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Category: Interiors

5 Tips In Creating the Most Comfortable Living Environment For Your Family.

Many people spend a lot of time and money on their homes but don’t always consider how to make their homes the most comfortable place for them to live. This post will give you five tips on creating the most comfortable living environment for your family.

Image by Andy Giraud from Pixabay 

1 Keep Your Home Neat and Tidy

When you are comfortable in your surroundings, it will let you relax and enjoy being at home. This may seem like a no-brainer, but many people don’t keep their homes clean or free of clutter because they feel too tired after work to do anything about the mess. Keeping your house tidy is an easy way to help make your home more comfortable. This will also give you far more peace of mind when you consider the amount of time you and your family will be spending at home.

2 Invest in Comfortable Furniture for Everyone

When you are comfortable, it will help you to relax and truly enjoy your time at home. This means that everyone should have a piece of furniture in the house where they can sit down comfortably and just be themselves without feeling like there is pressure on them to stand up straight or look perfect for other people. In addition, you should invest in family room furniture that is comfortable so the whole family can enjoy spending time together.

3 Keep Systems Up to Date and Maintained

When your systems in the house are up to date and maintained, you will feel much more comfortable at home. For example, if your air conditioner is old or broken, it can make the summer months uncomfortable when it’s hot outside. Consider air conditioning repair for a more comfortable temperature. In addition, keeping all of your appliances (and other systems) updated and well maintained helps keep everyone comfortable during different seasons.

4 Invest in Smart Home Technology

With the growing trend of innovative home technology, it’s easy to make your house a comfortable place for everyone. For example, using smart thermostats not only help keep your family comfortable with an adjustable temperature and save you money on energy costs. Other examples include sensors that turn lights off when no one is in a room and wifi-enabled appliances that can be controlled from anywhere (including outside the house).

5 Create a Comfy Patio for Family Time

There’s nothing like enjoying the fantastic weather from a comfortable place. If you don’t have one already, consider building or purchasing a patio for your home where everyone can enjoy spending time outside together in the summer months. This is an easy way to make your entire house more comfortable and create lasting memories with family and friends!

One final tip: Remember Your Garden! Nobody wants to come to work or relax at home after spending hours taking care of their yard and garden all day long – if there isn’t any grass or flowers, then what’s even the point? Also, investing time into making sure your outdoor space is clean and free from debris will help make your house a comfortable place to be.

Readers Questions Answered? What Does It Take To Fully Renovate Your Home?

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Renovating parts of your home can refresh important rooms and areas. Usually, you might tackle one project at a time, whether it’s installing a new kitchen or converting your basement. But there are times when you might want to attempt a full renovation of your home all at once. Maybe you’ve looked around and realized that everything looks very out of date. Or you might have just moved into an older home that needs to be modernized or renovated to make it more your taste. When there’s a lot of work to be done, it can be tough to decide what to do first.

Decide Whether to Live In or Out

Home renovations are a lot of work and they can be very disruptive to your home. Before you start any work, you need to decide whether you can deal with being around it while it’s ongoing. If you think it would be too stressful or inconvenient, you might prefer to move out while the work is happening. Of course, this means you need to find somewhere else to stay while the work is being completed. This could be staying with friends or family, or it might mean staying in a hotel or other accommodation.

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Move and Store Your Stuff

It’s difficult to renovate your home when there’s a lot of furniture and other things to work around. You can cover some things with dust sheets and other items to protect everything, but it’s not always the best solution for items that can get in the way. You might want to book a moving company to move your things out of your home. You could rent a storage unit or find somewhere else to store some of your possessions. Alternatively, you could move things from room to room as you work on different spaces in your home.

Create a Project Schedule

Before you renovate your home, you need to know what is going to happen and when. It’s important to have a schedule to follow, partly so you can plan the rest of your life around it. It’s even more helpful if you’re going to be living at home while renovations are ongoing. You might try to get as much done at the same time, or you could complete your renovations in stages. The second option can allow you to take breaks between small projects so that you don’t have to have too much going on at once.

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DIY or Professional Help?

Of course, one of the big questions, when you’re renovating your home, is whether to do the work yourself or to hire contractors to do it for you. You might decide to go one way or the other for all of the work that needs to be done. On the other hand, you could do some of the work yourself and leave some of the more difficult or labor-intensive projects to professionals.

Fully renovating your home takes a lot of work, as well as a lot of money. But it can also be rewarding to refresh your home.

Are You Keeping On Top Of These Home Maintenance Tasks

Maintenance of one’s home is a significant duty, but it can also be extremely satisfying. There are many various areas in your home that need to be maintained, and some require more frequent maintenance than others. Carrying out simple tasks more frequently will help you save money on your electricity bill, prevent greater expenditures from accruing over time, and keep your house comfortable and safe for many years to come.

Here, we look at some of the home maintenance tasks you should be keeping on top of.

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Cleaning out your refrigerator

Your refrigerator can account for up to 15 percent of the overall electricity consumed by your home. If your coils are not kept clean to ensure maximum effectiveness, that figure can rise significantly. If you are wondering how to clean the dark and confined region beneath or behind this item, the answer is surprisingly simple: vacuum it. This should be done once or twice a year.

Changing the filters on your HVAC system

A duty that varies from family to household is changing the filters in your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ( HVAC ) system. Filters may need to be changed every 2-3 months if you have a smaller home with fewer air pollutants –  fewer people and no pets –  but you should still check them once a month in larger homes. Seasonal changes might also have an impact on maintenance. For example, during the winter months, when a family is more likely to stay indoors, the quality of the air will be more significant. 

Filters come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Filters that are less expensive will last for a shorter period of time than more expensive filters. There are also reusable air filters available, which will need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Cleaning the vents and ducts in your home on an annual basis will help to extend the life of any filters you may have in your home. If you have an issue with your air conditioning units, don’t try to fix them yourself; call out a 24 Hour AC Service to sort the problem for you. 

Clean out the gutters

Gutter cleaning should be performed twice a year at the very least. The best time to clean them is late fall, after all the leaves have fallen, and early spring, when you are doing your spring cleaning. However, the gutters should be visually inspected at least four times a year, if not more frequently. Checking for sagging and leaks or holes can be done by walking around the house and looking for signs of damage. After each season, climb a ladder and inspect your roof and gutters to make sure they are free of debris and damage as well as your home.

With more trees growing around your property, it is important to keep an eye on your gutters more frequently to make sure they are not becoming clogged with debris. For homeowners in cooler regions, keep an eye out for ice dams, which can form and allow water to seep into your home’s attic.

My Organzing Adventures with We Heave Ho…

I met Anita Devlin of We Heave Ho years ago through family and friends but I really really became enamored with her when she started her amazing organizing business, “We Heave Ho”. With each job, I was mesmerized by the before and afters. Anita is so helpful, understanding, and passes no judgment at all. And I love her motto, “decluttering brings clarity”!! Every single family that she works with is just so incredibly thankful and asks for more and more (and yes I have seen this first hand).

So, here’s where I come in…I probably get 2 or 3 requests per week for the name of an organizing company. Whether be a moving job, or a garage cleanout or even a packing request for a college dorm set up. I reached out to Anita and we decided to work together to bring my readers along with us on one of her jobs.

I knew that I really wanted to be part of a Laundry Room Makeover…basically, we went to one of her client’s houses and the laundry room was such a good size but the homeowners just were lost in the space. Anita met with the wife and got to know a little about the family, their needs and she measured and sized up the space and then hit Bed Bath and Beyond and Home Goods the day before we started the job. I wish I went with her but that is for another post!!!

Anita, her interns and I arrived at the home ready to go. She was armed with her organizing baskets, labels, hangers, bins..you name it she had it AND she even brought flowers and coffee cake for the family.

I broke up the day into 3 parts.

THE BEFORE:

THE DURING

AND FINALLY……THE FINISHED PRODUCT (4 hours later)

So whether you have a small job or a larger one Anita is ready for you. I would start by following her Instagram @weheaveho. She has the best swipe ups to buy all the wonderful orgazing products she uses., Trust me, you will love Anita as much as I do!

One last before and after….Anita you are WONDERFUL!!!!

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Home Goods Round-Up for A Rainy Weekend!!

Yesterday I went into the Port Chester Home Goods trying to find some blue and white objects for my patio. Unfortunately the blue and white selection was pretty slim but there were still many other great things that caught my eye that I wanted to share with you.

These Turkish towels are beautiful. Perfect for the pool or beach!

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This candle holder would look great as a centerpiece. For holidays you could place greenery underneath.

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I really loved this Navy Blue grasscloth desk. There were two and another in a lighter blue. Perfect for working from home!!

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This mirror stopped me in my tracks..I wish I had a place for it..

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There were a few Missoni looking pillows. They would look great as an accent to outdoor furniture!

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This small cube was very interesting…I love the print!!

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Another set of great throw pillows, also perfect for outdoor furniture!

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This wooden flag was really nice in person….

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There were so many acrylic glasses…love the palm trees!

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More acrylic glasses. How cute are the swimmers for out by the pool!!

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These outdoor storage benches were amazing. I am so upset that I left them there…

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A few weeks ago I saw these trays and featured them. Now they have 2 sizes available.

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This navy cocktail table would also look great in an outdoor seating area.

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I also love one or two of these scattered among other outdoor furniture.

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These hanging lanterns are amazing..I wish I had a place for them…

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Love these midcentury side tables!

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I am always asked for storage solutions. These cubbies would be great in a mudroom or playroom or home office.

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I love the details on this cabinet. The woven door and the distressed wood look so good together!

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They had 3 sizes of these storage baskets. The tassel details are so great and would fit in with any decor. Buy one or two for your laundry room, closet or any room where you want to keep things out of sight!!!

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This chest was a little smaller but the style is perfection..this would be great in a beach house or cabana…

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Is anyone having a clam bake?

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Rigaud Candles…If You Know You Know…

Jackie Kennedy brought Rigaud candles to the White House. Halston always had one or two burning on his desk or coffee table. And Frank Sinatra would only have Rigaud candles in his homes. Now you too can have access to these amazing French luxury candles.

I started buying Rigaud during the quarantine. I was sick of buying candles that barely smelled. From the minute I opened the box, the fragrance was lingering. Not overpowering just a really beautiful smell. I bought Jackie’s favorite the Cyprus. A blend of the aromatic sweetness of lavender, the woody, crisp notes of pine needles, and the powerful aroma of cedar wood. It smells heavenly. Recently, I have been burning Rose and it is incredible.

Rigaud Paris candles are considered by many to be the finest, most elegant, and highest quality candles made in the world today. Each candle is hand-poured and inspected to insure a premium quality product. Rigaud candles burn evenly, without leaving any deposit on the glass and they do not tunnel, unlike hard wax candles. Click on the links below to see the products. All of the scents come in 3 sizes, small , medium and large and vary burning times. I have chose a sampling below.

This is the large rose candle. It has 90 hours of burning time!!!

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This is the medium Gardenia. I want this scent next. The medium size burns for 60 hours.

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If you want to sample a candle, I would recommend the small size with the wick cutter. This fragrance is Cythere. It consists of fruity notes reveal hints of jasmine, delicate and transparent, on a slightly musky backdrop. This candle has 23 hours of fragrance.

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Here is the Reine de la Nuit candle. Reine de la Nuit (Queen of the Night) is a light and sensual fragrance created around a lavish and mysterious flower. A heady oriental scent like an evening melody.

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This scent is Jasmine Green Water. Part of Rigaud’s Single Flower Family, Jasmin has a fresh essence of bitter orange and jasmine petals mixed with the sweet, mellow warmth of the orange blossom. Ideal for spring and summer months.

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This is the Lilas Mauve. Lilas is a part of Rigaud’s Single Flower Fragrance Family which focus on a single flower whose fragrance stirs strong emotions, such as rose, jasmine, or lilac. This Lilas candle has all the delicacy of fresh springtime lilas, with touches of the green freshness of Lily of the Valley and a touch of powdered ylang-ylang.

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Vesuve is part of Rigaud’s “Woody” fragrances which known for being both warm and elegant. All contain rare and precious essences such as amber and incense. Vesuve has notes of cedar, warm and spicy notes of cinnamon and cumin which bring personality to it’s scent.

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I love the little black and white zebra “travel” candle…

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The Rigaud fragrance diffuser is ideal for instantly creating a scented atmosphere in the house. Keep this a short distance from textiles such as drapes, cushions, curtains, rugs and carpets is enough to pleasingly scent them. It’s a simple way to give the entire room a pleasant fragrance. Very long-lasting in true Rigaud quality and style.

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The Rigaud fragrance spray is ideal for instantly creating a scented atmosphere in the house. One press on the pump at a distance of about one meter from textiles such as drapes, cushions, curtains, rugs and carpets is enough to pleasingly scent them. It’s a simple way to give the entire room a pleasant fragrance.

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I saved the best for last. This is Jackie’s and Halston’s favorite, Cypres. Cypres is a part of Rigaud’s Aromatic Fragrance Family which brings the freshness of the Mediterranean forests into your home. Introduced to the White House by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1960, this is a blend of lavender, the woody, crisp notes of pine needles, and the aroma of cedar wood. This fragrance is deceivingly mild–not at all overwhelming–but a lovely, elegant, fresh scent suitable for any room or occasion.

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Here is a shot from the Netflix Halston series…notice the 2 Cypres candles on the coffee table.

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