Make the Most of Your Space

Tags

armchair, bigger, bold prints and stripe, books, bookshelves, bottles of wine, brilliant, cables, candles, cash, chalk paint, charity shop, cheap, clear out, coats and scarves, contracts, contrasting colour, cool coffee table, costs, deposits, desk, doors, dressing gowns and hoodies, dust, easy, expensive, furniture bible, hanging, hats, home, home decor style statement, inches, kid’s toys, kitchen cupboards, linen basket, lotions and potions, magazines, mortgage, moving house, newspapers, on-trend bookcase, packing boxes, paintings, plant pots, removal companies, rubbish, ruthless, small price, sofa, space savers, student, studio flat, the clothes airer, tidier, towels, Vacum bags, wardrobe, wooden step ladder, yoga mats

Moving house to simply get more space is extremely common, but it is also very expensive.

From deposits and contracts to removal companies and packing boxes, the costs soon add up. Rather than making a big move, we think that you might have more room than you imagines. Whether you are a student in a studio flat, sharing a maisonette with mates or doing the full monty and paying a mortgage, we have some ideas to help you make the most of the space, and the cash, you do have.

Be Ruthless
Before you do anything else, have a good old clear out. Go room by room and work out what you want to keep, what is gathering dust and can go to the charity shops and what is just rubbish and needs to go. You will be amazed at the number of newspapers, books, cables and pairs of shoes you have held onto for all the wrong reasons and are just cluttering up your space, and life too.

Push It High
You might look at the space in front of you, but what about the pockets of air in high places that are left to gather dust? The top of bookshelves, kitchen cupboards and bathroom cabinets are all potential space savers, but we don’t always think about using them. These are great places to stack your books, photo albums (if you still have them) and even store those winter jumpers you never really have room for. Vacuum bags are good for clothing storage and you can buy some pretty cool boxes that look good and hide a multitude of space sins. Win, win.

Use All the Spaces
People often talk about dead space, but you don’t want to think about things in this way. Whether it is the few inches under the sofa, the top of wardrobes or the beside your kitchen cupboards, this can all be used for tucking away magazines, yoga mats, the clothes airer and a many other things that need a home, but currently don’t have one.

Don’t Forget Doors
Doors aren’t just made to be opened and closed, they are also made for hanging things on. Investing in a few over the door hocks can give you a lot of space, for a small price. Think hats, coats and scarves as well as towels, dressing gowns and hoodies, and your home suddenly become a bigger, better, brighter place.

Get a Basket
Or two. Baskets are a brilliant, easy, cheap way to store things that don’t have a place right now, but that you want to keep. Magazines, kid’s toys, bottles of wine, shoes and so much more can all be put in a basket, and if you go for a contrasting colour to your walls, or find bold prints and stripes, you will make a home decor style statement too.

Think Out of the Box
That chest you have in the living room, as well as being a cool coffee table, it can also be home to your bulky winter coats. The linen basket can double up as a handy table for your lotions and potions, and a wooden step-ladder becomes an on-trend bookcase after a lick of grey chalk paint.

Be Inventive
Yes, bookcases were made for books, but they are also the perfect resting place for plant pots, paintings, candles and those trinkets you want to keep for sentimental reasons. At the same time, you can have a desk in the kitchen, an armchair in the bedroom and a chest of drawers in the study.

So, rip up the furniture bible of the past and go your own way to make more space in the home you live in and love.

Team Pure Beauty

Get on your bike

Tags

bag, bigger, bike, Bike Week, challenge, clean, cycle, employee, environment, equipment, faster, fit, fresh, Government’s Cycle to Work scheme, handles, HR, layered, lights, lock, office, official, organisation, padded shorts, parking, pavements, red lights, reflective, road, rucksack, rules of the road, showers, taffic, tax, vital, work, workplace

11-19th June is Bike Week, an annual event that promotes cycling and demonstrates how it can easily become a part of your everyday life.

This year the main focus is on cycling to work, so we have had a look at how to get started.

First things first, you need a bike. If you already have one, make sure it is in good working order and if you haven’t used it for a while, take it to your local bike shop for a service. If you don’t own a bike, start with something simple, functional and ensure it is the right size for you. There are some great bikes on the market and you might be able to pick up a good second hand cycle that will ease you into this lifestyle change without making a massive financial investment.

You might want to take a look at the Government’s Cycle to Work scheme; an employee benefit that provides tax savings on bikes and equipment.

Get a helmet. No they aren’t cool but protecting your head is key to safe cycling, so make it a priority. It is also a good idea to invest in bright, reflective clothing especially for the evening and winter commute, as well as decent lights for your bike.

Always carry spare inner tubes, tire levers and a pump in case you get a flat and learn how to use them too.

It is one thing driving or getting the bus to work, but cycling needs a little more planning. You ideally want to find a route where you can use roads with dedicated bike lanes or take the quieter streets with slower speed limits. Ensure there is good lighting as this will make you feel more confident and safer.

Trial the route before you use it for work as this will help you feel prepared. Once you are happy with the route, leave early the first few times you do it for real. Giving yourself an extra 15 minutes will help you relax so you can deal with any unexpected traffic or delays calmly and not get stressed or nervous. Once you get in the swing of things you will find you simply take these in your stride, or peddle!

Be aware of the road and the traffic around you. Buses, cars and lorries are bigger and faster than you so it is vital that you keep focused and in their view. It is also important that you follow the rules of the road and never cycle on the wrong side, don’t use pavements and always stop at red traffic lights.

Whilst you can wear your work clothes for cycling, many people prefer to change into them when they arrive so they feel clean and fresh. As well as the reflective clothing we have mentioned, you may want to wear padded shorts or tights and go for layered clothing, as you will work up a sweat. A rucksack means you are free of a bag on your handles and you can also keep your lock in this.

Find out what facilities your workplace offers cyclists. Ask colleagues or HR about cycle parking, showers and a place to store your gear. If there isn’t anything official in place, see what can be organised and you might be surprised by how many other people want to get involved but were to scared to ask.

Cycling with a friend can be fun so see if anyone else is up for the challenge or maybe someone in the office is looking for a buddy to join them?

Most of all, remember that cycling is meant to be fun. Yes it is a great way to get fit and you will be doing your bit for the environment, but try to relax and take it easy. You want riding to be enjoyable, so do it when you feel like it and if it is raining or you don’t feel 100%, give it a miss and try again the next day.

Stay safe and cycle happy.