mirrors Archives - Tammie's Take~

5 Easy Ways to Make a Small Room Look Much Bigger

Reviews · September 27, 2018

Featuring short ceilings and a lack of open space, small rooms are notoriously difficult to decorate and even harder to effectively use. Thankfully, there are a few tips and tricks that can revolutionize your tiny rooms and make them seem much larger, open and fresh than before. These range from classic, time-proven strategies to some modern, out-of-the-box ideas that you can easily apply. By following these 5 simple steps, you’ll be on the right path to make the most out of any small room so without further ado, let’s take a look!

1 – Tone Down the Amount of Furniture

Furniture takes a lot of space and if they’re intricately detailed to boot, the effect is even more noticeable. By only choosing a couple of essential, gorgeous and preferably minimally detailed pieces, you can save a huge amount of space and have just as much usability as before. Remove anything that isn’t absolutely essential and stick with the key pieces that make the room – keep it simple! There’s also one nifty trick that goes hand in hand with this one, which is the next point:

2 – Use Hidden Storage

Incredibly effective and offering the best of both worlds, furniture with hidden storage can be an absolute lifesaver in tiny rooms. From sofas and benches that have a hidden storage compartment at the base to the classic table with shelves combo and even sofa-beds, they’ll look great and act as a decorative boost as well as allowing you to store any items you need discreetly without the need to have those bulky pieces of furniture that only serve for storage. If your walls allow it, pop-out tables and in-the-wall cabinets are also a fantastic way to save space.

3 – Get Lots of Light and Light Colors

By having a lot of light in the room – be it natural or artificial – there will be less shadows and less dark spaces which creates the illusion of more openness and a larger area. You can do this by using more potent light sources than the usual and by increasing the number of light sources as well – lower ones such as lamps are even better than ceiling fixtures to create the effect. Light colors on the walls, furniture and decor are also a must as they make any space look much bigger, clean and breathable than what it is. You can go for light pinks, light yellows and even very light blues but the best one is the classic white.

4 – Use Mirrors Everywhere!

One of the most popular ways to enlarge a room, mirrors are possibly the most effective strategy for anyone that wants to turn a tiny space into a seemingly large one. Their reflections of both light and the room surfaces are a stunningly potent combination that makes a compact space look super open and if used often it can double or triple the perceived amount of space! While classic wall mirrors are a good start, the most effective ones are the big and powerful full length floor ones. The best part is that you don’t have to break the bank to enjoy their effect as there are some truly excellent cheap floor mirrors for sale.

5 – Harness the Power of Stripes

It works just as well in rooms as it does in clothing – stripes can heavily alter our perception of surfaces to make them look much more elongated than what they truly are. You can be creative with this concept and go wild but keep in mind to get the right direction of stripes (horizontal or vertical) for the surface. From a simple striped rug to vertically striped wallpaper (which makes the ceiling look much taller), the options are endless and all of them unbelievably effective.

One Final Word

All of these nifty, easy-to-do tricks complement each other beautifully well and if applied to a tiny room, they will dramatically alter its appearance and make it look immensely larger. I’ve used these countless times myself and I’m always stunned by the results, their beautiful simplicity is part of their effectiveness. Now there’s no excuse not to enjoy your small rooms so get out there and start decorating – you’ll thank me later!

5 Tips to Deter Intruders

Reviews · November 29, 2017

The holiday season is upon us. It’s a time for coming together and celebrating, giving and receiving gifts, and being thankful and grateful for what we have. Unfortunately, it is also a time when we are susceptible to being victims of crime. Read on how to make the holiday season remembered for all the right reasons.

Recycle

Yes, you read it correctly, and you may be questioning how your recycling can affect your potential for being a victim of crime. The cardboard boxes that you leave out on the curb for the recycling collection are a very clear indicator to people that you have recently had a whole lot of new equipment that is a prime target for intruders. Break up your cardboard boxes into smaller pieces so that they fit in bins.

Light up

Install LED flood lights from E-conolight into your garden or yard so that your outside space is adequately lit. Pay attention to doorways and any dark passageways or vulnerable areas. Not only are you burglar proofing your outside space, but making it safer for you to use the space in the dark too. Invest in some timers for lamps for inside your home, so that they come on when it gets dark. Don’t light up your living spaces as this will just illuminate the fact the house is empty; instead, opt for lamps in hallways of upstairs rooms that will give the illusion of someone being home.

Landscape

Don’t be tempted to leave your garden or yard to become neglected over winter. Just because you are not outside enjoying it like you do in milder seasons, it does not mean that you should allow it to become unkempt. Unkempt gardens provide ideal hiding places for intruders to watch your home from. Try to mow the lawn once again before winter becomes too harsh: people equate long grass lawns with homes whose occupants have gone away on vacation. Keep items such as ladders locked away in a garage or storage to prevent any opportunistic robbers from being able to access your home – they tend not to bring their own!

Mirror, mirror on the wall

Mirrors are essential accessories for any interior; however, check what view your mirror can provide an outside inquisitive intruder. Can they see whether your security system is activated by looking in the mirror? Or, perhaps they can see the car keys on the console table? Step outside and look through the windows to examine what your mirror reflects, it may be more than you had hoped. Cut to size mirrors can help avoid the scenario where the current mirror is offering a view for potential intruders, fitting to dimensions that suit your house layout.

If you can’t make it, fake it

From the street, an intruder will not be able to tell whether your CCTV cameras are real or dummy, and nor will they hang around to test it! You can also purchase decals of a fake alarm system to deter opportunistic thieves further. Another great trick to use is for your neighbors to leave footprints in the driveway and around the yard if it snows while you are away.

People rob houses as and when they see fit – if the right circumstances are aligned. They will not enter a home or property if they consider that the chances of getting caught are high. Use these tips to reduce the chances of your home being targeted so that you can enjoy the rest of the holiday season in peace.

How to Make a Room Seem Bigger

Reviews · September 15, 2017

Modern homes are great in some ways. They are generally better insulated, but, on the other hand, the rooms are often smaller. If you want to learn how to make your rooms seem bigger, please read on. Below are several simple and relatively easy ways to achieve the look you are after.

Create the right type of focal point

When you enter a room, without realising it your eye is naturally drawn to a focal point. You can use this natural reaction to your advantage. Try to create your focal point so that it draws the eye along the room or to its furthest point. This has the effect of making the space seem as big as possible.

It could be as simple as hanging a large canvas print on the appropriate wall then up-lighting it, so it catches the eye. You can easily buy the kind of high-quality picture you need for this task from the Hello Canvas website. The fact that you can potentially choose any image means that this is an approach that can be used in virtually any home.

Use mirrors

Another simple approach is to hang more mirrors in your room. Potentially, you could turn a mirror into your focal point. If you can hang it so that it reflects the room beyond it will also make the room seem far bigger. Even if you are not able to hang it in this way, do not instantly dismiss the idea of using mirrors in your home. They are a great way of capturing the natural light and reflecting it back into the room.

Let more light in

Generally speaking, the brighter a space is the bigger it will seem. As well as using mirrors be sure to open your curtains as widely as possible. Also, consider installing internal doors with glass panels, so that light can flow more easily through your house.

Draw the eye outside

If you have a garden try to set things up so that you can see it while you are in your house. This has the effect of drawing the eye outside, which automatically makes the room you are entering, or sitting in, seem larger. Ideally, you should install French or patio doors, but if you cannot do this just make sure that you make the most of the windows you have.

Change your window coverings

Try to choose window coverings that do not drape over the actual glass too much. The more of the view you show the better. Plus, of course, by taking this approach you will be naturally letting more light into your home.

Improve the lighting

The way you light a room also has a big impact. If the space is dark and dingy it will naturally feel small and pokey. You can learn more about how to use lighting in your home to improve the look and feel of it as well as create the illusion of space, you can do so here.