Derbyshire Issue 56

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alter physically to better enhance it and be realistic about what is possible, especially within your budget. For some couples, grown-up children have moved back home and suddenly home seems a lot smaller! If this arrangement is going to continue for some time, get the advice of a builder on how you can re-configure your home to suit you all.

There are plenty of options open here.You may be considering RETIREMENT LIVING in a pretty rural area or somewhere more central and convenient. Before you start looking, go to Age UK’s site at ageuk.org.uk as they have plenty of advice on what suits you and what to look for as well as the range of options available. If you’re staying put but changing your surroundings, take an objective look at your LIFESTYLE first. Decide what needs to

INTERNAL CHANGES rather than building extensions might be the answer. Walls could be knocked down, areas re-purposed and fitted units used to free up extra space. We can get so used to our current lifestyle that it takes an objective view to challenge our usual ideas and come up with innovative ones. Now that so many people have had to work from home, it may be that you need a designated OFFICE in your home. That objective view might well throw up some useful thoughts on turning dead space into somewhere you can happily work. HOME ENTERTAINMENT has had a huge boost during lockdown months and it has never been more diverse or accessible. It’s also fairly bewildering for the novice so a quick visit to charity the Consumers’ Association website which.co.uk will help you sort your sound bar from your home cinema system and select the right upgrade for you. Again, consider first what you want from an office. As well as somewhere for a desk and your equipment (computer, printer, files etc). You probably need good light and you might prefer a view. Fitted units could well turn a small boxroom into just the place or even part of a larger room into a dedicated workspace. There’s plenty of initial advice online including smallbusiness. co.uk which shows how other small companies have set up home offices effectively. The KITCHEN may have come into its own as the heart of the home over the last year. It’s already a place families naturally gravitate to so if you’ve spent much of your time here, identify what you need to improve it. You may need a dedicated TV here, a more comfortable or bigger table and chairs or invest in a large central unit Today’s fitted kitchens boast user-friendly fitments like hot water taps and specialist appliances amid the streamlined units and clever storage.

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