Home Archives - The Handy Mano

Home 12 October 2018

Home Decor Inspiration for Autumn

Here are a few ideas to hopefully give you some inspiration of some less obvious ways of subtly adding autumnal touches to your home as the cold draws in!

1. Add touches of autumnal colours

Different shades of deeper reds, yellows and browns will fit unbe-leaf-ably well with autumnal aesthetic. This colour scheme still stays within a neutral palette, yet adds some warmness to your home.

2. Brighten your home up with plants

Adding seasonal house plants is always a good idea. It’s been said that adding some nature and greenery to your space will help you to de-stress, which means that a pop of colour is simply a huge bonus. 😉

Autumnal Chrysanthemums and Bromeliads are gorgeous examples of autumnal house plants which can add vibrancy to your home and leaf you smiling.

3. Get some wood

Wood similarly has warmer tones in it and contributes to the ‘outdoors is indoors’ feel. Wood-n’t you love a bit of a rustic edge to your space? There are so many pieces of indoor furniture which use wood – why not turn over a new leaf and switch up your stool for a wooden one?

4. Warm up with candles and fire

Any form of (non dangerous) flame in a home is guaranteed to autumn-atically make your space so much more cosy! You can mix it up with candles of different sizes and smells, or even light up a wood fire.

5. Bring in the furs and rugs

Added Hygge or comfort is a huge indicator that we’re entering into the colder months. Having a rug or blanket on hand in your space means that you’re guaranteed never to get chilly. Furr-ntastic!

We hope you picked up some tips on how to keep your home cosy yet seasonal this Autumn! Anyone who steps into your home will want to know where you got your inspiration from. 😉

How to Secure Your Home During Winter

Essential Gardening jobs for October

Home 21 September 2018

Key features of Scandinavian Interior Design

Scandinavian features are incredibly well known for being classically simple yet beautiful and well designed. In today’s tips, we thought we’d pick out these scandi secrets for you, and put together the key features of these designs for some inspiration on how to chairish the space you have. 😉

No wall to wall carpets

A lot of scandinavian interior design excludes wall to wall carpets – some may even call it carpetal punishment. However, this takes away any potential messiness and makes your space much more functional. Although if you feel as if you are missing out and prefer more added comfort, (or as the Scandinavians would say, added hygge) incorporating a rug or two is also common. Textures are essential in Scandinavian design, and they tend to love symmetrical patterns and light colours (surprise surprise) but feel free to play around with your own personal style, too!

Neutral cool tones

The use of a neutral and cool palette adds a heightened sophistication to the room. One of the huge benefits of the general use of light coloured walls and floors in Scandinavian design means that you are able to experiment with other elements. Using darker cool-toned shades means that playing around with contrasts etc gives you room to experiment! And as a plus, repeating the use of popular shades of greys, creams and blacks means that you can be assured that they won’t go out of season!

Wood

If anything, it’s sure that Scandinavians are huge wood enthusiasts. Vast landscapes of forest in Scandinavian countries means that the use of wood is a key element in interior design. This tends to be wood like birch, ash or pine which is light in colour, in order to compliment lighter colours used in interior design. Although mostly used for flooring, it’s also incorporated into furniture or ornaments, as it is extremely durable and gives that outside-is-indoor feel.

Foliage

Adding a bit of greenery to your indoor space can add a pop of colour and vibrancy to the home. It has been proven that adding greenery to your space is beneficial to your wellbeing and gives you a clearer state of mind! As well as adding to the bringing-the-outside-indoors along with the use of wood, the size of house plants are perfect to bring to your space to add some sculpture to your shelves. The Scandinavians are not at all shelf-ish with their use of space, they allocate lots of it to the plants. 😉

Natural light

Lighting is sacred for Scandinavians! As they get around about 60 days where the night is 24 hours long, (!) it’s important for them to make the most of the natural light they do have, and we can see this through their interior design. Although we recognise that not all of you are able to have humongous windows or ceiling to floor sliding glass doors, making the most of what light you do have can be emphasised through the use of simple mirrors or light colours in your space.

We hope you picked up a few things about how to mix-up your space Scandinavian style. 😎 Don’t forget to send us any of your own interior design inspiration or how you intend on decorating your own space!

How To Make A Scandi Style Table With Copper Pipes

10 Original and Inexpensive Bookshelf Ideas

Home 20 August 2018

Top 5 Useful Indoor House Plants

Did you know that indoor house plants have many health benefits, as well as having the ability to brighten up a room? They increase oxygen levels throughout the day, remove pollutants, and apparently can even increase memory retention by 20%, making them perfect for studying or working at your desk! If you’re lost about where to get started, check out our top 10 indoor house plants below for inspiration. Let us know if we missed your favourite one out – we’d love to hear about it!

Top 5 Indoor House Plants

5 – Peace Lily

Despite their beauty, these plants are very easy to take care of which is why they are popular office and home plants. All they ask for is medium to low light, and not to be over watered. Check the top of the soil weekly and water when dry. Remember that they are more tolerant of under watering than over watering so don’t make a watering schedule for them.

🌿This plant is the top of NASA’s list for cleaning the air! It removes removes formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene (ie bad things) whilst looking beautiful, too! 🌿

4 – Aloe Vera

Of course, we had to include Aloe vera! This plant carries endless health benefits and doesn’t demand too much form you, either. Make sure that you plant it in a wide container with a potting mixture similar to one which you would use for succulents. The most common cause of death for these plants is a lack of drainage, so water every 3 weeks and avoid keeping the soil soggy constantly. Place it in bright but indirect light, such as behind a curtain in an office.

🌿Squeeze the jelly-like substance out of the leaves and use it to treat sunburn, burns, bruises, acne, psoriasis and many other things, but make sure to never take it internally!🌿

3 – Chinese Evergreen

Known to be a very durable houseplant, the Chinese Evergreen plant is both simple to look after and lovely to look at! Make sure you keep it away from any drafts (if anything, it prefers humid conditions) and water it moderately, allowing it to dry out between each time. You’ll notice that the leaves can gather a lot of dust, use a soft damp rag to wipe this away and leave it to air dry.

🌿They are well known for filtering out air pollutants and getting rid of more and more toxins as time and exposure continues🌿

2 – Spider Plant

This lovely houseplant is perfect for newbies! You can hang them in baskets, put them on shelves, or leave them on tables to show off their long leaves. Water it once a week, and keep the soil slightly moist during hot months. Fortunately, this plant only needs moderate light to survive, and this doesn’t even need to be natural light, so you can brighten up and dark workspace with them.

🌿These plants are non-toxic so are safe for pets and children to accidentally eat! They also absorb carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and xylene whilst producing oxygen, so it’s a win win!🌿

1 – Rubber Tree

This lovely leafy houseplant needs time to dry out between watering, so make sure to keep it mildly hydrated with a spritz of water on the leaves every now and again. Place it in indirect light to keep it extra happy!

🌿Rubber trees are best known for their large leaves which absorb airborne chemicals and break them down, whilst converting carbon dioxide into breathable oxygen for you! 🌿

Do you think you’ll be investing in one of these indoor house plants? Or do you already have one?

If you need more plant inspiration, try out these other articles:

Top 8 Weird Flowers

Top Nine Low Maintenance Flowers

Home 14 May 2018

What Glue to Use For: DIY Home Repairs

We’re sticking by you in this article! We know that there is nothing more frustrating than wanting to do a quick DIY job at home but not being sure on which glue to use- especially when there are so many types of glue out there. That’s why we’ve done our research and put a clear guide together, so you can get yourself out of that sticky DIY situation quickly!

Furniture

When repairing a wobbly piece of furniture, always use a PVA adhesive. It is simple to use, doesn’t need mixing, and can be sanded down easily. Also, it dries clear so you don’t have to worry about mess! PVA can be used on almost any surface, including timber, metal and masonry. It is known as the best glue to use on wood, however, make sure that you get rid of any ‘old’ glue between the joints, and put a firm clamp on the wood parts being bonded to prevent any movement (which makes the glue weaker). It’s also worth double checking that you’re using a water resistant PVA glue prior to trying it out on garden furniture!

PVA advantages

-Only toxic if you eat it
-No dangerous fumes or hazards
-Can be diluted with water

PVA disadvantages

-Can take up to 24 hours to dry
-Not fully waterproof
-Certain algae and types of fungi can break it down

Skirting Boards

When securing skirting boards, we recommend using a construction adhesive. It is multipurpose and heavy duty and can come in a cartridge, tube or pressure pack. To fix your skirting boards, first make sure that all the surfaces are dry and free of dust. Then, cut the nozzle to the right thickness (this should be around 5mm) and apply this to the top and bottom of the back of the skirting board. Bring the surfaces together and manoeuvre the skirting boards back into position before holding them up with tape. Allow 24 hours for the adhesive to fully set before removing the tape.

Construction Glue advantages

-Reduces the need for screws, nails and other fasteners
-Flexible and waterproof which makes it perfect for outdoor use (fix your decking with it!)

Construction Glue disadvantages

-Can be very toxic
-Can be flammable

Fixing Ornaments

If you recently broke a treasured ornament then all hope is not lost! Superglue, or cyanoacryates, are perfect for small repairs when you need a strong and waterproof bond. This makes it perfect for fixing glass, ceramics and toys. The key to using superglue, is that less is more! If you’re worried about using too much glue on a small ornament, then tip it onto some tine foil first and use a toothpick to apply it precisely over the damage.

Super Glue advantages

-You only need a small amount, so one tube can last you a very long time!
-Often very cheap and easy to find
-Dries very quickly
-It’s clear!

Super Glue disadvantages

-If it comes into contact with your skin it can be painful and difficult to remove! (We recommend trying to remove it with kitchen oils or WD-40)
-It can sometime dry too quickly, making it impossible to make mistakes
-The glue can dry up quickly if not stored correctly

Reattaching Laminate

Damaged edges of laminate benchtops can be glued down easily using a contact adhesive. The rubbery glue is available as either a solvent or water-based type, and can be applied to the surface with a brush before pushing the surfaces together while the glue is still tacky. The adhesive glue bonds on contact, therefore, you won’t need a clamp!

Contact Adhesive advantages

-No need for clamps!
-Dries quickly, making it perfect for a quick touch-up
-Has a long lifespan

Contact Adhesive disadvantages

-Can be expensive
-Can be very toxic! Make sure that you read the label thoroughly before use.

Stuck on what to read next? Have some more DIY hacks…

12 Easy Tricks To Fix Broken Stuff

10 Simple Cleaning Tips To Make Old Things Look New

Home 23 January 2018

10 Incredible Hidden Doors

Growing up can mean letting go of the things which used to seem mysterious and magical when you’re a child. For some however, they held on to those ideas, Peter Pan style, and put a little bit of magic into their adult house – by putting in an ingenious hidden door!

1. Brick wall disguise

This design is clever in the way it uses the indents of the brick to disguise the opening of the door. It probably keeps any envious eyes away from your wine stash too!

2. Mirror Mirror on the wall

Where can I hide it all? The owners of this house have created a perfect secret garden hideaway through a framed mirror.

3. The Classic

A huge library with a secret room, accessed only by the strategic movement of an obscure book – now that’s a dream house!

4. Let it slide

This has to be every child’s dream bedroom (hell.. it’s still ours!)

5. Wall camouflage

The panelling of the wall makes it the perfect place to hide a secret room.

6. Draw it out

This would be a great way to hold keepsakes and valuable items safe.

7. Secret stash?

This hidden stairway must be a favourite with every wine lover – all the wine you’d need, right beneath your feet.

8. Flip a switch

A prize for any guest who managed to guess there was a secret passageway here.

9. Narnia door

If Narnia was your favourite book as a child, you’ll be envious of the lucky inhabitants of this house who have their own Narnia playroom hidden in a wardrobe!

10. An arty entrance

Need an excuse to hang huge pieces of art in your house? Well here you go!

We hope this article has inspired you to put in your own hidden door! Making one can be easy enough, so long as you have wood, and some basic tools such as a drill, screws and hinges. If you want to get into the nitty gritty of how to actually go about making one, check out our article on 6 hidden doors you can DIY!

6 incredible DIY secret doors

11 Amazing Upcycled Door Projects