Here at IDEAL we realise that there’s more to this crazy dance than the accumulation of ‘stuff’. A life of accruing possessions will only accrue dust. Oiling the Capitalist wheels with your wallet won’t bring clarity, of that there’s no doubt…. But who can deny the positivity that a bit of pampering brings? There’s nothing wrong with taking a look inwards from time to time, letting go and just spoiling yourself.
We’re just a week away from the UK’s most popular day for moving house, September 1st, and folk up and down the land are gearing up for the big transition. So this week we’re sharing a few things to help that move go seamlessly and have you settled in as quickly as possible. Our own spot of retail therapy, if you will, with these 5 IDEAL things we’re into this week. Go on. You deserve this.
LOOK AFTER MY BILLS
The last thing on your mind when moving in is getting those bills sorted. There’s storage space to magic from thin air, hefty debates about the position of pictures to be had, and housewarming parties to be thrown. Won’t my bills just sort themselves?
Well, yeah actually, they will.
You may already be familiar with these guys, as they broke records on Dragon’s Den for receiving the highest investment on the show to date. We’ll pitch them to you anyway; Look After My Bills is an app with simplicity at its core. You enter your details, let them know who your electricity and gas suppliers are (easy to find out here), and the kind guys over at LAMB switch your deal to the cheapest possible providers. You have to do – and pay – nothing. The catch? There isn’t one. They earn their money through commision from the energy companies.
Free from lookaftermybills.com
LADDER SHELF
You may think you have your stuff under control. You might have streamlined and left plenty behind. Perhaps you’ve been ruthless and charity shops have gained handsomely. But one thing’s sure in this life; you will still find storage space lacking. Solutions, then, and with haste. Here’s one we particularly like, as it offers the chance to stash stuff away with the added bonus of looking rather attractive; storage ladders. The Futon Company do a particularly good range, both classy, sturdy and most importantly, affordable; just choose your size, colour and get organised, sharpish.
On sale @ £50 from The Futon Company www.futoncompany.co.uk
PATCH PLANTS
There’s nothing quite like a carefully positioned house plant to quickly brighten the mood (and sometimes, air quality) of a new place. Often times, they can be the difference between homeliness and half-hearted. A quick fix, indeed, and the sooner things feel like home, the better. The benefits of having house plants are myriad; in fact, we’ve written more about that here, so check it out.
Patch Plants do a wide range of the good, green stuff in all shapes and sizes, both appropriate for indoor and outdoor living. An added convenience? They’ll deliver direct to your door.
Loads of different indoor plants from www.patchplants.com
SPIFFING PRINTS
Aesthetically speaking, alongside plants, some prints of your favourite art piece serve to quickly and efficiently bring some colour and personality to your place. Of course, check with your landlord or your terms and conditions first, as bashing wanton nails into random walls might place your deposit in jeopardy. Once you’ve got the all clear (or located previous tenant’s efforts to hang stuff) then you’re good to go. Be sure to frame elegantly; you don’t want things to look like a student squat, after all. Spiffing Prints offer quality prints in a range of sizes.
Fine art, vintage, and contemporary art prints from spiffingprints.com
ANTIQUE LIGHT BULBS
Aside from the obvious benefits of using low energy bulbs for your lampshades and so on (planet. burning. now), getting your lighting set to ‘warm glow’ rather than a harsh and unforgiving glare is a great way to get things feeling homely, fast.
Antique Light Bulbs manage to cast exactly the right light; bright enough to read under but subtle enough to make you feel all warm and snuggly. And that’s what we all want when settling in somewhere new and unfamiliar, right?
