Many people are familiar with the situation when a rented apartment, to which you have moved with your family, burdens the interior with its foreignness. As a rule, before renting out the premises, the owners arrange everything according to their taste, which very often does not coincide with the taste of those who rent an apartment. Of course, coziness in the whole apartment is important, but especially for the hostess, the first thing is to feel comfortable in the kitchen.
Here are some tips on how to make the kitchen in a rented apartment cozier:
Tip # 1: Let's start with a very banal, but from this no less significant advice - spring-cleaning... Not all apartments are perfectly clean, and in order for the kitchen to look "dearer" and more comfortable, the first thing to do is to wash it thoroughly. Clean shades, windows, kitchen fronts, dining furniture and floors will make your kitchen much nicer.
Tip # 2: Hide the trash and all unnecessary things. The main drawback of most rented apartments is an excess of old, unnecessary things. If you have no right to throw all this rarity in the trash, then you can simply remove it out of sight. To store unnecessary pots, appliances and other little things, you can use mezzanines, upper shelves, or a balcony.
Tip # 3: Repair broken or broken parts... It is imperative to make light repairs - fix the faucet in the kitchen, glue loose wallpaper, insert more powerful light bulbs. Such little things can add neatness to the room. In order to avoid conflicts, it is better to stipulate everything renovation work with homeowners.
Tip # 4: New apron... The backsplash behind the worktop and stove is sometimes the most visible and necessary part of the wall surface in the kitchen. I don't really want to make global repairs in someone else's apartment, so an excellent way out of the situation would be to use a temporary apron made of plastic panels.
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Tip # 5: If the kitchen floor is in poor condition, then a good camouflage solution can be carpet or a floor track. The indisputable advantage of this technique is that when you change the place of housing, such things can easily be taken with you.
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Tip # 6: Curtains play an important role in decorating the "hostess's territory". They are especially good if the windows are not in the best condition and it is better to hide them. New curtains will also help hide the ugly view from the window.
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Tip # 7: New beautiful dishes can become a real decoration of the dining area in the kitchen, adding grace and "home" comfort, even if everything around is far from ideal.
Tip # 8: Coziness in the kitchen will create a different textile: bright potholders, apron, tablecloth, towels, napkins. To create a holistic decor, you can buy a set with one pattern.
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Tip # 9: Various little things can breathe new life into the kitchen: flowerpots on the windowsill, all kinds of figurines, hanging pots with flowers. It is especially important to add something "my own": arrange a collection of statues or put flowers in your favorite vase.
Tip # 10:
If there are certain flaws on the walls, then they can be easily masked thanks to photographs and paintings.
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Of course, the kitchen in a rented apartment will never become "your own", but you must agree that thanks to the above tips, the hostess will be able to feel much more comfortable and cozy.
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Introduction from the author
If there is an opportunity to pay, then it is better to pay for a beautiful landscape. This should be the principle of rebuilding a house in a village.
A village house should be beautiful and comfortable, or How to make your home more comfortable
A well-maintained country house-estate suits a person of any temperament: a lover of quiet family life and our smaller brothers, an individualist who prefers to save his precious inner world alone - these settle on farms, so that the neighbor's house is not even visible, and active, sociable, followers of a healthy lifestyle; the latter choose densely populated villages saturated with social infrastructure (shops, clubs, schools).
In the 21st century, people prefer comfort to “wild” romance. For example, the statistics in the nearby large village of Smetanino (800 houses) today is as follows: 24% of families have a washing machine in a village house, 2% have a dishwasher, more than half of my neighbors admitted that they have satellite TV and the Internet (connection to network via mobile phones and modems).
There are several reasons for the transformation of old houses into comfortable estates: today, not only the level of income of the population (especially in megacities) is growing, but also the average age, so if the prospect of a romantic candlelight dinner on a farm does not scare many, then you can carry water from a well every day. far from all owners of rural real estate. Therefore, if the "house in the village" becomes not just a second home, but also a farm office, then improvement (external and internal) requires attention both financially and technically.
I bought my house, lost in the wilderness of the Vologda forests, in 2007. It consisted of two residential huts (two rooms in each, each hut has a corner for the kitchen and two stoves: each room has its own stove), a huge poveta for storing hay, an extension - a stable, an extension of a barn, two storerooms (later I made them comfortable rooms) and external outbuildings. This very "light" house has only 16 double-framed windows, traditionally (in the North of Russia) located at a height of 2 meters from the ground, and therefore "equipped" with a large and well-insulated basement-underground.
The house stands on a foundation made of large boulder stones sprinkled with sand from the nearest (400 m from the house) river Vaga.
When processing documents in the local department of technical inventory (BTI), it was necessary to make a new passport of the building, where the figure 1955 was adopted for the year of birth of the house; it is recorded according to the words of the previous owners, unless other specifying documents have been preserved.
Thus, even a fifty-year-old house can be ennobled to a state in which life in it becomes comfortable and relaxed. Next, I will tell you how to turn a nondescript house into a cozy homestead.
There are a lot of abandoned farmhouses like mine, scattered across the territory of Russia, approximately one for every five dozen inhabitants of the country; today the price for them has increased, but in the "outback" it is still quite acceptable - about one hundred thousand rubles (depending on the region and other conditions).
In fig. 1 is an illustration of what the home was like when it was acquired in 2007.
Fig. one. Abandoned house on a remote farm Borovichikha
In fig. 2 shows the destroyed bathhouse and outbuildings (2007).
Fig. 2. Ruined bathhouse and outbuildings
In fig. 3 shows the view interior decoration at home (2007).
Fig. 3. View of the interior decoration of the house before improvement
It is quite clear that such a situation cannot satisfy any zealous owner. After a careful and in-depth examination of all premises and foundations, detection of hidden defects, the next step is to develop a plan and draw up a cost estimate. In my case, it took a little over 120,000 rubles.
Step-by-step work order
After drawing up a work plan, I began to repair the foundation. One crown rotted and had to be replaced with the help of three people from the local construction team. On one side, the house was raised on jacks, and a new log was brought into the frame with the help of a winch. This repair in part of the foundation was enough, since the rest of the crowns had no problem areas.
Then the internal ceilings were revised, the “ridge” (the corner crowning the roof) was replaced, the external walls were carefully examined. About 15% of the total area of \u200b\u200bthe outer walls were logs cracked from old age. Filled small gaps with stone wool (mineral wool based on stone - protects well from heat and cold, safe for health) and Macroflex polyurethane foam. Why do I recommend this particular product among others (cheaper)? Macroflex foam is less prone to "swelling" during the drying process than similar compositions from other manufacturers; with a reasonable approach to business, a small layer of such foam is almost ideal for filling small (not through) gaps in wooden structures, that is, it saves material and money, the foam after the end of the work almost does not have to be removed (trimmed), which will inevitably follow when using cheaper construction products.
Almost at the same time, I organized the construction of a new bathhouse (a log house and annex to it) with a total size of 3 × 6 m. The log house was installed by a construction team of 2 people in one day, 20 meters from the main estate.
The walls of the bathhouse, made of logs (350 mm in diameter), are paved with forest moss. The floor is made with a sloping "corner to the center" for natural drainage of water. The extension boards are overlapped. Installation foam is also laid between the floorboards of the extension (including the ceiling), as well as in the corners between the walls of the log house and the floor for thermal insulation.
I have a minibus available, so the delivery of building materials (logs, boards up to 3 m long and other tools) was not associated with difficulties and material costs.
In the wall (closest to the exit from the residential hut), using a hand drill, I drilled two holes with a diameter of 45 mm for a hose for supplying water to the mixer of the sink of the "manual" sink, to the washing (and dishwasher) machines, to the shower stall installed in the povet and, respectively (second branch), general drain. After posting metal-plastic pipes these holes are also insulated with mineral wool (for the harsh winters in the north of Russia, this is paramount).
The pipes are installed underground to a depth of 80 cm (so as not to freeze in winter) and are connected to a pumping station that takes water from the well.
The peculiarity of my improved home is that I have implemented almost all innovations in the field of electronics here. For instance, pumping station can supply water to the house (and the barn) both in automatic mode (when the pressure in the hydraulic circuit decreases), and forcibly (very useful for washing a car and watering beds) - it is switched on by radio control. Cellular alarms notify me when the front door is opened and any movements inside the house (motion sensors are installed), portable video cameras located in four cardinal directions are not fiction, they “record” an image in digital format on a special media 24 hours a day. All these preventive innovations not only contribute to safety, but also make you feel in complete comfort.
During the first year of his stay in the village, he managed to build a new bathhouse, a woodshed, toilets in the house and outside the house (summer), a shed and a garage for tools, to expand the barn. Almost all the work was done in-house; it is impossible not to notice that it is difficult or even completely impossible to do without female hands.
The construction team was involved only for the installation of the log house and replacement lower crown in the main estate.
Building materials
Building materials are mainly logs and boards purchased at the nearest sawmill. The price of 1 m 3 of edged board (thickness 10 mm) does not exceed 1000 rubles today.
I had to replace all the internal wiring with a new one. According to fire safety requirements, wiring in wooden buildings you cannot "hide" into walls; for an aesthetic appearance, it was necessary to use cable channels.
Interior interiors living rooms decorated with duplex wallpaper. They consist of two or more layers of paper, which is very important for village house - such wallpapers perfectly hide the irregularities (defects) of the walls. Wallpaper is also laid on the ceiling - more simple (paper, white). For three years they have not yet changed color, despite the fact that our manor house is intended for year-round residence and the stoves are heated regularly.
When making repairs in the storerooms (here such rooms are called in the local manner - towers, because they are located under the roof) I used drywall, the view turned out to be almost perfect (see Chapter 1).
For the "reanimation" of the stoves, which had not been heated for 4 years before I bought the house, plitonite refractory was used, and then treatment (whitewashing) with water-based white paint.
Slate was required to replace 15% of the roof covering. It was possible to purchase ondulin or metal tiles, but then the "patches" would be very striking. I did it easier - I found slate in a neighboring village at no cost and installed a few sheets on my roof.
Six months after buying the house, its appearance changed - see fig. four.
Fig. four. My country house six months later (2008)
Each private house is individual and has its own characteristics. Nevertheless, looking back today three years ago, analyzing the work done to restore and improve the house, I understand that there is no single “recipe”. Everyone sees the reanimation of their estate in their own way, and this is wonderful. Otherwise, all the houses would be typical or similar to each other. There are only some practical recommendations and "secrets" that I gladly revealed to the readers.
Not all of my calculations turned out to be correct, or now I would have done a little differently, nevertheless, my renovated house will now serve for more than a dozen years.
Features of communication with local residents
The refrain of the first months and even years of communication in the countryside can be called the "ticklish" comments of the indigenous population about my idea of \u200b\u200bmoving to a village, developing a farming economy and arranging an estate - they said behind my back: "Maybe it is smart, only the most incomprehensible." ... For those who want to repeat my path, having arrived from city to village, I recommend preparing for the arrangement of not only the house, plot and technical communications, but also verbal communications, that is, take into account the different mentality of the inhabitants of the city and the village and psychologically be ready for “special »Relationships; first of all, it is envy, duplicity and, as a result, gossip raised to a degree. By the way, the latter are better described in the literature (and screenplays) of the second half of the twentieth century ("Stove-benches", "Love and pigeons", "Do not shoot white swans", "The story of Asya Klyachina, who loved, but did not marry" and many others about the village); the village mentality has not changed over the years and is still quite relevant today.
For the villagers, the land is not just a word, a lawn, but nature and spirit, it is believed that, having lost the spirit, a person becomes unhappy. It is with this that they explain the traditional way of life that has developed over generations. Although their children are not without some pleasure (this is a source of pride for fellow villagers) they are still sent to study in cities, in civilization. And if the child is capable - try, do not go - he will leave himself. Such is the current state of affairs in relations in the countryside.
By the way, if you, a city dweller, were invited to rest in the village, then ask "what to do there?" impolite. This is also the deep meaning of real rest - not to do ANYTHING!
Silent contemplation of nature, reading, hunting and fishing, fresh milk, the fragrant smell of fresh hay and cow cakes, heartfelt conversations in the evenings with a good organic snack. If you have a desire to engage in farming, please. Just don't be lazy - and grow your income. I like. Now I firmly believe that a few years in the village can change not only the outlook on recreation, but also the outlook on life. Do you need something else for your well-being?
Andrey Kashkarov
Chapter 1. In the house
1.1. How to make an unusual children's corner?
In any, even the smallest room, you can so reasonably arrange the necessary interior items that there is a place for each of them. Children will be delighted if familiar objects are “hidden” in a niche disguised as a house. I made such a construction in the Leningrad region. The idea itself, in my opinion, deserves the closest attention, because it can not only be repeated in your homes, but also improved for specific tasks and conditions.
So, let's look at a specific example of how to "hide" a widescreen TV in a pre-prepared niche of a small room.
The deepening itself does not need to be done - you need to use the ready-made "terrain" and your interiors. For example, in my country house in the Vologda region there are several such nooks: behind the stove, behind the sofa - you can find a depression everywhere. In city apartments it is even simpler: for the sake of saving space, they are angular and "intricate" almost everywhere. An illustration of the finished children's corner is shown in Fig. 1.1.
Fig. 1.1.Ready-made children's corner
So, we decided on the place. Now we will decide which interior to choose for the children's corner and the "game of hide and seek".
Here a creative streak will help you: fix several shelves made of fiberboard or chipboard with the help of consoles and self-tapping screws. Since the load on them is small - up to 20 kg, drywall can be used. You will need 3-4 shelves in size corresponding to your niche (in the interiors of the room). Under the first shelf (on the floor), place a box with toys, on the first shelf, put the TV together in a DVD player, and on the second shelf (if you count from the bottom), set the clock (not necessarily with a cuckoo, but also intricate - children love to play, this is their main occupation).
Close all the resulting compartments with shutter doors with a picture of a crate and ... your children's intricate corner is ready. This arrangement of the TV not only saves space in the room, but is also a deterrent to access to the TV itself in your absence.
When the children watch the TV program and it's time to turn off the TV, come up with a "trick" in the form of closing the doors on the desired shelf, and only then turn off the image and sound.
1.2. How to make a work corner for creativity?
Fig. 1.2.Illustration of a finished "work" corner in a village house
1.3. Mirror "with horns"
A mirror is one of the universal components of any residential interiors, including rooms in a country house. If there is an opportunity to experiment within the limits of one's competence and property, then by different design of mirrors and their installation places, you can create the most interesting solutions, turning an ordinary and, at first glance, unremarkable room almost into a fabulous space. This is what I did in my Vologda possessions.
With the help of a mirror in my house, the problem with an uneven (relative to the ideal) wooden ceiling, on which the beams pass, is successfully solved. And to even more "smooth" the effect of the relative unevenness of the beam floors, I installed a distracting "accent" - horns on top of the mirror (see photo 1.3).
Fig. 1.3.Mirror with horns
If such a mirror is hung over a sink or in a washroom, its shape, size and design are determined by the overall design concept of the room. Then you can - very practical - hang on the horns toilet paper or other items needed in the household.
We have no mirrors in the living room. But a full-length mirror successfully hangs above the chest of drawers, behind the shelving, contributes to the fact that you can look at the placed objects without having to take them in your hands.
A full-length mirror is usually hung on the wall to the left or right of the door, then never opposite. This solution allows you to visually expand a narrow corridor, for this purpose, you can even make one wall completely mirrored by hanging mirrors or placing cabinets with mirrored doors, you can also use a door with a glass door leading to the next room.
There is also a mirror above the desk, and I feel comfortable with the ability to see everyone entering the room. Try it and see for yourself - you will no longer have any doubts.
Note that the mirrored surface of the tea table gives the impression of abundance, everything on it multiplies, awakening the appetite.
It is believed that the person who is in the bedroom experiences unconscious anxiety if he does not see the front door. Therefore, the bed must be positioned so that you can see those entering. Have a good view can be achieved with the help of a mirror. Another recommendation is that the mirror should not be located directly in front of the sleeping person.
1.4. Glass stairs
Until recently, glass staircases seemed like something fabulous, which can only exist in the form of projects on paper. Now this fairy tale has become a reality, and many in the village are striving to install a similar staircase at home. Perhaps nothing surprising: the glass staircase looks unusually light, transmits light and decorates any type of interior (see Fig. 1.4).
Some, having seen my design, doubt: is not glass too fragile material to make stairs from it? I hasten to dispel these doubts. Today, bullet-proof glass and glass manufactured using the “multiplex” technology are widely used. The prototypes of the "multiplex" are car windshields, protective partitions in the cash desks of banks, and if you are not afraid and go further in your fantasies, you can make real glass stairs in the same way. This is not very cheap glass, but just for those who want to stand out, understand the possibilities of original design in domestic and residential premises, know that "the game is worth the candle."
Multiplex, or in other words triplex, is a multilayer gluing technology, in which two or more layers of glass are joined together by a special polymer material. Due to the intermediate layer of polymer, the glass does not break into fragments upon impact, in addition, this layer, as a reinforcing element, gives increased strength to the joint. The glass is considered to be tempered, because after gluing the polymer film, which is laid between the glass layers, the entire structure is heated in an oven. The area of \u200b\u200bapplication of the obtained glass may depend on the manufacturing technology, as in our case. Any glass stair step (shown in the picture) with a thickness of only 20 mm can withstand a weight of up to 200 kg.
A more expensive and complex connection of layers using a polymer film gives a higher resistance of the multiplex to temperature changes. The connection of the layers with a liquid polymer makes it possible to obtain colored glass. If you want to get beautiful embossed steps that give a special decorative effect, a liquid polymer is used when gluing the embossed glass so that the cavities between the layers can be filled as much as possible. But even such a thick glass without any special frills is enough for our village life (see Fig. 1.4).
Fig. 1.4.Finished glass staircase
The design features of glass stairs are also important. The number of holes in the glass is important for the strength of the stairs: the fewer there are, the stronger the structure. The base of a ladder is usually the steel components you see in the pictures. The steel structure is made using electric welding.
I would especially like to note the following. New wooden houses require shrinkage, which makes the installation of the stairs in the first couple of years after the construction of the building impossible. Alternatively, you will need to install floating hinges at the base of the stairs.
There is no such problem for installing a glass staircase in old village houses. With the help of a glass staircase, you can give the house an originality of design - both in residential interiors and on a wide veranda, in a garden, in secondary rooms of your estate.
Comfort is not a luxury, but a necessity. Do not deny yourself it under the pretext of saving. When equipping a home, strive to make it convenient, comfortable and cozy. To do this, you do not need to spend colossal funds at all, it is quite possible to do with a few, but your house will delight you every day.
INTERPRETATION OF THE LAWIt is not easy to live in a house that is distinguished by a Spartan setting - absolutely nothing superfluous, only the most necessary, in which nothing is invested - it contains only what is necessary for life, in addition, selected on the occasion, on the cheap, without taking into account the aesthetic side and the addictions of family members. Everyone who will live in such a room will perceive it as something alien to them, unable to evoke warm feelings, something like an impersonal cheap hotel room that can only cause irritation or boredom.
In order for the room to become a real home, a warm family hearth, a place where you come with pleasure, where it is always cozy and joyful, you need not luxury, not all kinds of excesses, but only what you are able to do with your own hands and acquire with minimal costs.
Sooner or later, each person begins to strive to "make a nest", to create his own home, meaning by this a place where he feels good, comfortable and easy, where things surround him, pleasing the eye and raising their spirits.
That is why it should be remembered that comfort in the house is created not just by a set of expensive, luxurious things. You can create a special unique atmosphere using your own strength, at a minimum cost and without the services of a professional designer.
No matter what economical mode people adhere to in their lifestyle, everyone can still afford to create home comfort. At the same time, it is possible to make a small masterpiece out of an ordinary apartment that pleases the owners and guests, without arranging expensive repairs, without buying a lot of new things and vending trinkets.
So, for example, if you cannot transform your home by decorating it with gorgeous paintings and carpets, consider planting flowers. They will not require much from you, but at the same time they will turn the house into a charming green oasis that will cheer up everyone who will be in it.
You can paint the walls yourself, showing all your artistic abilities and talents (if there are no talents at all, you can use stencils) - as a result, the room will acquire a unique personality and enchanting charm.
Furniture, if desired, can be updated and put in order with your own hands, lamp shades for lamps weaved or sewn on your own, give a unique touching home comfort by sewing elegant bedspreads, blankets and cushions on sofas using the patchwork technique so fashionable in our time.
Particular attention should be paid to the little things - after all, as you know, everything big consists of details. So charming and unique home-made little things will add comfort to your home. To do this, you can use an old collection, presented in a special way, refer to compositions of dried flowers, etc.
PARABLETalking about the comfort and luxury in the house, one can recall the parable of the ancient deity of the hearth and fire - the goddess Vesta. The cult of this goddess was widespread in many countries, but she was especially popular among the Romans. The priestesses of the goddess Vesta - the vestals - were recruited from girls 6-10 years old, whose parents had to be alive and belong to noble families, although (most often) they were not rich. The Vestals not only kept the sacred fire in the temple of Vesta and participated in rituals, the preparation of sacred food and sacrifices, kept chastity, but also learned to decorate the house with a minimum of funds so that it became cozy and even exquisitely beautiful.
The fact is that, according to ancient legend, the goddess Vesta once entered a poor hut, in which a family with many children lived. Taking pity on the unfortunate woman, who had to manage all this, maintaining order in the house, Vesta touched her, making her such a skillful craftswoman that her house became a wonderful, comfortable and cozy home.
So when, after thirty years of service in the temple, the vestals were freed and could get married, then even at such an advanced (according to the Romans) age they easily found husbands for themselves - after all, a man who chose a vestal as his wife could be sure that his the house will not only be beautiful, but also comfortable and also very cozy.
* * *Any hobby of family members - knitting, sewing, ceramics, etc. - can transform and decorate the house without cost, making it unique and very comfortable. In addition, hand-made things will fill the house with positive energy and reveal your talents to guests.
And do not worry about the fact that there is no opportunity to purchase expensive, luxurious things that can turn a house into a palace. In addition to the fact that these things, in principle, are devoid of the individuality inherent in the owners of the apartment, you can console yourself with the thought that luxury items are completely unnecessary and not interesting to you - you know very well their disadvantages! Well, why, for example, an expensive carpet, if it collects dust and quickly deteriorates? Why a magnificent porcelain service if it will gather dust behind the glass all the time - it is too dangerous to use such fragile and expensive things?
And at the same time, it is sometimes worth spending some, small, but necessary amount to purchase something necessary for the house. At the same time, it can be considered necessary not only that without which it will be very difficult to exist, but also that which can please the eye, cheer up and make the home comfortable and cozy.
That is why some of these "excesses", such as new elegant bedspreads or curtains, are sometimes simply necessary. The house requires certain investments, but these investments will certainly pay off in the future, when you realize how comfortable, cozy and beautiful the house has become, when relatives and friends will visit and praise it with pleasure and joy.
Therefore, whatever the savings, you should not deny yourself the vital home comfort. With joy and enthusiasm, you should equip your home, paying attention not to luxury items, but to the inexpensive, but beautiful little things you like and making your own efforts to decorate the house.
Proofs of the LawBy the way, ordinary people consoled themselves in the 19th century with similar thoughts that luxury is not at all interesting, not comfortable and not so beautiful.
One has only to remember the fascinating history of the appearance of the so-called "Viennese chairs", well-known and popular until our time.
Also in early XIX century in the German outback in the family of a modest (and rather poor) carpenter, a boy grew up - Michal Tonet. From childhood, he listened to the bitter stories of his father that their family used to be not only rich, but also very noble, that their ancestors were barons who knew the kings closely. But fate turned out so that after the ruin and expulsion from the capital for dissolute behavior and a series of intrigues against the monarch, Father Michal's impoverished great-grandfather had to turn to such an unseemly occupation - to become a carpenter.
But be that as it may, Michal felt that the proud blood of his ancestors was seething in him. He could not afford exquisite luxury in the house - then he convinced himself that he did not need such luxury, and his home would become comfortable, cozy and very beautiful without it. As it turned out, the boy really had talent, so the handmade furniture gave comfort and unique charm to his house.
But Michal did not stop there - his seemingly unassuming, simple and artless furniture, incomparable with the real artistic masterpieces of the past, attracted everyone's attention at the World Exhibition in London in 1851. And 10 years before that, Tonet, on the advice of Prince Metternich, his distant relative, settled in Vienna and established the production of bent beech chairs there. Under his influence, the production of furniture for the first time became industrial. The Viennese chairs and rocking chairs of Toneta have taken over the world and made it famous.
But even after Thonet became rich and moved to the palace, all the furniture in his house was made exclusively by his hands. “Only in this case I will feel comfortable in the house,” he repeated more than once. Even in old age, he did not abandon his rule, which helps him to become happy and remain a zealous owner - no luxury pleases and does not warm the heart as much as what was done with his own hands.
FORMThe image of the ancient Roman goddess Vesta, a symbol of the warmth of the hearth and home comfort - a woman in magnificent clothes, with a face covered with a veil, with a bowl in her hands, a torch and a scepter.
* * *As you know, women first of all have an amazing ability to turn even the most modest and abandoned house into a nice and very cozy dwelling. And it doesn't matter whether she was poor or rich, whether she had experience in home improvement or not, whether she loved luxury or lived in poverty.
It also does not matter in what country and in what century a woman lives, who, with a minimum of money, can turn a house into a cozy and sweet oasis of peace, a house in which everything attracts and pleases the eye. For example, it is worth remembering the history of Lint Huixin. She was born in China in the 15th century. The young charming girl grew up not far from the emperor's home in Beijing, in the house of a poor merchant with a small shop. Lint's mother died early, so the girl has been the mistress of the house since childhood.
The most amazing thing happened when the twelve-year-old beauty was accidentally met by Emperor Puu Run. The beauty of the girl at first sight charmed the emperor, and her beautiful gentle voice enchanted. Puu Run took Lint as a concubine to the palace, and when she bore him a son, he married her. Over the years, his love for the smart and beautiful Lint only grew. That is why, seeing that in the palace, among luxury, she was sad and yearning, the emperor decided to please her.
Hundreds of thousands of craftsmen worked to build a unique palace ensemble. Labyrinths of luxurious pavilions, nine thousand rooms, occupying an area of \u200b\u200bmore than one hundred hectares - the emperor dedicated this secluded paradise primarily to his beloved wife. But at the sight of the luxury that glittered in the eyes, the empress's face did not light up. She threw herself at her husband's feet and begged him to give her a small outbuilding so that she could arrange everything in her own way.
The Empress did not bother primarily about luxurious decoration, she preferred a variety of greenery, flowers and birds, as well as elegant capes and bedspreads made by herself. But this cozy little corner as a result became the favorite refuge of the emperor in moments of relaxation.
But one might think that it is not so difficult to create a cozy and soul-pleasing home, even without luxury, in a palace. What can you do when you don't even have to dream of any luxury? When life is amazingly unstable, complex and difficult, when money is only enough for the most basic things?
Ekaterina Alekseevna Samoilova once found herself in a similar situation. Catherine was the last of the Skavronsky family, relatives of Empress Catherine I. Their family became impoverished, but still lived quite well. From an early age, Catherine showed a wonderful voice, brilliant natural vocal abilities. In combination with beauty, her performance of musical works amazed the guests who came to listen to the talented girl. Not surprisingly, she entered the Florentine Conservatory at the age of thirteen.
When the young girl, who delighted all the teachers with her abilities, returned to Russia, her relatives did not allow her to perform on stage. Catherine tried to resist such a guardianship, but she, without thinking twice, was married off. A rich, but stern, restrained and power-hungry husband kept Catherine in a golden cage.
Everything changed suddenly after the 1917 revolution. The Samoilovs managed to emigrate to France, but they failed to save the fortune. As a result, when all the exported jewelry was gradually sold out, the family faced the threat of poverty. The middle-aged spouse was unable to provide for the family. Then Catherine took everything into her own hands. Not only was she - accustomed to luxury and a spoiled society lady - herself running the house, but she also got a job at the Paris Opera House. But, despite all efforts, she could not earn significant sums to guarantee the future due to poor health.
However, despite the more than modest income, all their acquaintances and friends were amazed that the Samoilovs' home was always beautiful, warm and cozy. They did not take out any luxury items from Russia - everything that they had at home was bought by Catherine on occasion or at a sale. But even the simplest things she picked up so amazingly harmonized with each other, were restored and decorated to the best of their ability that they looked perfect. With a skillful, although at first inexperienced hand, the house was transformed beyond recognition - 1-2 strokes transformed every room, decorated the whole house. As a result, there was nothing superfluous, superfluous and unnecessary, but what remained gave inexplicable comfort.
In this house, emigrants, the nobility expelled from Russia very often gathered. They believed that no one of the most luxurious palaces could compare with this. cozy home, in which the atmosphere of their home country lost to them was recreated.
REVERSE SIDE OF THE LAWIn this case, the flip side of the law may be that the desire to make your home cozy and comfortable, and as cheaply as possible, will lead to the fact that a person will be able to get carried away and make a mistake. As a result, instead of an inexpensive, well-equipped and skillfully decorated home, you can get just a house that does not dispose to comfort and does not delight aesthetic feelings, in which guests will only notice the stinginess of inept owners who save every penny, or their complete lack of taste and sense of proportion , manifested in the design of the home. For the owners themselves, such a house will also not bring joy, causing only irritation.
After all, the most important thing is to feel the taste of the owners of the house in everything, so that all furniture, furnishings, decorations are designed in the same style, and there would be no union of inappropriate luxury items with some inept and unaesthetic "homemade".
Thus, the abundance of all sorts of details and little things from the category of homemade or cheap trinkets, collections or jewelry can create an undesirable impression. After all, for example, not every homemade collection is worthy of being hung out or laid out for everyone to see. And even an amazingly beautiful and original collection or detail requires that it fit into the environment in the best possible way, a special framing or harmonious combination with other little things is needed.
Likewise, furniture that is randomly selected because it was inexpensive or comfortable put together in the same room can take a lot of skill in arranging and decorating it. Otherwise, the whole room will not look like a comfortable and cozy home, but like a collection of random old or completely incompatible things.
It is necessary to have a delicate taste (although, if desired, each person is able to develop taste in himself) and skillful hands in order to do everything flawlessly and turn the home into an oasis of joy, comfort and warmth.
AUTHORITY OPINION“The first thing that a housewife must decide for herself is what she absolutely needs in the household, and what she could do without. In other words, she must establish the order in which the necessary items should be purchased. "
“When do we call something beautiful? Of course, when we remember what usually makes us happy. "
"Beggars - and those in need have something in abundance."
I want to give you one very simple but extremely powerful affirmation.
Thanks to her, my life has become calm, cozy and comfortable. From the moment I began to apply this affirmation, miracles began to happen in my life, all things were formed by themselves in the best way. There was a feeling that some Higher Power was leading me through life.
It's very difficult for me to explain this feeling in words. You must experience it for yourself.
Imagine (do it right now) that all your problems disappear in an instant. It becomes comfortable and cozy for you to live in this world. All worries and fears disappear, because you know that the "invisible hand" will guide you through all the difficulties of life.
Think back to your childhood when your parents took care of you. There were no problems, no responsibilities. You just enjoyed life.
This time can be returned.
Negative events often occur that in one way or another affect our moral and material state and are the factors that unbalance us and prevent us from achieving our goals, and we simply have to find a way to protect ourselves from all this negativity. In this article, I will tell you about a method that will create a "protective shell" around you. And in addition, if you constantly apply it, you can replace all the negativity that you have accumulated over many years of your life.
I don't know how you live now, if you like your life and what you do, but I know for sure that this can be changed. And for this you just need to repeat one single sentence:
"The universe cares about me."
Regardless of what is happening now, I ask you one thing - repeat this phrase all the time. Wherever you go, whatever you do throughout the day, repeat this phrase. Don't miss a single day.
The minimum condition for working with this affirmation:
At least once a day, stop for a minute, sit quietly and relaxed, and say to yourself: "The Universe cares about me, the Universe cares about me." Concentrate all your thoughts on this. Feel, in spite of what actually is, that you are comfortable and cozy in this world. Feel that you are doing well and will be even better. The main thing is your feeling, which you put into this affirmation!
Execution time: at least 3 minutes. / in a day
Effective work:
In the morning, as soon as you wake up, 5 min. sit quietly and feel absolute calmness. Tell yourself several times, "The universe is looking after me." Feel how comfortable and calm you are as you speak, and keep saying, "The universe is taking care of me."
Before going to bed, do the same for at least 5 minutes.
When you have an important event ahead, do not worry, just repeat to yourself several times: "The universe will take care of me."
The rule is simple:
the more often during the day you repeat this affirmation, the more effectively it works;
the more you feel that the universe cares about you, the better it will take care of you.
You will only be able to see the effect that the Universe is taking care of you after a while, depending on the relationship you are in with your world. When I started to practice this affirmation, it took me two weeks to feel and see the result of its action in reality. I continued to repeat this affirmation further, and very soon events began to take shape in an amazing way. Everything went as well as possible in everything. The world began to transform right before our eyes. I really felt comfort and coziness. Words cannot describe it, you need to check it, and you will see for yourself. There will be no more cause for concern, because you will know that the Universe cares about you.
Put this exercise on your daily list, and even when things really go well, keep doing this exercise.
This tranquility, comfort and coziness will be a springboard for the realization of your goals and dreams, which we will talk about later.
Decide to do this exercise every day for a month. If you do it well, you will see results very soon.
Mental and creative work requires balance. Agree, if there is a mess in the desk, then nervous chaos sets in in thinking. The ability to quickly find the things you need will save your nerves and energy, and keep your mind clear.
- Get rid of the habit of storing unnecessary items in your desk. Get rid of waste paper, broken pencils, writing-on pens right away, and don't keep junk in your desk. For convenience, an elegant waste collector should be placed next to the desk, located so that it is always at hand.
- Think about the things you need. Arrange them according to the frequency of use: a laptop or desktop computer should be closest on the table, in the drawers - from top to bottom - the most necessary things as the frequency of use.
- The closest should be: a phone, a charger to it and to a laptop, a pen, a pencil, a diary. It is best to keep this in the top drawer of your desk or on your desk.
- It is better to put the necessary papers in a drawer closer to you. If there are a lot of papers, it makes sense to keep them separately - for example, on special shelf for papers, in folders.
- Small items you need to work - such as paper clips, a stapler or a hole punch - should be kept in one of the top drawers.
- A little below - cosmetics, a mirror, small necessary female accessories. It is better to have a separate travel bag for these items.
- In the lower drawer you can keep toilet paper, intimate hygiene items, soap, napkins.
Keeping your computer organized will save time
- Make a tradition of doing a "general cleaning" on your computer at least once a month
- Do not open folders without giving them a capacious name that will speak of their contents.
- Erase duplicates, otherwise by mistake you can use a duplicate made earlier, and a later revision of the file will confuse everything completely, you will have to redo the work again.
- Clean up cluttered gadgets, otherwise, instead of convenience, you will be faced with a complete mess.
- Keep your personal files separate, preferably on a separate disk.
Little things dear to the heart will cheer you up
- Mood is changeable, and work is often not only pleasing, but also depressing. Hang on the wall beautiful picture, wall decoration, so that there is something to "catch the eye". But don't overdo it!
- You can put on the table a photo of a loved one or a child, a photo with the landscape of your favorite city, or a dear souvenir given by someone as a keepsake. This will warm you up in moments of irritation and fatigue, remove unaccountable aggression.
- If dress code permits, don't forget about flowers. A small bunch of lily of the valley will not bother anyone, but it will cheer you up and calm your soul.
- Finally, don't neglect “fun,” flashy personal items — for example, a fun cup or a brightly colored napkin with a pretty pattern. The feeling of personal space, cozy and safe, should be with you, even if you are not at home. This will make your work much more enjoyable and efficient.
