The Finishing Touches

When it comes to designing your home, whether you are on a budget or have money to spend, it is the finishing touches that will make or break your room and are what makes it special and stand out.

There are a million ways that you can add the finishing touches to your home, whether it be a wall mural in an otherwise white room or a large painting, or how you use textures and accessories to pack a punch.

When I think of what I would like to do with my own home, I always think of the quirky touches that I would like to add.  In particular, pieces that you would not expect to be a feature, but really makes the room.  For example, how about a contemporary radiator in a room that doubles as a statement piece?

Is it art or a integral part of the home?  Those kind of interesting questions about how you can combine design and usefulness really interest me.

They say that the best things in life are free, and in your home, one way that you can utilise a free resource is through the way that you allow the light in.  A skyline in a previously dark room or using the windows as your focal point.  No curtains, simple design and just letting the light flood your interior, allowing the sunlight to create the light and shade in your room.

Making your home stand out and make your own personal statement and aesthetic does not have to cost the earth.  It can be about the little touches that you make or alternatively larger pieces that make a larger statement.

I love the idea of a wall mural from Paris in my bedroom, or using an element that is both functional and artistic to create a talking point.

The most important thing for me about designing your home is that you put your own stamp on it.  Expressing your personality through the pieces that you choose, the colour on the walls and the way in which you choose to have the room speak to the person that enters.

Are you going for cool and classic?  Comfortable and snug?  Anything is possible whatever your budget if you put your mind to it; above all keeping your design to what you will love.  You have to live with it after all?

What design elements do you love in your home?

Romantic Destinations

When you think of romantic destinations to visit with your partner, where do you think of?  A romantic weekend in Paris or Florence perhaps?  A week in New York might encourage a dozen romantic moments; a walk in Central Park, a jazz club with cocktails and dimmed nights at 1am...

For a longer stay, perhaps a honeymoon or anniversary visit, I always think of an island, a beach, turquoise waters and just you and your partner.   For me, that place is Mauritius. 

Mauritius is the perfect destination for a long haul getaway with your love and Destination2 has some amazing places that you can stay on the island.  You can visit the website here.  

Whether you want to do nothing but lie on an idyllic beach and have a dip in the crystal clear waters or whether you want an excursion or two, Mauritius has everything that you could want.

Perhaps a romantic horse ride on the beach at sunset or maybe a diving experience in a submarine underwater trip?

You can also visit Des Deux Cocos which is a private island only a five minute boat ride away from Mauritius where you can experience the feeling of perfectly alone together, in a setting that is nothing short of paradise.

Don't think however that Mauritius is only beautiful beaches, there is a life and a beat to Mauritius that you have to experience.  How about a visit to Le Caudan waterfront in St Louis where you can find shops, craft markets, bars and casinos as well as the famous umbrellas on the waterfront.

Romance does not have to be a holiday or a trip.  It doesn't have to be a romantic meal out or a boat ride on a lake.  Romance can be as simple as running your loved one a bath surrounded by candles, a snuggle together at 5am, a note left on the fridge saying "I love you".

When it comes down to it, romance is a personal thing and revolves around the pair of you, together.  Whether it is waking up to a kiss in the morning, or lying on a beach, holding hands in paradise.

What is your kind of romance? 

3 Good Reasons to Collect Jewellery

Image via Pixabay

People collect all kinds of things, from stamps, to old coins, knives, pocket watches, and beer mats. Oh, and, of course, also jewellery.

Society tends to frown a bit on people who are constantly buying jewellery — it’s often seen as a sign of an obsessive-compulsive shopping disorder of one variety or another.

A bit disheartening, no? But what if there were actually some good and compelling reasons for collecting jewellery, and not even feeling ashamed to admit it?

Well, here are a few such reasons.

Its value increases as time goes on

As a general rule of thumb, anything that improves in value the longer you’ve held onto it, is a winner, or is at least worth feeling somewhat positive about.

It’s unlikely that your collection of old beer bottle caps is likely to become significantly valuable over the years, perhaps unless they’re about 50 years old, and a whole subculture of beer bottle cap collectors has grown up around this particular brand and their quirky, discontinued, bottle cap designs.

Jewellery, however, typically increases in value predictably, kind of like property, with the market for retro and vintage jewellery being rich and dynamic, and with quirky pieces from even a few years ago often being very popular with the right groups of people, who would often pay good money for the sake of getting a hold of them.

And, of course, if you wanted to take a long-term view of things and consider what your jewellery could be worth decades down the line, maybe as a family heirloom, well — just do a quick Google search to see the cost of high-quality jewellery from the ‘60’s.

Jewellery allows you to easily express different aspects of your personality

Jewellery may not be “practical” in the immediate kind of way that a computer, or a screwdriver, is “practical”, but jewellery can nonetheless fulfil various important roles in your life and give you an ongoing sense of joy and satisfaction over time.

Specifically, jewellery allows you to easily express different aspects of your personality, via your appearance, and makes it easy for you to accessorise any outfit in order to blend together different motifs.

Belly bars gold, for example, can be great for when you’re in a more sexy mood. A pair of pearl earrings may be just the thing for that formal ball you’re planning to attend, and plain metal studs may send a no-nonsense signal in the workplace.

You can easily pass it on or sell it if you ever get bored

The thing about jewellery is that pretty much everyone wants it, and it’s rarely too hard to get rid of. If, after a few years of collecting, you decide that you’re bored of all your assorted accessories and want to get rid of them… well, you can.

Many items of jewellery will sell on eBay in a hurry, while others can be sold to various companies and shops who specialise in reselling jewellery.

If you can’t, or don’t want to, sell it, but still want it gone, it’d be an odd day indeed if none of your friends, relatives, or acquaintances was happy to take it off your hands.

*Collaborative piece