Brenda - Casa Cultures

Ikigai Style For Zen And Nature Living Room

Written by Brenda on February 13, 2020. Posted in Magazine. Leave a Comment

Fan of nature and design, the Ikigai decoration is made for you! Inspired by this Japanese philosophy which advocates lightness and joie de vivre, we create in the living room a fresh and serene atmosphere. On a very bright white base, plain or patterned blues are available in coverings, cushions, carpets, and accessories. Lightwood is used for furniture but also for making custom storage that is as minimalist as it is functional. Finally, the lights are light, all made of natural materials.

The Highlights Of The Zen Fair

A poplar panel bookcase wall that incorporates the fireplace.
A wallpaper with a subtle and vegetal motif typical of the Ikigai style.
A range of very soft shades, white, beige and shades of blue.
A multifunctional piece of furniture that frames the window and enhances the view of the garden.
Furniture with refined and rounded forms, for zen and softness.
Natural materials, wood for plants and stone for minerals.

The Ikigai Style, From Japan

The Ikigai, Japanese philosophy of life that aims for well-being and balance, involves creating a living space that perpetuates the link with nature.

In this spirit, we favor noble materials, plant, and mineral, light wood, stone on the ground, vegetable fibers, paper, wood, ceramics, etc.

For the shapes of the furniture, accessories or lighting, we choose clean lines and we focus on softness: circles, curves, ellipses, and rounded angles.

In terms of colors, we avoid bright or garish shades. The ideal palette: white, beige and greige tones that are enhanced by adding several shades of blue in shades.

We add a few subtle notes, to bring touches of life, just enough: posters representing stylized plants for the walls and pretty striped rugs to be placed on the travertine floor.

Featured Wallpaper

The perfect symbol of the Ikigai philosophy and flagship element of the decor of the room: wallpaper with a floral and subtle pattern.

We choose it in a pretty blue, one of the main colors of the palette used and that we find in some decorative accessories: cushions, rugs, etc.

The wallpaper is placed like a large painting on a section of a strategic wall, prominently displayed in the room.

A Piece Of Furniture To Frame The Bay Window

If the Ikigai philosophy advocates minimalism rather, it emphasizes comfort and well-being above all.

In this spirit, we create a piece of furniture that becomes the new frame for the picture window and enhances the view of the garden.

A Piece Of Furniture To Frame The Bay Window

For a more rhythmic and less rigid effect, the furniture structure is asymmetrical and offers several functions: storage column, long seat, and wall covering.

The lower part which runs alongside the bay window is designed like a bench. The trick? The seat reinforcement panels constitute storage boxes, which can be left open or which can be fitted with a door.

We use the full height storage column to give dynamism to the whole by varying the dimensions, the orientation, and the opening or not of the boxes.

The furniture is made of multi-ply poplar panels, the color of which works wonderfully with the palette of tones in the general decor.

The most decorative: we paint the interior of a few lockers without a door which gives depth and allows us to distribute the touches of blue in the volume of the room.

A Library With Insert

Same natural spirit and same wood used for the linear bookcase which incorporates the insert. Thus, the two custom pieces of furniture meet each other and really seem to be “part of the walls”.

Here again, we avoid the game of symmetry. We play with the lines by providing lockers 40 cm deep with variable dimensions, ideal when we want to store or display various objects.

We create a small return to the library: it comes to close the sequence and create an additional animation. As a bonus, you can store deeper elements.

Ditto, insert side, we dress the back wall with poplar panels for an all-encompassing and warm effect.

For an impeccable finish, we prefer an assembly with invisible fixings that only reveals the elegance of the poplar panels.

In terms of decoration, we give rhythm and we paint the background or the door of certain lockers, aiming to distribute the different shades and touches of blue.

Indispensable wink: the drop of wallpaper used to dress the bottom of one of the boxes!

Bohemian Life In The Yard

Written by Brenda on February 12, 2020. Posted in Magazine. Leave a Comment

It is possible to give style to your outdoor courtyard while making it comfortable and welcoming. We first choose black as the background color to create an elegant space. We then favor folding furniture and accessories, to arrange the courtyard as it pleases in a bohemian spirit. The only strong element is the floor: the imitation cement tiles with XXL patterns give character and character, in harmony with the deckchair fabrics and cushions with graphic patterns. Finally, by adding vegetal touches, we obtain a friendly and versatile living space.

The Strengths Of The Bohemian Chic Court

Walls covered with black coatings (plaster and exterior cladding panels in natural stone) which give relief.
Two shade sails combined in a nice black and white duo.
A long planter to invite plants into this mineral universe.
A bohemian decor that favors raw and natural materials.
Folding furniture, to hang on the wall when not in use.
A graphic floor covering with XXL tiles like cement tiles.
A brazier, ideal for enjoying cool evenings.

Featured Black Color

We give character, material, and depth to the volume of the courtyard by choosing black to cover its walls. Black is ideal for highlighting a layout and bringing it a chic side, whatever the style of decoration.

To create a bohemian atmosphere in this courtyard, we choose to give the walls relief and roughness with two types of alternating coverings.

We contrast with a coating covered with a facade paint and, on the back wall, an exterior cladding panel in natural stone whose light reveals the nuances and roughness.

On the ground, we fully bet on a black and white duo by mixing large, plain and patterned tiles. This gives a graphic “carpet” with a strong character.

A Curtain Of Plants

To bring the plant into this mineral atmosphere, we install a long masonry planter on the back wall.

For an exotic “tropical forest” effect, we mix the types of plants and the shades of foliage.

The trick: we fix a mirror behind the plants to add a little more light and give depth.

Space Saving Furniture

Who says the bohemian spirit, says change and adaptability. This applies in particular to furniture and other equipment, the aim being to optimize storage in the courtyard and to be able to adjust the organization as desired.

We opt for light and easy-to-fold furniture: the Chilean ones are perfect.

Plus: there are hooks on the wall which are used to hang them when not in use.

Indispensable, the brazier on feet: the good idea to improvise an evening by the fireside when you don’t have a fireplace in the living room!

Indispensable symbol of the bohemian spirit: the hammock. It is installed in a corner, near the planter to take advantage of the freshness brought by the plants.

Even more aerial and also easily removable: the shade sail. Less bulky, it advantageously replaces the parasol.

Two are planned to increase the area of the shaded area, in a black and white duo in harmony with the patterned floor.

A Natural And Graphic Decoration

As for accessories, the large baskets and the homemade blind play on the vegetable fiber card (jute, wicker, bamboo, etc.) and the raw appearance.

For textiles, Chilean canvas and cushions, we stay in the same range of colors: solid ivory and black that we enhance with elegant patterns.

Variable Geometry Lighting

Classic but still useful, we install a wall lamp on the front, preferably above the access door.

We choose it black so that it blends in with the decor.

Some lighting chains type tavern accompany the beautiful curves of shade sails and provide good general lighting.

For auxiliary lighting, we prefer nomadic lamps, perfectly suited to the bohemian spirit of the place.

To suspend or ask it moves and spreads out to the needs of the moment.

A Courtyard Dressed In Wood

Written by Brenda on February 12, 2020. Posted in Magazine. Leave a Comment

Enjoy your patio or courtyard all year round or almost, it’s possible! It is enough to arrange it in a natural style, warm in all seasons thanks to the strong presence of wood and a sleek design under Japanese influence. Here, everything invites you to relax: the comfortable lounge and the DIY straw-style bar take shelter under custom-made pergolas, while the dining area with barbecue is set up in the open air. The blond wood is complemented by a soothing blue-green, both soft and dynamic. As for lights, suspensions, table lamps or nomads, they promise magical evenings.

The Strong Points Of The Ikigai Courtyard Using Wood for Decor

A wall facing made with perforated panels to decorate and give volume to the outdoor living room.
Two custom-made pergolas which structure the courtyard with Japanese influences.
A DIY straw-style bar: mini size, maximum effect!
Privacy screens to hide and reinforce the presence of wood.
Design and light furniture that does not obstruct traffic.
A strip of gravel surrounds the wooden terrace and lets space breathe.

Pergolas To Structure

Masterpieces of the layout of the courtyard, the two pergolas form an L: one serves as an awning above the access door and the other houses the lounge area.

The structures are made with joists serving as posts, beams or reinforcements.

For a result with an impeccable and refined finish, we adopt the principle of engravings and interlocking pieces of wood.

For the “ roof ” of the pergolas, we cut openwork fence panels: a simple idea, aesthetic and easy to implement.

We use these same panels to cover the upper part of the wall in the living room area: we thus finalize the marking of this space while masking the covering behind it.

An Ikigai-Style Courtyard

If the organization of the courtyard is essential, the choice of style is just as important. We opt for decor with Japanese influences: materials, lines of constructed elements, choice of colors, aim to create a Zen atmosphere that warms in all seasons.

In terms of colors, we favor slightly green blues that harmonize as much with the sky as with the vegetation. We add touches of white and gray. For materials, we highlight wood. Its premium used to create the arbors, the bar, the wall covering and the fence. We keep the harmony of hot honey, staining, if necessary, certain pieces of wood. On the ground, the wooden slats are associated with white gravel, in the Japanese tradition of the complementary plant/mineral duo.

If the peripheral gravel strip visually enlarges the space, it also offers the possibility of placing a barbecue there without taking any risks. We also choose wood for certain accessories: the kitchen blind or pretty pendant lights that allow us to balance its presence in space while creating a very designer “stripe” effect.

On the furniture side, we focus on metal models with light shapes that avoid overloading the space. We associate them with slightly more present pieces, like a wooden deckchair, but always in a refined design .

The accessories follow the Japanese trend: cushions chosen in shades of blue and gray, white ceramic dishes with soft shapes. Subtle and repetitive patterns are also welcome.

A Beach Bar

Is there a portion of the wall available? We take the opportunity to create a small outdoor bar, very practical for a drink or a quick meal.

We adjust its height to the chosen stools.

We easily reproduce the design chosen for the rest of the layout, always using the same openwork panel to dress the front of the bar.

For the “feet” and the supports of the bar, we use falls of joists which served for the arbors and we finalize with a cutwork plan or a board on the top.

And here is another possible function: a serving hatch, ideally located in front of the kitchen window!

Well-Lit Evenings

To take full advantage of the courtyard in the evening, take care of the artificial lighting and multiply the sources as you would for a living room. There are fixed points of light, such as wall lights that are combined with cluster hanging suspensions. Arbors are used here for easy installation.

We add nomadic lights, to place and to hang to distribute the light points well and modulate the atmosphere. Practical: solar models. We choose lighting in accordance with the decor with Japanese influences: clean lines and natural materials in the spotlight!

The good idea: special outdoor wall lamps or suspensions whose style has nothing to envy to the models found in the house.

Modular Storage In The Bathroom

Written by Brenda on February 11, 2020. Posted in Magazine. Leave a Comment

In a family bathroom, installing specific equipment for young and old can be a headache! With this modular storage system, as clever as it is decorative, we solve the problem. Each member of the family has adapted storage… and basins at different heights.

The strong points of the modular storage partition

Cleats screwed to the wall for a layout that is both graphic, space-saving and scalable.
Storage at variable heights to put certain products out of reach or, on the contrary, make them accessible.
Bathroom equipment (basin and mirror) adapted to the size of family members.
Decor in the Nordic style, both warm and colorful to suit everyone.

To Store, Just Hang!

One of the bathroom walls is completely free? Perfect! It is on this very smooth surface that we regularly install a series of cleats, of identical dimensions.

The centered position of the composition and the space provided between each cleat gives a balanced and aesthetic result.

The height of the first batten is determined by use: if you want toddlers to access the storage space located at the bottom, it will be placed about 35 cm from the ground.

The wall arrangement constitutes an original storage system, thanks to the profiles of hanging furniture fixed on the battens.

The other part of the profiles is fixed to the back of standard wooden boxes. It only remains to fit the corresponding fasteners to arrange the boxes in the desired location.

Modular Storage For Everyone

For the composition to be truly functional, provision is made for the boxes before fixing the profiles to the cleats. This optimizes the available space as much as possible.

We opt for small wooden cases, both solid and light, and perfectly matched to the cleats. To obtain a more dynamic result, at least two sizes of boxes are provided and we play on their position, horizontal or vertical.

The content of the boxes depends on their orientation and position, but above all on the use. Near the basins, you will find everyday toiletries and products, while at the top, there will be things inaccessible to the little ones, such as medicines.

Each His Basin

Indispensable equipment in a bathroom, the sink! Here, there is not one, but two, integrated into the storage wall.

Placed at two different heights, they offer equivalent comfort to parents and children.

We opt for a geometric and refined basin model, whose shape resembles that of wooden boxes.

The mirrors are simple, rectangular, and their width is identical to that of the basins. The lighting is ensured by an LED spot both design and discreetly placed above each mirror.

A Personalized Decoration

In terms of decoration, we take advantage of the beautiful presence of wood (cleats, boxes) to adopt the Scandinavian trend: touches of white, pastel shades, plants and geometric patterns on the floor.

If you want another style, just paint the cleats and/or the boxes for a personalized atmosphere: all in black, all in white, in flashy colors, etc.

The Ikigai Decoration Trend

Written by Brenda on February 11, 2020. Posted in Magazine. Leave a Comment

Do you know the Ikigai? This method from Japan, which offers everyone to find their life mission, gave their name to a decorative trend. There are obviously Japanese inspirations but above all the purity and materials of the nature style. If you like minimalist but sensual interiors, conducive to peace of mind and rejuvenation, if you like shades of blue and light wood, if you like elegance that knows how not to overdo it, you will love the Ikigai trend.

Ikigai Style: A Palette Of Blues

As on a Japanese print which infinitely declines the nuances of water, the Ikigai trend invites the whole palette of aquatic blues. From celadon to blue India ink, the color settles in all its forms: in surfaces, in accents, in small touches. For the rest of the room, we calm the game with neutral shades like white and beige. The atmosphere is Zen and peaceful while having real originality. Contrasts are then mastered.

Plant And Graphics Patterns

Plant motifs are in the spotlight and in particular the water lily or lotus leaves, emblematic of Japanese art. In bluish hues, they give rhythm to a rather refined decoration.

It is a good way to personalize your decor by covering only a section of the wall. We get here the perfect balance dear to the Ikigai trend, Japanese but not cold or even empty.

An idea to adopt in the bedroom: use a panoramic patterned wallpaper as a headboard. The pattern structures and gives an orientation to the room without overloading the space.

Wallpaper with its spectacular plant motifs is also a good way to liven up a room without overloading the space, as the Ikigai balance wants.

A Refined Lifestyle Like In Japan

Much more than a decoration, Ikigai is a philosophy. It is translated by “raison d’être” or sometimes “mission of life“. The Ikigai arises for each of us from a synthesis between different personal elements such as our talents or our passions.

In decoration, the Ikigai trend also brings together concepts that are not always easy to mix, such as serenity and sensuality. How? ‘Or’ What? Thanks to a clever balance between the purity of the compositions and the sensoriality of the materials.

As in Japan, we like rooms where space is free, where the gaze circulates, but where each object has a story, an extra soul. It’s up to you to store the essentials in discreet cupboards so that only a few skillfully arranged objects are left in view.

Textiles With Natural Fibers And Reliefs

In an interior with refined decor, we like to add softness and sensuality. With Ikigai, this mission comes down to textiles. We choose natural fibers such as cotton, linen, mesh.

We prefer when we can see the textures, those that make you want to touch the fabric. So choose the irregular mesh from the weaving, very authentic. Think about it for your cushions, plaids, carpets or curtains.

Luminaires Made Of Natural Materials

With the Ikigai trend, paper lights gain in grace and refinement, like semi-transparent sculptures.

Another option for luminaires in an Ikigai interior: natural fiber luminaires, which also play with light and transparency. You can use them as a table lamp in a bedroom or living room but also in suspension. And for an even more unexpected effect, you can attach suspensions of different sizes.

Do you know the Japanese paper folding technique? Origami makes it possible to create real paper sculptures, both light and deeply elegant, perfectly suited to the Ikigai trend. Diverted into the decor, paper origami can become a plain shade or with a plant motif. In the ceramic version, it keeps its elegant geometric forms to become a tealight for example or a vase. Paper, light, durable and decorative, is a staple of Ikigai decoration.

Light Wood Accessories And Natural Materials

Ikigai’s palette of colors between blue and white is warmed up by natural materials . For furniture, light wood asserts its naturalness and sensuality.

Headboard, coffee table in the living room or bathroom furniture, blond wood breaks cold colors. We prefer it worked in simple and timeless lines , both authentic and very contemporary.

The natural fibers accompany it in harmony for the lights but also the carpets, the baskets or even in the form of bouquets of grasses.

Saving On Heating Without Major Work Is Possible!

Written by Brenda on February 10, 2020. Posted in Magazine. Leave a Comment

How can you save on heating when you can’t get into big jobs? Thermal comfort is not a luxury! For you, we have put together all the accessible solutions to keep you warm while saving energy. From small caulking solutions to heating regulation products, including the right gestures to observe: discover all our tips for being at home without heavy work and without compromising on comfort.

Close Its Shutters At Night

Windows can cause up to 15% of heat loss in the home! Of course, the condition of your windows comes into play, but it only takes a small gesture to reduce these heat “leaks”: close the shutters after dark to help insulate the house.

This reflex allows you to keep the room well hot and make some energy savings.

The day of open shutters allows us to bring the light of the sun and help heat the house.

Ventilate The House, Even During Winter!

Yes, you read that right, to save energy, it is better to open the windows 5 to 10 minutes a day, even during winter. First to renew the air and breathe better in the house of course. But also to evacuate moisture because humid air is more difficult to heat.

Once the humidity is removed, your heating will have less effort to maintain the desired temperature.

However, do not keep the windows open for more than 10 minutes. Otherwise, you risk cooling the furniture, walls, and floor and your heating will then consume more energy to return to a comfortable temperature inside the house.

Remove Drafts From Doors And Windows

The drafts generated by doors and windows considerably affect thermal comfort. Of course, recent and insulating openings remain the most effective solution, but if you cannot replace your joinery, you can already optimize the existing one without doing heavy work, with a gain in comfort and savings.

The low door, the door seals and windows arise very easily (either by adhesive or with a simple screwdriver) and they severely limit drafts.

If you have single glazing, opt for thermal curtains that improve the insulation of the window when they are closed.

Never obstruct the natural ventilation (ventilation grille or VMC mouth for example) which ensures the renewal of the air. This ventilation is necessary for your comfort and makes your heating more efficient in removing moisture, but it is also essential to avoid the accumulation of pollutants and other dangerous gases!

Heat At The Right Temperature At The Right Time

Heating empty rooms is literally heating for nothing! Better to adjust the temperature of the rooms according to their use. Because 1 ° C less in a room, it’s 7% less energy consumption. Of easy money!

We consider that the ideal temperature in a living room is 19 ° C to 20 ° C, 18 ° C for a bedroom and 23 ° C for a bathroom. But when we only use them! When these rooms are empty, in case of absence or overnight, you can lower their temperature by 3 ° C. You’ll save real energy and be able to raise the temperature quickly when you use the room.

You can, of course, adjust this temperature by hand but there are many solutions to program the temperature or even regulate it in real-time (see below) to save energy and always go into an already warm house!

Transform Your Current Electric Heater Into A Connected Heater

As you may know, connected heating allows you to control the temperature room by room, according to a defined program or in real-time and directly on your smartphone.

It is the best solution to optimize your comfort while reducing the heating bill!

If you have recent and efficient radiators and you don’t want to change them, good news: It is possible to transform your existing radiators into connected radiators! Thanks to a low-cost module (around thirty euros), associated with a box like the Box Enki for example. You can enjoy all the advantages of connected heating without changing everything! A good idea for a second home or to turn on the heating from your workplace when the children come home for example!

Replace Your Electric Heater With A More Economical Model

If your radiators are old and inefficient, it is better to replace them with newer and more economical models. The investment will quickly pay off and you can change your electric heaters one by one without the need to get into big jobs.

Forget the convection models and favor radiant or inertia radiators which, with good programming, can save you up to 30% on your bill compared to a first-generation convector without programming!

For living rooms, models with fluid or dry inertia are the most suitable because they diffuse soft and homogeneous heat over time.

Regulate Central Heating

If you have central heating or hot water heating, there are also programming solutions to optimize comfort and savings in the home without major work.

Room thermostats and boiler thermostats are effective solutions for bringing home heating under control. And in the connected version, they obey your finger and your eye!

For hot water radiators, thermostatic valves and heads allow you to control or even program the temperature room by room. Some are connected and thus allow you to control the temperature in each room of the house in real-time directly on your smartphone!

Check The State Of The Insulation

If your house is poorly insulated, the best heating systems will not be able to offer you real thermal comfort and even less on a limited budget. But how do you know if your house is well insulated? Feelings can already alert you: cold walls, drafts from the ceilings or walls.

For a more technical approach, you can, of course, have an energy performance diagnosis carried out by a professional, but to get an idea already, just answer our online questionnaire to make a diagnostic simulation. In about fifteen minutes, you will get a personalized assessment of your home and possible avenues for improvement.

Insulate Your Lost Attic Or Cellar, Garage And Basement Ceilings For 1 €

Thanks to the financial aid systems set up by the State, some companies now offer insulation offers at 1 €. These offers only apply for certain specific works such as the insulation of lost roof spaces. But it’s a bargain! Indeed up to 30% of the heat of a house can escape by the roof, it is, therefore, the first station on which to act to insulate your house!

Leroy Merlin offers this offer at € 1 without conditions of income, labor and installation service included. You have nothing to do! To check if your home configuration allows it and to register if necessary, it’s here.

Since the fall of 2019, we have also proposed on the same principle to insulate the ceiling of your cellars, basement or garage for € 1, without income conditions. Details and registration here.

Connected Radiators: More Comfort, Less Energy!

Written by Brenda on February 10, 2020. Posted in Magazine. Leave a Comment

Today, connected radiators have become more democratic. Bulbs, thermostats, presence or door opening detectors… they concern all areas of the home and allow us to configure our homes intelligently. The key to this remote control and these programming options, an easier, more serene and more comfortable life, and above all energy savings!

Why Connected Radiators?

Thanks to remote control, the connectivity of our devices makes life easier and saves precious time. Did you know that by connecting your various devices, you can, even when you are not at home, turn the light on or off to simulate a presence, unlock a lock to open to your guests, start watering automatic, but also heat your house to find it at the ideal temperature when you arrive?

Another advantage of these connected objects: programming. Indeed, you can set up extremely practical scenarios to program lighting moments to simulate a presence when you are not there, back to automatically open and close the windows if you want to ventilate or find your holiday home in the ideal temperature when you arrive for the weekend.

Connected Radiators: For Good Temperature Management

This choice of comfort and energy saving notably involves the choice of its radiators. Did you know that, according to studies, 90% of the ecological footprint of a “classic” radiator comes not from its manufacture, but from its use? Often lit continuously, sometimes even during our absence, the radiator is a big consumer of energy.

Whereas with connected, more responsible and intelligent radiators, you only heat when necessary, and at the ideal temperature depending on the room. Optimal comfort and energy savings, connected radiators will have a positive impact both on your electricity bills and on the planet.

The Advantages Of Connected Radiators

Connected radiators allow you to program scenarios very precisely in advance, depending on your lifestyle. You can thus determine different temperatures according to your absence or your presence. The best solution not to heat an empty house when it is not necessary and to find it at the ideal temperature when you return. In addition, while we need to lower the temperature at night to sleep better, connected radiators allow to gradually lower the temperature for a peaceful sleep, before gradually increasing the heating and thus have a comfortable interior in the early morning.

EQUATION Connected Radiators At Leroy Merlin

The connectivity designed from the manufacturing of Equation radiators allows for more precise piloting scenarios. You can program them radiator by radiator, room by room, with each its temperature, or even globally if you wish.

This particularly fine management of heating and temperature makes you gain comfort throughout the winter, avoiding wasting energy. And as they are made from recycled aluminum, La Terre says thank you twice!

These inertial connected radiators, also called soft heat radiators, are devices that provide optimal comfort: with a rapid heating time, even after the radiator is shut down, the heat will continue to diffuse. The Leroy Merlin Equation inertia connected radiators, with a sleek design, are available either with a fluid heating body or with a heating body in cast iron, glass or lava stone.

Also, the electric heaters with dual heating system Malao de Sauter, for example, will offer you the possibility of making only one adjustment for an entire zone. No need to move from one to the other to turn on or off the heating! Note, their intelligent system that detects when a window is open, which can save you up to 30%.

How Do These Radiators Connect To The Enki Box Work?

Enki is Leroy Merlin’s “connected house” solution, a connected box. This box was designed to create a unique ecosystem so that all your connected objects can communicate together, even if they are from different brands. Thus, thanks to a single application, completely free, it is your entire house that you can control remotely or from home. In the case that interests us more today, Enki allows you to easily program and control your Equation heaters on your smartphone(Enki is iOS or Android compatible): in every room, at all times, you always get the temperature you want! And if you come back later than usual, tell Enki, who will wait before turning on your radiators!

Another Advantage: Monitoring Consumption

By installing connected radiators, your energy consumption will no longer hold any secrets for you!

In fact, you will now be able to consult your energy consumption by day, by week, by month, by year, and even up to 5 years back.

You will find all the information relating to the consumption of each radiator on the Enki app, in order to identify the sources of waste and act accordingly to make real savings.

Other Things

Once you have connected your Equation radiators to your smartphone with the Enki box, you will certainly not want to stop. Fortunately, you can complete your home automation installation by choosing all the devices you need, among the 200 references of connected objects of different brands Enki compatible: opening, presence detector, camera or siren to secure your home, bulbs, modules to connect your roller shutters or your garage door and even your connected heaters from other brands…

So go ahead, with connected radiators, fully bring your home into the era of home automation, ideal temperature, and controlled bills!

8 Tips To Lighten Your House

Written by Brenda on February 8, 2020. Posted in Magazine. Leave a Comment

Emptying, organizing storage, clearing space, so many ways to lighten your home and feel good at home. If you too are won over by minimalist challenges but don’t know where to start, here are some ideas to lighten your house for a more refined and serene home.

Store Brooms And Accessories In PVC Tubes

Inexpensive and practical for custom storage, PVC tubes are perfect for creating clever storage spaces.

Cut to the desired length, the tubes accommodate the vacuum cleaner cord, the broom but also the bucket or various cleaning products.

Everything fixed securely to the wall clears the floor for quick cleaning and makes all your equipment easily accessible at all times.

The right idea for a closet or a laundry room!

Use The Walls To Store Your Shoes for a lighten storage

When you start collecting shoes, you quickly run out of space to store them.

To avoid seeing them crushed under a ton of business or relegated to the bottom of the cabinet, shoe storage in PVC tubes is the solution.

With many tubes glued to each other, the tubes transform into clever furniture against the wall where each pair has its space and is easily identifiable. Perfect for choosing which shoes best suit your outfit in the morning, without losing a second.

And if you are with your family, it is finally over with the shoes lying around in all rooms.

Optimize The Drying Of Laundry In The Bathroom

lighten The Drying Of Laundry In The Bathroom

Discreet and retractable, the wall clothes lines allow your laundry to dry in the bathroom and not clutter up a living room in the house.

Practical, the clotheslines are placed very close to the washing machine and avoid back and forth to hang the laundry.

You have a clean and spacious house even after the laundry rounds! And never again will you have to quickly hide the drying rack when the doorbell rings.

Optimize The Laundry Room

Optimize The Drying Of Laundry In The Bathroom

The laundry room is quickly a problem in a small space as in a large one.

Between maintenance products, household equipment, household appliances, you quickly need to organize so that space does not look like a permanent bazaar.

With a clever storage unit, everything is centralized for simplicity. Cleaning products, vacuum cleaner, and filters, washing machine and detergent but also sheets and towels for example.

The furniture and its shelves allow full storage and offer large storage space to unclog the rest of your home and make the most of each room.

Hide The Mess To Free The Eye

Optimized or not, the house gains in simplicity with well-defined spaces.

Thanks to the curtains, you can easily separate two areas of the house and hide the maintenance rooms or those that are overloaded. Visually, the rooms of the house are lightened and this reinforces the impression of fluidity for pleasant and functional living space at the same time.

Here, we have separated the laundry space from the garage but it can also be the workshop, the office or the games room. All spaces that lend themselves to invasion will benefit from disappearing behind a curtain from time to time.

Invest The Space Under The Eaves

No more clothes, towels or other boxes lying around anywhere in the house.

By storing all the objects in a dedicated space under the eaves, you optimize your storage space and visually clear the space of your house.

With a sliding door, your storage space is hidden and the room gains in naturalness. Clearer and airy, the house is more pleasant to live in everyday life.

Build A Platform To Store

The custom platform is both a way to liven up space by creating a dedicated area but also a large storage volume.

Indeed, here, the children store their games on the platform thanks to very practical hatches. They can play during the day and put everything away at night. The platform then turns into a relaxation area for older children. In all cases, space remains ventilated and never overloaded.

Use Storage To Architect Space

Out of my sight! Thanks to the ingenious storage system, you create a functional storage space for your everyday devices or objects.

Better still, all your objects are hidden behind doors: visually, the space is clear.

Here, we even went further by using the storage units as an architectural structure .

They frame the window and create a base for the reading area covered with cushions, bathed in natural light. A colorful niche even creates a nice contrast with the taupe hues of the doors.

7 Tips To Maintain Clean Air At Home With Purifiers

Written by Brenda on February 8, 2020. Posted in Magazine. Leave a Comment

Breathing well at home is not easy! If you are allergic or asthmatic, you undoubtedly experience a real embarrassment during the peaks of pollution or pollen. This is where an air purifier can make all the difference. But only if you use it properly. Discover all our tips for maintaining your car, using your purifiers well and breathing better at home thanks to your air purifier.

Use Your Purifiers During Pollen Peaks

Do you have a stuck nose and difficulty breathing as soon as pollens fly in the air in spring or summer? You are not alone. By 2050, 1 in 2 people will have a respiratory allergy, often diagnosed as asthma (World Health Organization forecasts).

To protect you inside the house, the air purifier is very effective. Biological pollutants like pollens and molds are fairly large particles (around 40 microns) that are easily caught in the filter of your purifier.

Operate it regularly as soon as you feel the first sneezes, signs of a massive influx of pollens. And as a bonus, animal hair is also collected by the prefilter of your air purifier. If you suffer from this allergy, here is another settled matter.

Operation of the device: The prefilter is effective on large particles (hair, hair, dust). The activated carbon filter captures odors, fumes, and certain gases and VOCs. The HEPA filter is effective in retaining 99% of fine particles. The turbine brings the polluted air into the filters and the air comes out purified from the device.

Using Your Purifier During Pollution Peaks

Indoor air is always more polluted than outdoor air. It concentrates all outdoor pollutants and our lifestyles add a good amount of indoor pollutants like formaldehyde and the whole family of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), including the famous fine particles. These are at the origin of the triggering of pollution alerts. The good news is that your air purifier is effective against the vast majority of these pollutants. Indeed, the HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, present on most air purifiers, retains 99% of fine particles (less than 2.5 microns)!

Our advice: operate your purifiers during outdoor pollution peaks (those advertised in the media) but also during indoor pollution peaks (when you repaint a room, buy new furniture, use interior scent or aggressive cleaning products). And to find out if your indoor air is polluted, answer our test below.

Using Your Purifier During Winter Illnesses

The HEPA filter is so efficient that it retains particles down to 0.3 microns. The bacteria measure on average from 0.4 to 2 microns.

You can, therefore, count on your air purifiers to eliminate the bacteria that circulate easily in winter in the warm air of our interiors.

You can, of course, double your air purifiers with an essential oil diffuser that purifies the ambient air thanks to the virtues of essential oils of ravintsara, eucalyptus or saro for example.

Changing Filters Regularly: An Imperative

An air purifier is as effective as its filters. A clogged HEPA filter no longer filters the air properly. As for the activated carbon filter, which is supposed to filter odors, gas and certain VOCs, once it is full, it can release harmful substances into the air! We can never say enough how essential it is to change the filters on your air purifiers regularly.

Some purifiers also have a filter change indicator, which is handy to warn you when necessary. We generally recommend:

For activated carbon filters: change every 6 months to 1 year
For HEPA filters: change every 1 to 2 years

But if you use your purifiers a lot or your interior is particularly polluted, it is better to change them more regularly.

Adapt Your Purifier To The Size Of The Room

For an air purifier to be effective, it must be adapted to the size of the room. Check the ideal surface indicated on the device you choose. Indeed, for the device to sufficiently purify the air, all of the air in the room must be renewed several times per hour. You can calculate the volume of air in the room and relate it to the flow of the unit to verify that this is the case.

Continue To Ventilate

We repeat: indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air. Whether purifying or not, the reflex to ventilate is therefore essential.

In 5 minutes, morning and evening, summer and winter, you help to renew the air and you breathe better.

And you facilitate the work of your purifier whose filters will clog less quickly.

Your purifier will also be able to clean the air in the room in less time once ventilated. You will benefit from healthier air, faster!

Limiting Sources Of Indoor Pollution

Well maintained, your air purifier is a real plus to breathe better indoors.

But he is not all-powerful. However, you have the power to considerably limit emissions of indoor pollutants. How? ‘Or’ What?

By regularly checking your combustion plants (gas, wood)
By cleaning regularly (with a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter for example) but with natural soft products (black soap, bicarbonate, white vinegar)
By choosing low-emitting materials and products when you do work. This information now appears on many materials such as parquet, plywood and even paints or varnishes.

7 Tips To Organize Your Kitchen Well

Written by Brenda on February 7, 2020. Posted in Magazine. Leave a Comment

There are a thousand opportunities to invite family and friends to the house, whether it is around the holidays or on a birthday. To receive without spending hours putting the house in order, it is better to have a well-organized kitchen. How to prepare in the kitchen for the rush of the end of the year or a big weekend? Discover all our practical advice for organizing your kitchen.

Put Your Equipment In The Right Places In The Kitchen

When you cook little, you don’t really need a super organized kitchen. We manage.

But when it comes to preparing meals for 10, 15 or 20 people, it is better to avoid 100 steps and unnecessary gestures. No secret: we organize and optimize each gesture by placing the equipment where it is most useful.

Near the sink: colanders and garbage cans.
Near the cooking corner: pots, spices, condiments and seasonings, utensils (spatulas, spoons).
Near the work surface: knives, cutting boards and any robots that you use often. If you use them only rarely, hop, direct in the closet. Better to leave the worktop free and easy to clean.

Prepare To Share The Kitchen

The Christmas spirit is also about being together in the kitchen to prepare good meals. If you are lucky enough to have loved ones to help you, it is better to prepare the kitchen to welcome them well.

Free the soil from all that is lying around (packs of bottles, stocks of vegetables ) to facilitate circulation.
Free up the worktops so you can cook with others. If you are lucky enough to have a central island, now is the time to make it the heart of the kitchen. Otherwise, you can also set up a table or even a board on high trestles to have a work surface that everyone will use.
Make the item on your knives and cutting boards to have enough available.

Store Food

When you cook a lot over a few days, you have to store a lot of food. For an efficient organization, here are our tips before the rush:

Make a session of decluttering foremost. Outdated or preserved cereals that have been in the cupboard for years deserve to go in the trash and free up space.
For all current groceries, prefer storage in large deep drawers. Ideally, translucent boxes of the same format will be filled with food. So, at a glance, you can see the status of your stocks. If necessary, write the contents of the box using a water-erasable marker. This will prevent you from confusing salt and sugar in your crème brûlée recipe, for example!
For fruits and vegetables, remember that only a minority needs to be stored in the refrigerator, especially in winter. For everyone else, crates or boxes stacked in the garage or in a closet will be perfect.
For drinks, plan to store large quantities of wine, juice, and soda in the garage.

Make Room In The Fridge

When cooking a lot, the refrigerator should be organized in detail. Check daily the stock of drink that must be cool, just to have a bottle of juice or soda in advance.

In the vegetable bins, store only the peeled vegetables that you have washed and cut when returning from shopping: a peeled and washed salad in a plastic bag or tea towel, the carrots peeled in a Tupperware, the diced beets ready to be seasoned.

Everywhere else in the refrigerator, favor the storage of food in transparent plastic boxes of the same format (rectangular or square) to optimize filling.

Small conservation tip: peeled and cut vegetables can be kept in a jar filled with water in a cool place for 5 days! Opened sauce jars are best kept covered with a layer of olive oil.

Make Meal-Prep Or Batch-Cooking

Having half the meal already prepared is a great time-saver at mealtime. And it’s a relief when you get out of the blue. This idea is the basis of meal-prep (meal preparation sessions) or batch-cooking (batch cooking). The idea is simple: in 2 hours, you cook the basics that you only have to assemble and reheat the following days.

An example of winter batch-cooking? You prepare in 2 hours a pot of pumpkin soup, a leek pie, a stew, a chocolate cake.

You cook and store rice, green lentils, sautéed garlic mushrooms, and oven-roasted sweet potatoes. You peel and prepare (but not season) grated carrots, green salad, endives. You cook 2 delicious sauces such as a creamy cheese sauce and a Thai peanut sauce.

With batch-cooking, guests can disembark, you can compose a delicious meal without spending hours behind the stove: you only have to reheat and assemble It’s up to you to plan a session every 3 days during the period celebrations. If you have a freezer, you can also freeze good homemade dishes that you will only have to reheat on D-Day.

Organize The Service

Are you alone in the kitchen and want to both treat and enjoy your guests? It is not necessarily missioned impossible.

The key is to compose his menus by limiting the last minute preparation for one dish. If your main dish is game casserole launched in the morning and your dessert is a frozen log, you can easily prepare a starter served on a plate just before the meal.

During the meal, with each dish that you throw away, immediately fill the dishwasher or put the dishes directly to soak in the sink. You will save time at the end of the meal when you put the kitchen in order.

Optimizing The Ritual For The Trash

The trash or rather now the garbage since all kitchens incorporate the sorting must be ready to perform at the time of preparation of meals. For this, create rituals during the holidays when you receive them. Every morning, make sure that the trash cans are not yet full and if it is, go empty them so that the kitchen is ready for the shot.

Ditto obviously for recyclable packaging and especially glass, which quickly piles up at this time.

Author: Brenda