Let's face it most rental houses are always smaller than we'd like.With the industry shortcomings such as contractors wanting to cut costs by providing sub standard spaces coupled by the high cost of rent it becomes difficult to find a good, fairly priced house with adequate space.The tiny house movement seems to be growing and small living looks like the direction most people are heading but no one wants to live in a cramped space.

The best way to make small rooms look bigger is to create the illusion of space. How do we do that ?

The living room is the heart of the home and people spend a lot of time there. It is important to design your living room according to the needs of it's users.

Whether you want to direct your attention to a focal point or you're trying to create a kids friendly space, these five tips will come in handy.

If you find it difficult to figure out what goes where in your living room read on.










Living Room Layout Guide – An infographic by www.furnishedup.com/

The Kenyan population is constantly growing. The demand for housing continues to increase even with the numerous real estate developments. Slums have grown tremendously and the middle class still cannot afford to pay for mortgages due to the high interest rates. People generally have very little disposable income in the current economic state.

There have been attempts to solve these problems but the housing crisis seems to be getting bigger with the increased taxes, inflation, land rates as well as construction rates. It is difficult to fight the market forces that drive the prices higher. According to Hass Consult, Asking prices for detached and semi-detached houses rose 1.8 per cent for the first quarter of 2014 as compared to the previous quarter while the price for apartments, up 2.3 per cent .At  this rate we may have to consider more efficient affordable options.

The more dwelling space we allocate for each person the more resources we require. We need to evaluate how much space people actually need as opposed to how much they can afford. Then we can begin to appreciate small housing units made from unconventional materials. If the Kenyan population, majority of who still live in rented housing, is ever to move to owning houses we must look beyond master plans and get creative. The government will create infrastructure and make the necessary plans for development but this is known to take years. Are there faster ways of creating housing units ?

Enter the Tiny House Movement. One of the ways this has been done using re purposed shipping containers. Shipping containers can be modified in many different ways or stacked up to create housing units. With the appropriate interior finishes it is possible to get your small house for a fraction of the cost. Engage an interior designer to plan your space to enable you get maximum use of it and select finishes depending on your surroundings in terms of weather and what look you would like to achieve. You will be surprised to learn what you can achieve with a good interior designer.

In an age where we are looking towards Sustainability, reducing carbon footprint and using renewable resources; this would be a good step towards that. Combining containers with other building materials would also be an option to consider in a bid to reduce costs.

Look out for more posts on tiny houses.

I have been writing this post for quite a while now never got around to posting it till I got inspiration from a song.I could list a whole bunch of reasons why I love this song called Love by @maestroguy but one thing stood out for me in the video THE GUITAR ON THE WALL.

You can watch it here  Love - Noel Nderitu

If I could have a collection of things in my house (which I will ) it would be guitars.I think guitars are simply the most beautiful instruments created. Reminds me of women so detailed and elegant :-) I'm biased of course.I think God thought through creating the woman. Altered a few things here and there, the difference is quite evident.
In my random design world fantasies I came across some interesting ways to bring the guitar home and a reason to add China to my travel destinations. 

One of the most beautiful buildings ever constructed is The Piano House located in Huainan City, An Hui Province, China. It contains a transparent violin and a piano building. Inside the violin, there is staircase toward the piano house upstairs.This building built for music lovers acts as a performance and practicing place to music students from the local college in Huainan City, east China. Need I say more ?

So how about some storage ideas for your guitar that could just as well be part of your music room decor ?

http://www.habitardesign.com

Melanie Rebane Photography

Melanie Rebane Photography

I especially like the way the guitars stand out against the white wall unit background and the recessed lights do them justice.

copperskyrenovations.com

Move over we need some wardrobe space too :-)

sheastudio.com

The guitar shaped niche and the spotlight is a brilliant idea add that to the rich wood finishes on the wall unit and the Piano plus the artifacts on the shelves and you have a masterpiece.

Troy spurlin Interiors

This is a bedroom I would love to wake up in. Don't you just want to sit by the window and write some songs ?

Tamara Anka

I like how simple and playful this room is. It is not exactly musical but the guitar pillow compliments the blue theme. I posted this mainly because of the tongue sticking out art work , really cool :-P. I am yet to see rugs with the Kenyan flag despite the fact that the colours make a quite a good color scheme.



When trying to achieve a guitar/ music themed room getting the real instrument can be a challenge and cost quite some good amount of cash.Try these simple accessories.

Glass storage in guitar shape

Guitar-shaped coffee table

Guitar wall shelf

Jill Mcgraw

This is definitely my kind of space; edgy and fun.I love the guitar paintings, the not too fancy couch, the sleek black guitar coffee table, the pillows ... Turn up that music !!!

Anita Roll

This oversized electric guitar mural adds fun and sets the theme for the room with the blue green and brown colour scheme.

interiordesigninclearwater.com

This guitar cornice creates a focal point for the room... ideas for your curtain box , Yes ?

Christy Dillard

Christy Dillard

This traditional house with eclectic furnishings is one bold space, from the red walls to red curtains and the red light fixtures. The black and white photography over the guitars is just the topping to create the perfect living room/ music room for a musical family. Hanging the guitars on the wall frees up floor space.

Cynthia Prizant

I insist that the idea for this edgy teen  bedroom came from the guitar ... just look at the circular elements on the rug.

One day when I have lots of money with nothing better to do with it I will design a Home theater, call It IMAX and hang guitars as a fan on my ceiling. It is an amazing home theater though. Here is the whole project
http://www.houzz.com/projects/13289/Rock-House-Theater

Did you know that Leo Fender , the inventor of Fender Guitars never knew how to play guitar.

Indoor plants are both functional and decorative.They improve the air by filtering certain chemicals from it and keep the room cool and fresh by providing a constant source of oxygen and adding moisture to the air.Most Medical offices and restaurants have plants, there’s a reason, they make you feel comfortable and welcome.

There has been a lot of talk about “outdoor rooms,” how about bringing a little of the outdoors inside as well?

Here’s how:

Use plants to provide color, texture, and shape to a space.

Soften architectural elements like doors, windows by giving life to a room

This concept might be used around large windows or on either side of a front door.the plant brings a softer element  preventing hard surfaces from overwhelming the space and making it feel cold.

Fill an unused corner with life. If there are corners in your home that don't seem right for a piece of furniture, consider to filling the space with a large plant.

Use live plants as home accessories. They can be the perfect accessory on a coffee table or bookshelf.

Plants can sometimes be key design elements on their own. Use them as room dividers

Use plants to balance out your design. Place houseplants behind furniture to make your space appear larger and to give it more depth.

Don’t ignore the container, it is just as functional as the plant and provides another design opportunity. Pick nice containers that go with your decor. For the plants in the room look beautiful, you must use a pot that has a pattern or design in harmony with the overall design of your room.

Plant size should match the scale size of the room take height, width, and volume into consideration in order to select a plant that fills the space perfectly. Remember to care for your plants they need water not too much or too little. Find out what works best with your specific plant

If soil and gardening is not your things get some cut flowers and foliage these are available at most flower shops or you could pick some outside where there are no regulations against picking them. Put them in a clear vase, simply having the ‘green’ in your house or office makes a huge difference.