The benefits of built-ins and fitted furniture done right

There are many advantages to choosing fitted home furniture. One of the biggest advantages of this type of furniture is the amount of space that you can access compared with free-standing furniture. Many people are increasingly pressed for space in their homes, with items of furniture that are full to the brim. This means that any extra items that need to be stored often end up causing clutter on the floor or being left on the top of wardrobes and desks, getting covered in dust. This is of course impractical, as it leaves you with less surface area and also negatively impacts on the appearance of your home, making it look messy and uninviting.

A Real Transformation
Fitted furniture, however, transforms the look of your home, making use of every inch of your room for storage, unlike free-standing furniture which will almost always leave huge, wasted spaces in comparison. With fitted home furniture, not only do you get to eliminate the excess clutter for a much cleaner, tidier appearance, but the furniture itself also makes your home look more seamless, with wardrobes that stretch from floor to ceiling. You benefit from furniture with smooth lines and no ugly gaps. This can be a particular issue when you are looking for furniture for a room that is of an awkward shape, for example one that has tricky alcoves or that is impeded by a sloping ceiling, the latter obviously a frequent issue for renovated attics.

Since I work from home, a nice home office is a must. When I finally settle down and decide to live somewhere for more than one year, I will definitely be investing in an awesome desk and shelf system. I LOVE built in bookshelves.

What a gorgeous entertainment room - rooms which are often so hard to make gorgeous!

If my closet were half this orderly and efficient I'd be a happy girl.



Versatile Furniture
Fitted furniture can also be incredibly versatile. Remember that this type of furniture can be made to measure, meaning that you do not have to settle for the shape of furniture that you see on the manufacturer’s website! There are many fitted home furniture designers who can create ingenious solutions for your room so that space can be freed up in ways you never thought possible. This allows you to create a solution for each room so that not an inch of space is ever wasted in any part of your house. The space that becomes available as a result actually makes each room look bigger, along with being much more appealing due to the outstanding individual designs you can request on custom-made furniture.

A wide range of fitted furniture can be purchased, meaning that you can make your home look truly seamless by introducing the same style to different areas of your house, from bedrooms and box rooms to loft conversions and guest rooms.

disclosure: this post is sponsored by Neville Johnson

Schedule It and Organizing a Bookshelf by Color

Are you having difficulties finding the time to get organized? That project you’ve been complaining about won’t get done unless you set aside the time.

Step four in overcoming procrastination is to Schedule It. Determine how much you can do or tolerate at a given time. Typically, a project is broken up into smaller 5-30 minute tasks. Be careful to not push yourself too far or you might end up frustrated or jaded. Set dates and times for completing each small task and place it on your calendar, blackberry or iPhone.

For example ,if you are organizing a bookshelf, one of your tasks may be to arrange the books by subject, size, author or the most interesting, by color.

Here are simple steps to organize a bookshelf by color:

1. Remove all books and clear off your shelf
2. Sort all books by color and create “color” piles
3. Arrange books on the shelf by hue (follow the rainbow… red into orange, orange into yellow, etc.)

Love this playful room above by Chotda. For more inspiration, check out the Rainbow of Books Flickr Group.

The photos above and below were taken by me at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2009 house. I love how the designer of "His Sitting Room" kept the bookshelves simple in all black and white.

Organizing a bookshelf by color certainly brings interest to the room, but has its drawbacks. Where's that stinkin' book? In addition to color, my books are organized by subject and shelf (novels, reference/fiction, cookbooks, art/coffee table). Each shelf is organized individually by color instead of the whole bookshelf. My shelves look great and this way I can actually find the book I'm looking for easily. See what works best for your lifestyle and home.

And don’t forget… Schedule it!

Photographer's portfolio! Awesome interiors...

Welcome to the wonderful work of Paul Costello! You've probably seen his work in various issues of Domino magazine. He has a great range and I love the homey, eclectic, well-worn feeling of these homes.






















images property of Paul Costello

Some of the prettiest interiors ever I promise!

I don't really have to say much here...these images are absolutely stunning...and are some of my new favorite rooms! They are from the portfolio of photographer Rachel Whiting.

my dream bedroom



an inspiring workspace with everything you need at your fingertips...

oh to have all that shelf space!








another gorgeous bedroom








The sparseness of this room is so refreshing!













I'd love a trunk like this