We all want our homes to be the most beautiful and organised spaces we can tailor them to be. But of course we all also have our own tastes to help guide us. Sometimes though, you need to go big. You need to add that wonderful statement piece, that can serve as the focal point of the home. This decision may come from moving into a new home with more space, or just wishing to become a little more eccentric and elegant in your tastes.

Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

Real elegance can come from wise decision making and searching for the best items possible. Consider these tips for making the most of this, and turning your home space into an environment that really leaves an impression.

Artwork

Bringing in artwork to your home can be an excellent means of stamping your personality on it's walls. You may decide to buy high-end art, to create some yourself, or even to paint on your walls a mural of your family story. You may decide to use stencils, to hire a professional artist, or to simply decorate your home with souvenirs and artworks you have found through your travels.

A home can tell a story, but with artwork it can tell a pure epic of aesthetic narrative and beauty, something that you may benefit from experimenting with. If you’re feeling super eccentric, it might be that a full oil painting of you and your family can take pride of place in the entry hallway or living area. Sometimes you just have to make a statement!

Lighting

The lighting of your home is essential to consider when trying to add a little elegance. From antique light fittings, to a beautiful centrepiece lighting in your dining room. The way light plays in a room can often make it seem glowing, luminescent, applying focus to the beauty of the room in ways you find most appropriate. A crystal lampshade can diffuse and spread light around the rooms with a glitter effect. If you’re looking for something truly regal and beautiful, using chandelier installation services can help you set up one of the most prominent and celebrating lighting fixtures possible.

Fireplaces

There’s almost nothing quite as rustic and beautiful as a working fireplace. Many homes will possess one of these - perhaps boarded up over time. It will take professional chimney cleaning services and the ability to reconstruct or fireproof your stove, but applying a fireplace in a feature wall can help a room skyrocket in overall value, as well as looking simply fantastic.

Laying on a beautiful rug in the winter with the fire roaring, a glass of wine and a good book can feel straight out of a period novel. It’s more than possible to do, and can add a sense of real comfort and elegance to your home. Of course, maintained correctly, this can be a great way to cut down on heating costs too.

With these tips, adding elegance to your home is more than possible, and something to be celebrated!

This is a collaborative post.

Summer Infant Wide View 2.0 Duo Digital Video Monitor | Review

Lilah is now over 4 months old and in a pretty set bedtime routine. She goes down upstairs without us in the evenings now, although she's still in our room while she's this little. To make the transition easier for us (well... me, I still miss her!), we were sent the Summer Infant Duo Digital Video Monitor. So not only can we hear if she stirs and needs us, but we can keep a close eye of her too!

Setting up the monitors was incredibly simple. The monitor comes with two cameras (and you can buy extra ones if necessary too), so we can have one in the older twos bedroom as well. A feature that I really like is that cable clips are also included. This means that the wires are secure and safe - an absolute must for a baby product.

The parent screen is really easy to use as well. It has a 5" screen, which means that you can see more of your child's room. This feature is great for us as it means we can see both Indie and Parker in the screen at the same time. You do have to give this a long initial charge before first use though, so definitely keep this in mind.

The main on/off switch also controls the nightlight on the cameras. I found you have to hold this button down for quite a while to get it to turn on, but the rest of the buttons work fine. The 'Video' button turns the screen on/off to conserve power, and you can find the volume buttons here too.

The menu buttons on the right are how you connect the cameras to the parent monitor. You simply click 'add camera' and it will find those that are switched on. Once connected you don't need to do this again, and you can add up to 4 different cameras. We usually keep the camera on the monitor in our room to watch Lilah. But you can have it on 'Scan' which will switch the screen between the cameras you have connected. This is especially handy if you don't want to manually switch between each camera.

The Duo Digital Monitor has an inbuilt talk back function, which you use by simply holding down the button on the left and talking. This isn't something we use for little Lilah just yet, but it is perfect for the older two. If they aren't going to sleep, we can just talk through the monitor without having to go upstairs or shout!

Another feature that has been especially handy during the recent heatwaves, is the onscreen temperature display. It means you don't have to have a separate thermometer, as you can see how hot (or cold) each room with a camera is.

Although the monitor is really easy to use, I do think it has a few flaws. The main being that the image isn't very clear. The camera is stated to have enhanced night vision - however we have found the image to be a little fuzzy when the room is dark. This doesn't affect using the monitor completely, as you can still see hear child, but it is a little disappointing for a video monitor. I also dislike that you can't control the cameras from the parent unit. I'd like to be able to set them up perfectly from downstairs, without having to manually move the cameras to get them in the right place.

The Summer Infant Wide View 2.0 Duo Digital Video Monitor currently retails at £179.99, which I do think is a little on the higher side for what the monitor includes. As although you get two cameras, and features such as talk-back and built in nightlights, the picture quality really isn't what I expected! However if you need a reasonably priced monitor for multiple rooms like we do, this is definitely one to consider.

We received this monitor as part of our role as a Summer Mama. All opinions are honest and my own.