This little gem  of a room was found on realestate.com.au and made me smile so I thought I would share it. A sense of fun is often missing from people’s homes, but this homeowner was clearly feeling brave and in a happy mood when they decorated this room.

I have recently been working with an elderly client with terminal cancer to help ensure his home is suitable for him and not a hazard. When you are so fragile and lacking in energy that you can’t lift your feet when you walk, things such as loose floor mats and rugs simply become trip hazards. The same goes for not having plenty of space around furniture … you are much more likely to bump into things and risk injuring yourself. 

I don’t mean to sound morbid, but reducing excess ‘stuff’ is much easier when you are physically able to do it yourself, so please, do not let it get out of hand. If something isn’t useful, beautiful, or of real sentimental value it has no place in your home. Either sell it, give it away, recycle it, or, as a last resort, put it in the rubbish. You will be glad you did.

Just because you live in an apartment does not mean that you cannot have a garden. Well chosen (and cared for) potted plants provide emotional and environmental benefits for urban dwellers. They can beautify outlooks, provide privacy, shade, oxygen, and sometimes even provide food.

The conditions on many balconies are harsh, so make sure that you choose hardy plants, use generous pot sizes and ensure adequate watering throughout the year. Check that your balcony is designed to hold the weight of the pots, soil and plants and also that is has good drainage. If your plants look sad or die then get rid of them. Dead or dying pot plants are not a positive feature.

If you wish to use ‘’feature tiles’ in your bathroom, please be bold and use them with pride. A tiny row of small mosaic tiles above a vanity basin does not, in my mind at least, create a feature. This dramatic 1950s bathroom, that I discovered on www.realestate.com.au, shows what can be achieved by being brave and creative.  It may be in questionable taste, but I think it is fabulous!

If you haven’t used if for 12 months, and it doesn’t hold any specific sentimental value, get rid of it … in an eco-friendly way, of course. Try eBay or donating the unwanted items to charity. However, don’t inundate charities with junk. Responsible recycling is an option for many items. For e-waste, I recommend e-cycle recovery. They will charge you to dump your e-waste but they will dispose of it in the most environmentally responsible manner, and ensure that heavy metals and other contaminants that are embedded in circuit boards, hard drives and CRT TVs are properly handled. Do the right thing: declutter your space, but do it responsibly.

I normally avoid recommending specific brands of products, but when it comes to compact fluorescent light globes, I am happy to suggest Philips Genie warm-white range. Their globes don't flicker, don't take ages to provide full light, and last for ... well a long time ... as I have never had one stop working. If all compact fluorescent globes behaved as well as these, there would be a lot less negativity associated with them.  

I appreciate that caravan interiors have a reputation for being totally uncool, but this needn't be the case. The interior shown in the above image, by Home Base Collections, shows how simply furnishing a caravan interior with gorgeous fabrics and accessories can turn dreary into desirable without a huge budget.

The Brionvega Cuboglass looks more stylish switched off than when it is on. It simply looks like a well designed and detailed mirrored glass box. More an object of art than a television. It is beautiful.

If you need a new electric cook top you should look seriously at an Induction model. They provide the control of a good gas hob, combined with very low energy use and superior safety (no open flames or heated surfaces). More importantly, they are also fantastic to cook with. They make ceramic and solid element cook tops completely obsolete. The downside is that they are much more expensive. The one exception seems to be a portable Induction hob from Kenwood that sells for only AU$199.00. At that price, it’s worth buying one as an experiment to see if you like Induction cooking. You might also need to upgrade your cookware, especially if you use aluminium saucepans. Is it worth the hassle? Yes!