Category: Style Files

Greenspiration: Happy Independence Nigeria !!!

Oh wow! It’s been 58 solid years on this journey guys! Five and Eight guys! 58!!!Happy Independence Day Nigeria !!! Fifty eight years of a mix of glory, defeat and hope.  We strongly believe in the better days ahead, days when we would tell stories of triumph to generations to come, days when we would stand proud and wear proud smiles and sing victorious songs, while we all work together as a collective whole to achieve this height, it’s a Happy Independence day from us at this end! In the spirit of independence, today’s post is inspired by colors of the Nigerian flag. Check out amazing Living-room and bedroom inspirations using Green and White. Greenspiration: Happy Independence Nigeria !!!

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5 Ways you are ruining your house cleaning efforts

Everyone, (well maybe not everyone), likes a clean home. No matter how overwhelming and exhausting house cleaning can be, we all still want to make sure our homes remain our safe haven. We want our living rooms smelling fresh and clean, our bedrooms delicately warm and well put together, essentially, we all just want a clean home! Now while house clening can take up a whole lot of effort and time from us, there are certain bad cleaning habits we may have developed overtime. Want to know what these habits are? You will find out more in today’s blog post titled – 5 Ways you are ruining your house cleaning efforts

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The Swedish Tradition of Death Cleaning

This Swedish tradition of death cleaning may be your most effective guide to decluttering

Decluttering even as overly emphasized still remains an aspect of house cleaning that a lot of home users struggle with. It’s common amongst Africans to be sentimental in nature and sometimes these sentiments follow through even to items as random as a cookie jar that was gotten from our grandparents or the plastic containers from the Christmas party we held years ago. Hey! Don’t get it wrong, its cute and nice to hold on to items because of the memories they stir in us, however, sometimes we unconsciously end up being collectors of many years of junks! This Sweden tradition of death cleaning will most definitely help you unsheathe, unpack and free yourself and your home from years of clutter. The Swedish Tradition of Death Cleaning.

Death cleaning was first made popular in the USA by author Margarete Magnesson who wrote The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of Clutter.

As called in Sweden dostanding is a Swedish word that means death cleaning. Do is “death” and “stadniing” is cleaning. In Swedish, it is a term that means removing unnecessary things to make your home feel nice and orderly when you think the time is coming closer for you to leave the planet. The general idea is to remove unnecessary things and get your home in order as you get older, so you minimize the amount of stuff you leave behind for others to deal with. Maybe it does sound a little morbid, but the concept is much more than that, It’s about organizing your life so everyday things are easier and being meaningful about the things you hold on to.

Jasmine Hobbs, a cleaning expert in London Cleaning Team explains that “the rules of death cleaning are simple. It’s all about losing everything you don’t love or use and not being afraid to talk about it” While some people may assume that it is reserved for the elderly, it is important to note that death is not exclusively reserved for the elderly. According to Hobbs “Anyone can do it at any age. The idea is to organize your life and make it run smoother”

So how does one begin?

These guide will take you through the easy ways to go about death cleaning.

• Be aware of the fact that downsizing is going to take some time
• Visit your storage areas, comb through every room in your home. Be thorough with every room, every nook and cranny of your home.
• Tell your loved ones and friends what you are up to. They might want to help you or even take things you do not need anymore.
• If you know of anyone family or friend that is moving into their new apartment, invite them over so you can show them items and they can pick the ones you no longer have any use for.
• You should note that it’s natural to feel some sort of way, maybe unappreciative, about giving out items you once cherished or received from loved ones. A way to go about this is to spend time with these objects one last time and then dispose of them.

The idea of Death cleaning is really not as scary as it sounds after all, it’s a method of decluttering that can keep you conscious and intentional about the things you keep.  Find more tips about The Swedish Tradition of Death Cleaning here

Five Uniquely Stunning Chair Designs for your Home

Think about furniture designs and you probably wouldn’t have come cross these exquisitely amazing chair designs anywhere you have been. Thoughtfully and innovatively designed, these unique collection of chairs are the ultimate next big bang you need to jazz up the mood and design in your space. Brazen up your mind as you ponder upon the inspirations from today’s post about – Five uniquely stunning chair designs for your home.

A three Legged Wooden Chair by Milk Design

Image-Milk Design

Founded in 1998, Milk Design specializes in designing basic daily objects such as furniture pieces and home accessories. The Wong Chair is a minimal wooden seating piece that explores the tradition of solid wood furniture in combination with contemporary elements. Made from a combination of white oak and walnut timber, the chair’s design features three legs only, which are sticked together using an innovative joinery system.

Exploded Chair by Joyce Lin

Image-Joyce Lin

Designed by Houston-based artist, Joyce Lin, the “Exploded chair” embraces play while maintaining functionality. The piece was designed in her final year at Rhode Island School of Design. This piece takes traditional conception of what a chair is, dismantles it, and places it in clear Perspex containers. The maple-wood chair that sits loosely within its crystalline sarcophagus looks much like the archetypal kitchen seat. As the ‘Exploded Chair’ is moved, its wooden pieces rattle around inside their compartments. The piece is both familiar and disorienting, playful and disconcerting — a dichotomous piece on which to seat yourself.

Arm by Clark Bardsley

Image- Clark Bardsley

Designed by New Zealand artist Clark Bardsley, ‘Arm’ has been described as an “anti chair”, incomplete and complete- it is a nonsensical seat that cannot be sat on. Crafted from steam-bent American Oak, ‘Arm’ is designed as an outline of a chair — a Sack-Back Chair to be precise — as opposed to the chair itself. It is not to be sat on, but to be placed over another object — “from a plastic patio chair, to an office chair or even a bucket”, Bardsley states — to create a completely new seat.

Five Uniquely Stunning Chair Designs for your Home

The Abstraction Chair By WoongKi Ryu

Image- WoongKi Ryu

Created by Korean designer WoongKi Ryu, The Abstraction Chair draws inspiration from modern abstract artist Wassily Kandisky. The use of primary colors and bold use of geometry in Wassily’s works were drawn together to inspire the design of The Abstraction Chair. Ryu’s design features a round wooden seat and colorful shapes that playfully arc from the basic structure of the chair. Drawing formally from the expressionist works of Kandinsky — specifically Composition VIII— Ryu has brought the graphic shapes that the Russian artist was so renowned for into a three-dimensional realm. Despite its use of practical materials and traditional techniques the seat argues for form above function and is, as such, delightfully obtuse in its final design.

‘Poetic Furniture, Frozen Textile’ by Demeter Fogarasi

Image- Demeter Fogarasi

Hungarian designer Demeter Fogarasi takes us all by surprise with  for his ‘Poetic Furniture, Frozen Textile’ chair which features a windswept piece of material “blown” onto its frame. Made from biodegradable plastic also known as polylactic acid plastic (PLA), and natural textiles, Fogarasi wanted to create a composite material that could be used for his new chair idea. As he explains, the aim was to create a material that not only possesses “good technical properties” but also “emphasizes naturalness” and looks both “intriguing and inspiring.” The final product was a material made of layers of plastic and textile that have been heat-pressed together to make a composite material. This can then be reheated and shaped once cool, enabling the designer to set it into his desired shape.

Five Interesting Ways to Design with Tassels

It’s the first Monday in the month of September and today on the blog, we are talking tassels!!! Have you noticed that Tassels are now having a big moment?? They have always been around but then it’s like someone somewhere blew the whistle on them…in a good way! Tassels are now appearing in everything from fashion accessories like earrings, bracelets, to footwear’s, fashion bags and so much more. The adventure doesn’t stop there guys! Come and along and learn Five interesting ways to design with tassels in our homes.

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How to remove tough stains from upholstery

Upholstered furniture in most homes usually take a strong beating and unrepentant beating! Especially when you have small kids in your home. Cast your mind back to that little playtime you had for your kids. Remember how all the kids were jumping off and on the sofa? Or that one time when a generous amount of soda was splashed on the sofa. Not forgetting chocolate and candy smears as well! And the kids don’t get all the blame too. The last time you were too exhausted to have your plate of steaming amala on the dining table, remember how you accidentally spilled thick, greenish ewedu on the sofa? I bet you do! Now let’s learn How to remove tough stains from upholstery.

Having spent a whooping sum of money on purchasing your dream upholstered furniture, it’s important that you also imbibe a maintenance culture that will help you get value off your purchase and also beautify your space. A lot of people tend to get complacent with the maintenance culture and that is why such people will find themselves shopping for a new set of sofa every year. If properly cared for, a sofa set should last you for a very long time. A well maintained sofa set will also attract more value in the event of a furniture exchange programme. So how do you deal with cases of different types of stains and ultimately keep your sofa in a perfect condition? Find out below.

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Recipeadia: Peppered yam and dodo

Hello guys, welcome to this week’s edition of our Recipeadia series, where we get to bring you exciting, delicious and easy to make recipes. Today on Recipeadia, our recipe-Recipeadia: Peppered yam and dodo, is featured from dooneyskitchen.com. It is a refreshingly new and easy to enjoy yam and plantain as a combo! And since we are still in the Ramadan season, today’s recipe is an option that will especially help Muslims branch out from the regular rice, beans and yam recipes that most people have for Iftar.

Dooney’s Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

• Yam
• Plantain
• Vegetable oil
• Left over stew or fried tomato sauces
• Salt
• Seasoning cubes
• Chopped mixed veg

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Five Nutritional Ramadan tips for you

Hey guys! How are you all doing? Salam Alaikun to our Muslims friends and families. We are a few days into the holy month of Ramadan and I’m certain our body system is still adjusting to the sleep routine as well as the food routine. Today on the blog, we take a quick look into Five Nutritional Ramadan tips for you that can get you through the holy month. Last week we talked about blender recipes that are really helpful during Ramadan, you can catch up here if you missed the post.

Ramadan is a month of heightened spirituality for Muslims across the world. The month however doesn’t emphasize of spirituality alone, it also seeks to purify the mind, body and soul of fasting Muslims. It is usually a time to practice self-control, self-discipline, sacrifice and empathy for the less privileged. Since most of the day will be spent abstaining from food, some people tend to over eat at the start and break of fast. Now while some way get away with it, majority will find themselves dealing with some form of discomfort. So how do we eat right during the month? These nutritional tips are all we need to know.

1. Drink lots of water

During the course of fasting, a typical day goes by with abstaining from eating and drinking once the Suhoor has been observed. This means that during the day, your body slowly becomes dehydrated. Drinking a lot of water during Suhoor and Iftar will help you keep a healthy balance through the day. Also, fruits like watermelon, pineapple, should be included in your suhoor to help you stay hydrated during the day. Stay away from beverages. Avoid drinks with caffeine as it can cause some people to urinate more often that regular which may in turn lead to dehydration.

2. Eat right during Suhoor

The truth is, no matter how large the portion of meal you consume during the suhoor hours, you will most likely still get hungry before iftar. However, eating right can keep you considerably sustained during the hours of fasting. High protein food like beans, moi-moi, can keep you sustained for a considerable period as they break down slowly compared to carb rich foods. However, when taking carbohydrates, be sure to pair them with proteins like egg, meat, beans, etc. Rice, bread and other white meals should be replaced with whole grain and high fat with lean protein.

Five Nutritional Ramadan tips for you

3. Avoid Sugary food and junks

Even when you are not fasting, including junk/sugary foods in your diet is probably nopt the best option you may be choosing for yourself.

Avoid junks and sugary beverages during this period. Instead, replace with a lot of water, mint smoothies, fresh fruits and a whole lot of water. Check out some beverage recipes that are superb for this period here. Stay away from fried and processed foods that are high in fat or sugar, the overall aim is to stick with food options that will release energy slowly into the body.

5. Consume moderate portions during Iftar

Remember fasting doesn’t translate to loosing weight (for those trying to use it as a means to lose weight). Fasting all day reduces your metabolism which means you dispense less energy and burn very little calorie, so why would you want to overeat when you haven’t even released much of what’s still in the body? In general, avoid overeating so you don’t end up adding more weight as a matter of fact after fasting.

Planning is the major key to success. So, most importantly, plan your meals properly.

Happy Ramadan!