Here I was hired to promote London Apartments:

One of our favorite shows on TV is HGTV's "House Hunters International." We are so envious of families that just pick up and move to warmer climates, or move to a country because of their love of its beauty and history. Most advice concerning moves to another country are to rent first before buying.

Now there's another reason to seek short-term accommodations. The summer Olympics are coming to the UK beginning July 27th through August 12th. Wouldn't it be grand to take in the two weeks of competition?

Londoners Robert And Polly Arnold with their three children Rachel, Jonny and Mike have a vast knowledge of Central London. Through their company London Apartments, they can help you find the perfect place for short or long term apartments and hotels stays. They can also provide relevant information about locations and places of local interest.

Let's face it, when you go online searching on your own pictures can be misleading. Wouldn't it be great to have an adviser to steer you toward the valued B&B's and apartments not only in London but in Europe and Worldwide. I know I would!

You can email Robert And Polly Arnold at London Apartments or just call. Let go of the aggravation and enjoy the Olympics. Use London Apartments when you visit the UK.

A recent post about client Bar Stools AtoZ:

We have ordered a lot of barstools for our interior design clients over the last ten years.  They have been either wood or metal and have come in many styles and many heights.  We were looking at the website of our friends Bar Stools AtoZ.  We noticed that the site has some great information about bar stools on the page titled Barstool Buying Guide:

If you are buying real estate, one of the first questions is, “What’s your budget?”  When you are shopping for bar stools one of the first questions is, “How often will the bar stools be used?”  If the answer is every day, then you will need either metal stools or something in wood that's well made.

One more thing, metals stools while offered in many finishes and are are sturdy, can be heavy to move. Wooden stools can match any décor, but if used in direct sunlight can dry out and fade.

Do you want a bar stool that is stationary or swivels?  Bar Stools AtoZ says the choice comes down to the users.  Is it for the mother-in-law who may want easy access or a child who needs focus. Then there’s the question of how many bar stools do you need for your space and the height of the table or bar.  Bar stools run from 15 to 24 inches wide, and the person using the bar stool needs about 25 inches, so a six-foot plus counter could use up to three stools.  Stools with swivels or arms would need more space. 

There are basically three bar stool heights: Dining is 18 to 20 inches high, Counter is 24 to 26 inches high and Bar is 28 to 30 inches high.  So be sure to measure the height.

Finally, you need bar jokes.  Our friends at Bar Stools AtoZ have some great examples, but they’ve missed a few. In a recently read book titled "Dove Season" by Johnny Shaw, a father and son play a word game called “Walks Into A Bar” in which you pick a subject and then make up jokes about it.  For example the subject is “A Boat.”

A boat walks into a bar.

The bartender says, “I’m sorry we don’t serve boats here!”

The boat says, “But, I’m about to keel over!”

A boat walks into a bar.

The bartender says, “I’m sorry we don’t serve boats here!”

The boat says, “But, I heard you serve schooners!”

Here's a recent post about client Bunk Beds A to Z:

I have had a fondness for the Bunk Bed as a solution for space problems ever since I was in the army.  There for six months, at Ft Lewis and Ft Ord, I lived with a platoon of men where we spent hours in the evening polishing our gear and arranging our foot lockers for inspection.  We smoked and laughed, played cards and told stories about our girls back home. Every morning we made our beds so tight that our drill sergeant could bounce a quarter on the army blanket that encased our mattress.

Again a Bunk Bed came to mind as Bev and I watched HGTV’s “House Hunter International.”  Sometimes a family moving to Milan or Puerto Vallerta or New Zealand needs more bedrooms than fits their budget and a solution is to double up the kids in a room using bunk beds. It’s an elegant solution.

According to our friends at BunkbedsAtoZ, these great beds are manufactured in metal and wood; in a variety of finishes and can be twin over twin, twin over full, full over full and even futon bunk beds.

There are some safety items to keep in mind:

1.     The upper bunk should have guardrails and should be close to the wall.  The army violated both of these rules, yet I never saw a tipped over bunk bed and no one ever fell out of bed in their sleep.

2.     The top bunk should be for the older child.

3.   There should be cross ties under the mattress of each bed.  Again, the army violated this rule.  I went to sleep at night with those coil springs of the top bunk sagging in my face.

4.     There should be a ladder and the children should be taught to use it.

5.     No roughhousing or jumping on the beds!

6.     Use a night light so the ladder can be seen for use in the night.

Call us if you have a particular need for Bev to research.