Friday, December 2, 2011

You can enjoy your outdoors with comfortable café chairs

Eating outdoors or having your coffee in an open place is a great experience to have. Whether it’s a fresh air, people watching, hustle and bustle of the streets; all can be done from the comfort of your seat that are placed in the open cafes. One of the key things that contribute to a great outdoor experience is the comfortable furniture. To serve this purpose, comfortable café chairs is the best option.

In different cities, there is a majority of persons including youngsters, small children, families and many more, who want to enjoy and have fun in the outdoor cafes. In some parts, there are also some people, who are crazy for eating outdoors regardless of they are seated at a small wrought iron café table and the chairs for two or large sized aluminium booth with benches. Outdoor restaurant can make or break the experience of eating outside, so it becomes necessary to select the best café chairs for your cafes. The menu of the café from inside to outdoors cannot change but the seating arrangement can easily be changed. Outdoor dining is often spur-of-the-moment and is unassuming, which can play a key role in the making the surroundings more enticing. With proper seating arrangement, your visitors can easily get a place to relax, unwind and take complete pleasure in the view.

There are numerous seating arrangements that can be sleek and contemporary, informal and modern or elaborate and conventional but the most important point that has to be kept into mind is that the furniture should complement the décor of the restaurants. Outdoor café chairs can help build a style statement about an eatery and can help to bring the attention of the potential customers. The restaurant owners also make sure that scrumptious meals are offered at reasonable prices. Along with this, they also ensure that the meals are in decent serving sizes and the surroundings are comfortable and have stylish seating.

When you are making the seating arrangements for your restaurants then you should consider who the most common visitors are. If the common visitors are the business groups then the seating arrangements should have a strong air of elegance about it. On the other side, if the visitors are more often the students hen durable, easy to clean and bright future should be used.

Many resorts, hotels and spas, use different type of furniture for their outdoor furniture. In some cases, they opt for rattan style pieces that reflect a relaxed atmosphere. Some of the restaurants also choose large umbrella style seating arrangements that add extra tropical element.

With a wide range to choose from, there is a endless list of furniture that includes bar stools, cafe style table, chaise lounges, chairs and benches that are made using aluminium, wood, plastic, rattan, wicker and resin. You can also select different designs and colors of the furniture according to the décor of your restaurants. The furniture is available in different colours like greens, blues, creams, black, pewter, bronze, silver or copper. Before purchasing the furniture, clear all the questions that you have in your mind. The questions are like what materials are more comfortable to sit in, what wears longer, what is easier to clean and what prices to expect. Once you have been cleared with all the questions in your mind then you can select the suitable furniture that matches with the décor of your café.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Which Desk is Best? – Furnishing a Sydney Office

Furnishing an office in Sydney can be excellent fun but there are so many options that your head may start to spin like a revolving chair. This short guide will provide you with a breakdown of some of the options for office furniture in Sydney that are available to you when buying chairs and tables.

Workstation

Traditionally offices were laid out with cubicles and workstations. There are both benefits and disadvantages to using this method of desks. The obvious benefit over other styles is privacy and noise prevention, but this does however also pose a problem. When attempting to stop your staff from becoming distracted by the many possible websites online, it is difficult to do so when they are all in individual desks. The benefit of noise reduction does mean that conversations can be held more easily in the office.

Office Desk

The office desk can be used either in an individual office or as one of many in an open plan office. If you do not have the luxury of having an office each, then an open plan office is a good option. Whilst it does mean that a disturbance anywhere will disturb everyone, it does allow for easier monitoring of your staff members and will help to build stronger relationships between your staff members. An open plan office looks modern and professional and induces hard-working staff because they feel more monitored by each other and by the manager.

Boardroom Table

Every office needs a boardroom or meeting room and they require a large table. This table needs to be big enough for a group meeting and also flexible for use for interviews and presentations. Choosing the right boardroom table is dependent on the number of people who will attend meetings and the space available. Remember that if a table is too large, not allowing space to move around the room, then it will make both staff members and clients uncomfortable when they are required to use it.

Executive Chairs

When it comes to buying office chairs in Sydney there are three distinct types that are necessary to have. The first of these is the executive or managers chair. This chair must tell of professionalism and respect. A professional chair has more of an impact on clients and business partners than you would expect and it will also demonstrate authority to your staff members.

Client Chairs

The client chair should ideally match the chairs of the businessman but be on a smaller scale. It is important to create a distinction between customer and staff member through the use of chairs; yet it is also essential to make the client comfortable. Find a matching chair which is still comfortable but visibly different to establish clear boundaries which are defined by the furniture.

Meeting Chairs

Meeting room chairs need to be versatile and easily manoeuvrable. Brainstorming and differing numbers of meeting attendees will require different positions from the chairs so make sure they are lightweight and easily moved to prevent any injury or inconvenience.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Best Practice Carpet Design- Save Money and Customize Your Flooring

There are two primary issues in commercial carpet installation and design- Cost and appearance. Both can be extremely expensive, and the results, sad to say, can be pretty mediocre. The experience of buying an expensive carpet and then having to pay for customization as well as maintenance and cleaning can be a pretty thankless one, and very frustrating.

The trouble is the nature of most commercial carpets. Broadloom is incredibly expensive, and very difficult to maintain over the product life of a carpet, which can be up to 10 years. Add to this the basic costs of repairs and cleaning, and you’ve got a sort of office administration equivalent of a black hole, consuming time and money.

The new generation of carpets- Cheap, tough, and cost-efficient

Fortunately for long-suffering building managers, there’s a new option on the market, a revolutionary new type of commercial carpet which is in a much higher league to the old style high maintenance carpets of the past. The new type of carpet is a new range of carpet tiles, which don’t have underlay, are extremely durable, and fully customizable thanks to new manufacturing technology.

These carpet tiles are truly different. They’re not stitched together but glued, creating strong solid surfaces instead of the natural weak points in carpets created by seams. They’re also extremely easy to replace, taking seconds to remove and replace as distinct from the major production issues related to replacing broadloom carpets. They’re long-life, low or no maintenance flooring, and they’re becoming extremely popular in very demanding environments like airports, public spaces, and other very cost-conscious places in which carpet represents a high upfront cost.

Custom carpets to order- Digital carpet design with a few clicks

The new carpet tiles are the result of a complete revamp of carpet manufacturing technology, concepts and methods. These are truly “digital” carpets. They come in countless different designs, all of which can be made to order. The technology includes visualization software which allows people to pretty much design their own custom carpets using basic parameters. It’s also possible to create new designs in consultation with the manufacturers.

The result is a ready-made custom design or in fact multiple designs, if you need different layouts and motifs for different parts of your office. This is the new best practice in commercial interiors, getting high quality custom designs at significantly lower costs.

In terms of product life, these carpet tiles can achieve extraordinary savings on everything from the initial installation, basic maintenance and office cleaning to replacement. The net costs of all aspects of carpeting are reduced from the start, saving huge amounts of money over large areas and perhaps equally importantly reducing the “headache value” of managing commercial carpeting to zero.

Looking for carpeting solutions?

If you’ve been suffering from “carpet costing syndrome” the new carpet tiles will make an instant and very positive difference to all your issues. The high values of these new carpet solutions are measurable in dollar terms, and you and your budget will be feeling a lot happier. Check out the carpet tiles, and see what’s possible.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

NEW FEATURE on Design Style Guide

We have a NEW FEATURE on our Main Site www.designstyleguide.net/. You can now easily share your DSG Treasury on your blog or website. No more screen shots and simple links! You can also share ANY EXISTING Treasury.

READ MORE HERE: designstyleguide.net/community/blog/new-feature-on-design-style-guide/









Treasury from: Chezmoi Collection
2011 Fall Colors





Accent Pillow

From: House of Peltier

$45.00





Scented Silks - Princess Roses by MelroseFields.com

From: MelroseFields.com LLC

$45.00





Blooming Cherry Tree with Butterflies - Nursery Vinyl Wall DecalFrom styleywalls

From: Styleywalls

$89.00





Bountiful Tuscan Wine Country Wreath

From: Wild Mountain Wreaths

$123.00





Sea Turtle Platter Handbuilt Handmade Pottery

From: Island Girl Pottery/ Allard Studios, Inc

$50.00





Turquoise Green and pale green stoneware plate

From: New Prospect Pottery, LLC

$25.00





Set of four napkin rings with pinecone, and plaid fabric

From: House of Peltier

$24.00





Picasso-esque

From: Earthfired Pottery

$200.00





Gray Rug or Wall Hanging, Titled Point Counterpoint

From: Orca

$295.00





Ancient Rhythms - Fine Art Photo

From: WindDancer Photos

$92.00





3D Butterfly Pillow- Pink/ Green

From: Maggie Overby Studios

$35.00





Lemon Drop Damask Tufted Stool

From: flipt (a part of M.M. Leer Upholstery Studio)

$155.00

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Battening Down The Hatches - Prepare Your Storm Plan



Australians are no stranger to rough weather. With recent disasters affecting many northern cities and townships it is a good idea to have an action plan in place should a storm or other potentially disastrous weather phenomenon approach your locality.

On the bright side, we usually get some warning that rough conditions are approaching and this means if you have a plan in place, you will likely have time to execute most of it and ensure everyone and everything is taken care of. Regardless of your plan, make sure you have your home and contents insured and check your policy carefully to ensure it covers any weather patterns that are prominent in your area -- or any that have hit nearby areas.

So where do you get started in your disaster plan?

1. The House

Your first priority is obviously your family, but once they are all safe and accounted for, making sure you all have a place to live is your next action. Research strategies to prepare your home for the type of weather or natural disaster that is coming your way. For example:

  • Remove all leaves from gutters and flood the gutters with water if a fire is approaching.
  • For severe storms, tend to all your windows.
  • Reinforce them with cardboard to help keep them from breaking.

2. The backyard

Ensure your backyard is surrounded by strong and stable fencing, a fencing contractor will be able to advice what is best. If a storm is approaching, and you have time, remove anything unstable from the backyard and store in the garage, such as trampolines, and kid's plastic play equipment. Tie back all shrubs and plants to a stake or something stable so they aren't ripped out.

3. Pool

Your pool is going to be a mess if not properly prepared. The best thing you can do is head to your pool supplies store and buy yourself a cover to have at the ready. While the cover may be full of leaves and debris following a big storm, your water will remain clean, and maintenance is simply collecting the leaves in a bag and getting rid of them. This means you then don't need to worry about draining the water and starting again with fresh water and new chemicals.

4. Supplies

Ensure you always have some supplies on hand, should services be shut off, or you are segregated from points of supply. Clean water, candles and a first aid kit are a must. Also look at getting some basic food supplies that can last a few days.

Another must is reserves of prescription medication. Ensuring a supply of medications for illnesses such as diabetes and asthma is vital, as it could be these, rather than the weather, that result in a life or death situation.

5. Pets

Don't forget the pets! In really rough weather conditions consider bringing them inside and shutting them in the laundry. They should be safe there and can't do too much damage.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Autumn Treasury


























Treasury from: jn3 Hand Crafted Woodworks
Anticipating Autumn









Handwoven Recycled T-Shirt Rug

From: Five Forty

$200.00









Old Barn

From: Larry Nicosia Photopraphy

$29.00









Autumn Feathers Desert Vase

From: Bear Paws Pottery

$50.00









Autumn - 36 x 24 - Abstract Acrylic Painting-Highly Textured

From: Charlens Abstracts

$150.00









Four Patch Queen Size Quilt

From: Apollo Hills Crafts

$395.00









Goolish Coyote Trick-or-Treat Haloween Wreath

From: Wild Mountain Wreaths

$68.00









Autumn Leaves Pasta Bowl

From: Bear Paws Pottery

$55.00









Rustic Mail Box Wreath 109

From: Noelbelles

$21.00









Forest Autumn Trees with Birds 100 inches - Vinyl Wall Decal

From: Styleywalls

$89.00









Decorative pillow cover - Japanese pumpkin orange origami - Ecofriendly - 16x16

From: TiffinyDesigns

$32.00









Autumn Enchantment

From: The Creators Palette - Art by Melanie

$200.00









Cascading leaves

From: DesignsStainedGlass

$85.00

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Tips for Choosing the Right Builder For Your Home

When choosing a builder do your research beforehand, check their credentials, make sure you have a written contract and that they are reliable.

When choosing a builder for your home there are a number of things you should take into consideration. The same rules apply when building kit homes. You may choose to build your kit home yourself but you can have the entire project constructed for you by a professional builder. Many Kit homes in Victoria and in other places within Australia are being built with the help of fully qualified builders. It will cost you more to build your kit home if you hire a builder but if you are unsure of your abilities or don't have the time it can save you a lot of stress.

Do your research

Before you decide on a builder do a bit of research beforehand. You will be working closely with this person for a while and you are trusting them with your new home so you want to be happy that they are going to do a good job. Ask around friends and family as they may be able to recommend a good builder to you. If someone has had any building done by this particular builder ask if you can go and have a look at it. Find out whether they were easy to get along with, whether they were on time to work and if the cost of hiring them was reasonable.

Check their credentials

Before you hire the builder check their credentials. Make sure they are a fully qualified builder and that they are properly registered. Also make sure they are accredited with HIA (Housing Industry Association).

Contract

It is important to have a contract with your builder. This contract should include things like the start date and expected completion date of construction. It should have written in it exactly what their work includes and what their costs will be. Both parties should sign the contract and have a copy.

Price

Shop around to find the right builder that suits your price range, as well as finding someone whose work you like and who you can trust. Be upfront about what they charge as you don't want to get to the end of the job and find out that you can't afford to pay them. Be very clear about getting the costings at the beginning of the job and ask whether you need to be prepared for any unexpected costs, such as possible additions to the building or the builder finding that they need to use more materials than first anticipated.

Reliable

Make sure that your builder is reliable. You want your builder turning up when they say they will and turning up on time. If they wander in whenever they feel like it at any time of the day then the job is going to take a lot more time and cost you a lot more money. You also want someone who will contact you if they can't show because of illness or some other reason, just to let you know what is going on. You also want a builder that you can trust, so if you don't feel comfortable with them don't hire them.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The Best Floor Coverings for an Australia climate

The Australian climate is temperate one. Unlike countries in the northern hemisphere, we do not experience snow and ice, harsh winds and biting frosts. Rather, Australians are lucky enough to experience wonderfully warm weather almost all year round. It also means that when it comes to home decoration we can choose from a variety of floor coverings like sandstone pavers, granite tiles and slate.


Hard floor coverings are almost impossible to consider in countries that experience ice and snow. The colder climates make hard flooring a nightmare of dangerous proportions. Ice and snow will rot and affect the composition of the natural materials, it will make them extremely slippery in certain weather conditions and finally it proves to be a cold and uncomfortable choice when you are battling the chill for much of the year.


Australia on the other hand possesses a positively tropical climate in many parts of the north and a mild and comfortable temperature in the southern states. Being close to the equator means we can enjoy sunny days and warm breezes for a lot of the year and even our winters seem to pass us by without seeing much below 10C.


Trying to stay cool and comfortable is an ongoing struggle for Aussies a lot of the time. However it is a battle that you can win when step inside our own home. When you walk through the door, you might be lucky enough to enter a room with the cool crispness of air conditioning. Perhaps you might have the cooled, swirling air created by ceiling fans. But if you are looking for more ways to cool your home, don’t look past your choice of flooring.


So much of the heat can be either absorbed or transmitted through the floor. Choosing natural materials is the best way to ensure the coolest feeling for your feet. Like wearing wool, natural floor coverings will keep you cool in summer and retain heat in winter.


Not only will stone and slate keep you cool, these substances will also last. The durability of stone and slate is its finest asset. Unlike most man-made materials, it will not fade in the sun; it is resistant to chemicals and alkalis and won’t be destroyed by water. These materials are difficult to chip and crack and look clean and tidy even when they’re not!


If you’re looking for a durable and well-wearing floor covering for your outdoor or poolside areas, then natural materials will once again be your first choice. Choosing high quality sandstone to line your pool area or complement your landscaping will end up saving you expensive repairs and maintenance costs. Good quality sandstone is tested for superior density, water absorption, slip resistance and resilience to salt attack which means it will look better for longer.


Like any natural substance, sandstone pavers will age gracefully and will actually add character, warmth and beauty to your home. It is hard to beat natural substances for durability, stain resistance, practicality and most importantly visual appeal. There really is no better choice for the harsh Australian climate, whether you’re looking at interior coverings or outdoor tiles.