Dark brown tree branches can be seen criss-crossing the main scene whilst three colourful birds, each in a different pose, survey the unseen landscape. The piece has been hand crafted utilizing a copperfoil construction process together with stained art glass whilst the border is made of a solid brass frame. The result is a delightfully colourful and light window decoration which can be hung against any window in your home. A mounting bracket and jack chain come included with the decorative bird-themed window. This means it can be easily attached to a wide variety of window areas regardless of what type of room one desires it to be placed within.

Stained glass can literally transform an interior space and the jewel of light which is this three birds on a branch stained glass window make it an ideal addition for any room with a window needing something a little special to make it shine out. Another positive aspect is that these little decorative windows do not reduce light entering the home in any way and instead accentuates and makes more beautiful that which already does. If you have a love of nature and birds in particular then this will make a wonderful addition for your own home or an excellent gift for someone you know.

You can buy it from here: Early Morning Visitors Stained Glass Window.

Size: 18”H x 18”W.

Designed especially for double windows, the decoration is basically a plastic film substrate printed with water-based inks portraying a Mummy figure with arms outstretched. Removable corner stick adhesive squares make it extremely easy to fit in place and equally as easy to remove and use again at a later date or different location. It even comes with its own poly-bag storage to keep it in good condition when not in use. What’s more, you can trim the decoration to fit your particular window pane dimensions.

The best bit about this scary Mummy window decoration is that when the interior room lights are lit, the light illuminates the Mummy and makes it clear to see from miles around. Anyone stumbling around a hedgerow, fence or wall late at night that suddenly comes face to face with your window will be in for a big shock. The decoration is perfect for Halloween and other ghostly festivals and celebrations. Birthdays and special parties will also make fantastic moments to add a little décor to your house and garden.

Some previous buyers note that the Mummy becomes a favourite among friends, family and the neighborhood with drivers and walkers stopping to admire the eye-catching spectacle. Just be careful not to put it next to a busy road or it might cause some traffic accidents.

You can buy this spooky decoration from here: Menacing Mummy Translucent Window Decoration.

Suitable for window sizes from 24″ x 36″ to 36″ x 60″.

Today’s average door customer is also to blame; going to shops with a pre-conceived idea of the door they should be looking for& assuming that a new door should simply partition an area and provide additional security when needed.

Some designers however have different ideas of what a door should be; below we have highlighted what we consider to be the five most interesting door designs & ideas we have come across. They certainly helped shift our perception of doors and hopefully might inspire you too.

1. The table tennis door
I know what you are thinking… “why didn’t someone think of this before?” and to be honest I just don’t know. Adding a central rotating hinge to a door and converting it to a table tennis table is such a great use of space. Admittedly things become a little complicated if anyone wants to get past, but that shouldn’t take anything away from this fun and functional idea.

2. The 3 in 1 door
Designed in the UK by ‘Slam’, this door is great on so many levels, literally. Firstly being split into three doors gives it a slight fantasy feel and makes you wonder what actually is on the other side. Secondly for children or those of a slightly shorted frame this door is wonderfully functional, allowing easy access to the room below.

3. “The hand” door knob
Not so much a door as a ‘door accessory’ but we simply couldn’t put together this article about interesting doors without bringing to your attention this great door knob. Not one for the freight hearted, but it will definitely get people talking and might even do the introductions for you.

4. Interior door covers
So you have already committed the cardinal sin and purchased a ‘standard’ door; don’t worry there is still a chance thanks to Trompe L’oeil of rectifying things. Trompe L’Oeil design and manufacture interior door covers which transform your ordinary door into a portal to somewhere else. From hidden bookshelves to castle turrets, these covers cannot fail to make any door a little more interesting.

5. The door that lets through light & air
The core function of most doors is to provide a physical barrier between one space and another. Conventionally that means blocking out light and to a certain extent preventing the circulation of air. That was until the ‘Luna’ door was designed, this revolutionary door allows you to manually select how much light and air passes through it.

These ideas and tips have been brought to you in association with Yale Composite Doors UK. Yale composite doors are available in a range of styles from Contemporary to Edwardian. Yale’s front doors UK also adhere to the strictest security and environmental standards.

Stained glass windows are probably most well-known due to their use in the old churches and cathedrals of Europe which can look quite spectacular to say the least. This practice first began around the 2nd or 3rd Century and reached the zenith of its popularity in the Middle Ages. Since then, many decorative items and glass panels on furniture items have also been decorated using the same glass staining technique.

Subjects and themes one can expect to find on a stained glass window panel are wide ranging. The most popular however include scenes of nature and Christian symbolism. Flowers, trees and animals are popular design themes in a whole host of décor products and decorated windows are no exception. Other popular subject matters include fantasy figures such as fairies, elves, unicorns and Santa Claus, which can be used for a window in a kid’s room. Still others are purely abstract.

Want to buy one? You can browse through a whole host of decorative windows here: Quality stained glass windows for the home.

It is normally pretty easy to decide on the colour or style; as these more often than not come down to a matter of personal preference. Material on the other hand is more of a considered option due to the multiple factors associated. Price, heat retention, style, size, durability & security all need to be taken into account.

This article aims to highlight the benefits of composite doors which are a fairly new addition to the consumer door market. Previously confined to trade circles, composite doors are now much more prominent in the consumer market thanks to advances in the manufacturing process and their inerrant qualities:

1. Colour fast

Most composite doors have a GRP (glass reinforced plastic) skin, which as it sounds makes the outside of the door extremely durable. This GRP skin subsequently results in the colour of your new door staying that colour for a long time. UPVC alternatives are renowned for their ability to discolour over time, whilst wood requires a great deal of love and attention in order to maintain that bespoke paint job.

2. Timber effect, but no timber

I know what you are thinking “those timber effects just look like plastic with some fake wood grain etched” – which would have been the case three years ago. Since then, big strides have been made in the manufacturing processes meaning that the timber effect really does pass as timber. This results in all the aesthetics of a wood door, without any of the maintenance and security issues.

3. No visible gaskets

A gasket is the part of the frame with which when the door is shut forms an air tight seal. Unfortunately wooden doors rarely have a gasket whilst UPVC doors are known for having large visible gaskets that more often than not take away from the design of the door. Composite doors almost always have a hidden gasket, meaning most eyes focus on the design rather than the visible seal.

4. Police approved

Composite doors due to the manufacturing techniques and components employed are extremely resilient. In the UK the majority of composite doors made adhere to the strict ‘secured by design’ police initiative for safer homes. It is this level of security which is often recognised by insurance companies and often leads to home insurance premiums being reduced post installation.

5. Environmentally friendly

U values are a measure of the amount of heat lost through a surface, the lower the U value rating the better. Composite doors are the only type of doors which at present conform to the European Union’s maximum U value rating of 1.8W/m2K. This means that not only will installing a composite door save you money on heating/cooling, but it will also reduce your carbon footprint.

The above composite door information is provided by Yale composite doors. Each one of Yale’s exterior doors for home meets the strict ‘secured by design’ requirements as well as achieving U values of down to 1.0W/(m2.K)!

The beautiful translucent effect of this floral curtain panel allows light to filter through into a room whilst diminishing the blinding glow of direct sunlight. Delicate floral patterns add an aesthetic charm to the feature as well as echoing the possible scenery just outside and behind the cotton panel itself, as noted in the picture above. When placed over a door frame, the curtain panel allows for easy access in and out whilst keeping the interior private.

The designer behind this ‘Stone Curtain’ is John Robshaw who has taken a great deal of inspiration from the art and design found in China and India. The fabric-making traditions of artisans in both these countries led to the development of his own unique style which have become a fascination both for himself and many around the country. With decorative and translucent cotton curtain panels like these, one can place them anywhere in the home, whether against a window or door, or alternative in the very center of a room to act as a spacial divider.

You can buy this curtain from here: Printed Cotton Graphic Curtain Panel.

Price: $150

The magnetic curtains allow for folds and different arrangements to be achieved which keep their form until they are otherwise changed into a different shape. This means any concerns about the window treatment losing its design can be put to rest for the strength of the magnets remains for long periods of time. Unlike with more regular treatments such as tiebacks and hooks, the magnetic curtains will remain in place even when blowing in a breeze.

Various arrangements can be made using magnetic curtains, from the formal to the more creative and relaxed. All the draping and bunching methods can be employed and will be made easier with the in-built small circular magnets inside the fabric. Curtains of this type tend to be more expensive than regular ones but they do create a better look without all the add-ons which can detract from the overall look.

You can read more about them here: Magnetic Curtains Are Kind Of A Neat Idea.

‘Fleur de Lis’ is French for lilly flower and is a symbol which has been in existence for thousands of years in one form or another. Many civilisations worldwide have used a similar design for ornaments and decoration. Cylinders from ancient Mesopotamia, textiles from the Sassanids, bas-reliefs from Egypt and Japanese emblems have all been found to bear the lilly flower. Many scholars have wondered what the ‘Fleur de Lis’ really symbolises as it looks little like the flowers of a lilly. However, it really matters little, for the symbol has lasted so long as to be famous in itself regardless of actual meaning.

This Fleur de Lis doorstop will make a nice addition to your home interior and can be placed in any type of doorway, whether the front door or an inner door such as one leading from a living room to a hallway. The doorstop itself is dark brown and has been given a distressed black finish. Decorative and functional all in one go. Also great if you happen to be a New Orleans Saints fan who have this symbol as their logo.

See also: Fleur-de-lis Home Decor.

The technique of trompe l’oeil involves realistic imagery, mostly through the use of paint, to create an optical illusion whereby the painted scene appears to be a three dimensional part of the interior. It has been used to great effect in cathedrals, churches, palaces and even public houses as well as in regular domestic settings. George Washington was even said to have been fooled by such an image when entering a room and bowing to what he thought was a person. The individual turned out to be a figure in a trompe l’oeil.

The door stickers, of which just two are shown here, are created on opaque white fabric which has been given a satin finish. They can be adjusted to the size of any door by simply cutting down to size to fit the required dimensions. Wall paper glue will keep them in place. Whilst not strictly in the tradition of painted optical illusions, the photographic door stickers still provide an eye-catching focus to an interior space and do indeed make a room looking bigger and more interesting.

You can browse through a collection of door stickers that are available for purchase, here: Trompe l’oeil Door Stickers.

H/T: Crookedbrains.

A basic format of the typical energy efficient window is the double glaze design. This acts in the same way two layers of clothing do by maintaining temperature, usually heat. However, with double window panes, both warm and cold air is contained which is beneficial for all seasons. Triple window panes provide the same benefits and work in exactly the same way but with additional efficiency.

There is more to insulated windows than just the panes of glass. Gas can be added in-between the panes which provides a great deal more insulation that would be found otherwise. Such gasses include argon and the rather Superman-esque sounding krypton.

Energy efficient windows can also be purchased with special coatings which improve the efficiency of the glass. These are often referred to as low-emission coatings. Infra red light which is a primary source of heat, is reflected thereby aiding the retention of heat in the interior. In the warmer months this also has the effect of preventing the home from overheating by keeping the heat outside.

Another benefit of low-emission coatings is the prevention of ultraviolet light doing damage to fabrics and upholstery in the home. Whilst it won’t stop it entirely, the coating can reduce the fading of materials that are hit by sunlight on a daily basis, such as an expensive sofa or curtains. One can even find tinted windows that will reduce energy costs even more.

The final element which is often overlooked when buying energy efficient windows is the material of the frame. In most cases, insulated windows will come with either fiber glass or vinyl frames but for a more aesthetic look, wood composites can also do the job just as well and are widely available.