HOMEMAKERS Cape Town April 2023

Surprising Ways To Create More Space In

Your Home

Of course, you love your home no matter how small it is but, deep down, chances are that you dread living in the crumpled space. You would love more space for more fresh air, easier movement, and for increased functionality. Besides, it is a proven fact that limited spaces can have adverse effects on your mental health and general wellbeing. The good thing is that you can always increase space in your home regardless of its size.

Creating more space in your home can be as simple as creating additional storage, decluttering, choosing the right furniture, repurposing wasted areas, replacing standard doors with sliding doors, multi-purposing rooms or getting rid of the TV stand.

If you’re craving more space in your home, here are some surprising ways to achieve your goal.

Build Extra Storage Areas

If you are like most people who deep acquiring new stuff, you probably have run out of space to store them. Your family has also probably outgrown the currently available storage areas. Build more storage areas to accommodate the extra items.

Here are a few ways to achieve this.

Add more cabinets to the rooms. To make your work easier, consider investing in ready-to assemble cabinets. They come with a manual for easy installation. You probably will need little carpentry skills to get the job done, but you don’t have to be an expert. Make use of high ceilings by building a loft to serve as an extra storage area. You can also install floor-to-ceiling shelving or hanging units. Stack storage containers with rarely used items under the bed. Alternatively, install under-bed drawers to store the extra items.

Declutter

The alternative of building more storage for your extra items is getting rid of those things that you rarely use. Get down to thoroughly doing an examination of your home starting with books, clothes and furniture. If you can’t justify why an item is in your home, the best thing is to remove it. Use the opportunity to donate those that can be reused, or sell them to make an extra dime.

Use Sliding Doors

If you dread squeezing behind an open door, or your door opening halfway, then it is time you got rid of the standard door. You may ignore the space it takes, but it can go a long way in making a room spacious. Go for the sleek sliding door, as it will only take minimal space.

This article was contributed by Jennifer Monroe

Flies in the ointment

Get the bugging buzzy beasts who ruin your braai to back off. With this wacky weather of the past three months, we have an abundance of bugs all over the country, living their best life while ruining ours.

Flies, mosquitos and midges seem to be invading our garden sanctuaries more than previous seasons, and its starting to bug us.

What about basic bug sprays?

While commercial bug repellents are all very handy, we can’t help but wonder what the implications are of long term chemical pesticide use.

Best Bug (ger) off botanicals.

Luckily, there are many plants that do thrive in South African gardens that can help you control your bug problems. These plants are easy to grow, and an inexpensive natural solution that will help you have bug free days and buzz free nights. Because they are fragrant plants, many of them can even be used in your everyday life for cooking or cleaning purposes.

Plants like Bay, Lavender and Mint are true multipurpose magicians. Plant them around your home and enjoy their versatility!

If live gives you lemons ...

Lemongrass, lemon balm and lemon verbena both have a lovely fragrance but are also delicious if steeped in tea to make a refreshing iced summer drink.

Lemon thyme, another hardy herb with a fragrant punch, goes well with lamb.

Leave the nasties on the store shelf.

If you’re exploring the world of natural bug repel lents, its also worth looking into natural non-toxic pesticides for other parts of your garden.

Chilly and garlic spray.

While you are whipping up a marinade for this weekend’s braai, why not give your plants a boost as well.Chop up about three cloves of garlic and five chillies, seeds and all, and put them in a spray bottle with water. Spray that liberally on your veggies or roses and watch the pests crawl (or fly) away in terror.

Fibertex Universal eco-friendly home and garden products keep gardens, patios, ponds and driveways, as beautiful as they should be, year after year.

Fibertex Universal Rolls

Fibertex Universal

Rolls

Fibertex Universal eco-friendly home and garden products keep gardens, patios, ponds and driveways, as beautiful as they should be, year after year.

Fibertex Universal eco-friendly home and garden products keep gardens, patios, ponds and driveways, as beautiful as they should be, year after year.

Fibertex Universal

DIY rolls perform excellently as:

Fibertex Universal

DIY rolls perform excellently as:

Fibertex Universal

• A stabilization fabric for under –paving to prevent sagging and rutting

• A separation geotextile between sand and stone to prevent intermixing of layers

Fibertex Universal DIY rolls perform excellently as:

DIY rolls perform excellently as:

• A separation geotextile for root control

Fibertex Universal DIY rolls perform excellently as:

Fibertex Universal DIY rolls perform excellently as:

• A separation geotextile between sand and stone to prevent intermixing of layers

• A separation geotextile between sand and stone to prevent intermixing of layers

• A separation and filtration layer in subsoil drainage systems

• A separation geotextile for root control

• A filtration geotextile to allow water to pass through the fabric and retain soil fines

• A stabilization fabric for under –paving to prevent sagging and rutting

• A stabilization fabric for under –paving to prevent sagging and rutting

Fibertex Head Office +27 31 736 7100 salesza@fibertex.com | www.fibertex.com

• A separation geotextile for root control

Distributed by:

• A separation and filtration layer in subsoil

• A separation and filtration layer in subsoil

• A filtration geotextile used behind retaining walls to prevent loss of the retained soil through the facing

• A filtration geotextile to allow water to pass through the fabric and retain soil fines

• A filtration geotextile to allow water to pass through the fabric and retain soil fines

• A filtration geotextile

• A filtration geotextile

The Fluted Design Into Your Home

What is Fluting?

Fluting is an architectural technique that has been around for centuries. Fluting often consists of numerous thin grooves running over a surface to produce a pleasant play of light. This approach was typically utilized to give the appearance of perfectly round, slimmer, and more beautiful columns.

5 Ways to Include Fluting As An Accent

The easiest way to incorporate fluted design is to swop out some accent pieces in your home with ribbed or grooved items.

Consider some ribbed throws, decor pieces or a lamp that harkens to the fluted style.

Fluting As Cladding

If you’re up for a bit of elbow grease, including ribbed or fluted cladding can elevate any large space by drawing the eye to its texture.

If you are up for some DIY, check out an old friend of HOMEMAKERS’s, DIYwithElle’s, video on how to install a wood slat wall with no power tools.