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Are you Cool or Warm?

Lighting By Plum

7 years ago

Did you know the colour temperature of your lighting can have a significant impact on how you feel at home?

Getting it right, both in terms of colour temperature and levels of light will make your home more comfortable and help maximise its potential.

Why not come and find out more at our next FREE lighting design and control workshop in Basingstoke on 24th May, from9.30am to 1pm : Lighting Workshops

We will cover all aspects of lighting design, latest fitting trends as well as how its controlled. What's even better ... our venue in Basingstoke offers a full hands-on control experience and it's not just lighting, but all aspects of home technology from blinds and curtains to sound and TV! So come and have a play...!

And please do vote below... Cool or Warm or Very Warm?

Cool?

Warm?

Very Warm?

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Advice to make my cold, plain, open plan space feel warm and inviting!
Q
Comments (32)
Hi Catherine, You have a lovely open plan kitchen and lounge, but as you say, it lacks punch and interest. Since you're stuck with the stainless steel kitchen for the time being, you need to work with it and have some fun. A symmetrical arrangement of stainless steel shelves either side of the splash back for the cooker would allow you to put up interesting bottles, plants, china, etc. What about painting this wall a bright colour like Seville Orange from Crown and the other walls in natural white. You could also paint the base of the island in the Seville Orange. In the seating area, use the orange colour and some others like plum or blue-grey in fabric patterns, have cushions made up for the seating area. Also an area rug large enough for the front feet of your sofas and the coffee table to sit on with colour would brighten up this area. It's unfortunate that the TV is blocking a French window. Can it be moved somewhere else, perhaps the bay if the bottom shutters are never opened? Instead of half of the bay window having plantation shutters, I would recommend a second upper row, which could be folded back or, if you don't need coverage for privacy on the upper windows, have an interesting, colourful valance. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=valance+and+plantation+shutters+for+a+bay+window&biw=1516&bih=839&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIzdu7xO-FyAIVh0gUCh1aigXI&dpr=0.95#tbm=isch&q=valance++for+a+bay+window&imgrc=SjLxqYYGnQmhlM%3A
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Hello John! :) October Squash painted on the back wall as a feature wall would look gorgeous and brighten up the room, making it really warm and inviting! Here is a link: http://www.paintbyconran.com/en-GB/collections/kitchen-garden/m/product/view/71/preserve-elements Also, have you thought about purchasing any nice throws for the sofas or bright pillows?! I like your plants, too. Perhaps even buy some more plants and make it a themed room? It would look really cool and the warmth of the orange wall and soft throws would balance out the tone of the room perfectly! Let me know if you need anymore help. Georgie :) x
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How to Keep Hardwood Floors Warm in the Winter
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Comments (0)
Solutions to how to keep hardwood floors warm in the winter include: Place rugs in problem spots Add insulating weather strips to doors and windows Ceiling fans can help to reduce cold spots by circulating air Redirect air flow by replacing air vent covers with multidirectional grills Replace your curtains with triple layered interlined heavy blackout curtains Limit access to the room from entrances that open directly to the home exterior Let’s start from the beginning. We must consider the construction of the home (solid vs suspended flooring) and the type of insulation being used (e.g. foam board, fibreglass). Next we must consider the hardwood itself (e.g. Oak, Maple, Mahogany) and how to eliminate draughts and damp. Solid vs Suspended Flooring Solid floors consist of a concrete base topped with insulation and fibreboard. Suspended flooring places parallel rows of brick supports between the concrete base and the fibreboard layer. The difference between solid and suspended flooring is best illustrated as a small insulative gap vs a large insulative gap respectively. This significantly affects heat retention. While a correctly insulated solid floor will help a room to heat up relatively quickly, the wood floor will rapidly cool once the heat source is removed (as compared to the time taken for a hardwood floor to cool atop a correctly insulated suspended floor). Let’s take a look at how this affects the overall lifetime efficiency of solid flooring compared to suspended flooring: Solid flooring: 8-10 year cost effective period on heating costs Suspended flooring: 3-5 year cost effective period on heating costs A note on insulation: Phenolic foam is often used to insulate solid floor constructions because of its relative insulation efficiency – the thin synthetic material is used in conjunction with wood fibreboard to achieve a high performance while minimising the additional floor height. This material is also commonly used with suspended flooring, where wool or fibreglass is used between the joists. Hardwood vs Softwood – Choosing a Wood Floor Hardwoods have a high comparative density compared to softwoods. This higher thermal mass means that hardwood floors absorb, retain, and release heat over a longer period. Hardwood floors with a high thermal mass include Oak, Maple, and Walnut. Where possible, opt for solid wood floors (five eighths to three quarters of an inch thick) over engineered floors (a wood veneer glued to plywood). This will increase the cost effective longevity of the floor in terms of the number of times the floor can be sanded. How to Keep Hardwood Floors Warm Once we have considered the construction of the house (solid floor vs suspended floor), and we have selected the correct underlay, fibreboard, and hardwood floor to fit with both the house construction and your style preference, we move on to isolating and removing potential causes of draughts and damp (see list at top of page for pro tips). Remember, hardwood floors will retain heat for much longer than a softwood or carpeted floor. Smart use of sunlight could also help to keep hardwood floors warm in winter. Open your curtains during daylight hours to allow the wood to absorb heat from the sun. Be sure to close the curtains once the peak temperature of the day has passed.
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