There are a variety of desk styles available today. Some of them are newer styles, and some of them have been around for a couple of hundred years. These styles include:

• Early desks
• Secretary
• Slant top desk
• Fall front desk
• Wooton desk
• Bargueno desk
• Rolltop desk
• Armoire desk
• Student desk
• Corner desk
• Steel desk
• Computer desk
• Portable desk

Lets take a look at some of these desk styles and who might want to consider using them. We will start with some of the earlier styles today, and continue with more of them next month.

Early desks – I do not know if desks were used in ancient Rome or Greece, though I suspect that, being educated societies, they had small writing desks. During Medieval times, very few people had a desk because society, in general, was not educated. But members of royalty and the clergy had desks for writing and for copying manuscripts. Some of these may have had a few small drawers, they also had slots, hooks and indentations for writing implements, ink, book marks etc. Writing desks would have been smaller, but some of the desks used by the clergy were quite large because many of the manuscripts being copies were large.

Secretary – We owned an antique store for awhile and a few of these crossed my path. The standard style would be about seven feet tall, it would have drawers on the bottom, and a narrower hutch on top. In between is the desk area. It has a hinged desktop surface that forms about a 45 degree angle when closed. The surface would fold down to form the the desk top and to reveal small cubbies, slots and shelves for organizing your papers and writing supplies. The top hutch could have either wood doors that would open to reveal more slots and shelves, or glass doors with display shelves. There are many variations of this style which are still referred to as a “Secretary”.

Slant top desk – this is also sometime called a bureau desk, and is essentially a secretary without the top hutch. This made the desk lighter and easier to manage and move. And though smaller than the secretary, it is generally thought to be its predecessor.

Fall Front Desk – this style desk is closely related to the secretary, the main difference being that the part of the desk that folds up, is in a totally vertical position when closed. The desktop folds down for use and reveals any assortment of pigeonholes, small drawers, shelves or doors for organizing all your writing needs. Another difference is that there is usually no cabinet or additional shelves above the area enclosed by the desktop.

Wooton Desk – this is a combination of a cabinet, a secretary and a fall front desk. These were first seen in the 1870’s, patented by William Wooton of Indiana, and were often refereed to as a Cabinet Office Secretary. They became a bit of a status symbol and were quite elaborate. These were shorter than a secretary, and opened up like a cupboard that was curved at the top. When opened, a drop down desk was revealed with an elaborate selection of cubbies, drawers, shelves and slots, both in the doors themselves and in the cabinet.

One thing all of these desk style have in common is that the work area could be closed away, and though this seems like a bit of a pain today, it also forces the user to keep their work area tidy. Most of these styles are not practical in the modern computer world, but many people like to have them around as display pieces, or for using just for writing, while others do find that they can be used with a laptop. Next time we will take a look at a few more styles, some of them older and then moving into some newer desk styles.

Saving energy has become important in the minds of most every person. Having outdoor lighting doesn’t have to mean foregoing energy savings. Solar lighting can save a great deal of energy and at the same time provide ample lighting and enhancement to the garden area. Using solar lights protects and preserves energy use for the future.

Solar lights are typically inexpensive and easy to install. Most local home improvement stores carry a wide variety and designs. They can also be found online and shipped directly to the homeowner. Many outdoor solar lights are simple stake lights that are pushed into the ground.

This ease of installation also makes them very portable which helps when changing designs or moving them for lawn work. With solar lights there are no cords or wires to be concerned with, if the lawn needs to be excavated for whatever reason, moving solar lights is a much simpler process than calling a professional to locate the wiring system for hard-wired lights.

Solar lights can be used anywhere in the yard that there is ample sun, and with the advancements of technology there are solar lights that don’t require large amounts of sunlight.

Most solar lights use small rechargeable batteries that get their power from the sun. The lights contain small solar cells that capture the sunlight and charge the batteries. When the sun goes down at night, photocells react to the darkness and light up.

Other solar lights use solar cells that are wired to the light and can be placed away from the actual light. These are useful in areas where the light is being placed in a shady area. The solar cell can be placed farther away from the light because of the wire connection.

Another added benefit of solar lighting is that the bulbs don’t need replacing often. It can be many years before the bulbs in a solar light need to be changed; this is another cost savings for the homeowner. Added to the energy savings, solar lighting is the obvious choice for homeowners wanting to save money.

Design

In the past, there were very few solar lighting designs to choose from, not so today. Today solar lights can be found in nearly as many styles and designs as traditional electric lights. There are solar pole lights, solar wall lights, solar recessed lights and solar moonlights just to name a few.

In addition to traditional styles, solar lights can also be found in whimsical designs such as frogs, fairies and other outdoor caricatures. There are also gazing balls that collect the sun during the day and emit soft light once the sun goes down.

Ease of installation, energy savings, low cost purchase and low cost of use are all reasons that have propelled the use of solar lights for outdoor lighting uses. Adding to that the various styles and designs that are available today make solar lighting the obvious choice when adding lights to the garden.

Sharon V Chapman provides consumer information on solar lights for A1 Outdoor Lighting – your guide to landscape and garden lighting.

HOW THEY WORK –

A wind turbine or home wind generator changes the energy in the wind called kinetic energy into mechanical energy by way of  rotating the wind generator blades with the wind action flowing across the surface of the wind blades.

There are two main types of wind turbine generator and they are horizontal and vertical turbines although they differ in design, the way they produce electricity is basically the same. Wind power generators are the same sort of design as the old windmills.

The wind blows against the blades of the wind turbine generator and creates friction. This friction causes the blades to turn or spin. The blades are connected to a shaft and by way of gearing, the shaft will turn a lot quicker than the blades and this is used to power an electric generator motor.

WHY -

The reason that so many home owners are searching the internet for ways to generate electricity at home is the fact that the cost of electricity is soaring and they hate paying ever increasing prices for their electricity.

It isn’t surprising the popularity of creating our own electricity at home will help reduce the need for fossil fuels and find wind power an effective alternative way for home-generated electricity.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS -

The wind is everywhere and because of this, there is no need to mine our natural resources for fuel. The wind will never be exhausted as it is always being replaced by more wind. Wind has no by-products, uses any natural resources, emits no pollutants into the atmosphere, does not pollute the water with chemicals and has no waste.

There are no greenhouse gasses been released into the atmosphere and reducing the impact of global warming? In general the environment benefits with clean, fresh pollute free air quality which will have a positive impact on reducing the amount of health respiratory problems for all.

HOW TO BUILD A WIND TURBINE GENERATOR -

When you search the internet on how to build a home wind turbine generator, you will come across many sites promising how to reduce your electricity and save money each month but be very careful as most sites give useless data quoted from manufacturer manuals and no instructions on how to build –

And you will be hard pressed to find any commercial sites giving away free install and build plans.

The home made wind turbine generator has been designed and tested by renewable energy enthusiast who like you and me want to reduce their electricity and the impact on the environment.

The most important thing to remember is their wind generator can be made from local and cost effective material at a fraction of the costs of the commercial models. Also the build procedure can be easily and affordably completed by home owners with minimal experience and know how to create their own wind electricity.

WIND TURBINE GENERATOR PLANS -

The Manuals, guides or plans have a minimal cost to cover the cost of developing how to build a wind turbine generator at home. This is accomplished by joining the energy site as a member to be able to download the manuals and view the how to videos and receive the latest information.

Home wind power turbine generator will feed the electricity produced into a regulator or charge controller which controls and limits the input [amps] that the electric current is fed into your battery bank and reduce or stop any overcharging of the batteries for extended battery life.

After your battery bank is fully charged you will require an inverter. An inverter is a device that converts your battery bank power [D.C.] to domestic household power [A.C.]. The voltage will depend on your country.

You will be able to get your Manuals that will explain in great detail how to find all of the materials required for your actual home wind turbine generator construction and detailed step by step instructions from the internet.

You will also get detailed plans for a residential solar panel array construction and also where to find your batteries for your battery bank.

 Out of all of the renewable energy sources, power created from the wind is probably the most rapidly expanding way to produce electricity. Renewable wind energy is the obvious first choice and owning a home made wind turbine generator is a green alternative.

 REMEMBER to source out the correct package that gives you all this information

Bret Parker comprehensive manuals and Videos on how to build Wind Turbine Generator Information you’ll need to build home made wind power turbine generator and a Complete Home Wind Energy System and how to use Solar Electricity. Make a Solar Panel .com

7 Easy and Inexpensive Ways to Update your Bathroom!

Designing a bathroom is an exciting process! Following a few simple tips to improve your bathroom can create a spa-like luxury in your own home and ensure it’s the perfect fit for your home and lifestyle. Whether you are redesigning after repairs, updating an outdated bathroom, remodeling to sell, or just looking for a change there are a few important things to consider:

1. First, think about the layout of the room itself. A few simple changes such as adding or changing a bathroom sink, vanity or medicine cabinet can make a big improvement in the look and feel of your bathroom, while leaving the big things can save you money. TIP: Save a bundle by leaving the plumbing in place and designing around it!

2.  To make a small bathroom look and feel larger, consider the color of the room. Choose pale or neutral colors to make the room seem larger. Because many older toilet models are larger than newer designs, consider replacing your toilet with a newer compact model. Installing pedestal and vessel sinks can also increase your usable square-footage because they don’t take up as much floor space as traditional sinks.

3. Consider a vessel sink! These free standing sinks can sit directly atop furniture, or a special pedestal on which the sink is mounted. Although the vessel sink is a century-old design, they can now be found in a variety of contemporary materials to meet your design needs, including cast iron, glass, vitreous china and stainless steel, many of these options carrying a surprisingly low price tag.

4. Custom showers can be created simply by placing shower heads and body sprays in desired positions. Place sprays at a lower level for showers that will not get your hair wet, and raindrop shower heads at a higher level to achieve that rainfall effect!

5. Update the look and character of your bathroom inexpensively by changing the accessories—new towel rods and shelves, toilet paper rods and even toothbrush holders and soap trays are relatively small changes that can add big character to your bathroom!

6. The walls are biggest area of your bathroom and can be used to make the biggest impact. A new coat of paint can refresh the whole look of your bathroom, while tile transfers are a creative and easy trick to make plain tile look unique. These waterproof, washable stickers go over your existing tile and even come in embossed 3D and textured varieties.

7. Modernize your bathroom lighting by switching out a modern, stainless steel lighting fixture in place of an outdated one to give the room a fresher look. Install dimmer switches on overhead lighting to enhance mood.

Updating the look and functionality of your bathroom doesn’t have to be a complicated or expensive process. A few simple changes to your current room can make sure your bathroom retreat is the perfect fit for your home and lifestyle!

Based out of Los Angeles, Syd Crawford has over 25 years of experience with Kitchen and Bath remodelling and has worked for some of the leading plumbing companies in the industry. Syd’s experience is a driving force behind a team dedicated to bringing customers the best deals in Kitchen and Bath Fixtures and Supplies– www.regenfalls.com

The house, apartment, loft, room or cottage, whatever it may be ‘home’ to you is a reflection of your personality. It’s your sanctuary away from the maddening crowd. Making it cozy and comfortable yet pleasing to the eye and giving you the peaceful retreat you need is important. Modern interior furniture provides you with a host of ideas to chose from.

You may have just left home to live on your own ; may be that you have upgraded your dwelling from your university ‘digs’; may be you have found a place closer to work. You need to personalize your dwelling – a part of your outfit, which is very important.

Decorating your ‘home’ and planning it you’ll suddenly need storage space- ‘a place for every little thing is vital’ There’s nothing you want to lose; childhood mementos, souvenirs of school achievements, loving gifts treasured for years, things that you would love to give or show your child one day-the list is endless.

The storage unit on offer today is amazing. Hang on units, corner units with their revolving shelves, in variant colors and shapes to fit every nook and corner is there for you. They add color, presence and are of great utility value. The coffee table, the dining table, the chopping counter, the bed side table – they are a simple blend of elegance and functionality.

The contemporary decorative ideas are all about clean lines and less clutter. They are ideal for small apartments, city lofts or anyone looking for space and style. The different furniture suggestions in decorating for your kitchen, the dining room, the bedroom or the living room are works of art providing interest and visual appeal.

The lighting details add a sense of space to your living room, coziness to your bedroom, a welcome note to the kitchen and mystery to your bathroom making you relax in your bath or in the shower. Lighting up the wall first seen as you enter gives a feeling of space as much as flooding light into the four corners of your living room. Pendants and spot lights can light up the walls better adding an overall ambience. Keeping the ceilings clear without lighting, moldings or any decorative effects make them look higher. Light and brightness in the colors chosen for the room gives an added height to the ceiling increasing the sense of space.

Paints are available in many colors and textures. Water based acrylic paints offer a variety of advantages. They have no acrid smell and dry out very fast. Working with them is very easy and the colors are versatile enough to create the atmosphere you want.

An urban oasis can be created by creating a natural environment with woven screening or adding bowls and willow. Large format posters can cover whole walls with golden beaches, woodlands or digital murals. Ideas are abound. Decide on the effect you want created and modern decorative ideas offer options to suit every mood and taste.

Annie Deakin is a journalist, fashion and furniture expert and editor at mydeco.com and is currently very impressed by the great range of decking, design and ceiling lights