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Monday, January 29th, 2018
Uttermost Accessories Tree Topiary Preserved Boxwood 60095: Be stylish and healthy with this indoor plant.
There are many clear benefits to spending a few hours or even just a few minutes outdoors. This is what the Japanese refer to as forest bathing, that moment when you walk through the greenest trees and bushes. But would you just like to experience this awesome feeling when you’re outdoors? Or would you like to reap the benefits of having houseplants brought in?
Houseplants are a lot more than mere decoration. A lot of studies have shown that greenery in your home or even the workplace can contribute to positive moods, lower stress levels, and a clean feeling because the air gets filtered somehow.
If you want to improve your health as well as the aesthetics of your home, then you can hit these two birds with the single stone that are house plants.
A single potted plant for every 100 square feet is highly recommended. This or you can ask an interior designer how to best customize the indoor plant placement in your living areas.
Grade A Air Quality
Indoor plants have amazing air purifying effects. This was declared by no less than NASA in 1989. According to them, plants can easily detoxify space stations. If the plants can do it in there, then they could just as easily do it inside energy efficient buildings.
There are many different kinds of indoor plants that can be effectively used to remove benzene, formaldehyde, and other types of pollutants in any sealed chambers. Common golden pothos and spider plants have been observed to be most effective.
Other plants that offer air cleansing benefits include the ficus, dracaena, English ivy, Chinese evergreen, peace lily, bamboo, reed palm, and the philodendron.
If you want to lessen the risks of stroke, ischemic heart disease, respiratory infections, COPD, and lung cancer, then be ready to embrace these new decorative elements.
Experts have yet to agree as to the reasonable amount of houseplants that could cleanse a significant pollutant level. But for as long as you have potted plants indoors, you, somehow, take the first steps towards a cleaner environment.
Increased Productivity
Who wouldn’t want to have an increased amount of activity in a home office? Since we all live in a world of computers and gadgets, humans tend to be disconnected from Mother Nature so it makes sense that you bring in a little of nature to enhance the mood in a workspace.
Science supports this concept as was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology in 2014. If you like to increase productivity and job satisfaction, then be sure to bring in a potted plant or two in your home office.
Healing Influence
How would you like to be free from ailments? Studies on flowers and plants show that they have a positive effect on the recovery of surgical patients. In fact, these patients tend to have less need for painkillers when they have greeneries to cheer them up. They also reported less fatigue and anxiety.
Plants are known to significantly reduce the time that a patient heals inside a hospital. There are also pieces of evidence of the positive effects of horticulture therapy where patients actually take part in caring for plants while they are recuperating.
It is possible that these healing effects take place because plants are amazing filters of airborne microbes. A study at the Washington State University proved that a house with plants has 20% less dust.
Just be careful that you don’t bring indoor plants as gifts to patients who have recently undergone transplants or are immune-compromised. These people are more susceptible to bacteria in the soil so it is best to wait for them to recover before you even consider giving them indoor plant gifts.
Tags: decorating with houseplants, houseplant, houseplant benefits, houseplant decor, houseplants, indoor plant benefits, indoor plants, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
Posted in Accessories, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on House Plants and Your Wellness
Monday, November 14th, 2016
This lovely wooden piece comes from FFDM’s Highlands Collection.’Talk of focal points!
Here’s a great reason to begin decorating for your home now – the end result of your project will enhance the mood in your home. With the right decisions come better sleep inside the bedroom, less stress in the living room and much joy in the kitchen and dining room.
Here are some ways to turn your home into a haven –
Establish an Effective Focal Point
One of the first things that you would notice when you enter anyone’s home is a furniture or architectural part of the home anchoring the rest of the design elements. This is the focal point.
It is your duty to create a focal point for your home. This should be something that is noticeable once you enter your home. It could be a large porcelain vase, an abstract painting, or a memorable souvenir from your travels.
Say No to Debris
What are you still doing staring at that pile of old newspapers on the floor? Pick ‘em up.
Piles of stuff on the hallway or the entryway must go. They all spell chaos and mess inside your home and that’s bad for productivity.
Have a place that is designated for every item. Place the most chic containers right by the door then find bins for incoming and outgoing stuff.
Create Ample Room
Anxiety builds where there’s too much stress or chaos. Reduce the clutter in your home by making space. Cut on all the non-essentials. Let go of unnecessary furnishings, magazines, files, picture frames, etc.
A magical way to create space is to paint one of your chairs or tables and let it blend or disappear into the wall. Painting the walls with a light color will also make the room look a lot more spacious.
Highlight, Don’t Flood with Light
It would be difficult for you and your family to relax during the night if there is a bright overhead lamp right in your living room. This is much like attending a concert wherein you are amped all the time. If you don’t want to be revved up all the time, then use spot lighting just for the areas that need brightness. For all the others, install dimmers that you can activate according to your mood.
Find and install full-spectrum bulbs for a more soothing and natural ambience.
Simplify the Color Scheme
Practice restraint when using colors and patterns. Mixing patterns means you must know how to keep the color schemes within bounds. If you are the type that likes a lot of colors, then be sure to keep patterns to a bare minimum or you’d risk making your home look like the venue for the next Iron Man triathlon.
A relaxing room should be one that’s devoid of too many patterns and colors. Find the most soothing hues then put in just the right amount of furnishings and accessories so that your place becomes more meaningful.
Love Mother Nature
In fact, you should love her so much that you are willing to bring her into your own home. Bringing the outdoors in means having pots of houseplants, some mirrors to reflect the natural light, and the biggest windows to accommodate the beautiful rays of the sun; the view should also include an interesting landscape and awesome trees right outside your home.
The Hooker Furniture Bedroom Vintage West California King Wood Panel Bed is the perfect focal point to your bedroom.
Turn Off Your Electronics
Put the TV set and the computers in areas where you are not supposed to relax. These are your home office and the entertainment area. Do not let these electronic appliances interfere with a good night’s sleep by putting them inside the bedroom or the living room. In their place, use throw pillows, lamp shades and the most calming colors that you could find.
Tags: adding colors to a home, creating a focal point, declutter, decluttering, determining the focal point, finding the focal point, focal point, houseplant, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, nature, nature in interior design, nature-inspired design, nature-inspired home, outdoor view, tips
Posted in Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101 | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2016
From FFDM’s Fusion Collection
When you bring in houseplants, don’t think that you’re just adding green stuff. These living things have the power to interact with you, holistically, and could even enhance the quality of your lifestyle. Just imagine this, you spend about 80-90% of your time indoors. This means that you need to think about solutions for indoor pollution or you end up risking your health.
So what are the benefits of using houseplants as decorative elements in your home?
Houseplants = Fresh Air
As you breathe, your lungs take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. During photosynthesis, though, this process is reversed in plants. This opposite pattern makes houseplants a great source of oxygen. Just make sure that you bring out the plants at night when photosynthesis stops so that they get to respire as humans do.
If you still want to enjoy seeing plants during the evening, it is best to bring in succulents, orchids and epiphytic bromeliads. These plants are best placed in bedrooms so that air remains fresh at night.
Houseplants = Moisture
Plants release water vapor or moisture as part of their respiratory process. The great news is that plants release 97-percent of their water intake so when you place several plants side-by-side, they can easily increase the humidity inside a room. Doing this has great benefits such as zero sore throats, dry skin and you even get to enjoy a healthy respiratory system, too.
Houseplants = Purified Air
You don’t just get upped oxygen levels in your room if you bring in houseplants. Plants are known to remove toxins from the air. NASA research shows that about 87% of volatile organic compounds or VOCs can be removed by houseplants. Famous VOCs include vinyl, formaldehyde, cigarette smoke, and non-recyclable grocery bags. Paints, solvents, man-made fibers and inks are also filled with these harmful chemicals. Benzene – also a health hazard – is commonly found in books and any printed paper.
If you want to decrease the harmful effects of VOCs, then be sure to bring in plants inside your home. The contaminants are pulled to the soil by the roots of houseplants. The root microorganisms then turn the VOCs to plant food.
For houseplants that keep VOCs at bay, you should try the spider plant, Gerbera daisy, the English ivy, dragon tree, and the philodendron.
Houseplants = Improved Health
Did you know that putting plants inside hospital rooms could speed up the recovery rates of post-surgery patients? This is according to a research conducted by the Kansas State University. When compared to patients who stayed in rooms without plants, the former patients required less pain medication and even had lower blood pressures and heart rates. Eventually, the patients whose rooms had plants were also released earlier.
This same concept can be used to your advantage in your home. You can reduce the occurrence of stroke by 34%; ischemic heart disease by about 26%; COPD by 22%; respiratory illnesses in children by 12% and lung cancer by 6%.
Accessories Uttermost Maurizio Stone Plant Stand 24624
Recommendations
If you aim to improve your overall health also to reduce stress and fatigue, you can place one large houseplant (no less than an eight-inch diameter pot or bigger for each 129 sq. ft. If it is your aim to purify the air, then use 15-18 plants inside 6-8 inch diameter pots. This is for larger homes (approximately 1,800 sq. ft.). This means that you can have one big plant for every 100 square feet or two smaller pots for the same area.
Remember to match the plant according to the growing conditions in your home. There are plants that thrive even with low lighting conditions and there are those that need to be taken out to catch some sunlight.
Tags: decorating with houseplants, decorating with indoor plants, houseplant, houseplant benefits, houseplant decor, houseplants, indoor plant benefits, indoor plants, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
Posted in Accents, Accessories, Green Living, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | No Comments »
Saturday, January 16th, 2016
This China cabinet comes from FFDM’s Antebellum Collection. The classic color of wood will make any home be the envy of the neighborhood.
The year 2016 is marked as the Year of the Rat on the Chinese calendar. The specific styles and interior design trends for this year are distinctive because they show a lot of expression. They also come in richness that is sure to transcend to the next year.
Playful Colors Are Back
Among the various inspired changes inside homes this year, cheerful colors are definitely back. There is also this growing emphasis on nature and the environment even in unusual rooms such as kitchens and the bathroom.
Innovations are not limited to these concepts. Accessories also display the richest hues though they are also surprisingly used in a more functional and minimalist space. Hints of metals such as brass and copper are also used in different areas of the home.
This year’s color palette comes in shades of red, pink and peach and designers are more than willing to use these colors to tell the world that they are following the trend. Pink is not just seen in interior design but also in make-up, fashion and office decor.
Accessories also come in shades of deep blue, green oil and navy. These colors convey feelings of coolness and calm inside any premise. For instance, brass or copper surfaces can cleverly blend with moody colors such as purple and black.
Once again, marble, copper and brass are the stars of the 2016 trend. There are various uses for these glamorous materials, their flexible characteristic, and their artistic look.
Another noticeable change inside homes this year is the presence of decorative yet functional objects. There is simply no room for useless stuff. It has become increasingly crucial to own objects that can be used throughout the homeowner’s lifetime, maybe even beyond.
The dynamic lifestyle of modern man also requires clever usage of space, its proper arrangement, and minimalism. The kitchen, for instance, may be completely concealed in order to open more room for entertainment.
The Hooker Furniture Dining Room Skyline Round Glass Top Dining Table comes with plated metal and glass. Choose from the gold or champagne-colored finish.
These days, the world of interior design is constantly moving towards minimalism because of its simple aesthetics. The reason behind this is simple – modern man is always busy and all he wants is a haven to go home to, a place where he could escape from city life. The use of green walls or optical illusions inside bathrooms and kitchens can add to the level of fascination.
Another huge change inside the home environment is the seemingly spa atmosphere. The bathroom is the leading room that has turned from a functional space to a relaxation area. Chairs and benches, even vanity tables are no longer uncommon inside modern bathrooms.
Have an abundant amount of vegetation inside the bathroom, too. Bring in those green plants that you love. Urban gardens inside living premises are also hip and trendy. Mother Nature is being let into homes because more and more designers and architects are considering the health of their clients. Bringing nature closer to homeowners does not just provide beauty but also a high level of calmness.
To keep the rest of your home fresh and up-to-date with the latest interior design trends, be sure to control the ventilation and humidity. Fresh air is what provides natural plant life. If this is not possible to achieve, then green walls are your next best option. The colors pink and gold are also artistic and easygoing hues that you can experiment with during the year. See how you can have them entwined or used separately in your home’s architecture and interior design.
Tags: brass, colors, copper, decorating with houseplants, decorating with indoor plants, decorating with plants, guidelines, houseplant, houseplant decor, marble, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, metals, minimalism, minimalist, modern, nature, nature in interior design, nature-inspired design, nature-inspired home, playful colors, rich hues, tips, trendy colors
Posted in 2016 Trends, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Interior Design Themes, Interior Design Trends | No Comments »
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