Safestore Blog

There’s a science behind carpets. I know, I bet you didn’t know that. It’s not difficult, don’t you worry, we’re here to explain just why.

Basically, it’s your stairs that are the problem. Yes, those darn stairs that help us navigate the full range of homes because at this point in our human evolution we haven’t quite got to the stage where flying is intrinsic to our nature.

Because we often skip and traverse over our stairs on a daily basis and quite often in numbers – i.e. other members of the family darting up and down day and night – they tend to bear the brunt of our heavy and excitable feet. As such, they begin to wear out much quicker than is customarily normal.

But there are solutions to this as Steve Bakker, marketing manager at The WoolSafe Organisation, can attest to.

“Prevention is always better than an attempted cure, so opt for a carpet with a heavy pile density,” he explains.

“On stairs and hallways, the carpet’s durability is key. The construction of the carpet needs to be of a good quality too, so make sure you select from a reputable manufacturer and a carpet specified suitable for heavy domestic use. Otherwise, you risk tufts simply falling out of the carpet from the abrasive effect of concentrated traffic.”

Mr Bakker notes that while we may think that stain-resistant carpets are a good idea – naturally, especially for those of us with a propensity to drop glasses of wine, pasta, tomato sauce at any given moment – they are more likely to “ugly out” than wool or wool-rich carpets.

This doesn’t mean avoid getting them, just reconsider whether you want them on your stairs. A creative approach – i.e. two types of carpet – could just be the answer.

“Although comfort will not be a priority for many homeowners when they carpet their stairs, using a good quality underlay will help to absorb the impact of foot fall, making your carpet last longer”, he states.

“As an added bonus, it will help quiet footsteps too. Make sure the underlay you select is designed for intensive areas, rather than for luxury rooms such as the bedroom, or where comfort is a priority over durability.”

Getting domestic also helps as a regular clean – with a good vacuum – will help get rid of abrasive dirt. Not only do your carpets look better, but through regular upkeep, last longer. Worn out carpets on the stairs will be a thing of the past if you simply step up your cleaning game.

“A final top tip is to ask your fitter to give an extra tread length to the carpet so that it can be dropped down,” Mr Bakker adds.

“Your stair carpet will receive far more wear on the tread than the riser and so with this extra length you can refit the carpet so that the riser carpet now replaces the tread carpet for longer life.” 

Yes there’s a science to carpets but it’s not as crazy as quantum physics. All it takes is a bit of knowledge, a bit of creativity and a change in habits – i.e. clean a little bit more – and voila, you got carpets for life. 

We don’t think that much, if not anything at all, about the place we spend a significant amount of our time in.

(Unless you’re one of these types whose mantra is “sleep is for the weak” and exist on taking espresso style shots of power naps throughout the day to keep you going – you hardly ever spend any time relaxing in this place).

The bed, a home within a home, the place that “holds us” when we fall into a deep slumber, body on charge after a long day at work, dreams to keep us busy in the meantime.

For those of you in the envious position of looking for a new bed – for whatever reason – remember that comfort is the absolute key criteria. And it applies to mattresses too, just as important as the structure of the bed itself.

This view is shared by a couple of savvy interior designers who know what they’re talking about.

Eve Robinson, who works in New York, home of the super-cool, advises people to consider the depth of a mattress when making a purchase.

It matters a great deal Ms Robinson explains, because, for example, exceptionally deep mattresses can be “heavy and cumbersome”. You don’t want that.

“Keep in mind that mattress thicknesses affect the bed height,” she explains.

“I like to keep mattress heights around 24 to 27 inches above the floor.”

John Phifer Marrs, another interior designer who works his trade in Dallas, shares this way of thinking. He says that though people might think big is better, it can be too imposing, especially in small homes.

In which case there is a stylish solution, worry not, interior designers are clued up on all sorts of problems. Mr Marrs suggests a “low-profile” bed, which is great because you can “fall into it” as opposed to “climb up it”. Again, you don’t want your bed to be hard work.

When it comes to actual beds, forget current trends. While they may be fashionable now, who’s to say how they’ll appear in the future. As such, safe is better – not boring mind you, just pragmatic. A classic will work now, tomorrow and in years to come. You can dress it up to make it fit in with whatever is in vogue. Easy as pie.

“I prefer headboards and bed frames that are clean-lined and not fussy,” says Ms Robinson. “I prefer beds that show off their legs rather than beds with skirts. A wood frame around a fabric headboard tends to dress it up a bit.”

Textures are to be one of the growing trends of 2012, a continuation of a development that sprung up last year and has taken on a life of its own.

This is according to Bisque.co.uk, an interior design firm that specialises in designer radiators. It’s not just about the colours in case you were wondering – it’s also about the way in which things are finished.

Barbara Payne, who is head of design and marketing at the firm, believes that textures can “drastically alter the style of a design” – not a bad way of bringing life to your tired home.

She added that the glossy look, championed by many, is on its way out.

“We predict textured white will be a strong trend later in the year,” Ms Payne said, adding that tangerine is going to be one of the colours that defines cribs this summer.
“Yellow has been there for a few years now but a bright tangerine – just like the shade Pantone has named as colour of 2012, will top many people’s wish lists,” she said.

This is also the year where it emerges more people than ever before are looking to change their attitudes to how they treat the planet by becoming ‘greener’. One of the ways they are going about this is to make their homes more environmentally friendly by buying appliances and items that do not consume large swathes of energy and have a small carbon footprint – i.e. buying a chair from a local artisan.

Whereas energy-efficient products have long been associated with function, this new generation is also stylish, Ms Payne explained.

She added: “There has always been a demand for energy-efficient radiators, but until now it has meant a compromise on style. With our new range, we are delighted to offer the iconic design we are known for – alongside cutting edge technology.”

Radiators are another growing area of interest. Again, once seen as a functional part of the home as opposed to a centre piece this attitude is changing. Nowadays they’re as fashionable as a fashionista at a fashion show during fashion week in the most fashionable city in the world (London of course).

It’s proving to be a very good year for interiors in 2012, with so many trends emerging. The difficulty is, of course, how you bring about all these designs into the home without making your home look like a “try-hard”. It’s got to be chic, but in a manner that is natural and not over the top.

Do remember to keep you home in order by investing in a self storage unit. 

We’re a diverse bunch, we humans, a motley crew with different tastes, ideas, beliefs and values. That’s what makes life interesting, that we’re different. Otherwise you’re looking at the same dull canvas, week in, week out.

“I like that,” says one guy.

“I like that too,” replies another guy, same clothes, same mannerisms, same emotional detachment.

Celebrate in diversity is what I say! You like orange, I like mango, you dig Oasis, I heart Blur…etcetera.

So, when it comes to cribs, what is the definite look that everyone should aspire to? Should it be the chic, cool, no fuss-no-dust aesthetic of minimalism or the cluttered, dust-so-what comfort of a lived-in home?

My understanding is that we will choose one or the other, not both. We either like or are predisposed to keeping things nice and tidy, angular, clean as a whistle, sharp as a hedgehog’s spikes, or enjoy the colour of clashing cushions, illogical pairings of prints, the beauty of a pile of books gingerly leaning towards collapse and so on.

The Guardian’s Hannah Booth touched upon this longstanding debate when discussing a new novel that effectively criticises the minimalist style of living. Will Wiles’ Care of Wooden Floors is about a chap from London who heads on over to Europe to housesit for an old friend.

On arrival he finds that the property in which he will be dedicating a smidgen of his life to is pretty, but devastatingly in shipshape order, the kind that’s overbearing. It has a ’sublime wooden floor that doesn’t have nails, but a manicure’; an exquisite description that deserves applause.

The owner leaves him a note asking for the utmost care to be given. Naturally anarchy ensues, the fate of nature playing a cruel prank on the bumbling hero. What the story gets at, from what I understand, is that while minimalistic interiors are fine and dandy, they cross the line when they affect our ability to be human.

As Booth goes on to say, she’s the kind of person who ‘digs tidy’, but surprised even herself when she adopted the attitude of welcoming blots, blemishes, knocks, scratches and bangs to naturally happen to her dining table. Yes it is no longer smooth as a Ken doll, but she now has a visual reminder of entertaining times with friends. Beautiful.

And which one do I like? I got to say both. Impossible? Nothing is. Go wild and mix it up – that’s maverick behaviour, the kind every abode needs. Break the rules and enjoy that tidy mess of a place you call home.

Coming back into fashion like Robert Downey Jr after years in the wilderness; dinky bow-ties that have wrestled themselves free from the necks of not very cool professors; and Celebrity Big Brother, showing that money trumps values and we’re all happy to continue watching terrible TV, wallpaper is back with a bang.

2012 will see wallpaper lined up nice and tidy, perfectly aligned and bubble free – professionals – or upside down, inside out and as poppy as bubble wrap – DIY – in homes across the UK.

The year is going to be defined by the sheer number of styles out there to cater for all sorts of tastes. For the more adventurous there be old school prints, rocking that 80s feel, there’ll be plain cream for those who like to keep it minimal and there’ll be textures galore for those who like to sit and pet their wallpaper. All excess rolls to a self storage unit, thank you.

Helen Bygraves and Jenny Weiss, directors of Hill House Interiors, an award-winning design consultancy based in Surrey, reckon that the textured look will be a very big thing.

How do we define big? Bigger than Lady Gaga’s entourage? Sure, why not, that seems like an apt description.

“It seems wallpapers are part of the New England look – that includes shutters, bookcases, show books – that sort of thing and an array of contemporary colours,” says Ms Bygraves.

“It’s a traditional theme evolving into more of a modern-day colour scheme.”

Ms Weiss adds that some of the new Andrew Martin range, what with the muted and library looks, are also making loud noises.

Who would have thought it eh? Wallpaper, popular in the 21st century: some would call that an outrageous statement. I call it inevitability. Nothing ever really goes out of fashion. It just gets forgotten about. Plastic wrapping over everything will be in vogue again, you can bet your last £1 on that.

Can you even believe it, no sooner have we sat down at our desks after a, dare we say it, lazy festive period of sheer fun, that January is over and out like yesterday’s news. Where does the time go?

New Year and new resolutions go hand in hand like footballers and ostentatious bling. It’s predictable but transient. It doesn’t of course always work out. Come the middle of January, resolutions fall by the wayside and footballer’s bling eventually drops off like chunks of rock at the edge of a cliff.

While many people traditionally sign up to a gym, usually a 12-month contract, there is a subtle shift to keeping fit in the home. It’s cheaper and convenient, suiting those who live especially busy lives.

Home gyms are the way forward and no, they don’t have to look like one of those you find in the Kardashians’ crib. That’s great, don’t get us wrong, but perhaps a little too over the top for most of us.

“They don’t have to be big or expensive: a few pieces of key equipment make a sound investment,” explains Joanna Knight, editor of Women’s Fitness.

“As the recession continues to bite, people are looking for more ways to work out for less. The number of people enjoying free activities like running and cycling has increased in the last few years and home workouts also offer an affordable way of getting fit too.”

A decent workout by the way doesn’t suggest that you have to buy all-sorts of equipment. A lot of it can be done without weights, treadmills, medicine balls or skipping ropes.

Ms Knight says that you can use your own body weight to your advantage, an entirely free way of doing resistance training.

“You can continue to alter these moves to increase the difficulty so your results don’t plateau. Even the humble press-up and crunch has numerous variations,” she said.

When it comes to choosing equipment, the amount of space you have in your room will determine what you go for. Note, you can relocate items and furniture to a self storage unit if you want to convert a room into a home gym. For those who simply want to work out anywhere in the house, lightweight and easy to store away equipment is the smart way forward.

“Stability balls, which up the ante on any move you perform on them are affordable and versatile; skipping ropes are great for blasting the calories and are a small initial outlay; and finally, a kettlebell should be part of anyone’s home gym arsenal as it can be used for strength, cardio and endurance – an all-round winner,” she concluded. 

It’s just one of those things; a chapter. Therefore, one day, it will be over.

A new study has revealed that one in five people aspiring to be homeowners are ‘forced’ to extend the amount of time they live at home with their parents because they’re busy trying to save a decent deposit.

While others would say “Forget that, I’d rather rent”, wannabe property owners are having to bite their lip and put up with being in the family home a little bit longer than they would have.

The desire to own a home that is truly theirs is so important to youngsters that they are willing to hold back on fleeing the nest for however long it takes to be in a position to buy, Taylor Wimpey found.

Now although mum and dad might be happy to have their children close to them, they are unable to help them move on because they simply don’t have the cash (a whopping 65 per cent admitted this).

The hopeful property owners themselves aren’t helping matters with 35 per cent saying they were unwilling to give up expensive holidays, while a quarter refused to curb their spending on clothes and dining out.

“Living with parents on a temporary basis can be a great way to relieve some financial pressure while saving for a deposit, but if you take your eye off the end goal, you could find yourself stuck there,” says property guru Phil Spencer.

“Make sure you have a proper savings plan in place, consider buying with friends or family and find out about the range of schemes from the government and house builders, which means you may only need to save a five per cent deposit.”

He added that one of the most interesting things about this survey was the fact that many people still long to own their own home. A whopping 84 per cent of people aged between 18 and 25 reckon acquiring a property is a sound long-term investment.

“In terms of their priorities in life, one in three put owning their own home above getting married, having children and a successful career,” Mr Spencer concluded.

Naturally, being cooped up in a home can lead to a lot of clutter, so parents are advised to use a self storage unit to make sure the family home is not laden with excess furniture. After all, you want the home to be a relaxing place for everyone, especially if it’s crowded with people.

“I had become a slave to the IKEA nesting instinct. If I saw something like the clever Njurunda coffee tables in the shape of a lime green Yin and an orange Yang I had to have it. The Haparanda sofa group with the orange slip covers by Erika Pekkari. The Johanneshov armchair in the Strinne green stripe pattern…”

And so on.

In the hit movie Fight Club, the nameless main protagonist, played by Edward Norton, discusses how he’s defined by his homely possessions, the flatpack way of life. As he talks, the objects appear in front of him – the coffee table, the sofa, the lamp.

And so on.

It’s a beautifully shot scene, with Norton almost nonchalant to his home changing shape, everything a background, despite his want and purchase of all the furniture.

I was reminded of this movie – based on the excellent book of the same name (Chuck Palahniuk) – when I came across a new study.

TK Maxx, the clothes and home retailer found that when it comes to changes in the home, men are quite simply useless at recognising them.

One in ten women said that they could paint a wall a totally different colour and their spouse wouldn’t notice any difference. They would also get the same blasé response if they hung up pictures and/or photo frames, according to two thirds of women interviewed. In short, big or small, men don’t have a clue.

Helen Gunter from TK Maxx said this proved what women have being saying for many years – that a man sees things differently when it comes to the home. They don’t see a lot perhaps is a bit more accurate.
“While women feel that it’s those little extra touches that are the best way to provide an instant style refresh and are quick to spot these in their friends, neighbours and families’ homes, men fail to notice changes right under their own nose,” she said.
“But keeping a home stylish and fashionable and also making it feel like a home at the same time can be a full time job. It can’t be fun to put so much time and effort in and have them go completely unnoticed.”
What this means is that in some cases, when women have made a lot of effort in sprucing up the pad, they feel under-appreciated (half of the 2,000 respondents admitted to feeling this way).

Men, rub those eyes, take a survey of your home, note where objects are, take a mental picture of colour schemes and what your cushions look like. As soon as it starts changing, be sure to compliment the woman in your life.

Unless of course you don’t like it; in which case, keep quiet and act nonchalant. It’s what you’ve been doing anyway.

An average man in an average house one very average day: “So an oven, what’s that, a heating device, am I right? Okay, hmmm, so plop the dish in on a shelf, cool, easy. Now, er, what’s the symbol? A fan? What’s a fan doing on an oven? Forget this, I’ll have some beans on toast instead.”

In another part of the country, an average woman in an average house one average day: “Let’s see what all this fuss is about computer games. Power button, easy, now, press start, got that… wow, that’s a list… triangle, okay…connect online…I don’t want the internet. Select. Menu. Huh? Forget this, I’ll stick on the TV instead.”

Okay, so maybe I’ve embellished the gender differences, but there’s a real, genuine reason for doing so.

You see, there’s a new survey out from Amica appliances that has found that men and women are bamboozled by certain gadgets in and outside of the home. Now you get the context.

In a study of 2,000 people, it was discovered that a quarter of men didn’t have a clue when it came to operating the washing machine, while women found things like Sky+ and PC printers difficult to figure out.

“This research supports our findings in store – women have no problem navigating their way around appliances in the kitchen but men seem to be far more interested in hand held gadgetry and as a result master new technology with excitement and ease,” said Deborah Risbridger.

“Kitchen appliances are viewed as more mundane and as a manufacturer we are hoping to help change this view.”

According to findings in the survey, the kinds of appliances and gadgets that men tend to find difficult include the dishwasher, iron, vacuum cleaner, tumbler dryer and food mixer.

It suggests that when it comes to domestic life, men simply don’t cut the mustard.

As for women, they tend to find technological devices hard to navigate, with the laptop, PC, smartphone and digital camera cited as troublesome gadgets.

Figuring out how to use these gadgets costs people around six minutes a day, which might not sound like much but, if a daily bug bear, adds up to one and a half days a year.

That’s a lot of time spent struggling to work things out. Give yourself a break.

Well they don’t make fridges like they used to that’s for sure.

At the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month, LG showcased its Smart Manager Fridge, otherwise known as a radical reinvention of the household appliance.

LG, like a renegade, a maverick even, took the rule book, tore it up and threw it out the window. Like Eric Cantona it said: “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the water.”

Exactly; it doesn’t make sense, but that’s what’s so beautiful about it.

LG’s new fridge, estimated to cost around £2,000 is a proper 21st century fridge that much is easy to understand.

Not only does it do a what a fridge freezer should do – freeze stuff and keep it cool to keep it fresh to keep it yum and tasty – it does a whole lot more.

For one, it can work out what is in your fridge and what isn’t – this works through scanning products and noting in the internal computer what has gone in and what has gone out.

Then, while you’re shopping, you can simply log onto the smartphone app and access your fridge remotely – oh yeah, the digital fridge is cool! – to make sure your shopping basket is not wasteful. Smart eh? Yeah it is!

“LG’s direction in smart appliance development has been in pursuing technological advancements that will make consumers’ lives more convenient and ultimately upgrade their quality of life,” said Moon-bum Shin, chief executive officer of LG Electronics Home Appliance Company.

“Device-to-device connectivity with smartphones and among LG appliances is a new and exciting way for us to realize this goal, helping consumers handle housework in a smarter manner by saving time, money and energy.”

You can even shop from the fridge itself! Outrageous! You can see how excitable I am at news of this – it’s just so extremely grandiose and, well, amazing!

And the fun doesn’t stop there. Perhaps a little leftfield, photo albums can be accessed from the fridge, the news too. You can even talk to it – well, it recognises your voice; it won’t hold you to a conversation about game theory.

The humble fridge has certainly come a long way and it is refreshing to see new ideas put forward to what has been a historically accepted appliance. Everything is worth being reinterpreted.