Archive for July, 2008

Bring in the Plants!

I was looking for a privacy screen or divider for our house when I chanced upon these web sites with some great "green" ideas for indoors.

www.ecospecifier.org

breathing_wall_11_medium  breathing_wall_hotel1_medium

"Breathing Wall"

www.treehugger.com

vertical garden

"Vertical Garden"

www.eltlivingwalls.com

misc_017  private_residence_15

"Living Wall"

My version of plants on the wall in our house…

our wall

 

The Chinese refer to plants as the "living energy".  It can add instant life to any dull corner of your house or even office.  Moreover, according to scientific studies having plants inside your home can be good for you physically, emotionally and psychologically. They are also proven to remove harmful chemicals from the air, absorb the noise and promote the feelings of relaxation and well-being.

Here is a link to the Top 10 Plants for Purifying the air.  It is also good to take note of some indoor plants classified as poisonous, such as those listed in the Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System.

Do you have indoor plants? Which one do you like best, the "Breathing Wall", the "Vertical Garden" or the "Living Wall"?

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Your Home is Your Castle

castle Yesterday, my thoughts were preoccupied with the things I wanted to do with our house. I rearranged the furniture just the other day. I’m still deciding on whether to buy a huge plant or a divider as a privacy screen near the entrance door. I can’t wait for our new TV entertainment unit to arrive. We just bought a new TV and the stand won’t be delivered until a few more weeks.

Since we bought our house one and a half years ago, we have added bits and pieces of furniture and new appliances. We added curtains, a new floor in one room and did some minor landscaping in some sections of our yard. Throughout these months, I felt I need to do some more revisions, redecorating and landscaping…until my eldest daughter’s affirmation brought me back to my senses.

While I driving to bring my daughters to their swimming class, my eldest daughter blurted out from the back seat of the car “Mom, I love our house…I really, really love our house”. My daughter is just four years old. She said it with such vigor and innocence that I felt pride and calmness that maybe I already did good in decorating our house.

But, on the other hand…I just realized that the biggest change that happened to our home is not so much the physical changes we made, but the great memories and deeper relationships we developed.

I do get a lot of compliments from the different people who have visited our house, especially those who noticed the changes we’ve made. However, the best one is from my daughter. What her young mind says, matters to me a lot…because I wanted her to have good memories of her childhood, the house where she grew up and most of all the love we share as a family in our house.

In the end, I can say that my husband and I did great. We did everything within our budget. We added value to our house without spending too much. But, most of all everyone is happy. There’s a place for us to get together, an area where we can all have our private moments and a designated area to play.

Thus, if you’re thinking twice of fixing your house or just need a nudge to start that weekend project, I’m encouraging you not to procrastinate. Your house is your castle. It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small, what matters is it is presentable, comfortable and it fulfills your family’s needs… and maybe some wants too.

Photo Source: Flickr by Jule Berlin

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The Magic of Interior Designers

I’m a big fan of interior designers. I’ve worked in the real estate industry for several years and witnessed how interior designers can transform:

The ugliest rooms to a fancy one…

moose room

The tiniest rooms to a multi-functional area…

attic

A tired space to a designer showcase…

living room

(These photos are from decor8’s portfolio in Flicker. )

One can have a collection of designer pieces, a bunch of artworks or several unique furnishings, however if you don’t know where to properly place it, you can easily end up with a roomful of junk.

Interior designers have the talent of sorting all these pieces together to create a masterpiece designed for comfort, a showcase or to simply enliven the space. The works of interior designers can be featured in just about any type of real estate such as commercial, residential and even industrial.

Notably, most property developers invest heavily in interior designers too. They utilize their service to showcase the property, portray an image, but most specially to help the buyers feel and imagine what a great piece of real estate it is.

If you have the money to hire an interior designer, why not pamper your home with one! This is money well-spent in maximizing the use of your space, increasing the value of your property and to also enhance the level of comfort of your own personal retreat.

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