, broken furniture or collapsed ceilings. Smash into the wrong wall or pull up the wrong floorboard and you could even be looking at structural damage.

So you’ve completed the project and everything’s gone smoothy, you’re out of the woods, right? Sadly not. Once you’ve finished creating your exciting new space, you may also need to put a call in to your insurance provider again – this time to let them know of your changes. The cost of new furniture can mount up, especially if you’ve let your imagination run away with you and invested in some opulent pieces to complete your new room. The easiest way to get the best value out of your home contents insurance is to regularly review exactly what’s in your home, how much it would cost to replace and get it covered. Pay for too much cover and you’re wasting money, cover too little and the results could be disastrous – find the right balance and you’ll be well on the road to a harmonious home.

Save energy to save yourself money

Saving energy has never been more apparnt than now – not just with the intention of saving a few pounds on your bills, saving energy is also helping the planet recover from all the notoriously bad gasses that have been pumped in to the atmosphere since the industrial revolution. New build homes are generally greener than older ones.

To save money and energy on your bills, try turning your thermostat down a couple of degrees and install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out. Other ways of saving energy include using a cold wash cycle when washing clothes as up to 85 percent of energy consumption occurs heating up the water.

Save water to save yourself money

Water consumption is a major problem all over the world, with many people taking advantage of it while many people  don’t even have the opportunity to do so.

Saving water can be achieved in a few ways, with one of the most effective ways being to take shorter showers and run shallower baths. Low flow shower heads are a good way of keeping shower costs down, and do not cost too much either – in fact, if you buy one for £20 then chances are over a period of 3 months you’ll have make your money back.

Drink Tap Water

Drink tap water, not bottled and save money as well as helping the planet. If you don’t like the taste use a filter. UK tap water is more tested and regulated than most bottled waters. The industry uses around 2.7 million tonnes of plastic in packaging not to mention the transport cost in fossil fuel. Even the plastic that is recycled has a transport overhead. So next time you want water – turn on the tap.

If you live in a hard water area then the best way to make tap water drinkable is to boil it and then filter it, as boiling eats up all metallic properties within the water.

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