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Top Tips To Transform Your Dingy Bathroom To An Urban Oasis

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Never underestimate the importance of style in the bathroom. After the bedroom, it’s the first room you face in the morning and the room you return to the most throughout the day. It’s the one room of the house where you can usually count on being alone, and it’s the room that almost forces you to relax.

Don’t let a dreary, dingy bathroom make you dread the time you spend there. Put these tips into practice and transform your bleak bathroom into an urban oasis.

Lighting

Sleek, modern lighting can give your bathroom a spa-like feel. Elegant pendants with glass drum shades combine stylish functionality with easy-to-clean practicality. Smooth frosted glass sconces provide the ambient lighting every bathroom needs. If you have enough room, a crystal chandelier hung over a modern vessel sink strikes an unexpected contrast between quiet neutrals and over-the-top drama.

Flooring

Hardwood flooring is every decorator’s favorite, but it’s just not practical in the bathroom. Fortunately, most bathrooms are small enough that you can splurge on your flooring, because you won’t need a lot of material. A natural stone floor brings nature indoors, which is always calming. If you can’t afford natural stone, porcelain tile that mimics stone is an excellent second choice. Don’t forget to add radiant heat under the tile to keep your feet toasty on winter mornings.

Walls

You have two options when it comes to your bathroom walls: you can paint the walls white and add a pop of color with colorful towels, or you can put color on your bathroom walls and put crisp, white towels on the towel racks. Wrap classic white subway tile around a tub surround or backsplash, but make it modern by using white glass tiles instead of ceramic or by incorporating a glass tile accent strip into the design. Wallpaper is impractical for a bathroom, but you can add interest to plain walls with removable graphic vinyl decals.

Accessories

Bathroom accessories give you a chance to add softness and comfort to an otherwise hard-surfaced room and to appeal to the senses of sight, touch and smell. Luxurious towels are only the beginning. Add functional scented accessories such as soaps, lotions and candles and textured exfoliating mitts. Hang an ornate lacquered mirror over the sink, and tuck a small potted fern or vase of cut flowers into a corner of the vanity. Nothing stresses you out more then worrying about being late for work, so be sure to hang a stylish clock on the wall so you’ll always know what time it is.

Integrating Adjacent Rooms

No matter how peaceful your urban oasis bathroom is, it will seem out of place if it doesn’t share design elements with other rooms in your home. For example, if you have hardwood flooring in your master bedroom, choose a master bathroom flooring material that looks good with hardwood. Similarly, if your home is decorated in a Tuscan theme, bring a color from that theme or a piece of Tuscan art into the bathroom.

It’s so easy to transform a dingy bathroom into an urban oasis, there’s no excuse not to try these tips today. If you’re in search for national or local flooring experts, check out a reputable retailer and installer such as Floor Coverings International.

Arnold Norton has experience in home repair, renovations, and improvement. Mr. Norton has published several informative blogs and articles focused on helpful tips for new and current homeowners.






Why The Way TV Ratings Are Measured Needs To Be Upgraded For The Digital Age

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The way TV ratings are measured in the USA, as well as many other countries, is decades old, and based a lot on broad estimation and guesswork. This leads to all kinds of problems where TV networks schedule shows based on this data, or even cancel shows which actually have large fan bases, because the ratings suggest otherwise. Here we take a look at how ratings fan base are currently measured, and why this no longer fits with the way many Americans choose to get their TV fixes:

What Are Neilsen Ratings, and How Do They Work?

Neilsen ratings are the main means of measuring how many people are watching a given station at a given time and hence the ratings for a given television broadcast. Invented and managed by the company Nielsen, the system is based on boxes installed in a proportion of homes that monitor what is being watched.

From this data, trends are analysed and possible viewing figures are extrapolated. This means that when you see that a given sporting event, or occasion like the Royal Wedding, gains record breaking viewing figures, this may not actually mean there really were more people watching this broadcast than any other broadcast in history, or in a given year. It is simply thought that there were, based on how many people with Nielsen boxes watched it.

Neilsen ratings also only take into consideration live broadcasts, so if somebody records something with a service like TiVo, or watches it with their TV provider’s on demand service either through their TV box or online, it will not be counted.

Why This Simply Doesn’t Work Anymore

The average TV installation service includes all kinds of convenient ways people can watch their favourite shows, as and when they like. This means that a lot of people don’t watch TV at its scheduled times any more. While some extremely popular shows may be an ‘appointment to view’ for some people, and things like the news and sports will always be watched live, when it comes to the average sitcom or drama, the live audience when it is first broadcast gives no real indication of how many people will have ended up watching that show that week.

Additionally, some people like to save up shows so they can watch a whole season in a marathon, meaning they don’t have to wait to get the full story. This means that the number of people who end up watching the show as a DVR recording or on demand could continue to rise for a while after the show has finished airing.

With people’s viewing habits and options having changed so much from their pre-digital, pre-internet state, this antiquated means of judging the popularity of a TV product produces figures that can’t be relied upon. The industry will soon need to come up with a new way to count real viewing figures, or to combine analysis from Nielsen with other forms of data, for example how much certain shows are being discussed on social media and blogs.

Featured images:
  •  License: Creative Commons image source
  •  License: Creative Commons image source
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://pixabay.com/en/icon-diagram-bar-cartoon-graphics-37717/?rf=api_jitendraag

Today’s featured contributor, Kate Harris, is a private investigator. She also works as a security consultant at AAA Satellite, one of the leading manufacturers of business security equipment. In her spare time, she likes to write blogs about various types of security systems used in businesses.

How To Protect Your Valuables During Home Renovation

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When you choose to remodel your home, you are opening your doors to a hoard of strangers who will demolish and refurbish a part of your house. The basic rules of home renovation include:

  • Allowing the contractors access to your house when they need to
  • Each contractor is permitted to make as much noise as needed

But this noisy and somewhat chaotic project doesn’t always mean that you will be losing your mind throughout the process. With proper planning, it is possible to live through your home renovation with your sanity intact. Here are a few ways you can prepare yourself and your home for a very hectic home renovation project.

Move Out Of The House

One of the best options during home renovation is to move out of the house. Construction is a noisy, gritty process and living in a dirty construction area with dust on your bedroom and on other furniture pieces will only stress you out. In addition, you can’t even clean up your home because you will only face the same problem the next day. Lastly, you can’t even function in your house well, especially if they have turned off the water supply. With all these inconveniences, it is advisable to move out of the house for the time being during renovation.

Find An Alternative Space And Avoid The Renovation Area

If you are thinking that it is impractical to move out of the house since they are only renovating one room, such as the kitchen, then you will need to look for an alternative space where you can establish the same function and avoid the kitchen area altogether.

For instance, while the kitchen is being renovated, you won’t be able to use the appliances placed there, such as the stove, kitchen sink, fridge, and so on. With that said, you will need to find another area in your house where you can perform all the kitchen tasks. For example, you can place the microwave, fridge, and other appliances in another room that isn’t undergoing renovation. You can also consider eating out instead and store the appliances and kitchen furniture pieces in a storage area that is located in another location.

Pack And Store Items And Furniture Pieces

Another tip to keep your sanity during home renovation is to keep the items and furniture pieces in the renovation area out of the house. The best place to securely store them is by getting a storage unit.

You need to understand that the room undergoing renovation will be subjected to dust and debris and this can ruin or damage your valuables. Properly packing, labeling, and storing your possessions can save you from frustrations once the project is complete. Here are a few tips for packing your valuables.

  • Purchase the necessary supplies, such as high quality boxes of different sizes, bubble wrap, plain news prints, packing tape, marker, and notebook for inventory.
  • It is best to keep an inventory of the things you place in each box and put a label on each container. This will help you find and identify the items stored inside each box.
  • Do not leave empty spaces in each box; however, do not over fill the container since it might damage the items inside. Keep in mind that heavy items should be placed in smaller boxes while lighter items should be placed in bigger boxes.
  • Fragile items, such as glasses, dishes, and other breakable kitchen items must be packed first. If you have items made of glass, crystal, or if you have china or stoneware, they must be protected with bubble wrap. This can cushion them and protect them from getting damaged.
  • For large kitchen appliances, you will need to apply specific care. For instance, if you are storing your fridge or freezer, make sure that you defrost them first. This will prevent water from leaking out to other items and appliances. It is also advisable to keep its doors slightly open to prevent water condensation. As a tip, make sure that all the appliances stored in the storage unit are clean and moisture-free.

These are just a few practical tips for keeping your sanity during home renovation. Remember that proper planning, organizing, and storing can make a huge difference between a smooth home renovation project and a frustrating one.

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This guest post is written by Kris Hopkins who had gone through home renovations in the past. These tips helped her throughout the process. She also recommends using safe and secured storage units from US Storage Centers when storing valuable items, furniture pieces, and appliances.

Do You Really Need A New Fitted Kitchen?

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Are you currently agonizing over whether or not to splash out on a new kitchen? The kitchen is said to be the heart of the home, and naturally you want yours to look good and be practical to work in. However, a new fitted kitchen can be a major undertaking that can cost thousands and leave your life in chaos for a few weeks while the work is completed. If you really want to give your kitchen a new look there may be ways to go about it that will be less intensive, however there are some situations where the only option is a full remodel. Here are some points to consider if you’re not sure whether to move on that new kitchen or make some more superficial changes instead:

How Do You Feel About the Layout?

The layout in the kitchen in the one thing you can’t really change without a refit, and if you have counters in places you don’t want them or a breakfast bar or other fixed area you would rather not have to deal with then there really isn’t any way to get around the need for a professional remodel. However, if what you want to do is add something to the layout (for example you’d like to add an additional work surface or a place to eat), then you may be able to do this with non fitted furniture. Think about the ideal layout of your kitchen, and whether getting there can be achieved without removing anything that is currently there.

Are the Things You Don’t Like Down to Appearance or Age?

If you simply don’t like the look of your counters or cupboards, you can often change them without changing the fitted parts. New fronts for drawers and cupboards can be ordered to size, giving you the look people go for with custom kitchens while also keeping the foundations of your existing kitchen structure. You can also get new counter tops. You can often install things like this yourself or use a local handyman or casual builder rather than needing to pay the kind of money you’d pay for the work on a new fitted kitchen.

However, if it is the appliances that are old and unpleasant to you now, and they are built in to the fitted kitchen, you may have to go for the remodel option. Some kitchens have appliances that can be easily replaced, however with a lot of modern styles you have things like stove tops built in to counters, and this can make it difficult.

Is There Damage?

If parts of the original kitchen are damaged or have aged to the point where they are hard to keep clean, a refit is going to be inevitable in the near future to rectify things. You may be able to spruce up the kitchen with some superficial changes in the short term but broken cabinets and counters will ultimately need to be replaced properly, so you might as well take the plunge now if you can afford to. Damage caused by things like floods absolutely must be addressed immediately, however in most cases you’ll get help with this from your insurer.

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The author of this post, Gary Mint, is an experienced interior designing consultant. He likes writing and is always shares his creative ideas with others through his blogs. Every weekend he goes for camping and likes being close to nature.

10 Corporate Gifts Under $15

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You’ve heard of the exorbitant vacation homes, yachts and even private jets given as corporate gifts between the elite; however, those aren’t very practical gifts when you aren’t a part of the Fortune 100, and when you don’t just have a single person to give a gift to.

For inexpensive gifts that are great and really stretch the dollar, consider these ten gifts under $15:

1. Mobile Apps

In this age of the mobile device and tablet pc, you can’t go wrong with gifting popular apps to your employees. Whether from Google Play or the Apple App Store, the available options are virtually endless; furthermore, there are customizable features for most of them – including an automatic “Gift This App” option.

2. Lottery Tickets

This next corporate gift idea is one of the cheapest around; yet it also has one of the biggest possible payoffs and will be appreciated by employees. Buy them each a scratch-and-win lottery ticket. Availability is never a problem with this kind of gift, and it is very forgiving of last-minute gifting decisions.

3. Gourmet Teas and Coffees

Gourmet teas and exotic coffees can make small and effective gifts for any employee. There are often large numbers of vendors with equally large varieties of flavors, giving discounts and package deals to stave off the competition. This bodes well for you when it comes to prices.

4. Massage Tools

Although you probably can’t get a quality, professional massage for under $15, you can secure some quality novelty items in a massage kit. These well-made and useful contraptions are of the personal variety, and are just as effective at working out the shoulder, back and neck kinks from a long day’s work.

5. Mugs

Ceramic mugs and glassware make great corporate gifts, because of the almost infinite range of variation of logos you can put on them. Whether you opt for to go wholesale and brand them with the company logo, or perhaps popular team logos, the price is inexpensive enough to get for a large number of employees. Additionally, there’s no need to restrict yourself to mugs; thermos and shaker cups for smoothies and powders also go over well as gifts.

6. Duffel Bags

Logoed duffel bags, of the quality you might obtain at tradeshows and company get-togethers make good corporate gifts. Given that you’re an established business, many popular manufacturers may even give you discounted prices in return for the advertising they receive when your employees use their products.

7. Padfolios

Given that almost everyone has a tablet or large smartphone, custom padfolios, sleeves or wallets make smart and useful corporate gifts these days. Similarly to the duffel and sports bags, there’s a fair chance you can receive discounted prices on these already inexpensive gifts when bought wholesale.

8. Edible Gifts

Edible gifts encompass a whole range of goodies, from chocolate selections to hard candy and gourmet cookies. Some companies even opt for the homemade variety to add a personal touch; but, either way, the gifts are inexpensive and valued.

9. Magazine Subscription

If you have any known avid readers of a particular print magazine – or online for that matter – then subscriptions are inexpensive corporate gifts that really go a long way. Top magazines like Time, Psychology Today, Esquire, Fast Company and others are good for a year’s worth for under $15 each.

10. Wine Opener

Everyone drinks wine, right? A custom wine opener can readily be had for under $15 and makes a great and lasting corporate gift. Add a logo for a personal touch.

Nicole provides advice and information on the best business management practices. She has found Boxt corporate gifts to be the most cost effective corporate gifting options.

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