Posted by We already talked about how to childproof your apartment but what about getting rid of the details that might not be so important for child safety, but crucially influence your own feeling in the ambiance? A teddy bear collects dust in a dark corner of the bedroom, wires hang like vines from the walls, and a large shell from sea vacation is an eyesore. We find out what things can harm the interior and how to take them under control.
Bed linen and towels
We carefully select the shade of the curtains, in harmony with the color of the walls, look for decorative pillows that contrast beautifully with the upholstery of the sofa, and often remain indifferent to the bed linen. Even if a professional designer worked on the interior, this textile element most likely was not taken into account in the project. As a result, the color and pattern of the set may not only not harmonize, but also argue with the overall color scheme. It would seem that it’s okay: the bed linen is hidden from the eyes of the guests, only you look at it. But you also experience irritation.
Even if you’re not used to leaving your bed in a mess, and the bedspread is long enough so that the duvet cover doesn’t peek out from under it, you still spend a lot of time in the company of your bedding. If you do not prepare for sleep in complete darkness and do not tend to momentarily make the bed even on weekends.
Bed linen visually takes up a lot of space. When it comes to large color spots, choose a shade that blends into the overall palette.
Kitchen towels and towels in the bathroom can also be a problem. They do not take up much space but can play the role of an annoying color blot. It is not necessary to choose exclusively faded and neutral options. Both the color and the print on the towels can be important details: if you make friends with their shades with the decor, the textiles will become a perfect decoration.
Jars and flasks
Bathrooms are quickly overgrown with assorted bottles, jars, and tubes. At the same time, many manufacturers of hygiene products and skincare cosmetics choose aggressively bright containers and labels for their products. If all this diversity spoils a balanced interior, and there is not enough space in the cabinets, part of the army of bottles can be eliminated by replacing them with beautiful dispensers.
Choose dispensers that are slightly different in color, size, and/or design so you don’t confuse hair balm with shower gel. Decals on dispensers in the bathroom are a short-lived story.
Jars of spices in the kitchen are usually stored in a cabinet, a beautiful bottle of oil is more likely to become an interior decoration, but detergents that live on the sink are visual irritants. Constantly pulling dishwashing detergent out of the cabinet is not ergonomic, it should be at hand. Dispensers come to the rescue again, well, or indifference to such details.
Pet’s things
The pets themselves look great, but the signs of their life can harm the interior. And it’s not just about the peeled armrests of the sofa. These are bowls tangled underfoot, a sagging dog bed in the middle of the room, and finally a cat litter box.
What to do? Show creativity. The dog bed can be placed on the lower tier of the closet, in the bedside cabinet, or under the coffee table. Bowls – fix on a kitchen island or build into a drawer. A cat tray – hide in a dressing table or wicker box. To find different furniture pieces that might be useful for this purpose you can look at the liberty furniture assortment.
Souvenirs and gifts
These gizmos are designed to evoke pleasant memories and associations, but they do not always succeed in achieving harmony with the interior. This happens when we buy souvenirs “for the show”, without thinking about their interior neighbors.
In order for souvenirs to fit into the interior, try to avoid clichés. Instead of figurines, mugs, and magnets that are sold in every tent, you can bring a vintage box found at a flea market, a painting by a local artist, handmade textiles, or ceramics from your trip. This approach will not only bring unique things to the interior but also make shopping on vacation more creative and thoughtful. Of course, if you have the time and desire to do it.
Another problem with souvenirs is that there can be too many of them. All of them can be liked individually and in small groups, but once they are gathered together on the shelves, we get visual noise. Something from the collection can be temporarily hidden behind the facades of storage systems, left in plain sight, and, depending on the season, holiday, or mood, collect a new composition on the shelves.
Bad gifts are harder. You may have tender feelings for the giver, but a huge teddy bear, a strange vase, and a gaudy photo frame can be superfluous in a living space. Here everyone decides for himself: to hide, get rid of, or leave an unsuccessful gift in plain sight, deciding that aesthetics is not the main thing in life.
Wires and extensions
It is difficult to deal with these household demons, but you can try to prevent their appearance by including the required number of outlets in the project at the repair planning stage.
And what about the wires going to the TV? Most aesthetic and technological option: hidden wiring with laying wires in the wall chase, but it is also the most radical and time-consuming. If the walls have been finished for a long time and no one is going to ditch them, cable channels and decorative boxes will come to the rescue.
Dryer and ironing board
In the absence of a utility room and an insulated loggia, a floor dryer is forced to live in living rooms.
Few people have enough time and energy to hang clothes to dry before work and clean them up after. So a floor dryer, shamelessly full of underwear, spoils our mood every day.
Compact wall-mounted and ceiling-mounted dryers that can fit in a small bathroom can be the solution.
An ironing board rarely appears in living rooms in an unfolded form, but even when folded it is not a luxurious decor element. If the apartment does not have not only a technical room but also space in the closet, try placing the ironing board on the inside of the closet door using special hooks. An ironing board integrated into a drawer can be an ergonomic solution.
Toys and stationery
Children’s toys that live only in the children’s room are a utopia. They inevitably spread throughout the apartment. The same often applies to school notebooks, pens, rulers, and other erasers.
You can put up with it or make an attempt to instill in your child a love of order. This will help beautiful boxes, baskets, and organizers.
These are just general recommendations. The listed irritants may not be in your own list. You may like soft toys, shells, and factory-made shampoo bottles, even extension cords spreading around the house may not bother you. Focus on your own feelings and eliminate from your field of vision what is really annoying.
