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Home Improvement
Featuring 8 fantastic ways to freshen up your home, writes Apple Mandy
The festive holidays are just around the corner and if you’re staying, hosting a dinner party at your place may sound a good idea. But before sending out the invites, it’s best to make sure that your home is well decorated and at the same time comfortable.
Improving the look of your home is always a challenge. Aside from hosting parties, those who wish to rent or sell their apartments also need to upgrade the value of their homes. And when this has been done, you’ll be completely surprised that you’ve achieved a big accomplishment. This could be redecorating your living room, remodelling your kitchen cabinets or replacing your kitchen tiles.
There are many ways to spiff up an old place. And when you’re consistently doing it, it will make your home the envy of your family and friends. Here are 10 savvy tips to make it look new and modern.
Put on a Fresh Coat
When the walls already look old or the ceiling has dirty marks, it’s time do a paint job. Buy some new interior or exterior paint and put it on to make your place look bright and clean. If you’re looking for creative colours or textured paints, the Nippon Paint store, located on Kowloon side, provides a wide range of interior paints to choose from. Remember that when painting walls, it’s better to paint the bottom of the wall first with the darker shade. Once it dries, continue painting on the middle section with a lighter shade.
Swing It
Some old homes have exterior entry doors that may have already gone out of shape, been painted a million times or simply look worn-out. If any of these situations arise, then it’s time to replace your door with a stylish one that will fit like a glove. This may require basic carpentry but for those who can’t handle it, it’s best to consult an interior designer to help you out. Remember the key to a long-lasting, trouble-free operation is to ask for some help.
Give Appliances a Face-lift
It is better to replace bulky televisions with flat screen ones. Ask a serviceman to reinstall it on your wall to create a movie-theatre feel. Meanwhile, old cabinets or rusty refrigerators should be replaced. This may come in a bit expensive but it will increase the value of your home. Hong Kong’s popular electric appliance stores offer all things necessary for your home.
Let There Be Light
Tone of lighting helps your home create an atmosphere. If you want your living room to be the centre of attraction, make sure that you replace boring recessed lights with a beautiful chandelier. When you have two ordinary lamps that flank both ends of a sofa, it’s better to replace them with accentuated lighting. Then add some spotlights into existing outlets to emphasize a certain furniture display.
Remodel Your bathroom
One of the important features of your home is the bathroom. Installing a new toilet seat or a pedestal sink can change its entire look. Replace old, discoloured bathroom floors with fresh coloured vinyl tiles. If your tub and shower look dingy, consider replacing any chipped tiles for a complete cover-up.
Check Mechanical Wires
Check the wires if they are in good condition. It’s very worthwhile to hire an electrician and plumber to look over your electrical services. It’s recommened to wrap loose wires, fix faulty outlets and look for any water leaks.
Walk Comfortably Barefoot
It always feels good to walk in a carpeted room. This tiny detail actually makes your home surroundings look more comfortable. If your carpet starts to show serious wear, cover offending spots with inexpensive strategically placed area rugs. Wall-to-wall carpeting may not be advisable, unless you plan to sell your place. But fret not: investing in professional carpet cleaning will maintain your rugs in good shape and colour.
Improve Curb Appeal
For those who live on outlying islands, guests who visit your home often make their first impression of this type of lifestyle. No matter how nice it is inside your home, they may never come back. Add a few shrub beds or make your lawn nicely mown. And once you achieve the same lawns found in Desperate Housewives, you can instantly change people’s perception of your home.
Where to Shop:
Ikea, Basement, Park Lane Hotel, 310 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, 3125 0888; L3, Home Square (Grand Central Plaza), 138 Sha Tin Rural Committee Road, Shatin. New Territories, 3125 0888, www.ikea.com.hk
Fortress, G/F, Yu Sung Boon Bldg., 107 - 111 Des Voeux Road, Hong Kong, 2544 4385, www.fortress.com.hk
Big City (Hong Kong) Engineering and Design Ltd., M/F, 41 Fuk Wa Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong 2326 0371,
9128 6995, alsk28@gmail.com
Nippon Paint, Unit 509-515, 5/F, Trade Square, 681 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 2699 9333, www.nipponpaint.com.hk
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