The London Design Festival, held annually in September, never fails to showcase the best and most innovative new design here in London and the UK. While it’s always exciting to see what’s new and what’s cutting edge, there are certain pieces of design which are so iconic they are as as intertwined into British life as the Queen, tea or joining a queue just because it’s there and it would be rude not to.
Tag Archive for Small Spaces
The incredibly cool art of transforming tiny spaces
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re aware that London housing stock is a) expensive, b) not exactly spacious and c) in increasingly short supply.
Making the most of a tiny, shared kitchen
We might all dream of having a huge family-sized kitchen with an island in the middle and enough space to host a really fantastic dinner party, but most of us living in London have to make do with something much smaller, and have to do so while sharing. As sharers ourselves, here are a few tips to really make the most of a tiny, shared kitchen.
Gardens for apartment dwellers: exploring indoor gardening
‘Gardens,’ said Rudyard Kipling, ‘are not made by singing “Oh, how beautiful!” and sitting in the shade’. We’ve no doubt this is true: we are British after all, and if we believe what’s said about us, we are the nation of gardeners.
Living bigger in small flats: 5 space savers for London living
It’s all there in our tagline: ‘better living in small spaces’. The Box Room exists to help life feel a bit bigger, even when your apartment seems a bit, shall we say, constrained. We’re interested in the wise ideas, the wonderful and the downright quirky – whether we’re talking about helpful ways to get your London flat ready for sale (thanks, Sarah Beeny!), tips on moving in with your partner for the first time, finding London’s ultimate man cave, or even ways to satisfy your need to live in storage (yes, that’s a real thing!)
How to buy art you fall in love with
Regular readers of this blog will know that, here at Boxman, we’re all about better living in small spaces. We’re also very into other websites that help people make what they’ve got go a bit further. One of our favourites is Artfinder – another London startup that helps people decorate their walls with original art, direct from independent artists.
5 tricks to make your London flat feel HUGE
Feature image credit: Home Designing For most of us living in London, space is an issue: you could probably do with a little more room between the dining table and the wall, for example, or you’ve stopped buying new clothes because you can’t shut your wardrobe doors. We’ve been told time and time again that light colours help to make a room feel bigger, but what else can you do to create a sense of space, light and calm?
Moving house in London: 5 life hack services that’ll sort you out
Feature image: The Guardian Gone are the days when searching for a new home in London meant scouring dodgy estate agent windows and booking a viewing with no idea what awaited inside. These days, we’ll have surveyed the area via Google Street View and enjoyed a 360-degree virtual tour from the comfort of our sofa before we send our first speculative email. In fact, despite its reputation as one of the most stressful things we go through in our lives – even more so in the chaos of London’s streets – moving house needn’t be a headache.
The rise of the professional organisers
Here at The Box Room, we’re all for helping out the time-poor. Heck, Boxman – the good folk behind your very own virtual spare room – went into business almost entirely to slash the hours wasted driving to a self-storage outpost. So we were intrigued to hear about professional organisers, a relatively new breed of lifehacker that take your time (or lack of it) very seriously indeed.
Moving in together: two people, one flat, no space
Feature image credit: Buzzmove Were you to stumble upon AskMen while scouring the internet for information about moving in with your partner, you’d be left with the impression that it’s only a good idea if you are: a middle-aged man still living at home eager to save some money on your rent and utility bills, or sick of your commute and your boy or girlfriend lives closer to your office.
Festive makeover tips: 8 Christmas decorating ideas for small space living
The festive markets are in full swing, twinkly lights have been switched on across the country, and soppy supermarket ads have flooded our TV screens. It’s official, people: Christmas is almost upon us, which means it’s time to get your tree up and the seasonal decorations hung for all to see – if you haven’t already. There’s no excuse not to get involved in spreading Christmas cheer, so even if your home is more compact than most, don’t let that put you off embracing the festive season. There are lots of ways you can decorate your London flat to make it all cosy and sparkly this Christmas – here are some of our favourites.
Infographic: what not to buy people for Christmas
So here we are again, with just a few weeks until Christmas Day, social engagements booked in for most evenings and, let’s be honest, not many presents purchased. But don’t panic – there’s still time. There’s no need to get yourself into a panicky, sugar-fuelled shopping frenzy on Christmas Eve and end up with bags full of unwanted Christmas gifts. Nobody loves the idea of handing over a multipack of air freshener to their favourite aunt come Christmas Day’s present exchange, or a pair of XXS SpongeBob SquarePants Y-fronts to their brother.