Home improvements can help you turn your home into a nicer place to live and increase its value in the long term.
Two of the most important – and most used – rooms in the home are the kitchen and bathroom.
Here we take a look at how to make changes to both rooms.
Creating the perfect kitchen is all about finding a look to suit your taste, lifestyle and individual requirements.
The kitchen is one the most hard-working rooms in the home – it’s a place where people can cook, eat, relax and entertain.
To completely refurbish a kitchen can take considerable time and investment, so it’s vital that the completed room meets your tastes and requirements.
With the choice of so many new materials and styles, it can get confusing.
When choosing your new kitchen, bear in mind the type of lifestyle you lead.
A factor which is sometimes overlooked in favour of lay-out is the overall look and feel of the room. Something which is paramount to planning a bedroom or sitting room can be neglected in the kitchen.
Consider changing your kitchen into a space which can be both functional and sociable, which will allow you to entertain your guests at the same time as preparing the food.
In order to achieve your ideal look, give careful consideration to units and work surfaces. The trick is to combine function and practicality with a little bit of what takes your fancy.
Wooden units are a great natural choice as they are so versatile and come in a range of colours, textures and styles. You may prefer the rustic look of oak units painted cream, ideal for creating a cosy family atmosphere, or a more clean-cut, modern look of gloss white with brushed nickel handles.
To help finish off the room, choose appliances that look great while meeting your requirements. A single oven is plenty for someone without many mouths to feed who enjoys simple cooking. If you are more adventurous with your cooking or regularly entertain several guests, you might consider side-by-side ovens at eye level for optimum efficiency.
Five things to consider when choosing a new kitchen are:
The units will set the tone of your kitchen as they will take up a large amount of wall space. A neutral shade is the safest option. Introduce colour and texture through the design of your work surface and handles. Consider chrome handles to create focal points of light in a small kitchen.
If you need a multifunctional kitchen, non-staining worktops will work best for you. With the wide choice on offer these days, you needn’t compromise on style.
Choose appliances carefully. A large American-style fridge-freezer may be what you have always wanted, but if you have a small kitchen, the appliance can take over all the space to negative effect. Besides, an under-counter model will give you more worktop space.
If you have enough space, a kitchen table is a valuable addition. It brings versatility to the room and acts as a social focal point.
Above all, a kitchen needs to be practical for cooking in. Consider the storage requirements and proximity to other key cooking areas. If you need expert advice, ask the B&Q designers at your local store to develop a space which you’ll find it a pleasure to live in.
The bathroom may be the smallest room in the house, but it’s the most important one.
There comes a time in every bathroom’s life when giving it a scrub with a bottle of bleach might not be enough to make it look presentable again.
There are many things you can do in a bathroom to spice it up: paint the walls, fit new flooring, use tile stencils or fix ceramic tile decorations – but this is a start.
If you are going to paint the walls, use a kitchen and bathroom paint – it is designed for the moist atmosphere in the bathroom and will last better. Do not use oil-based gloss paint.
If the tiles are looking a little sad, why not replace or revive the grout. This is a straightforward task that does not take long and makes a world of difference to the brightness of the bathroom.
However, if the tiles are very tatty, you hate them or perhaps they do not go up to the ceiling and the shower you fitted a while ago is wetting the wall, why not look for new ones to jazz up the room?
Another way to revitalise the bathroom is to change the tap heads – not the whole taps, just the heads or the body. This allows you to alter the style of the taps without the expense and trouble of changing them.
Once you have spruced up the taps, you could fit new bathroom accessories – a new towel rail, toilet-roll holder and mirror to match the new tiles and tap heads would finish off the job.
Laings of Inverurie is offering full VAT-free prices on all purchases throughout the store. This means that on any purchase – whether it’s a new toothbrush holder or a new kitchen – it will deduct the VAT so you pay only for the goods/services, saving you a very welcome 15%.
As the new year is traditionally a time when people turn their attention to home improvements, Laings is on hand to help you create your dream kitchen, bathroom or bedroom. Its highly trained, knowledgeable and friendly staff can offer practical advice and clever design tricks to make the most of your room space. With more than 100 fully tiled and accessorised displays, its showroom is certain to provide you with a wealth of ideas and inspiration.
It can provide the full service, from design through to installation, taking care of any building or electrical work along the way, and each job is project managed to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum. Alternatively, if you have plans and workmen at your disposal, Laings can supply quality products to suit your budget.
Laings’ New Year bathroom and shower pack promotion represents superb value for money, with everything you need for a straightforward replacement of your existing suite – plus the packs are available to take away direct from stock.
As a member of KBSA (the UK Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialist Association) any deposit paid on a fitted bathroom, bedroom or kitchen is protected by the KBSA deposit protection scheme, which is reassuring to know – especially in the current economic climate.
With installation allocations well advanced to the end of February, it is recommended that buyers act fast to benefit from the VAT-free prices.
For more information, call Laings on 01467 620311.