Sash Window Fittings And Hardware Will Always Remain An On-Trend Décor Favourite!!

In modern days the appearance of house exteriors are considered to be just as important as house interiors. From TV programs like Grand Designs to Homes under the Hammer, we’ve seen that each individual has their own unique decor objectives to complement their needs.

Whilst decor trends will change seasonally, it’s fair to say there are certain aspects that will always remain in fashion. One of these trending styles is sash windows. This particular bravura of windows combines traditional styles with more up to date techniques. Their elegant appearance is the main selling point when it comes to these light breathing beauties. However unlike your typical modern day double glazed windows that open out with a hinge, sash windows use a counter weight made from heavy steel or lead to help move the adjustable panel vertically or horizontally. Thus assisting in the opening and closing of the window itself.

Dating back to seventeenth century these particular windows are an all-time favourite. Today you can purchase sash window fittings in an array of finishes, which enables them to be versatile to different people’s tastes. So whether you’re looking for unlacquered brass, antique brass, satin brass or even satin nickel sash window fittings, then it’s simply a case of sourcing out a decent supplier or ironmongers to get a fitting that suits your particular tastes. As everything has moved digitally over the last few decades, you no longer have to rely on visiting a showroom to see what you’re buying, however there are some really good merchants out there who will offer the option to shop online and visit a showroom.

A & H Brass are an ironmongers based in London that have a complete array of sash window hardware and fittings, in a selection of different finishes, so that you can hand select the style you want. You can browse through their complete online collection, and even arrange a visit to their London showroom to see the products and materials first hand.

Though you will be able to find a range of different styles, it’s important to do you research and not make any hasty purchases, as whilst most will be affordable, you need to think about how you want your house or property to look many years down the line. The great thing about sash windows is that they remain timeless throughout the decades and will always remain a decor favourite!

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Wet Rooms & Chrome Glass Shower Fittings - Where Quality Compliments Efficiency!

I recently moved into an old bungalow with my fiancé, and it’s fair to say it needs a lot of work. Whilst most rooms are livable the bathroom however is far from it! I’m assuming the previous owner was an elderly individual living by themselves, from the looks of the disabled rails attached to the walls. There’s also mold around the edges of the windows, the lino flooring is coming up in the corner, and the bathtub doesn’t even come with a removable shower head.

I know these seem like minor issues to the majority, but take it coming from someone who lives by convenience and efficiency, I need a shower in my life. I physically do not have time to run a bath, and if I’m honest the thought of sitting in my own dirt isn’t exactly appealing. As I’m keen to get the situation sorted as soon as feasibly possible, in my breaks and little spare time I have, I’ve been looking at different shower cubicles that can replace that horrendous ivory tub. Having a look at a variety of options, the other day I came across the idea of a wet room. Whilst the idea means extending our budget for this by a few hundred pounds, in the long run it will make life so much easier, not to mention how classy it will look. We’re thinking of installing one of those wet rooms that has a glass cubicle surrounding a section of the floor. This particular style gives us the choice to change the door hinges to match the surrounding interior. As a bonus a bathroom fitter will be able to not only deliver the glass panels, but also fit the polished brass unlacquered shower door hinges we have bought from a London based ironmonger called A & H Brass.

We did consider some other finishes when scrolling through their website,and potentially have our eyes on some antique brass glass shower door fittings to complete the look, however we haven’t had a chance to properly discuss this yet as we need to consider the rest of the budget. We’re yet to purchase floor and wall tiles, and as a compromise to my fiancé allowing me to install a wet room, I’m letting him pick the tiles so that he still has had some input in the design. The rest of the bathroom suite has already been reserved, and I can’t wait to see it all come together.

A lot of our friends have had their fair share of opinions on getting rid of the bath, with the majority saying a bath is more appealing when try to sell the property on. However given that we have no intention of selling up for at least another five years or so, we can cross that bridge at a later date. For now this is a solution that is ideal for our lifestyle, especially as we’re not planning to have children for the foreseeable future. In fact when I really think about it the layout and composition of our bathroom, is definitely more practical when comparing that to our friend’s bathrooms, and I don’t even feel like we have compromised on quality in the slightest. It’s definitely something I would advise all couples to consider and not to “knock it before you’ve tried it”!

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Locks & Bolts - Can You Ever Really Have Enough When It Comes To Home Security?

When it comes to looking at things objectively, there is a fine line between pessimism and realism. I have always considered myself an optimist or in layman’s terms a “glass half full” kind of girl, however when you are faced with real world issues it’s only realistic that you consider all options to safeguard yourself.

Security is something that is consistently spoken about in the media, whether it’s to do with protecting your financial assets, identity theft, safeguarding your children etc. Whilst certain topics get more of the limelight then others there is one particular situation that normally slips under the radar of your average news headlines, and that’s burglaries! These incidences have reduced over the years particularly since 2005, however they are still occurring across the globe.

Last year my Grandma decided to up and move from her four bed semi-detached family home, as she was struggling to get up and down the stairs. Upon moving to a bungalow around the corner from my parents, and five minutes away from the local shops she knew that she had made the right decision whilst she was still able to do so. Her surrounding neighbours were and still are for that matter pretty elderly, so you can imagine it’s a nice and peaceful area, or so we thought!

About two months after she moved in she was out and about in the nearest town catching up with her retired pals, only to come home and notice that she had been burgled. As she desperately scrambled around the house to figure out what had been taken, she soon came to discover that all of her jewellery that she was going to pass on to my cousins and I was gone. These items were family air looms that had been passed down for generations, and unfortunately no money would ever be able to replace those memories. As if it couldn’t get any worse a load of tools and brand new land mower were also missing from her garden shed. She was lucky that they didn’t manage to take anything else, and it could have been a lot worse. I dread to think what might have happened should she have been there when the burglars broke in.

Although the likelihood of that occurring again was pretty slim, my parents and I could see how traumatised it left my Gran, and in all fairness if I was to put myself in her shoes I wouldn’t blame her. To help put her mind slightly at ease the next night we ordered some door locks online from a London brand called A & H Brass, who I dare say had quite the collection. I genuinely didn’t realise that you could get that many different styles of locks?

We purchased a mortice latch to re enforce the front door, as it already had a lock and key. For extra security measures we booked a black smith to change the front and back door locks and cut new keys. We also bought a household security alarm system, and installed the trigger points on the doors and windows, as well as giving her a panic button in case she was ever in trouble.
 

As for the garden shed that had also been broken into we needed something a tad more durable for the outside weather conditions, so we fitted a digital lock giving my gran her own unique pin code to get in and out of the shed at her leisure.

Since then it has taken some time to get her back to how she was before the burglary occurred, which is why it’s really important to raise awareness to those who haven’t taken the proper precautions to safe guard their property. Remember it’s more than just material items, the proper security could be potentially lifesaving!

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