Kitchen

Reply to: Personally I avoid downlights in a bedroom as much as possible because they are horrible to lie in bed and look up at. If you do go with downlights then avoid having them immediately above the bed and keep them to areas that you're likely to be walking around in or somewhere like in front of a wardrobe where you're likely to be getting changed. Stuarts suggestion of directional downlights is a really good one, because as he says, it is better to light surfaces and then you get the reflected light that bounces off those which is much gentler and more indirect light - much nicer in a bedroom. You could also look at wall mounted lights. If you use one to each side of the bed then they can double as reading lights and you can have a switch next to the bed for each light as well as a double switch near the door. You can also get ceiling washing lights that are wall mounted, plus LED strips of lights can be fitted in to a very small space and can be used to add some low level feature lighting or background mood lighting. You could also use some low level lighting that fits into skirting. Think about the kind of feel you want the room to have. How bright you want it to be and what colour of light you want. If you want to be able to use different lights for different activities - for example lights around a mirror for makeup, lights that make it easy to see what's in your wardrobe for choosing something to wear, lights to read by, lights for getting in the mood, etc!! Thinking through what you use your bedroom for and how much or how little light you need / want to do that, will help you choose the right lighting for you. If you have the budget for it then a lighting designer can be worthwhile because they can really make your space sing through the choice of lighting. It does take a handsome chunk of fees and lighting costs to go down this route though, so it depends on how important it is to you and possibly on the value of your house - if it's worth doing. If you have the budget and making that kind of investment in your property makes sense then a lighting designer can really add something special to your space through the lighting.

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Reply to: Tiles are one way to introduce some pops of colour in your kitchen. If you are worried about the grout discolouring, use epoxy grout which is more resilient to liquid staining. Also, if you use a coloured grout, discolouration will be less noticeable. If you choose textured tiles with rectilinear edges, grout lines are almost invisible. Using tiles can look more traditional compared to glass or stainless steel. The problem with stainless steel is keeping it looking good. Drip marks and grease are instantly noticeable. Glass is less obvious when splashed. They are both more industrial and modern looking. What about using the same material that makes up your worktop as the splashback? Most manufacturers of manmade worktops also do an 11mm thick splashback and upstand.

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Reply to: I installed our water softener. You must have an unsoftened tap in the main sink. ( its better to drink anyway and higher salts in softened water could be bad for some diets ) I plumbed the main tap and a britta filtered one to provide cooking/drinking water. I used one of the large cylinder style units that have a separate salt tank. Plumbing is fairly simple but you need to arrange drains etc. I installed a bypass setup with an H set of pipes and stopcocks so that I can bypass, remove or replace the unit without any hassles. Salt is ordered in bulk ( 250 kg of sacks at a time ) and stored in a garage. Buy a unit that measures consumption and regenerates the internal gel on quantity used rather than a simple timed flush, you save on salt. Ours appears to flush about once every 3 weeks. Sinks, and shower screens far easier to keep clean, toilets have no crud in them. Our hot water system is slowly gaining capacity as the softer water flushes out the old deposits too. Be prepared for a fun time when your first shower appears to go on forever as your usual soap amount dgoes a looooong way!:)

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Reply to: To expand on the explanation about water filters vs water softeners: water filters use activated carbon filters to trap common impurities such as some pesticides, industrial solvents, chlorine based chemical residues from water purification etc. to improve the taste of the water. Water softeners use the process of ion exchange to remove calcium and magnesium ions, replacing them with sodium ions and making the water feel 'softer'. Water from a softener is great for washing etc as it needs less soap/detergent, makes your skin and hair feel soft, and doesn't leave lime scale deposits but is not recommended for drinking as it contains high levels of sodium (salt). It must never be used for preparing baby formula or for people on low sodium diets! If you have a water softener you will need to have a separate mains water supply to the kitchen for drinking water. You could then use a water filter (tap or jug) to filter the mains water to improve the taste for drinking. The need for either system depends on your local water supply (if you live in an area with naturally soft water you would gain no benefit from a water softener) and personal preference - we find London water tastes much nicer if filtered but at my in-law's home in Wales the water from the tap tastes great and filtering is not necessary. Neither system is designed for removing bacteria but unless you are drawing your water from an untreated source such as a river or lake that isn't a problem for us lucky people living with purified water on tap!

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