Dress Up Your Fireplace

In your hectic life, do you often daydream of getting away to a restful spa retreat? In today’s busy world, a trip like that may be few and far between. How about making your own private spa retreat at home? Turn your bathroom into a spa for a respite of welcome relief. Here are a few ideas to make that possible. Nature is calming. Bring in natural elements in your decor. Something as simple as a couple of plants would work. If you do not have a green thumb, faux plants will also have a calming effect. White towels. Fluffy white towels are a quintessential spa element. Choose a good quality cotton or bamboo material for their durability. If you have open shelving, fold or roll a few on a shelf for aesthetic purposes. Upgrade your bathroom fixtures. Particularly your shower head. A modern rain shower head or a massage sprayer would give you a more luxurious shower experience. Calming colors. Science has proved that colors affect our moods. Create a peaceful color palette using nature inspired colors. Shades of green or blue, or even more earthy tones like tan or ivory. Upgrade your toiletries. Display your toiletries and other bath accessories in the colors you chose. Perhaps invest in glass containers to store essentials like cotton swabs and cotton balls. Arrange these items, along with a natural sponge or two, in a visually stimulating way. Calming scents. Fragrance is also proven to affect our moods. Incorporate calming scents in your bathroom. A few ways to do this is through an essential oil diffuser, candles, incense or lotions. Walking into your bathroom infused with a calming scent will immediately transport you to a relaxing state of mind. Our lives are busy and we often get run down. Transforming your bathroom into a spa would give you the refreshment you need to reinvigorate you for the next day. Try adding some of these elements to turn your bathroom into a spa.

When it comes to choosing flooring for your kitchen, there are a lot of factors to keep in mind. Kitchens are high traffic so you definitely want something durable that doesn’t scratch easily. Spills and leaks often occur in the kitchen so something water resistant might be a good idea. Cooking messes probably happen daily so, of course, you will want flooring that is also easy to clean. Today, there are so many beautiful flooring choices that meet all this criteria. Here, we will discuss a few to help you choose the best flooring for your kitchen. Hardwood is one of the most traditional choices. This is for good reason, hardwood is not only beautiful but very durable. Although it is not waterproof, it can be water resistant with the right finish. Cleaning up spills right away would be to your best advantage with this flooring. Choosing the type of wood is essential with regards to scratching. Some woods are softer and more susceptible to scratching and dents, while a harder wood will hold up better. Another benefit to hardwood is that if it wears over time, it can easily be sanded and refinished for a fresh, new look. If you love the look of hardwood but it is not in your budget, vinyl planks are a great option. These planks are made to look like hardwood and come in a variety of shades and sizes. Some benefits to vinyl plank flooring are that it is waterproof, soft under your feet and so easy to clean. This would be a wonderful choice for your kitchen especially if you are doing the work yourself as it is also easy to install. Tile is another long time, popular choice. Tile is waterproof, long lasting and super easy to clean. You may want to seal the grout to prevent staining there. With tile, you have a lot more options as far as color, shapes and sizes to create a variety of different looks. There are so many choices available for kitchen flooring. Considering these few will hopefully help you make the best choice for your floor.