Home Design Articles

Plastic storage bins have been a real time saver for finding parts in the garage. Accumulation of parts is what happens over time in the garage if you are a do it yourself kind of person. You have probably amassed plenty of loose hardware, fittings and brackets of all kinds and sizes. The small things like nuts and bolts are hard to throw out because you can always find another use for a screw that has been originally used for something else. My dream wall in my garage would look like the hardware stores nail bin wall. I would have all kinds of large plastic storage bins starting from the floor and move my way up the wall to the smaller ones near eye level.

The rolling industrial shelf style on wheels that have the yellow, blue or the red stackable plastic storage bins are the most popular that I have seen, there are now new clear plastic storage bins that will fit in those as well so if you like clear bins, be on the look out for those.

So how do you handle the small parts that accumulate on the average garage bench? The easiest for me is to put all the small parts that come from torn up motors, old radios, toasters and such is to have one bin set aside and place all small miscellaneous parts into the bin. Then, once every couple of weeks, I pick up the bin and then go to the plastic storage bin rack and sort everything while placing the parts into the different bins.

There are many ways that you can keep everything in order and a set of plastic storage bins simply makes the task a little bit easier.

If you are looking for places to put your extra hardware, having one of these stackable plastic storage bins just might be the trick to keeping you organized and able to easily find any part you need fast.

Till next time -

Solar garden lights are commonly used in lighting outdoor areas of your home. These kind of lights are almost maintenance-free, inexpensive to use and easy to install. After buying this kind of lighting you would only need to spend for replacement batteries.

Probably the only disadvantage of using them would be that they need to be situated somewhere that they would be receiving a lot of sunlight in the day. So if you have a pathway or garden which is shaded, the solar aspect might not work very well for you.

If you still want to use them on a shaded area, then you could probably install a solar panel on top of your roof or in any other spot that would receive a lot of sunlight. This would be a bit more expensive compared the regular solar lights and you would need to run a wire coming from the solar panel going to the lights.

Typically this type of solar lighting could provide around six to twelve hours of light in the evening. This would, of course, depend on the amount of sunlight they received in the day. These lights have a photo sensor, which is already built in and turns the light on as soon as it is dark. They would remain lit up until their batteries are depleted or as the sun rises, whichever would come first. If you need more control many of them have automatic override switches allowing you manual control over the lights features.

Solar decorative garden lights come in a very wide variety of different sizes and styles. You would be able to buy solar spotlights, hanging solar lights for the garden and even specialty lights like swimming pool lights and colored lights. They are available at reasonable prices, however it is always advisable to look for the quality lights instead of just settling for those that are the cheapest. Those cheaper sets of lights might not be able to withstand different weather elements such as extreme storm conditions as well as strong winds.

It always amazes me how people will spend thousands of dollars on great landscaping and even more on decorating the inside of their home and then leave an ugly hole in the front of their property for everyone to see.  Have you ever drove around on a Saturday afternoon and seen how many people have their garage doors open like they are proud of the mess and the boring, grey concrete floor.  Your eye is instantly directed to the worst looking aspect of the home because it is so out of place.

If you truly want your entire property to look great and match your design style then take a look at what is going on in your garage.  One of the easiest ways to bring life and color is to apply a garage floor sealer which will add color and flair.  Most garage floor coatings are epoxy based which means they not only will add color and shine but the floor will also be protected against damage.  If you decide to sell at some point be assured if a car guy or gal is looking at the property they are going to want to have a good, clean looking floor.

An epoxy sealer is easy to apply as a weekend project or you can have a contractor do it for a small charge.  The most important step in the process is to be sure the floor is clean of all oils and dirt.  Do this with a good degreaser and then use soap and water.  You also apply an etching formula in order to rough up the surface for better bonding.  After the floor dries you just roll out the epoxy mixture.

Most coatings, like quickrete garage floor sealers allow you to add a base color to the mixture and also color flecks after rolling.  This really makes a garage snap when the floor is a soft color and the paint chips stand out as accents.  Your garage is a part of your property and how people view your style, don’t neglect it.

Undercounter refrigerators can be found in numerous configarations, but all will fit nicely under your counter top. What configuration to choose, depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your under counter refrigerator.

Undercounter Fridge as a Smaller, Typical Fridge
If you choose an undercounter fridge with a normal door, adjustable shelves in the fridge itself, shelves in the door, and a fruit and vegetable crisper, it will be much like a standard fridge, but in a smaller version. This might be useful if you have a very small kitchen.

Undercounter Drawer Refrigerator
In an undercounter drawer fridge, the door and shelves are replaced by one or two drawers. The main benefit of this configuration is the fact that the stored items become easily accessible. It is a perfect choice for adding cold storage space to a well equipped kitchen. If you choose the two drawer option, each drawer can be kept at a separate temperature, thus different goods can be optimally stored in the same fridge.

Storing Canned Beverages
Another option is an undercounter fridge designed with storing canned beverages in mind. The shelves in such a fridge are just the right height for canned sodas and beers. Often the door of the fridge is made of glass, thus you can make your choice of what to drink before even opening the door. Not just for the kitchen, you could also install the fridge in a home bar or in a game room.

Undercounter Wine Refrigerator
Another exciting option for keeping beverages chilled, is the undercounter wine refrigerator. If you are a food and wine enthusiast, who loves having guests over for dinner, a handy appliance keeping your wine at the perfect serving temperature might be just what you have been looking for.

Spoiled for Choices
Undercounter fridges come in many configurations, covering many needs. It can serve as the standard fridge in a small kitchen, or add extra refrigeration space in a well equipped one.

When you have a small space it is critical that you plan out your space well. There needs to be a clear space between each piece of furniture. You need to have about two or three feet between your sofas, armchairs and other furniture, and around two feet between the front of your armchair or sofa and the coffee table, to give you room to stand up and move around.

Armchair dimensions

When it comes to picking right arm chair for a small space you need to make sure that the armchair isn’t so big that it dominates the whole room. As well as size you need to take the style into consideration. Make sure you choose an armchair that has thin arms and visible legs, instead of the legs being hidden away. Also, don’t go for curvy designs, stick stick to straight, clean cut edges. If you really struggle for space you might want to consider an armchair with no arms at all, it won’t give you a lot more space but it will make it look like there is a little more room.

When you head out to buy your new armchair, be sure that you know how much space you have available, take measurements and measure the armchairs that you are considering buying. Don’t just hope that it looking the right size will mean that it is. Not only are the external dimensions important, you need to make sure that the dimensions of the seating area are sufficient and you can sit on the chair comfortably.

Shopping for new leather armchairs for a small space isn’t all that hard, with so many of us living in small apartments and studio accommodation there are hundreds of people out there designing new furniture for these compact spaces. Just take a look at all of the online retailers they have loads of designs aimed at small living spaces. Its not only online retailers, places like Ikea have so much on offer too.