Space Saving Bedroom Ideas

If you live in a city then the chances are you don’t have a huge house with lots of room. Space is at a premium and nowhere more so than the average bedroom. So how do you make the best use of it? Here are some ideas and suggestions for a space saving efficiency bedroom:

Space Saving Beds
If you’re looking to replace your old bed then this can be a great way of saving space. Modern beds can fold up, hide away or double as other pieces of furniture. Even a more traditional style bed can have plenty of useful storage space in the form of underbed drawers. Or consider going upwards with a functional loft bed. Find out more here: space saving beds.

Colour
Colour can make a room look big or small. Many people think that a black, gothic bedroom looks cool. Maybe it does, but it also looks small! Lighter clours open up any room. If you’re not in a position to redorate then simply putting up a few bright, colourful posters or prints can make a lot of difference especially if the image is open or has a lot of depth. Choice of lighter shades for furniture also helps.

Lighting
Clever use of lighting can make any room look bigger. In the case of the bedroom you probably don’t want a single bright central light. Consider lighting the room to create different “zones” for different purposes (reading, dressing, sleeping etc). Local lights and spots can be used to effectively highlight particular areas or corners. Probably more than any other room a bedroom can benefit from a variety of different lights of different intensities and possibly even different colours. See more here: bedroom lighting.

Cupboard Lighting
Don’t forget about lighting inside the cupboards or wardrobes. There’s often a lot of space left unused or difficult to access simple because it’s dark. A few low voltage stick on battery lights can really transform your storage space. Obviously make sure you buy lights designed specifically for this purpose – safety first.

Accessories
I’ve already mentioned using prints and artwork to lighten the bedroom. The other classic idea is, of course, mirrors. In the case of a bedroom these are not only useful for making the room feel larger but they also have a practical purpose. Why hide that full length dressing mirror away inside the wardrobe? Place it in a convenient point where it also helps to enhance the room – and then add a couple of local lights.

Storage
A variety of storage spaces of different sizes and shapes will give you maximum flexibility. As well as underbed storage and larger cupboards and wardrobes you can buy many other storage options. These range from traditional armoires through bedskirts (valances) with pockets up to modern vacuum packing systems for minimising the space taken up by unused bed linen. You can even buy specially shaped shelving and storage units for those corners that would normally just gather dust. You can also improve existing storage by using clever ideas such as drawer organisers, multiple use hangars and over the door storage.

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Opposite Day Ideas

Opposite Day, also known as Backwards Day, has become very popular in recent years. It’s fun for adults and can also be a good way to teach younger children the concept of “opposite”.

Some people like to celebrate Opposite Day on a particular day of the year but it can be declared any time. In particular a school class might be told “Friday is opposite day” or an office party might be designated as an “opposite night”.

Here are some simple ideas and activities for getting into the swing of things:

Food
All sorts of things can be done with food; some are simple, some are messy! You could simply eat a meal backwards, starting with the pudding. You could make a sandwich by putting a slice of bread between two slices of meat. If you cook then you could make things with unusual colours or unexpected flavours.

Speech
Try saying the opposite of what you mean; “I don’t want any chocolate” for example! Or switch “yes” and “no”, or “boy” and “girl”, “he” and “she”, “left” and “right”, etc. Just make sure that everyone around knows what’s going on!

Gender
Changing apparent gender is usually easier for a man than a woman: “dragging up” has a long history. Borrow an old skirt or wear a cheap bra and pad it out. You could even buy fake costume boobs! Unfortunately most male clothing is worn by women anyway, making a simple gender change more difficult for them.

Hair
Changing hair colour, length and style makes a big difference. No need to dye it or cut it, just buy a cheap party wig.

Clothes
As well as changing gender there are lots of other things you can do with clothes and accessories. Wear them inside out or back to front, wear colours that don’t match, sunglasses on a rainy day or an umbrella when it’s hot and sunny, wear pyjamas during the day, etc. Wear different colours – if you normally dress like a goth, wear something pretty and sparkly.

Games
Any game can be made opposite by changing the rules. Making the winner the one with least points is simple, but can lead to the game going on forever! You could play snap but say “pans” instead, or you could play a game like Monopoly and move your pieces backwards round the board. Party games work well, for example musical chairs where you sit down when the music starts!

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Foodie Gift Ideas

Do you have someone in your life who loves good food? Are you looking for a more orginal gift than a box of chocolates? Here are a few ideas for presents you can buy online to give to gourmets. Obviously with all food gifts you should take into account any allergies or dietary preferences of the recipient.

Sauces

Sauces are incredibly versatile. They can be used as a cooking ingredient, as a relish or even in a sandwich! The number of different flavours is immense, from fruity through to fiery chilli. Best of all, you can buy many of them in attractive packaging.

Tea
Nothing beats a good cup of tea – as an Englishman I know this to be true! As well as traditional black teas there are also green, herbal and fruit varieties avalable. Tea bags today can be extremely high quality, however for the real enthusiast you might want to get traditional leaf varieties. And maybe even a special teapot!

Black Garlic
Black garlic is a relatively new innovation that’s getting rave reviews from gourmets and chefs. It’s sweet, stick and, as the name suggests, black! Something different for the garlic lover.
More information: Black garlic

Fruit and Nuts
OK, so this is an old favourite – but for good reasons. Gift baskets of dried fruit and/or nuts are extremely tasty and if you buy the best then they’re presented in a which which also makes them a feast for the eyes.

Bizarre Candy

In recent years there’s been a trend towards putting unlikely insects and other weird items in sweets. You can get edible versions of everything from ants and worms to scorpions! A gift for the adventurous eater.

Retro Sweets
If you know your giftee’s birthday then you might like to take them back to the taste’s of their childhood. You can buy retro candy gift packs containing sweets from most of the last decades. (Obviously the candy is newly made in the original style, it doesn’t *really* come from decades ago!)

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