Archive for September, 2009

The formal dining room seems to fall in and out of favour – once upon a time it was a special place in the house; rarely used except for dinner parties or celebration. The fall of the dining room came about at the advent of open-plan living whereby the kitchen flowed into the dining area and then into the living room. Some would argue that the formal dining room became redundant when families stopped eating an evening meal together.

However, for many people, a formal dining room is still seen as a special place to gather and enjoy the company of others over dinner so why not make it a stylish and comfortable place to be by redecorating and adding a few designer touches.

How to decorate a formal dining room

Consider how your dining room is used. If it’s a formal room used purely for dining then you should reflect that in your choice of d√©cor and fixtures. Many dining rooms are used for so much more than just eating so an informal dining room should be practical and functional. For the purposes of this article we’ll give tips on decorating a formal dining room.

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Are you the type of person who throws their coat over the nearest chair or across the banister when you walk through the front door? Perhaps you’re the one who chases after people ‚Äúencouraging‚Äù them to hang up their coats? Maybe you’re downsizing to a smaller home and space is at a premium so traditional hooks just won’t do? The solution to your problems is to buy some stylish coat hooks and coat racks to help keep your home looking neat and tidy and maximise the space available.

Designer coat hooks for the home

So, you’ve got a small apartment or your hallway space is tight ‚Äì you need to make the most of every inch of space. A coat hook that sticks out from the wall too far means that you’ll catch yourself on it when walking past or a door close by will swing open only to receive a big dent from the protruding appendage. You need some coat hooks that will fold away when there’s nothing hanging on them. Designers have latched on to this problem and created some great looking coat hooks that do just that.

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As much as it pains us to say it, the nights are drawing in which means we’ll all be retreating indoors earlier in the day. However, there will still be occasions when you need to venture outside of your home at night such as when you need to get something from the garage or the car. Then consider your own personal safety when walking home in the dark or emergency situations such as your car breaking down. And how about those annoying power cuts in the home leaving you fumbling around trying not to trip over your own furniture. What you need is a torch (or flashlight if you’re from the States).

Torches can be conveniently carried in your bag or the glove compartment of your car as well being in useful locations around the home. The type of torch you buy will depend on your needs but we recommend having a selection of torches for every situation. Here we’ll give a few tips on buying a torch.

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