The 15 Best Interior Design Blogs and Websites

When it comes to renovating an older house there are many issues you are likely to face not normally associated with a newer build. This can range from updating out of date plumbing and electrics to bring them in line with modern regulations, to structural issues where the building has experienced movement and subsidence over the years.

If you are a relative novice in home renovation then undertaking large scale work can become very complex and expensive. In worst case scenarios people spend thousands of pounds without having professional plans drawn up, this can often lead to a depreciation in the value of the house, especially if the property is stripped of its historical nature.

A successful renovation of an older house involves the modernising and rebuilding of the structure and fittings whilst preserving its character and heritage.

In today’s article we will be looking at 10 most common mistakes people make when renovating an older house and how you can avoid them.

Source: ww.reeveshomeandgarden.com

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Christmas is a day for everyone, with gifts, decorations and good food. However, we can waste a lot on this particular day and with a little imagination we can have a lot of fun and build beautiful memories while respecting the planet.

In this article, we give you plenty of tricks to organise your day whilst having an eco-friendly Christmas.

It is difficult to celebrate Christmas without a Christmas tree! You can of course decorate your interior plants, walls or create an original tree with recycled materials.

If you opt for a Christmas tree, make sure it does not have a negative impact on the environment.

* Avoid trees covered with artificial snow which is usually made with chemicals.

* Re-use your artificial fir tree several years in a row, it’s not necessary to change them every 3 or so years like it is often done! These trees are usually manufactured with non recyclable materials at the other end of the world.

* If you prefer a natural tree, don’t forget to ask its origin. It’s preferable to buy one grown in the UK.

* If you want to buy a fir tree, why not buy one in a pot so that you can plant it again in your garden?

* Recycle your natural fir tree, quite a few places collect them to make them into compost.

Source: www.digsdigs.com

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For an authentic flooring and an irresistible retro look, choose encaustic tiles. Created in the 19th century, these tiles are very sought after today in interior decoration. By mixing trends, you can add them to other styles for an eclectic and rich universe in your home. Its origin goes back to the end of the 19th century in Franceponds in Ardeche, near the first French cement factories.

The production of tiles at the time was mainly located in the south-east of France, they quickly conquered the palaces of Saint-Pétersbourg, the proud Gaudi buildings of Barcelona, the colonial villas in Asia, without forgetting the popular public buildings and dwellings. Decorative and robust, the concrete tiles quickly became popluar all over Europe. With the arrival of industrial glazed ceramics, these beautiful cement tiles got forgotten.

They are making a great comeback today thanks to their smooth design and their colours.These concrete tiles are manufactured by hand in Morocco and Vietnam. For the decorative side, by using a funnel, a mixture of marble powder, cement, sand and pigments is poured into a mould. To create the various design, a ‘divider’ made of brass is used. For the other side, the rest of the mould is filled with mortar to constitute the base of the tiles. The tile is then compacted and dried in the air for several weeks. In this article we look at various ways to use these tiles in your home and to help you come up with some ideas of your own.

In your bathroom

The most popular place for patchwork tile is bathroom. Here you can bring to life the most bizarre ideas of yours. Tiles can be used not only for walls and floor. By picking up the right size you may apply it to anything you want and slightly revive standard and boring pieces of interior. White tiles look clean but can give a cold and depressing look.Why not add a touch of colour by combining white and patchwork style tiles. It’s always a great idea in small spaces and why not be bold when you have to replace broken tiles and choose patchwork design?

Source: http://designmag.fr/

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