Month: August 2022

Home security is a vital part of owning a home. Your home is your sanctuary, the place where your children play and your family sleeps, and as such it is important to ensure that it is protected. Of course, there are myriad technological aids from motion activated cameras to complex alarm systems which are worth investigating, as well as ensuring that you have locks on your windows and deadbolts on your main doors.

In addition to these measures, there are also lots of simple steps, such as outdoor lighting ideas, that can be incorporated into your home and garden’s design to help to deter intruders and keep you safe.

Home security tips

Improving your home security is an essential practice for any homeowner. Therefore, it is vital that you know how to prevent burglary and put some of these preventative measures into place in order to make your home less

The starting point for this stylish home’s new look wasn’t its kitchen or living room, nor any of the other conventional ‘main’ rooms that so often steer a full-home renovation. Instead, this house evolved from its heart – a central inner courtyard in the middle of the plot with the other key living spaces radiating from that.

The courtyard is not just the heart of the home, it also sets its tone. Understand the soul-nourishing oasis of its inner sanctum and you’ll appreciate the aesthetic in the rest of this exquisite property. A sense of calm and relaxation fills every space of the redesigned house, making it one of the world’s best homes.

We talked to Robert and Cortney Novogratz, the design duo behind The Novogratz (opens in new tab)about the inspirations for their latest project and asked their advice on creating calm, relaxing living spaces.

Robert and

In 1994, my mom, a working interior designer, decided to jump on the home computing bandwagon and get 3D Home Architect (opens in new tab). The Broderbund program was part of an awkward, curious wave of computer-aided design (CAD) software adapted for the burgeoning home market (opens in new tab)—the average joe looking to redecorate and remodel in an exciting new digital world. I was already familiar with floor plans and architectural drawings from watching my mom at her drafting table. My mother made a valiant attempt to get used to the program, but as a diehard traditionalist, she eventually returned to working with her trusty pencil and paper. Suddenly 3D Home Architect, which my parents didn’t consider a videogame (and therefore not something to worry about), was all mine.

If you’ve ever wondered if a clean house would make you happier, you are not alone. The idea that our home is powerfully symbolic and far more than just a shelter from the outside world – but a reflection of our true identity – was first proposed by Swiss theorist and psychiatrist Carl Jung. How we construct this space is, therefore, imperative to how to not only how we function, but also to our health and mental wellbeing.

Are people happier with a clean house?

‘A clean house may not necessarily make you happier but it can contribute to feelings of happiness, accomplishment and calmness, says Abbas Kanani, Pharmacist and Health adviser for Chemist Click (opens in new tab). ‘Many studies have found that having a clean and tidy house can help you to feel relaxed, accomplished, stress free and this could in turn help with any mental health

When talking “home” with writer and director Mara Brock Akil, you’re not necessarily going to discuss paint swatches, sconces, and square footage. I mean, you should. Besides being the creative powerhouse behind such TV shows as Girlfriends and Being Mary Janethe screenwriter and producer turns out to also be a design maven who has masterfully renovated the Los Angeles home she shares with her husband, Black Lightning director Salim Akil, and their sons, Yasin and Nasir. It’s awash in exquisite original detailing, vintage Murano chandeliers, and a robust collection of work by Black artists, including Lorna Simpson and Noah Davis.

The family’s yellow Labrador, Dizzy, lies on the tiled floor in the entry, where a 1960s Venini chandelier from MA+39 hangs above. Artwork by Noah Davis.

But for Brock Akil, design is about more than just the details: It’s about the kind of lifelong longings