The BIG 4-0!

Guess what? Yesterday was my birthday! I can't believe I just turned 40! 

Despite the circumstances, this year's birthday is a very special one for me. Besides the arrival of a baby, my mom is also here with us. Although there is no expensive dinner, no birthday cake, no birthday card, no birthday gifts and no flowers, my heart felt full, thanks to two wonderful meals lovingly prepared by my mom. 

She made my favorite dish, the braised pork ribs. It is my mom's signature dish and it was delicious. 

It may look simple but it took my mom tremendous effort to prepare this dish (chopping those thick pork rib bones was a backbreaking chore). And for that, I am thankful. During this difficult period, I feel blessed to be healthy and to be at home celebrating my birthday with my loved ones.

My birthday wish this year is for our world to become healthy again so nobody gets sick anymore. I hope everyone continue to stay well, stay safe and stay healthy!

Simple Tips To Make Your Bathroom Look Larger!

This post is provided by Andrew Simmons.

Most homes have small bathrooms. When this is the case, it is difficult to create a room that is functional and stylish at the same time. Chances are you only think about plumbers to take care of problems like blocked drain Canberra cases when hiring professionals, so hiring an interior designer to make changes is often not considered. However, this is always a good idea. 

In a smaller bathroom, you need to use design tricks when you want to make the room look larger. Some great tips you can use are presented below. 

Use As Much Natural Light As Possible

Natural light is highly beneficial for a smaller bathroom. It always opens up the space and when the color scheme used is light, it creates a snowball effect so that the entire room appears to be larger than it is. As an extra tip, use a window shade that is translucent so that even more light enters the room. 

Go For An All-White Bathroom

If there is a style for your bathroom that is always relevant, it is the all-white bathroom. By simply using a white-based color scheme you make the room look larger because white is the best color to reflect light. When most bathroom fixtures are white, the overall look becomes seamless and is not broken. 

Obviously, the ceiling should be painted with the same color as the walls. This is true even if you do not use white and you prefer another color. 

Add Tiles Right Up To The Ceiling

Whenever possible, use the exact same tiles all throughout the bathroom. This means installing them on the entire surface of the wall, up to the bathroom’s ceiling. This makes the bathroom look larger because it removes horizontal lines on the walls. The space is instantly opened up and makes it seem as if the ceiling is placed higher. 

Create Longer Lines

When you want to make it look as if there is more available space, an important thing is to draw the eye of the viewer towards the room’s widest point. This can be done with the use of the room’s longest line, like a wall that does not have an attached window. Create the horizontal line there with the use of a shelf so that the small bathroom looks larger. 

Use Clear Glass For The Shower

Patterned glass and shower curtains practically create one more wall. This divides the bathroom into new sections and makes the entire space look much smaller than it is. 

You want to use glass shower screens because they effectively reflect light and manage to easily open up a space. If you want the look to be more seamless, use frameless shower screens. They remove the visual barriers.

Use Large Mirrors

As you already realized, when you can reflect more light, the small bathroom looks bigger. This is why you should not just use the standard smaller bathroom mirror that is placed over your sink. A much better alternative would be to mirror the entire wall or as much as you possibly can. The effect will be very similar to having a window as more light is brought into all the corners of the room.