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This month we answer a listener question about home storage and organisation with the help of an author Abi has come to rely on.  And it all comes down to decluttering. For the first time in the podcast's history - we are giving advice which is COMPLETELY FREE and comes before you even talk to the Queen of Construction (or your regular contractor).  IN FACT - Abi says, if you do this - you might not even need to pay a contractor for bespoke storage or joinery.  You may find you have exactly what you needed the whole time and it was your behaviour and mindset which needed to change. Abi talks about her own experience of having to declutter (being someone what of a maximalist in life!) and why this book and the advice that Dana White gives is so incredibly powerful. Here is a link to Dana K Whites book - How to manage your home without loosing your mind For more information on Abigail, the Queen of Construction herself, please follow her on Instagram or see her webpage. Please like and subscribe to this podcast if you would like to find out how to Design and Build your happy dream home.

This month we talk to Looeeze Grossman from The Used Kitchen Company about an industry secret; sourcing and installing used kitchens. We talk practicalities of the process of finding, measuring your new used kitchen, pitfalls to avoid and costs to consider.  While also talking about the savings which can be made, both to your pocket and to the environment. If you would like to know more about The Used Kitchen Company and the various items they have for sale right now, see their Instagram: @TheUsedKitchenCompany, Pinterest @TheUsedKitchenCompany and you can Email: [email protected] We also mentioned the episode 38 with Luke from Foreman Snags, who is superb with fixing damage in your home, including to used kitchens! - to listen, use this link If you were interested to see images of the caravan kitchen - which is even more special than I could have ever imagined - see it here So if you have an equal love of saving money and sustainability thinking about used kitchen is a must when planning your dream home refurbishment or extension. For more information on Abigail, the Queen of Construction herself, please follow her on Instagram or see her webpage. Please like and subscribe to this podcast if you would like to find out how to Design and Build your happy dream home.

This month we talk to Sally from Red Dog Glass Design about a bespoke product which is making waves and giving owners goosebumps.  Bespoke Art Glass. We hear about what it is, how it's used, and when to install it.  And we find out that Abi needs to think more about feelings than function! If you would like to know more about this product then please see Sally's work at Instagram: @reddogglassdesign, their Website: www.reddogglassdesign.com and you can Email: [email protected] So if you are a proud homeowner and want to include something highly functional but which expresses your personality, think about doing it through Art Glass. For more information on Abigail, the Queen of Construction herself, please follow her on Instagram or see her webpage. Please like and subscribe to this podcast if you would like to find out how to Design and Build your happy dream home.

Fixing damage to your beautiful home. This month we talk about a secret of how to repair internal damage to your home.  The scuffs, chips, stains and dents which take the shine off the pride you have for your home refurbishment project. The honest fact is - things get damaged, either during the building process or just in life from living in the house!  Most people - including people who work in construction, don’t realise there are magical specialists such as Foreman snags, who can come in and repair those problems, taking away that thing which makes you miserable each time you see it. Luke, The owner of Foreman Snags (https://foremansnags.com/) talks about the kind of repairs he and his team can do, when to use them and how to plan and cost for this work - so you know when to rip out and replace - and when to save time money and the planet... and repair. He talks about a project with a chandelier and, as promised, here is a link to it.   So if you are a proud home owner and have damage to interior elements which are getting you down, don't dispart but do do something about it! Please like and subscribe to this podcast if you would like to find out how to Design and Build your happy dream home.

This month we talk to one of the world leaders in hand painted wallpaper; which is one of the most in demand 'I wish I could have in my home' items my clients ask for. We cover the process from planning the design, through to making it fit to the architecture of your home and listen to some wonderful and amusing stories along the way.   I know, after listening to this episode, you will be as in love with Gracie Studio as I am! Zach and Mike, & the whole Gracie Studio team are contactable through their website https://www.graciestudio.com/ where you will get a flavour of their work - but as this is a bespoke product, please speak to them about your dream finish.  Please like and subscribe to this podcast if you would like to find out how to Design and Build your happy dream home.

This month we talk to Design Forecasters and strategic consultancy to the creative industries; Vincent Grégorie, Consumer Trends & Insight Director from Nelly Rodi. Website: https://nellyrodi.com/en/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nellyrodi/ This episode contains essential information for growing design and fit out firms who will benefit from knowledge about the direction of residential and lifestyle trends. Secrets employed by the largest brands are available to growing design and fit out practices and we talk about the reach and application of this intelligence.  Understanding trends isn't about the current colour or pattern, but rather the way society is moving and how, as professionals, we can respond to this in all areas of our businesses. This special episode brought to you by Maison & Objet https://www.maison-objet.com/en/paris and their trend forecasting partners Nelly Rodi. Please like and subscribe to this podcast if you would like to find out how to Design and Build your happy dream home.

This month we talk about the process of developing your home’s style with interior design expert Saphia Sheikh from Urban Retreat Interiors. We talk about Saphia’s interior design service, how to trust yourself and avoid limiting beliefs. She also talks through the most important aspects to consider when engaging an interior designer to extend or renovate your home.  For more information on the retreats to Marrakech being run by Saphia and the team at Urban Retreat Interiors, please see her Instagram page. https://www.abigailhall.design https://saphiasheikh.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thequeenofconstruction https://www.instagram.com/urbanretreatinteriors If you have enjoyed this episode please rate, review and subscribe as it helps other home owners Design their Happiness.

This month I talk about the essential and complex subject of HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning). I cover topics such as the various sources of heat, how to improve your heating, different types of ventilation and how to achieve pleasing aesthetic and function as well as the ins and outs of air conditioning units. For more information https://www.abigailhall.design    If you have enjoyed this episode please rate, review and subscribe as it helps other home owners Design their Happiness.

This month we talk about your professional team with Joseph, Technical Director of AGA Associates, an architectural practice in Central London. We discuss the size and roles of your professional team on a refurbishment or extension project and the power and benefit of having a range of individuals around the table. We talk about how to manage complicated projects and multiple design consultants and how to overcome contractual issues and challenges. For more information https://www.abigailhall.design https://www.aga-associates.com   https://www.instagram.com/aga_assoicates_ If you have enjoyed this episode please rate, review and subscribe as it helps other home owners Design their Happiness.

This month we are talking to Feng Shui expert, podcast host and published author Patricia Lohen from Powerhouse Feng Shui. We talk about the accent art of Feng Shui - 5000 year old principles applied to our home extension or renovation. Did she manifest me? First things first, it is possible that Patricia manifested me to be on the podcast this month? We connected on a group of experts and when Patricia saw the name of the podcast she said she had to come on the show. Why use Feng Shui? Why use Feng Shui - it help people make and create happy homes. It comes from the Chinese characters of good health and good harvest (which we translate to wealth). Every part of your home is impacting on wealth, happiness and health. What’s the point? Your home has such a powerful influence on what is happening in your life, your bank account, your relationships, your health, your career…. According to the principles of Feng Shui, every part of your house is impacting every part of your life. Patricia is sure; what ever if playing out in your life right now, the energy in your house has something to do with it. ‘Feng Shui makes and creates happy homes!’ Patricia Lohan from Powerhouse Feng Shui What are we trying to avoid? When Patricia first started her practice she joined in with the simple tips and basic beginners course. But what happened was that she wasn’t investing in the main issue and only giving surface solutions. But what they needed was deep and fundamental advice and a quick and simple service wasn’t enough. Making this change made her realise that this is a complicated and in-depth - that it can’t really be watered down. But sometimes it starts with one tiny action. One of Patricias clients had been wondering about getting involved and heard about the importance of creating an attractive entrance. A small act either created or coincided with a new client contacting her. She felt that was auspicious and signed up for the full course. Three take aways.. before you learn more. 1) Avoid having a direct line of sight from your front door to your back door, if you have this is there a way of creating a block through a door or a piece of furniture, to slow down the energy. 2) Avoid being in the house when you are making significant changes. All the upheaval also creates a huge disruption in energy and this can really impact you. If you have to remain, consider getting some metal chimes which will help absorb the energy, which has the double benefit of also leaving you with some lovely chimes to have in your garden. 3) If you are going to do work on the home… let the house know! Do a meditation or check into the house and ask it, is there anything it needs. Is there something which needs to be solved or fixed? What about the wealth bit? Houses have energy and when you extend the house, this energy changes, so Patricia advises consulting to ensure that your positive energy home doesn’t change into a negative energy house which won’t connect to the positive energy you want for your home. Money! Budget is an emotive subject - how much does it cost to engage a professional? Patricia wants to ensure you are getting a personalised service as each home and owner is unique and this needs one to cone consultation. Engaging a professional ranges from £2000+ for a course through to £8000+ for 1:1 services. Other advice for budgeting, It's great to do some self learning and starting on your existing house, before you build you dream house or do your extension. Start today because it may make the energy improve which will help accelerate the achievement of that dream house build! For more information The website - which will showcase the various service which Patricia offers is https:// patricialohan.com/ it includes the contact details for Patricia and her team. If you have enjoyed this episode please rate, review and subscribe as it helps other home owners Design their Happiness.

This month we talk to an absolute favourite supplier - Chelcie from Orac decor.  You might find their name familiar and that’s because we have before now featured Orac on the podcast with other product ranges (we’ve previously talked about coving).  But this month we are talking wall panels and specifically formed panels which can be installed yourself - without the cost of a professional carpenter or decorator. So good, anyone can use.  Unlike plaster, timber or MDF where real experience is required to get the instillation right, Orac wall panels are designed to be installed without training.  All you need is joint adhesive and you are ready to go. But my walls are uneven or curved?  Can I still have panels. Uneven walls are no a barrier to great style! The flex product is designed for rooms which have gentle curves or walls which are either old and uneven or just not done brilliantly.  This isn’t overly technical or complicated You don’t need to be an architect or designer to talk to Orac - just tell them the shape of your space and the look you want. - Orac will do the rest. Proper design inspiration in insta I have a chat with Chelcie about the really varied ways that the panels are used. You are limited yourself if you are ONLY thinking walls.  Bars, kitchen islands, column… just a few great spaces which are upgraded and turned into a grade a feature using this simple material. ‘Work in sympathy with your home!’ Chelcie Lachenicht from Oran Decor 3 top tips.  Work in sympathy with your building.  If you are living in a victorian style home - you might want to match in victorian style or a modern home might work with the modern geometric styles.  Get your proportions right.  Plan before fitting.  Look at your doors, your plug sockets.  Consider all these elements and measure and draw them out. If you have a door architrave, this ideally should be deeper than the panels.  It just looks better.  If you have a door block, again, this should be proud. We will look at your drawings, photos - what ever you have. Following Abi’s advice of measure twice, cut once - Chelcie talks about how they encourage people to measure, sketch, take photos and even put in place samples - all to help confirm that the product they are choosing is right for them. After all, we only want to install this material once and then sit back and enjoy the compliments from our family and friends! Money! Budget is an emotive subject. Orac say - choose our best selling products, such as the Dura Polymer range (PX 103 & PX 120 for example).  This will create an excellent effect on a budget.  If you have a bit more budget to play with then the Puro Touch range ( P8030 and P8020 for example) These are slightly bigger and more details.  They look AMAZING when installed.   There are also ready made products which require no cutting, receive and stick (plant) onto the wall. Where to make savings on wall panelling? Products which require cutting in order to install should be done by a professional with the professional tools - if you don’t have these tools or don’t have a budget to buy in a carpenter then consider the full preformed panels.  When do I start talking to companies like Orac? The great news is (dependent on stock levels) the delivery time can be as little as 5 days.  BUT get in early when thinking about panelling to allow time to get samples, live with it for a while and then purchase the final product. Best idea Orac have been able to fulfil. The 3D wall panels which are used in place of a headboard.  The guys from Orac are just overwhelmed by the ideas from designers and enthusiastic home owners.  The combination of the way the panels are assembled and then painted - it literally creates unlimited design options. Please please see the Orac instagram account for so much inspiration. ‘ If you have used an Orac product and you are proud - please share it & tag us, because you will autom

This month we talk to a legend in the design industry.  Frank Sawkins from Czech & Speake.  You may not realise that many of the iconic ‘looks’ of bathroom brassware, which is the name used for taps, spouts and shower heads, were originally designed and supplied by Franks company.  An industry leader, design innovator and expert in how to achieve the 5* luxury function and aesthetic in on of the hardest working rooms in your home.  Great Design means something functions as brilliantly well as it is beautiful! Frank shares with us one of the first attempts at creating an innovative function in the bathroom incorporating a push button flush (something which is common place today, but wasn’t heard of then) and how his boss’ brilliant design solution turned out not to be so brilliant - resulting in a flooded house.  Reminding us that the function is the most important aspect!  Helping reinforce my favourite phrase, function first, aesthetic after. Hotel feature bathrooms - Why are they such a common source of inspiration? Why do we love them Frank reminds us that the bathroom is an important test of the value of a hotel room - if we’ve spent €500 or €800 euro a night we expect for every element to be a very high standard, and the bathroom is one of the most important locations to showcase this.  The investment in a hotel bathroom, therefore, is really a way of making you comfortable and feeling like you’ve got value for money from your stay! It’s also why trying to reproduce that look at how exactly like for like can be eye waveringly expensive! Bathrooms are glamorous  Bathrooms are a really good way of articulating the epoch of the hotel and whether it’s the classical style of Claridges or the more modern styling of the Rosewood hotel there is a way to inject glamour into the bathrooms.  Bathrooms are inspirational & emotional! Staying in a hotel normally means we have the space and time to relax in the way we can’t at home.  We will take the time to have a bath on a Monday night, when we would never manage this in our day to day busy lives! So not only are we spending time in these beautiful spaces taking in all the design details - we are also generally in a more positive and relaxed mindset - all of which is conducive to absorbing all those inspirational design details.  ‘Who doesn’t love a glass of Champagne, good music and a beautiful bathroom!’ Frank Sawkins, MD Czech & Speake Sympathetic bathroom design. If you live in a period property - there is a great supply of era specific brassware which you will find to suit the period of your building.  Frank goes on to talk beyond taps, into the icon roll top baths and even the use of appropriate wallpapers all too invoke and articulate the design style.  The original creator of the heritage tap range  I tell off Frank for not self promoting that in the 1970’s and 80’s, Czech & Speake brought out a range called the Edwardian - which has since been imitated and adopted (but never bettered in regards to quality) across the world.  If you have used or own a property with a ‘Victoriania’ styled bathroom - there is a very good chance you are seeing the inspiration from Franks design.  If you are really lucky - you will actually have Czech and Speake originals! Must haves in a bathroom The first is water pressure: A bathroom should be therapeutic experience - this does mean good supply of hot water at the right pressure, literally, on tap.  And if you are thinking about water supply also making sure the drainage is as efficient as the supply. Challenge your designers with your desires: If you want to have three people all having showers or baths at the same time in the house, challenge your designers with how to achieve this.  It is possible to operate different systems to create this, but with extra design comes extra cost.  If the investment in that solution is too great for yo