Saturday May 19 2012
Gardening Archive
TheVillage Gardening
Improve your living space
Posted on March 30 2010 at 12:50:28 0 comments
Spring is the time to get your home in shape, inside and out – with the help of local businesses.
Spring is finally with us, and the forecasters are already predicting a hot summer – OK, so we’ve heard that before, but perhaps they’ve actually got it right this time! Whatever happens, it’s worth making some preparations for the warmer weather so that we can sit back and relax if the heatwave really does materialise.
It’s traditional to make some home improvements at this time of year, when we start to notice the clutter that has built up over the winter, and the sun shining through the windows reveals that some of our faded furnishings have seen better days.
Happily, there are plenty of local businesses and services offering all manner of assistance, whether it’s buying new furniture or homeware, planning an extension, or revamping the outside of your property.
Rather than attempt the DIY yourself, call in an expert – AB Plastering, Classic Carpentry, D Cotterill and Brian Revill can all get your home looking shipshape, and don’t forget The Village Window Cleaning! For an attractive and durable driveway, Natural Stonebond is a great choice, while steam cleaning specialists Encanto can keep your drive (and buildings) in good condition.
There’s no shortage of tree care professionals in the area, with Reeves Trees, Amies Tree Care and tree surgeon A Ward all offering a quality service – and when it comes to lawns, you can trust Lawn3 and North Worcestershire Lawns to look after your green space. Garden services are also provided by Red Robin, while Cutting Edge can supply machinery.
Designers Hannah Genders and Kate Dunkley can transform your garden, and Border Fencing, Sambourne Fencing and Ventina can provide top quality wooden products to make it look even smarter.
Moving indoors, why not revamp the often-overlooked bathroom with a sparkling new suite from Jacques or Bill Landon, or replace outdated appliances with products from Bromsgrove Domestic Appliances? And – just in case the summer isn’t as warm as it could be – you could take the opportunity to invest in a fireplace from Flamesurge.
A vast selection of furniture (for indoors and out) and attractive homeware is available at Little Heath and Fresh@Burcot Garden Centre, while Mary Barber Fray, Jackie Cater and SMB Interior Design can all help to update your home with the latest colours and fabrics.
Meanwhile, Alvechurch curtain maker Curtain Flair has embraced the trend for recycling by launching a Vintage Curtain initiative. Alongside the main business of making bespoke curtains, proprietor Marie Lyons has decided that every Saturday she will display pre-owned and ex-display curtains in the shop. She said:
“Having built up Curtain Flair over a number of years, a lot of my work is with repeat customers who fancy a change in their interior decor, despite their existing curtains being perfectly presentable. I am noticing that whilst fewer people are moving house, many are taking the ‘don’t move, improve’ approach and revamping their homes instead.
“I have built up a sizeable collection of beautiful nearly new curtains and if you are looking to update your look but don’t want the expense of buying brand new curtains, why not come and have a look on a Saturday where a full range will be on display in the workshop.”
The nearly-new collection will only be available to view and purchase on Saturdays. For the rest of the week, the workshop at the premises in the Square, Alvechurch (occupying the previous Flower Mill shop) will be in full use for the bespoke curtain service. Alternatively you can call Marie on 0121 445 0700 or 07710 019193 for more information.
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