Happy New Year!
Hope You Have
Lots Of
Joy, Love, Adventure and Prosperity in
2023!
Call or text 604-358-4681 nancybergman@royallepage.ca
Happy New Year!
Hope You Have
Lots Of
Joy, Love, Adventure and Prosperity in
2023!
Getting ready to host overnight guests? Let’s assume you have a bed or air mattress and coverings on all the windows. That’s a great start! This list will help fill in all the little things your guests will want to have on hand for a comfortable night’s sleep. What you won’t find is season-specific decor, extra charging cords, books and other optional extras that your guests might enjoy, but can live without. Instead lets focus is on versatile, key pieces to get your guest space up and running so you’re ready for visitors, no matter when they arrive.
Water Carafe
Needing a glass of water but not knowing where to get one can be frustrating and uncomfortable for guests. And after traveling by car or plane, they probably need to hydrate. Be prepared with a glass carafe filled with water, and add an extra glass if you’ll be hosting a couple.
Coordinated Set Of Bedding
Since your guest bed is probably used far less often than the master bed, there’s no need to go all-out with top-of-the-line bedding, unless you want to. But a good-quality set of sheets and a quilt or duvet in a coordinating hue will make your guests feel well cared for. A neutral palette will look appropriate year-round.
Bedside Lighting
Good lighting is key to making your guest room feel welcoming. At minimum, place a lamp on each bedside table — lamps with three settings are ideal, so guests can adjust the light levels to suit their preference.
Full-Length Mirror
Your guests will appreciate having a simple full-length mirror propped against the wall or attached to the back of the door. If the mirror is in a dark corner of the room, draping a strand of white twinkle lights on it is a quick and inexpensive way to add a warm glow.
Extra Blankets And Pillows
Help your guests out by providing a few extra blankets and pillows so they can get comfortable. This is especially important on chilly winter nights, but if you have central air conditioning, your guests may reach for an extra blanket even in summer.
Wastebasket
This is a small but important detail that will help your guests keep their room neat without making frequent trips to search out garbage cans in other parts of the house. Whatever you opt for, choose an attractive wastebasket that enhances your guest room style.
Extra Toiletries
Have a few spare sample-size toiletries in a drawer? Gather them together in a pretty bowl or basket and add a new toothbrush so guests won’t stress if they forgot something.
Bath Towels
A stack of fluffy white bath towels on the bed is a welcoming touch. Be sure to include a wash cloth, hand towel and bath towel for each person.
Wall Hooks
Unless your guests are staying for a week or more, they probably don’t need an empty dresser to unpack their clothes into. A few sturdy wall hooks will do for hanging damp towels and with the addition of a hanger or two wrinkle-prone outfits.
Coffee And Tea Makings
Considerate guests won’t want to bother you if they get up before you do. Including a little tray with everything they need to make a morning cup makes it clear they are welcome to help themselves.
The holiday season is a mix of happiness and stress. But, you can regain your center and enjoy a peaceful, joy-filled season. Here are some self-care ideas to try during the holidays.
Create A Bedroom Retreat
Having a soothing, clutter-free space where you can rest and unwind at the end of a long day can do wonders for relieving stress and promoting sleep. Leave the digital screens at the door and read from a real book or write down your thoughts in a journal before turning out the lights.
Bundle Up And Get Outdoors
Even if it’s cold, going outdoors each day can be a real mood booster. And if you are lucky to live on the Sunshine Coast, getting out into the woods can be a great way to decompress and regain your center in the middle of a busy holiday season.
Soothe The Soul With A Bath
Essential oils can completely transform a bath into a blissful sensory experience. Try a few drops of eucalyptus oil to open the lungs, or soothing lavender to relax before bedtime. Add the essential oils to your warm bath when it’s about half full, and the whole tub will be fragrant by the time you’re ready to get in.
Try An Unplugged Evening
Simple pastimes like playing chess or games, or working on a puzzle, can provide a nice chance to catch up with family without everyone staring at their own screens. To boost the ambiance even more, turn off the overhead lights and play by the glow of candles and twinkle lights.
Warm Up By The Fire
If you have a fireplace or wood stove, now is the time to put it to use. Light a fire, use a cozy throw, and settle in with a hot drink and a good book. It doesn’t get much more relaxing.
Try Meditation
If you’ve found meditation frustrating in the past, try exercising before you meditate. A bit of movement can help settle your body and prepare it to be still and focus. When you’re ready, find a comfortable sitting position, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. And remember, there is no one judging you. Even a minute of meditation can have a positive impact on your day.
Practice Mindful Tidying
A bit of daily tidying can go a long way toward keeping a home that feels light, spacious and relaxing. If you find yourself resisting, try gently reminding yourself that by doing just a bit each day, you can savor your home even more.
Take a Cue From Your Furry Friend
If you have a pet at home, you might want to consider it your resident Zen master. Take a cue from your lounging, care-free cat or happy-go-lucky pooch, and enjoy the present moment to the fullest.
If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace in the corner of your living room or family room, you know that it can be both cozy and confounding. You might wonder how you should orient your couch and rug. And where should the TV go? Doorways, tight square footage and other variables can make those decisions even harder.
These rooms feature fireplaces built at an angle in the corner. Check out how home professionals and homeowners approached this common design challenge and read some helpful tips. Then, if you’ve designed around a corner fireplace, tell us how and post a photo in the Comments.
Arranging Seating
Sofas and Chairs
A fireplace is an architectural focal point — and furniture is usually directed toward a room’s focal point. So why is it hard to find a couch facing a corner fireplace?
While every room is different, designers often advise against that layout, since it causes a couch’s corners to stick out awkwardly in the room, impeding flow. Instead, orient a couch and rug parallel to a wall. A chair or chairs can then be placed at an angle.
Hot Tip:
Another Option:
Place two chairs or a loveseat facing the fireplace and at 90 degrees in relation to the couch, to create an L shape. A feature wall, facing the couch, is a secondary focal point.
A room could have a second seating area, which is a nice addition whenever space allows. An armchair next to the fireplace, paired with a side table, creates a cozy reading spot that can still feel connected to the conversation area.
The furniture placement in a living room with a large opening into adjacent rooms can be challenging, as the busy travel path goes right through the middle of it all. To keep the path as clear as possible, scale down a rug, chose tailored pieces and push the couch and chair against the walls.
Hot Tip:
Sectionals
An angled sectional is conducive to conversation, but it can create a pleasing continuity with the angle of the adjacent fireplace.
Placing a chair directly in front of a fireplace is best avoided if possible. But it can work if the fireplace isn’t frequently used and the chair is visually light and easy to move out of the way.
Hot Tip:
Adding A TV
On The Adjacent Wall
Optimal TV viewing height is eye level when the person is seated, and heat and electronics don’t mix. So placing a television above a console or a built-in entertainment unit versus above the fireplace mantel is often the best solution.
Because the fireplace and the entertainment center are on adjacent walls, those seated on the couch can enjoy both. Two additional chairs opposite the couch can be placed so they don’t block the view but do allow for conversation.
Even though the television becomes the dominant focal point an angled sectional can help to invite the fireplace into the furniture grouping.
On Another Wall
Doorways, windows and other architectural elements also can leave few places for the television. But wherever the TV ends up, the seating arrangement ideally will allow for comfortable viewing of both it and the fireplace.
Hot Tip:
Above The Fireplace
The concept of placing the TV over the fireplace sparks a lot of debate in the design community. If you have a low, linear fireplace that doesn’t emit much heat, or if your seating is far away from the set, it can work well. But the configuration can be bad for your TV and a pain in the neck — literally and figuratively.
But there’s no denying that installing a television above the fireplace is popular, and it has the advantages of being space-efficient and creating a single focal point in a room.
Hot Tip
Placing A Rug
Rugs are great for grounding conversation groupings, but they can conflict with hearths and draw attention to awkward angles. A round rug, resolves the “In which direction should the rug go?” question.
Hot Tip:
Spruce up your home for days and nights spent indoors and close to home this holiday season. December is a busy month preparing for cold weather and the holidays. But with a little preparation you can experience the best of the season, a winter walk or hot cocoa.
Things to Check Off Your List In An Hour Or Less
Disconnect Hoses
If it freezes in winter where you live, now is the time to shut off the water supply to your outdoor faucets if you haven’t done so yet. After shutting off the water, turn on the faucets outside to allow any water left to drain out. Then disconnect garden hoses, drain the water and roll them up to store indoors until spring.
Keep An Eye On Trees
A buildup of heavy snow on tree limbs can make them more prone to breaking. Brush snow off tree limbs after each big snowfall, using a broom to extend your reach. If a limb does fall, have it removed as soon as the weather permits.
Set Up A Gift-Wrapping Station
Stock up on wrapping paper, plain boxes, ribbons, gift tags and tape, and store everything in an easily accessible spot near a work surface.
Having all your supplies ready to go will make it much more appealing to wrap gifts as soon as you buy them — instead of waiting until the last moment for a marathon wrapping session.
Make Space For Winter Coats, Boots and Scarves
With winter weather come bulky coats, boots and all sorts of mittens and scarves that seem to multiply when you’re not looking.
Clear out the closet nearest your main entrance to make room for those extra winter layers, or supplement a hall with coat hooks and a boot tray.
Tackle These Tasks Over a Weekend
Put Up Outdoor Holiday Decor
Dig out those Christmas lights early in the month so that you have ample time to test strands and replace nonworking ones before the holidays. Hang exterior lights and wreaths, being sure to use only exterior-rated lights, and plug them in safely in an outdoor outlet.
Add Winter Evergreens To Outdoor Spaces
Try boxwood in containers decked out with twinkling lights. Living Christmas trees and evergreen wreaths are also good choices for the front porch.
Simplify Your Holiday
If you tend to feel overwhelmed at this time of year, take a timeout to set some intentions for your holiday season. Focus on a few meaningful activities that you really enjoy, and give yourself permission to say, “No, thank you” to activities that stress you out.
Get Ready For Winter Storms
Check the condition of your snow shovels, gloves and window scrapers, and replace as needed. Store snowy-weather supplies near the door where you can access them easily in a storm, and mark the sides of your driveway and other key places with reflective poles, to help the snow plowers see where to go. And even if it doesn’t snow where you live, keeping the pantry stocked with food, bottled water, candles and flashlights in case of power outages is always a good idea.
Block Drafts
If you feel a draft, don’t just reach for another throw blanket — apply weatherstripping to the drafty area to warm up your house and save on your energy bill. If the cold air is getting in under a door, what you need is a door sweep. Usually made of hard plastic, a door sweep attaches to the bottom of your door, sealing off the gap that lets in cold air.
Maintenance and Extras To Budget For
Spruce Up Indoor Play Areas
When you have kids at home, harsh winter weather can mean more playtime indoors. Stave off cries of “I’m bored!” with a spruced-up play space. A bit of reorganizing and a few simple purchases (like a giant roll of paper and fresh markers) can make your same old space feel like new.
Create A Space To Find Your Zen
What with family stress, packed schedules and world events, it’s especially important for our well-being to create out moments for calm and reflection during this busy season. Create a personal retreat at home by clearing a space for yoga, meditation or relaxation. It certainly doesn’t have to be grand; it can simply be a space that’s slightly bigger than a mat, in any room. Just make the time to use it.
Have Your Chimney Cleaned
If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to clean your chimney with a certified chimney sweep before you light that first fire of the season. Creosote can build up in the chimney, increasing the risk of a house fire.
Update Your Emergency Kit
Be prepared for power outages and other emergencies by making sure your house and car are outfitted with well-stocked emergency kits. The basics include bottled water, a hand-crank radio, a flashlight with extra batteries, a cell phone charger, hand-crank or battery-powered, food, blankets and a first-aid kit. At home, keep essential documents in one easily accessible place.
Plan For Holiday Home Safety
A few simple precautions — such as illuminating the area around your house, locking doors and windows, and trimming bushes — can go a long way toward keeping your home safe.
And with night falling earlier this month, it pays to be extra safety-conscious, whether or not you are going anywhere.