Ways to Get Out Of a Creative Rut

Being patient is an ideal way of exiting a creative rut. When you are complacent, mental inactivity can make your condition worse. Instead of developing stress from physical efforts, it’s better to relax and focus on life. Sometimes, creative ideas lead people to dead-ends, but anything might inspire you during such moments. Normally, ideas flow with high mental alertness levels and can help to get your mind out of the box. We shall discuss more ways of eliminating entrapments of the mind in this article.

Appreciate Challenges

Life is full of challenges. It is like when you ride on a roller coaster. If you have a creative mindset, it might be necessary to test your problem-solving skills with a range of constraints. Without allowing these constraints to overwhelm you, be determined to get things done properly. Usually, constraints in life often offer the opportunity to try different perspectives. When you appreciate different angles to resolving a problem, a different approach can boost your creativity. Attend a creative festival to spark new ideas.

Set Targets For Your Goals

In life, you can ascend the ladder of success by doing the right thing consistently. If you don’t have resources to achieve your dreams, it could trigger a creative rut. One of the early preparations for life’s constraints is to challenge yourself to greatness. According to European mythology; when the Viking conquered an enemy, the victory encouraged them. You must train your mental strength and resolve. Be willing to leave the comfort zone and test something different. Set realistic goals, and do something impulsive when you are stuck.  

Relieve Stress

It’s human nature to get agitated when we are stressed with different issues. The effect of poor sleep quality and sleeplessness (insomnia) on mental health is often unpleasant. It might seem like a normal routine, but it often leads to a creative rut if you do not get enough sleep. Whenever you’re anxious and suffering from stress, taking a rest is often the best option. If finding sleep becomes a challenge, there are one hundred and one ways of resolving it. Have a warm drink, and don’t engage in any form of reading (at least an hour) before going to bed. Also, sex is good therapy because it uses the body muscles and then prepares it for sleep. Instead of depending on hard work during the day, think of ways to work smart.

Improve Your Methods

Growth stops when you lack the inspiration to improve yourself. Indulging in some creative programs could help to improve your old methods. A creative rut is inevitable when we don’t try a different method, or draw inspiration from other people’s experiences. Find a new friend or a companion, and mix with people to learn about their perspectives. Instead of bottling up your ideas in a jar, you could discuss ideas and modify methods of doing things. One of the dangers of remaining in a creative rut for a long period is the experience of frustration. A frustrated mindset is hardly open to new ideas. Pause fest can spark creativity and motivation.

Refrain From Drug Abuse

Many young people have found themselves in entrapments of drug abuse. Instead of wrapping their minds in productive tasks, they decide to take the easy solution. However, it’s incorrect to think that using illicit drugs is the best solution. Apart from taking the mind to an unreasonable state of consciousness, drug abuse is not sustainable. Every productive mind needs to engage in all-natural and healthy practices that boost creativity. With a healthy mind, there’s no limit to how people can achieve their dreams and exit a creative rut.

two hands stained with paint on yellow background

5 Careers When Getting into The Art Industry

You follow all the art guilds and associations, spend days obsessing over your favourite artists’ techniques, visions and ideas. Yet you’re still not quite sure where you’ll fit into the art industry yourself? There are many different career paths that you can get into when it comes to the art industry. Check out the careers below to help you decide:

1 – Art professor

An art professor has advanced expertise based in art and is most often university or college-based. They will plan and develop along with teacher’s lesson plans, course curriculums and the assignments. An art professor will improve the knowledge of their students and help them gain more skills through the instructions and assessments of progress along with serving on various academic committees and advise students the best way to meet their goals. Art professors that are working within secondary schools are there to offer critical reviews, perform research and analyse artwork and documents and publish their findings in scholarly articles. Art professors will need to complete a masters education degree in visual arts or art history combined with work experience. Universities often prefer candidates to have a doctoral degree program in order to gain consideration for employment.

a man in white painting an abstract piece of a lady

2 – Commercial artist

A commercial artist will develop and create images and graphics that are used all with different advertising campaigns, packaging material and online or print magazines. And perhaps one day end up with their artwork mounted on museum display.
A commercial artist will interpret the basic ideas that are based upon the client or the employer descriptions to produce several drafts to meet client needs using computerized designs and freehand sketches.
A commercial artist will work closely with supervisors, clients and other staff in order to brainstorm ideas, increase the understanding surrounding target markets and refine designs, along with budgeting problems and scheduling goals. They can work independently such as freelancing or they may work in advertising corporations, graphic design firms and publishing companies.
A commercial artist is required to complete a bachelor’s degree in the field of commercial art in order to qualify for level entry work. 

3 – Animator

Animators are responsible for the creation, development and the production of moving images that are used for film, video games, television projects and websites. Animators utilize computer software, hand drawings and computer graphics to create 2-D and 3-D animation for models, storyboards and characters. The animators can design advertisements that are to be used on the internet in order to attract and direct online visitors to different websites. In order to qualify for the entry-level position, you need to have a bachelor level in computer graphics or art that are combined with strong technical skills and work experience.

4 – Graphic designer

Graphic designers create graphics and visual images for private or public organisations. They are able to analyse what the client needs, produce illustrations, design visual images, texts animations and create promotional materials like logo, advertisements, display signage and marketing brochures.
Graphic designers use computer software along with hand-sketched drawings for print magazines, newspapers, online, journals and other types of publications. Graphic designers work with marketing representatives, public relations specialists, and promotional professionals. You will need a bachelor’s degree program that is based on graphic designers’ disciplines or the fine arts. 

5 – Art Gallery Dealer

An art gallery dealer will work alongside the industry experts who sell and buy all types of artwork. They will work closely with critics, artists, curators, critics and museums that are within independent self-operated businesses representing clients and matching different works with their buyers. Art gallery dealers have contacts between the art professionals and create the sales proposal and set the standard for different memberships within the art gallery associations. Art dealers need to remain current with the industry trends, advances and changes that can contribute to the different market influencers. Not just relying on their keen eye for talent, they must also be able to envision a cohesive union of art pieces in a gallery exhibition, connect with the best gallery exhibition display services to pull it all together. Art dealers will travel internationally to attend exhibitions, auctions and studios in order to purchase works for collectors and galleries. You will need to complete an advanced graduate-level degree in art history and have some work experience in the art critics field and connections with art academics in order to gain employment.

interior design Australia

How To Stay Organised As An Interior Designer

Interior designers are very busy people and they always have so much going on! From picking out fabrics to meeting with clients or designing new office spaces; it can be easy to lose yourself in the many different activities on your to-do list.

That’s why I’ve created this list, to provide you with some tips on how to stay efficient and organised:

Create your schedule

Creating a schedule will ensure that interior designers have a clear view of what is coming up. it doesn’t matter whether you work from home or in an office – the key is to ensure that you meet all the needs of your clients and business demands. Client meetings, appointments and consultations need to be put into a schedule to ensure everything is done on time and all the projects are of a sufficient standard. You will need to set aside certain parts of your day for things like responding to emails, placing purchasing orders and other administrative tasks that need to be completed in order to keep the business running smoothly.

Deadlines

When it comes to deadlines, they go hand in hand with scheduling. As with any business, unexpected things will happen sometimes, in which case you have to be ready to adapt. These mishaps can seem like less of a surprise if you have deadlines in place and know exactly when each task needs to be finished.  When you already have a note of it, working out a solution won’t seem so overwhelming. Knowing how to correctly manage your time effectively will allow the interior designers to get everything done on time.

Communicate

Having constant and clear communication is key to maintaining successful business relationships. If your clients are happy and you’re clear about the tasks that need to be done, the relationships will be strong in all business interactions. Verbal communication is important to customers and interior designers should not forget it! 

In addition, it’s important to ensure you are writing in a professional manner. This is very important for continued success and it shows that you carry on with good business. If you have messages that are not written properly it can result in miscommunication about things like budgeting, project timing, duplicate responses and so on. You will need to keep all the communication lines clear, and ensure that you stay on track when it comes to regular contact with your customers. This can help you to stay organised and efficient every day. 

Delegate

Time is limited when working in a small firm, so you need to ensure you are making the most of your resources. Hand out the tasks that play to the correct employees if you have other staff members which will ensure the jobs are don’t in the most efficient time.

Tackle the accounting practices

The above are tips are good organisational tools to bring into your business, but there is no point in doing all those things if you have poor accounting management. Paying your invoices late could leave the customers sceptical of when they should be paying you, and you can be left in a tight spot for cash if you are not keeping track of purchases and expenses. Ensure you are following up with invoices, expenses and purchase orders in order to reduce stress and ensure payments are made on time. If you cannot tackle your accounting yourself, then you should hire a professional to come and take care of that before it starts to have a negative impact on your business.

create your own business logo

How To Create A Logo For Your Business

Creative designs for business is becoming a major trend, not only for digital marketing agencies.  In fact, your business logo is an important factor that can lead directly to success. You just have to make sure you use a great printing service when producing your business cards! 

To memorise all the different logos you see every day can be hard for a consumer. If you have a unique logo that is attractive and more creative – perhaps with better visual effects – then your logo might be one that customers remember. Human minds tend to memorize visual things more than letters and words, so try to come up with an appealing visual image. 

There are many different online logo creators and graphic designers that can help you design your logo.  Usually, they get you to choose icons or images, and different fonts to create a basic logo. The price can vary from around $40 for a cheap logo (online) to thousands of dollars if you work with a popular agency. 

If you’re looking for another budget alternative, you can look at a design contest platform. On these platforms, you make a brief in order to let designers know what you are looking for. The designers will then send in their designs and you can pick the one you like the best. The design contests can get you a good logo for around $300.00 (if you pick a good design contest). The downside with this option is that you will get many inexperienced designers sending you their logos. These will most likely not be worth the money.

Another option is to hire a freelancer. The freelance designer is a designer that works with you on a project basis. Every freelance designer will be different, so you need to ensure you are picking the right one for your business. This option can be riskier than the others, as you are dependent on that one individual. This way is quite cheap, but it is hard to know if you are getting a good price in this competitive market. Ensure you are communicating well and build a good relationship with the freelancer. Read reviews and only go for the designer that convinces you they can provide good results.

Graphic design tech conferences:

There are also a few tech conferences around, for example in Melbourne 2020 Pause Fest is an expo where people into design and technology will be mixing and mingling. These events are great because at a low entry price, you get the opportunity to see new tech product launches, and network with like-minded people, some of which could then become partners, employees, or even investors in your business. What a time to be alive.

Now, lastly, you have the professional design team (or an agency – as mentioned above). This is great if you run a bigger company, like an SEO marketing agency. This is a group of designers that can cost you thousands of dollars. This is a good option if you can afford it, but you need to be aware that you are paying for several people even the ones who just answer the phone. Consider whether this is worth it for your business. This is a great option for those of you who value high quality and original design. 

While you can tell the designer what you like, certain aspects are always up to the designer. That’s because they know how to make the logo memorable. If your logo has the right colours, effects and typography – then people will remember it. 

Colour psychology :

Using colour in your logo design is what you need to make sure people remember it. Consider it a priority to choose colours that will make your logo stick to people’s minds and remind them of your brand. Remember that the wrong colours also have the power to ruin the prospect and design.

Create a great combination of colours which will enhance the appearance of your logo. For this, you need to ensure you use the right colour palette. Focus on your message and think about the types of colours you use in your business. They all need to match well! You need to have at least 2 colour combinations, but don’t have any more than 4 colours, as it will look too patchy and cluttered.

Custom typography :

The good designers will make their own fonts in order to create a unique logo design for you. They will choose a custom typeface rather than the basic typefaces. The custom fonts create a monopoly type of your logo – so that nobody can copy it.

Merging Coastal And Modern Interior Designs

Good news is here, everyone! Coastal and industrial interior designs have finally merged, and the result is mind-boggling! Indeed, coastal and industrial styles have often borrowed some traits from each, but what is now tending is nothing compared to what it was before. Generally, standard coastal design projects a few elements of antiquity and age. But the emerging trend is more towards something similar to a bohemian coastal, i.e., a coastal interior design that highlights more of the light and colour.

What the new age has to present to you is far from the conventional breezy, beach vibe that we usually picture in a coastal design. Neither is it the intense and heavy atmosphere like that of typical industrial interior design. Welcome home the new perfect blend of both worlds, a little of the airy vibe along with the masculine touch of the industrial interior setup. 

  • It is not easy explaining how this design looks like, so we found an easy way for you. We’ll describe each detail of the plan for you to get a fair idea of what the merger design looks. Let’s start with the texture because there is a lot of texture in this interior design. The best thing you can do is to pack the interior with enchanting furnishing with concrete finishing, including the elegant touches of your preference. 
  • This is the best part of this merger; you can get it customised to your interest and still get the weathered and aged traditional coastal look. It is recommended that you make them look more handmade. You can also try some harder textures while blending in some rough moments with smoother concretes and metals at the same time. Make the softer materials like the rugs, sofa covers and other elements of such sort be delightfully woven in coastal colours, anything in the beach homeware section will do!
  • Now comes the essential part of the merger; metal. The easiest way to blend in the industrial and the coastal interior designs well is to use the texture of minerals along with some weathered and darker shades of wood. You must already know that the classic coastal style has a lot of white in it with some highlights of flaxen timbers and tones of blue and green to match with the seashore vibes. The new merger introduces a different colour palette which is dominated by darker shades. This darker theme is inspired by the industrial design, and this intermingling with all these lighter shades brings in a beautiful result. 
  • The merger brings in a design that is earthy and clean at the same time, an atmosphere that is dark yet lit up and doesn’t have white as its base colour anymore. This design is dominated by soft tones of grey, in collaboration with rusty and beige colours, along with a tinge of blue-black shades and darker tones of green. This is a captivating colour palette, and despite all the contrasting shadows, it looks very balanced and trendy. This is the much-awaited change and revolution we needed in the interior design field. Of course, if you find it very dark, you can always lighten the shades and throw more tones of oatmeal and timber to soften the palette. 

It might look like a hard task, but it’s a cakewalk. You have to keep some pointers in your head while planning the interiors. The first rule is to keep it moody; include more shades of charcoal, black, beige and blue. Use handmade branches and weathered woods for the furnishing. Lighten up the setup with lighter shades of soft materials like the sofa covers and carpets. Do not stuff the interiors with a lot of patterns; instead, focus on the colour and the texture. Use metal in the right places. Make sure your design has a story of its own to tell. This should do the trick. Happy designing! 

How To Integrate Branding With Space

Do you understand how customers feel when they walk into the office environment? Most corporate designers enhance retail spaces with creative decor ideas, and brand identity concepts. Integrating your brand into their space depends on the perfect strategy. It works well when designs that complement the values of your business’ corporate vision are integrated. Usually, the visual features of a branded office space evoke emotions in customers. These methods can help entrepreneurs to integrate branding in any office space.

Company Branding With Outdoor Signage

Before digital advertisement, handbills and signage were the traditions of most big corporations. For them, placing signage on business outlets is an ideal and easy way of representing their brand identity. However, not so much has changed with the importance of signage to your workspace. Like online ads, much well-designed digital signage display bright texts and graphics. Another smart way of integrating branding will be to use your company’s logo and colours on signage boards. Apart from the appearance of your workspace, delivering a statement with signage help customers to identify with your brand. Also, digital signage with scrolling texts can help to advertise your products and services. Don’t forget to display the company’s name and the brand colours boldly.

Align Your Corporate Goals with the Brand

When smart customers walk into your office, they can tell how the organization is being run from the interior design. Retail office space can help to build brand identity, and also promote business philosophy. By defining your corporate goals and mission statement, they should reflect in the business’ brand identity. With this alignment, your business can enjoy the advantage of brand integration. Apart from the corporate message, brand alignment helps to build satisfactory customer experiences. For example, it can be a work culture for employees to badges with the company’s logo and colours every day.

Colour Palette That Reflects the Brand 

‘One of the most outstanding brand elements in any office space is wall colours. Generally, iconic paint colours complement the aesthetic beauty of office furniture. When branding a workplace, expert interior designers use colour palettes to create great impressions. They apply befitting shades of colour that allow employees to relax and focus on their jobs. Unlike muted colours, white tones are cool, and they make workspaces appear bigger than normal. The space designer might need to accent neutral colours with red, but they shouldn’t forget to integrate your company’s website colours, and logo into your office space. When you are in the hospitality industry such as this accommodation in Hobart waterfront, you can be a bit more daring with colours, opting for colours that command attention for areas that need it.

Spacious Layout

How To Integrate Branding With Space

The brand identity of your company should reflect in the work culture. Usually, well-branded office space with large layouts motivates clients to do business. A clean office space with a layout that makes interaction with colleagues easy can enhance their productivity. Generally, employees are important in building a company’s corporate image. Consider a layout that allows for natural light during office renovations. Also, spacious layouts help workers to avoid the effects of sedentary positions at work. The office layout should be wide enough for staff to move around and exchange ideas. This design arrangement can help them to perform their tasks effectively. There could be a space away from the desk.

Use Furniture to Reflect the Brand

Office furniture is a decor idea that can create a strong visual brand in workspaces. Modern waiting rooms in organizations have chairs with lumbar support for visitors. While workers and customer service personnel interact with clients, a comfortable seat can boost the customer’s experiences. Modern restaurants such as this one serving breakfast in Hobart opt for wooden chairs for their rustic feel. Also, iconic furniture with company’s colours often reflects its brand within the workspace. Consequently, visitors that pay attention to details are attracted by to the work environment.

How to Design a Luxurious Bathroom For a Hotel

When booking a hotel, most people focus on three things: the bedrooms, the bathrooms and the balconies. After all, they are at your hotel to take a break from their regular lives. As such, the comfort of your bathroom is very important to the guest’s overall experience. Bathrooms also require extensive planning given the laws and regulations that dictate how they are to be built. Most importantly, however, if your guests feel pampered and relaxed, they are most likely going to come back and stay again. 

Size

Luxury starts with space, or so I like to think. There is nothing quite like like a huge bathroom or wardrobe. For this reason, space is a big consideration. While it does not need to be the size of the bedroom, something that is at least bigger than the normal house bathroom will make the guests feel special.

Size can be achieved through some tricks and design features, such as a mirrored wall and a light coloured finish.

Flooring

Be it a floor with patterns or a smart marble finish to add a more sophisticated look, but it is the flooring that strikes the eye most. A combination of statement walls along with bold flooring can also help your bathroom look spacious. Consider something like floor to ceiling tiling to add some extra wow factor to the room.

Adding heating below the floor is great if your hotel is in a cold climate. Many of the best hotels in Hobart, Tasmania, a place with cold winters, have heated flooring to keep the guests feet warm!

Go for doubles

Double sinks and double showers are always a yes if space allows it. Setups like this always a hit with guests, as long as you are not compromising on space or missing out on any other additions as a result. A statement wall can add glamour to the double shower as well.

When it comes to sinks, rustic looks are a good way to go. A vintage tap with brass finishings makes for a classy look. 

The windows

If the hotel looks out to something green or something that one might like to look at while lying in the bathtub, why not use this as an advantage and install a large window.

Of course, you will have to include options like blinds and shutters to complement the setup to ensure privacy. Luckily, shutters can add to the elegance of a bathroom and blinds can be easy to conceal.

Cabinets

Your towels and toiletries occupy quite a bit of space, so having somewhere to hide them away is a good option. The more extravagant the tiles, walls and windows are, the more simple you should keep the cabinet. A polished, matte look is great for a neat, tidy look and won’t take away from the other features of the bathroom.

Themes

Every element in your bathroom can be set according to themes. Theming could be based on things like country, traditional bathroom motifs or maybe something with murals. This makes picking every element easy as you know what the bathroom must feel like once you are done designing it. 

A good example of this can be found in much of the luxury accommodation in Tasmania, which makes the most of the heritage and history of the area and themes their rooms accordingly.

Make it shimmer

The bathtub can have a metallic edge, maybe golden in colour if you are going for full luxury. This choice also fits well for taps and showers. Just make sure that the metallic look you choose complements the walls and the flooring.

Pampering

A lot of built-in storage space helps to sort toiletries and helps create an illusion of space. The same can be said for building cabinets into the wall instead of adding them externally. The kind of bathrooms that have sitting arrangements as well also add to the luxury feel.

Accessories 

While the design and build of the bathroom is important, you should also give thought to the accessories that you are going to put in it.

Soap dispensers that suit your theme, liquid soaps in transparent bottles, towels that fit in with the curtains and the tiles are all things to be considered. 

By putting a lot of thought into all aspects of your bathrooms, the end result will be all the better for it. Your guests will feel like celebrities when they walk into such a luxurious space!

Why luxury is attractive

What Makes a Luxury Business Attractive?

Most people’s lifestyle today is about showing off what we have, and we do that wherever we can to show other people how good we are. Whether it’s on social media or in real life (on every festival, at parties), we all want to come across as successful, happy and healthy. However, what makes us stand out when someone takes a peek at our life, is usually the brands that we wear and the brands that we own. 

When someone says the word ‘luxury business’, they may mean any brand or even an antique shop. This is a great place to start if you want to invest in some luxury goods for yourself. Some material objects matter more than others, so make sure you invest in something you either use every day – or something for a special occasion. 

If, on the other hand, you are a luxury trader – it is really important that you portray a luxurious atmosphere and branding. 

You need to connect with the customer and make them feel valued – especially when they are paying so much money for their products. 

Why luxury businesses are so attractive: 

It speaks for the client – and that antique clock in their living room is going to stand out among everything else in that room. Their taste will be judged according to it and that’s wht their choices when it comes to luxury goods and investments matter. The best part about luxury goods is how these items prove what talking often cannot – that the customer is living the dream.

It elevates their level – everyone is spending on the necessities, but we don’t turn around on the street to get a second glimpse of people who live ‘medium’ lives. We don’t care if an old Ford drives past us on the street. Instead, we want to see a luxurious car. We want to think that we could have something like that someday. When we invest in luxury we invest in our public persona and our reputation – it all goes hand in hand. It’s like the feeling of staying at a luxury hotel in Hobart; it makes you feel like a celebrity! Even if it was a boutique hotel in Hobart, you could still feel amazing, as long as the luxurious vibe is there. 

It gives us the feeling of owning – after all, who would not want to have all those things in their house – the kind of goods that could be referred to as ‘priceless’.  

It indicates culture and tradition – Most luxury goods today come from brands that are over 100 years old. Think about all the old fashion houses, for example. That means that many luxurious products have had long life, maybe it is their own journey or the journey of the owner. But these products bring stories to us, times that they have survived, to eventually find their way to us. That’s real quality. That’s why history matters.

Why is it attractive to a business person?

Because of its global reach – this stands true for brands like Rolex and Mercedes. Names like this open up opportunities for your company to be recognized all over the world. And if you deal with luxuries like this, or if you want your own brand to stand among these classics, then you’ve got to adopt a taste for luxury. 

Their credibility – All brands try to add the best of the best to their line of items. This then becomes the standard that everyone else tries to match; both the quality and brand. And so when you deal with such items, it automatically makes you the innovative brand that people follow and mimic. 

It isn’t about just the trend – Have you ever heard Nike following a trend? No. They are trendsetters. They do not compromise their position by jumping to the first opportunity and changing with every trend. Because the trend will change. What will stay, is the position of brands in the market.

They don’t need advertising – Well, every product needs advertising (almost, of some kind). And that is one of the strongest points to support luxury businesses. When you own something that has been a mark of quality, as soon as you launch something else under the same name, people will talk. With everyone else talking about your brand, the customers don’t need to be reminded of your brand by advertising, they hear your name everywhere anyway. 

And so you can focus on the brand’s development more than marketing. Your brand speaks for you. The name that has survived and thrived for centuries help you stay relevant. But all it demands in return is the perseverance of the standards that has so far been an integral part.

celebs in Australia

The Designer Hotels Popular Amongst Celebrities

While celebrities are used to the glitz and glamour of the entertainment world, they don’t expect less when staying in hotel accommodations. Great service, a break from the paparazzi and to be ensured of 100% privacy while they take a holiday are all necessities.

While there are so many places to see all over the world, luxurious hotels in Australia are like no other with their unique offerings in terms of experience, location and view. Let’s take an inside look at which luxury hotels celebrities prefer staying at while visiting Australia.

Saffire Freycinet

One of the best hotels in Tasmania, this luxury lodge has everything even the most seasoned traveller would want. While still paying homage to its glorious surroundings, this hotel features top class restaurants and facilities, including a bespoke luxury day spa. The accommodation caters for all and ranges from Private Pavilions to Luxury Suites. Don’t forget to make use of the many activities and experiences the hotel offers, such as the Freycinet Marine Oyster Farm, one of the best oyster farm tours in Tasmania.

Makepeace Island

This heart-shaped island, that Justin Bieber featured in one of his Instagram posts, offers a truly authentic Balinese vibe where you can be pampered by its luxury services, accommodation and staff. This hotel has a flawless rating for cleanliness, location, and value, while the exclusive island setting offers the privacy of any celebrity craves. Once the Australian home of Sir Richard Branson, it is situated 40 minutes’ drive away from the Sunshine Coast Airport in Noosa, Queensland. 

It accommodates 22 guests at a time offering a fusion of luxurious service, nature and modern living. It’s the perfect place for an awesome retreat, and even features a spa and wellness centre. Free Wi-Fi is provided and there are babysitting/child services for parents looking for an afternoon alone. Serene, tranquil and secluded, this hotel is ideal for a full physical, emotional and spiritual rejuvenation. 

As for activities for the family, all guests have access to the property’s gardens, barbecue area and terraces. There is a pool table for everybody to enjoy and the outdoor tennis courts are always well-maintained. Couples can also grab a drink in the romantic lounge bar.

Qualia

Meaning “a collection of deeper sensory experiences” in Latin, Qualia restricts its guests to 16 years old and over to maintain a peaceful ambiance. 

Occupying Hamilton Island’s northern tip, its calmness and exclusively luxurious guest service assure much-needed privacy for guests. Chris Hemworth made the most of this privacy, posting photos of himself on Instagram while having a vacation at Qualia, which is one of Luxury Lodges Australian affiliates. 

It is not only the massive land area of this hotel that is impressive, but what’s within it. Wilderness lodges, vineyards, dining destinations and outback camps are all included within the resort. Known for its luxurious service, delicious wine and food, unique ambience and delightful décor, Qualia has owned the travel awards since 2008. For 10 consecutive years, awards served as proof of its excellence. Some of these awards include (2008) Travel and Leisure USA “It List” of the 30 Best New Hotels Around the Globe, (2011) Luxury Travel Magazine Gold List and (2018) HM Awards – Best Resort and Best Australian Lodge.

Park Hyatt Sydney, New South Wales

Featuring breathtaking views of the Sydney Opera House, and the Harbour Bridge, this is the most luxurious hotel in Sydney and has hosted celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Nicole Kidman, Jamie Oliver, Elton John and the Rolling Stones. 

The most iconic feature of this exquisite hotel is the outdoor heated swimming pool, located on the rooftop, which gives its guests an unrivalled view. It often leaves guests pinching themselves just to check if they’re dreaming or not at its sight. Discover the Rock Village, with its unique cobbled laneways and luxurious boutiques, cafes, art galleries and museums. Discover why it’s chefs are often called the ‘Masters of Food and Wine’, as you experience one of its 155 spacious guest rooms including a Sydney Suite. Reviews from guests go as far as considering the views from this room priceless even if it is the most expensive in the city.

Hayman Island

After a 6 month, $80 million renovations and refurbishment by world-class hotel brand One and Only, Hayman Island was awarded one of the best luxury hotels in the world in 2014. It is an iconic private island resort located at the heart of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. 

The entire cast of the hit series, Modern Family, visited here to shoot an entire episode entitled, “Australian Vacation”. While One and Only Hotels boast service standards like no other, this hotel also includes magnificent pools, wide spacious wing accommodations and iconic views of the beach of Hayman, Whitsunday Islands and the Coral Seas. It downsized its room number from 210 to 160 to make room for the Hayman Wings where 3 and 2-bedroom accommodations are featured, surrounded by different bars and restaurants that are sure to lure you with the smell of something fresh and delicious being grilled.

LONGITUDE 131°

Who says a desert camp can’t be luxurious enough to provide accommodation? For those who are adventurers at heart, this is an essential experience that cannot be missed while in Australia. It lets you discover the cultural heritage of the surrounding wilderness, loaded with tranquillity, serenity and the peaceful calm that every soul seeks. Located at Uluru-Kata, Tjuta, Longitude 131° gives you enrichment, reconnection, as well as a sacred and timeless experience. At a cost of 900 pounds per person per night, you can see why Oprah Winfrey and a line of her entourage chose to indulge in a stay here. 

Surface Tiling for Your Kitchen

Surface Tiling for Your Kitchen

Choosing an ideal kitchen tile requires an eye for detail, and understanding what designs works best for those surfaces. You might need a countertop marble tile that enhances the beauty of your kitchen walls and floor. When building a modern kitchen, glass tiles are great for backsplashes. However, whatever suits your lifestyle often makes the preferred choice. So, let’s discuss the factors that make major design statements in kitchen renovations.

How Durable Is the Tile?

Floor spaces on kitchen layouts that attract heavy traffic should have stone tiles. It might be an expensive recommendation, but stone tiles are very durable, and can be polished. To have a sustainable kitchen design, keep the surface of stone tiles free from the etches of wet cups and spills. Don’t forget that stone tiles with raised patterns or textures have a higher coefficient of friction (COF), which are ideal anti-skid floor materials. Apart from durability, this type of flooring tile can withstand impacts and abrasion easily. Also, you can get a range of assorted colors and styles that will make an excellent choice for any contemporary kitchen architecture.

Where Will the Tile Be Installed?

Do you need to install tiles on kitchen countertops, around cabinetry such as the backsplash, or grid patterns on walls? Determining where each type of tile will be installed can enhance the interior decor of your kitchen. They can be used as a backsplash behind a burner or around the underside of kitchen cabinets. Alternatively, wide kitchen layouts can use oversized rectangular tiles as decorative borders. As a strategy for fewer joints, tiles with wider dimensions can transform your kitchen and hide any architectural imperfections.

When You Need to Highlight Matching, Contrasting, or Neutral Designs

During the remodeling of kitchens, tiles with monochrome designs often bring neutral color schemes. So, interior designers with vast experience can help homeowners to make high-end aesthetic choices. Also, tile installers can customize kitchen countertops and cabinets by applying a range of colorful glass materials on tiles with floral designs. You can ask for Vinyl floor tiles on surfaces that will not handle the heat from pans and pots too. However, expressing your lifestyle with matching or contrasting kitchen tiles is easy with the right elements.

Surface Tiling For Your Kitchen

What is Your Budget?

Before you execute building projects that enhance old kitchen designs, consider the size of your budget. By making a comprehensive plan of your kitchen renovation budget, it will be easy to narrow your choices to tile color, textures, and design. Instead of stopping the project halfway because of the paucity of funds, you use a combination of both pricey and cheap tiles.

Understand What Makes Tile Materials Differences

A vinyl tile and stone tile don’t share similar strength of materials. Also, their respective resilience strength and level of porosity make them suitable for different needs. Ceramic, quarry, vinyl, stone, glass, cork, porcelain, and bamboo are all common kitchen tiles. However, the basic raw material for regular tiles is limestone and clay. When properties that make each type of tile different are understood, you can apply the right tile on walls, cabinets, countertops, floors, and backsplashes.

Choose What Beautifies Your Kitchen’s Layout

Opting for shapes, sizes, patterns, properties, and colors of tiles can make your kitchen attractive. However, tiles that have intricate curved shapes often make bolder statements in modern kitchens. Instead of choosing square tiles with plain designs, the Vinyl tiles with Mosaic pattern might highlight all the structural changes that have been added to your kitchen. Also, it’s important to establish a clear kitchen designas well as layout pattern before laying the tile.

Design

Interior Design & Real Estate

By definition, the real estate industry is all about property. To a real estate agent, a house is a house – they invest in it and flip it off for a higher price (after some tweaks, of course). 

Also, by definition, interior designing is about the marketing of a property. While it may seem that interior designing is about filling an empty house, it is more than that. To an interior stylist, a house is not just a house; it is a home, filled with people. With that vision in mind, they make it more appealing to buyers by staging the house with spaciousness, comfort, and a general homely feeling in mind.

Interior designers, while having to be paid, save time and money for the real estate industry overall and here’s how.

Interior designers have access to resources – furniture, draping, upholstery, etc. By being consistent and well-connected, buyers from firms tend to obtain high-end resources at costs significantly lower than market prices. This drives down investor expenses, thereby increasing the slice of the profit pie. 

Interior designers know that the addition of resources is not all that is required to succeed – anybody can put up a couch or take down a wall. They have a deep understanding of what sells a property better, and what doesn’t – they also know what increases (and decreases) the value of a property. They are the ones that know how to convert neglected buildings into comfortable living spaces. 

They are also the ones that understand how the renovation market works and appropriately let you know the best time to remodel or add to your property. They can identify the features and details – including but not limited to finishes, appliances, and colors – that appeal the most to homebuyers, hence increasing your profit even more.

Another important understanding an interior designer has is about trends and appropriate popular (and outdated) designs. They understand that the last thing a homebuyer is looking for is a finished house where they feel out of place. To further cut expenses, they also tend to redesign homes with mass-manufactured items, also known as cookie-cutter options. They have insight into what goes into a place that makes people feel special, and how to keep the costs affordable.

As said before, real estate agents and investors tend to think for themselves – but interior designers tend to think for their buyers.

Unlike investors who decorate the place to match their taste and make them feel in place, interior designers decorate the place with the customer in mind. Simultaneously, they are also focused on keeping the costs down and the place affordable – still thinking about the homebuyer!

Staging a property is what an interior designer is perfectly suited to do – they are the ones best equipped to market property. By thinking for the homebuyer (and well-ahead, at that), they make sure that the service feels personal. Albeit the property might be temporarily theirs, they understand that in the case of their client, it might be forever.

Interior designers understand the styles and ornamentation needed to suit the tastes of the homebuyer. They know to make properties stand out from their competition while still keeping it trendy and appealing to the diverse majority. Hiring an interior designer tends to increase the profit gained from flipping a property while resulting in homes that are beautiful, stylized, artistic, and well-functioning. With those fundamentals in mind, interior designers complement the real estate industry.

Australian Open is the ‘Happy Slam’

The Australian Open tennis tournament is known as the “Happy Slam” because for most players it is their favourite grand slam to play in. There are various reasons why players enjoy playing in this slam more than the others but perhaps the main reason is that the tournament officials actually appear to listen to what the players want and need.

It was none other than the tennis legend Roger Federer who initially dubbed the Australian Open the “Happy Slam” during one of his pre-match interviews. Always a gentleman and always an outstanding spokesperson for the sport of tennis, it’s not surprising that Federer would find a way to encapsulate how players feel about the Australian Open in such a snappy nickname that has appeared to catch on with all the players, as well as journalists.

The Australian Open is also the very first grand slam of the year so this certainly contributes as players are feeling fresher and more relaxed coming to the tournament compared to other tournaments. The daily grind of the tennis season after the Australian Open can be extremely tiring with the travel, jet lag, compulsory press events, fulfilling the demands of patrons, training, recovery, practicing, and continuous matches. Because of this, the players in the Australian Open kind of feel like the Australian Open is the first day of school. Their bodies have had the chance to recover over the off season and their minds are renewed. They’ve also had an opportunity to spend some time with their families and friends and have a break from their demanding profession.

The Australian Open is held at Melbourne Park, and in the mid 1990s, these tennis centres underwent a $25 million-dollar renovation. Afterward, the Australian Open became a carnival and party setting for tennis lovers, old and young alike. This festive spirit is contagious and is transported into the locker room where the tennis players hang out before and after their games. Walking the grounds to their practice courts, the players are greeted by the world’s friendliest fans and this also adds to the players’ enjoyment of playing in the Australian Open. Many of the best players have talked about the remarkably delighted vibe they get when they play down under.

In the Australian Open, there aren’t one, but three stadiums with fully retractable roofs. This means that even when the weather is inclement, which normally means exceedingly hot in Australia, play can continue. Because of this, the Australian Open seldom falls behind in the program, meaning that the players always get a day off in between games giving them an opportunity to recuperate fully and strategize with their staff about ways to manage their next opponent.

The Melbourne Park facilities can be found right in the centre of the downtown area, providing players and their fans many great options for dining, as well as the opportunity to go shopping at their favourite tennis stores in Melbourne. It’s also incredibly simple, given the place, to slip away for a couple hours and do some sightseeing and shopping. The tournament organisers also cater to the players’ needs in a number of other ways. For instance, the transport services to and from the centres are considered top notch by the players. The lounge area is considered the very best on the circuit and organisers still attempt to enhance it even more annually.

Although steeped with more than one-hundred years in tennis history, the Australian Open provides fans and players alike the most modern and comfortable facilities on the tennis circuit. This fact, along with the timing of this tournament and the standing of the officials to truly look after the players, makes this tournament the most popular tournament of the year. The fan base has also grown by leaps and bounds supported by the fact that the championship has made the grounds such an exciting and energetic place to be for the fans. Fans don their tennis apparel in Melbourne throughout the entire tournament. There has also been growing international television coverage of the slam, which has made many tennis fans adore the Australian Open even more. However, watching the Australian Open on television won’t ever beat actually eat attending and joining in on the festivities.

Six Best Design and Style Blog Sites

The most recent trends in house design and style have many resources, from the builder that researches new floor programs and materials to the globally renowned company that determines the colour of the season is green. However, the simple fact that everybody gets the internet in their own pocket due to their own smart-phone means individuals are now able to access an assortment of influencers, from interior stylists to enthused DIY-ers.

Input the plan blog. It is no new thing — many style-savvy Australians understand The Design Files, the brainchild of Lucy Feagins — however there are lots of others who’ve shown they know what is in vogue. Whether you are into advanced products, stunning design or DIY-style information, we have discovered a few of the greatest sites dedicated to all things design.

 

The Design Files

A former stylist and film-set dresser, Melbourne’s very own Lucy Feagins began writing digital content on design in Australia when she started The Style Documents from a notebook on her sofa in 2008.

Within annually TDF was appointed among the world’s top 50 design sites by The Times in London, and now lays claim to being Australia’s hottest design website.

Known for its gorgeous pictorial peeks inside Australia’s most stylish houses, TDF also provides daily updates on covetable home wares, design, artwork as well as recipes.

 

Design Milk

The most recent trends in design, art and house styling are researched on the US website, Design Milk, which was launched by artist Jaime Derringer in 2006.

Style aficionados will get lost for hours researching interviews with world-renowned furniture designers, interior designers and interior style icons. There is lots of inspiration for novices, such as photos of envy-inducing houses and architecture from around the globe.

The website is also filled with innovative and fashionable innovative goods, from Braille smart watches to incorporated audio systems.

 

Apartment 15

London blogger Gabriella Palumbo shares her favourite trends, suggestions on this pretty website.

Available Q&A style posts shine a spotlight on the houses and workspaces of musicians, fashion designers and filmmakers, with pieces on DIY jobs give practical suggestions which you can apply to your house.

Gabriella also writes web page content on entertaining and living, such as ideas for throwing parties in the home.

 

Style Hunter

This British website is minimalist and chic. Launched by stylist and insides writer Helen Powell at 2009, the website concentrates on Helen’s own styling, in addition to the gorgeous interiors and goods she comes across.

Her articles are beautifully laid out with this particular magazine texture, providing merchandise suggestions so that you may see how to set the look together. She also covers a broad variety of lifestyle articles, from travel to fashion.

 

Ish & Chi

Sydneysider Vivian Panagos began her website in 2008 after she purchased her first house. She fell in love with styling and designing her house, so decided to begin sharing her adventures.

She writes product reviews, interviews with creatives and contains a lot of helpful suggestions about the best way best to make various looks. She also finished a interior decorating and design degree in 2013, along with her website gives excellent behind-the-scenes insight in to her decorating endeavours.

 

Coco Kelly

This magazine-esque website by American Cassandra LaValle is a trove of just beautiful thoughts. Launched in 2007, it currently has a group of designers and writers who deliver their specialist knowledge on what from interior-styling to floral arrangements.

They also have a handy section on entertaining, such as recipe ideas and how to set the perfect table.

How to Bring Coastal Design into your Home

We’re so blessed in Australia — it is among the biggest islands and blessed with thousands of lovely beaches, so it is natural that people love the beachy, relaxed vibe. There are a number of simple ways to create trendy coastal home interiors in your house, which makes it a space you need to be in. Textures and patterns work well in this specific style as they include great interest without the need for strong use of colour.

Rather than making bold statements, muted and washed tones mixed with natural components complement the appearance. Think of heaps of cushions, throws and large floor cushions for those lazy summer afternoons. To help you attain this look, I am providing some important points that will assist you produce a coastal retreat on your house.

Beachy colours

A sure winner to the coastal or beachy feel is a background of white or neutral tones. Milky whites or vanilla tones work flawlessly to create a cool, tranquil background, allowing your colours to pop into a subtle manner.

Consider muted shades of blues and greens — even the traditional navy will do the job.

You may introduce your colours with accessories and furniture, allowing the impartial to be your constant motif through the space in ceilings, walls and woodwork.

Coastal furniture

Large lounges with neutral-tone slip covers are easy to fall back on and enjoy with the family. The removable covers makes having white furnishings less of a nightmare.

Larger pieces, such as sideboards, work well in washed gray timber tones, providing that outdated effect and cause them to feel lived in and comfortable. Introducing a few white or white-washed bits will make the room feel like this beach house destination most of us crave for.

Coastal decoration is about more than cubes

You don’t need to go overboard with shells and pieces of driftwood to make the relaxed coastal vibe. Rather, a subtle nod to this style will have more impact. Washed-back picture frames, big glass bowls or bottles and vases in teals and blues all work to make the ideal feeling.

Rugs are also ideal as they provide a means to introduce texture and colour. Open-weave rugs in natural fibres work nicely in almost any room for the coastal look.

Indoor plants

Indoor plants also work well for the coastal living vibe since they help to blur the lines between inside and outside.

Oversized plants with glossy and broad leaves make that island-paradise tropical feel, while the deep greens sit very nicely with the whites, neutrals, blues and washed greys. Tropical plants and flowers in oversized pots add a lush, vibrant look and feel, while still providing some additional drama to the space.

Allow the light in

Among the easiest ways to extend a coastal interior design vibe would be to open up your windows and allow the natural light in. Take down those heavy winter drapes and replace them with soft sheers, which may move with the breeze.

In case you’ve got the budget, then add some plantation shutters or the cheaper alternative of wide-blade venetian blinds to control the light on warmer days.

Construction Underway on Public Park at Fishermans Bend

Construction is underway at an 8000 sq m people park at Australia’s largest urban renewal project, “Fishermans Bend”. Covering roughly 485 hectares in inner Melbourne, the urban renewal project wil include five precincts around two municipalities – the City of Melbourne and the City of Port Phillip – and also join Melbourne’s CBD into the bay.

It’s anticipated that from 2050, Fishermans Bend will be home to around 80,000 residents and offer employment for as many as 60,000 people. Found in the heart of Fishermans Bend’s Montague Precinct on Buckhurst Street, the park is only a brief stroll in the South Melbourne Ferrars Street Primary School, also under construction.

Port Phillip Mayor Bernadene Voss explained his excitement of the slab crane demolition works underway that are paving the way for the very first new playground for Fishermans Bend. This is excellent news for community members of all ages that are going to have the ability to come here to unwind beneath a tree, then kick a ball or meet friends for a conversation.

Hayball is your project’s principle adviser, with landscape design By Tract Consultants based on ArchitectureAU. Fishermans Bend will produce a new, lively community comprising a real mixture of residential, commercial, retail entertainment, business, transportation and community centers.

The Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area is made-up of four precincts: Lorimer Precinct located in the Town of Melbourne across the eastern side of the Bolte Bridge and Montague, Sandridge and Wirraway precincts found in the Town of Port Phillip. The playground will quantify 8,000 square meters with architectural timbers and timber frames; half and two times the size of Melbourne’s City Square.

Development of this park will be staged, with bud, chairs, lighting, trees, footpaths and basic conveniences upon launching from mid-2018, followed by consultation with the local community to ascertain what other components are essential to encourage a vast assortment of recreational activities and applications.

Cr Voss stated the investment reflects the significance Council places on building healthy and associated communities. Port Phillip Council is partnering with the Victorian Government to offer the park as a key open area for “Australia’s largest urban renewal project”. Council allegedly contributed $6.3 million towards the cost for the property.

Open space is essential for Fishermans Bend as accessibility to character boosts wellbeing And well-being, especially for flat dwellers who do not have backyards, according to Cr Voss. Council’s concept design for the park contains a paved entry area, including landscaping and art. Terraced regions will provide spaces for individuals to relax under shady trees or run around.

Underneath the staged development, the playground can be set to add additional amenities Later on, including a park and outdoor exercise equipment. The playground is part of a Council’s integrated approach to the Ferrars Street and Community Precinct.

The progressing park is just the start of the great news they’re searching ahead to for Fishermans Bend. Eager to build on this successful venture, Cr Voss explained their goal to provide more spaces and places to Fishermans Bend community together with all the Victorian Government.

Another Recreation Action Plan tracks beforehand

The Port Macquarie Indoor Stadium growth is among the jobs completed at the Recreation Action Plan. The expansion utilizing frannas and crane hire includes the addition of three multi national courts raising the amount of mates to six, fresh multi-level activity rooms, offices, comforts, a kiosk and parking amenities.

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and the federal government jointly financed the job. Other finished jobs in Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s Recreation Action Plan include phase two Googik Track growth, phase one Wauchope Pool refurbishment plus also a leash-free dog exercise park in Henry Kendall Reserve.

The Recreation Action Plan aims to provide the council with a frame to provide for recreation and sport facilities at the medium and short term. A yearly report presented to the July council meeting summarized the condition of the program’s execution and examined recommendations and outcomes.

A revised Recreation Action Plan was developed. It provides a road map to fulfill the requirements in recreation and sport requirements from 2017. The council report stated a change in strategy has been necessary to guarantee much better flexibility in time for delivery of priority jobs.

The modifications and upgrades will help in ensuring that the strategy stays applicable to present and future demands of recreation and sport in the Port Macquarie-Hastings. The report stated that the upgraded program provides more comprehensive information for those projects identified but doesn’t recognize all recreational-related jobs that council will send upon the life span of this strategy.

These include a significant amount of advantage renewals annually that are considered normal council enterprise. Campaigner Diane Gilbert out of Wauchope Community Heated Indoor Pool stated she encouraged the Recreation Action Plan and she asked for the council to incorporate an energetic hunt for financing and sustainability objectives including laminated engineered timber to finish the Wauchope aquatic facility.

The Wauchope pool update phase two structure is recorded in the instant priority jobs 2017-18. A number of our residents are extremely worried that they’ve seen no observable beginning to another phase of this update, according to Mrs Gilbert. I see this point two is said in immediate priority jobs 2017-18, have you got a beginning date yet? There is not any additional mention of Wauchope pool in short-term priority jobs, nor at the medium term priority jobs, is this because it’s as yet unfunded?

Sports You’re Most Likely to Hurt Yourself Playing

Did you know sports accidents cause approximately 36,000 Australians annually to have a hospital stay? But if it is soccer, wheeled motor sports or biking that is most hazardous depends on how you look at it.

When it comes to injuries sustained from games which are worse enough to get you hospitalised, which sport would be the riskiest?

It Is Dependent upon How you look at it, a brand new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) indicates.

The various forms of football are responsible for your largest percentage of the entire number of sports-related accidents in Australia requiring hospitalisation — almost a third.

And of the footy codes, Aussie rules had the greatest population-based levels of injury and hospitalisation, together with 18 to 17 cases per 100,000 inhabitants respectively.

So, is that this justification for people who worry when the guys in their own life — and it’s mostly men — play footy? Perhaps not.

The finding is more a manifestation of the large amounts of Individuals who play footy, instead of it being essentially the more dangerous.

After the amount of participants will be factored in, wheeled Motor sports, for example motorcycling and go-carting, seem riskier with over 3,500 hospitalisations per 100,000 participants. To give some perspective this is eight times more than the annual hospitalisations from falls; where’s the go-kart prevention training effort to match the resources put into falls prevention training.

This was followed closely by roller sports, such as roller skating and skateboarding, with over 2,000 hospitalisations per 100,000 participants.

Roller sports had nearly twice the injury rate of Australian Rules and rugby, that had 1,319 and 1,292 hospitalisations per 100,000 participants respectively.

The pros and cons of sports

But harm researcher and AIHW spokesman Professor James Harrison says that the findings will need to be kept in view and are not in themselves a reason to quit throwing on some basketball shorts and a training top to go play some sport

“There are very good reasons to engage in sport. Sport’s fun and a really good way to get fit and stay fit,” stated manager of the Research Centre for Injury Studies at Flinders University, James Harrison.

He also points out that the obvious riskiness of wheeled Motor sports may be exaggerated somewhat due to issues with the way the information used in the investigation has been collected.

He continued n claiming, “Motor sports come out very high. I suspect part of that’s just to do with the roughness of the information [collected] in hospitals.”

In Regards to the severity of injuries you may sustain, three sports stick out. Cycling, motor sports and equestrian based sports had a particularly large proportion of more severe injuries requiring more than just a cast or a pressure relief cushion, with roughly one quarter of cases regarded as life-threatening.

But wheeled motor sports has been the action which accounted for the greatest total number of days spent by patients in hospital — over 9,500 days.

The report revealed that people suffering sporting injuries were under 35 and largely guys. The most commonly affected body area has been the knee and Lower leg, and also the most frequent diagnosis was a fracture.

But what factors cause injury?

The report did not explore any variables related to injuries besides sport, however findings from a 19 year longitudinal study on professional American NBA players had some interesting insights. They conducted their research using detailed player profiles that each team submits at the season start that includes a permanent identification number, player position, weight, height, age, demographic and clinical information, and years of NBA playing experience. They then linked this to the injury database kept by The National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association.

What they found was that while professional basketball today has become a highly physical, high-contact sport; player demographics revealed no correlation between injury rate and age, weight, height or number of years playing NBA.  This is interesting as if there isn’t a correlation with NBA, there is likely no correlation in other sports.

Additionally whilst few changes have been made to the sublimated basketball uniforms players wear, because the most common injury was lateral ankle sprains players have begun increasingly adopting sneakers designed to protect the ankle

While we can report on the most dangerous sports’, understanding what traits may correlate to sports injuries may help advance our understanding of how to prevent injuries in all sports.

Learn to Fly Laptop Free on Business Trips

The recent ban on personal laptops on certain flights has business travelers worried about what might happen if these temporary safety measures become permanent and become a standard across airlines. How would the modern business traveller adapt to aviation with no modern convenience of a work laptop? Here are some tips to get around it.

Electronics luggage handling fees

Chris Christensen, the entrepreneur behind BloggerBridge and AmateurTraveler, has already been hit by the laptop ban in his journeys. In his view, the biggest problem is not what he can do on a flight without a notebook, but how baggage handlers will cope with assessing expensive laptops, tablets and SLR cameras. Turkish Air was managing this as best they could. They personally checked in each apparatus. They inspected it and put each separately in bubble wrap bags. The bags then went into a unique suitcase or two, which they hand-carried into the airplane. Although this procedure was inconvenient and time-consuming, at least everything arrived to its destination in working order.

Full-time digital nomad Kelly Hayes-Raitt has been travelling around for the past eight years and stocks a number of Christensen’s concerns. After all, her laptop is her livelihood. She predicts airlines will attempt to capitalize on the in-flight ban on notebooks and use it as an opportunity to generate money. She explained that she can envision business coaches advising airlines to respond by creating a more expensive ‘TLC’ luggage fee for prohibited electronics, further nickel-and-diming their clients.

More late night travel

Some business travelers who believe they cannot be productive without their laptops say they will resort to reserving late night flights to compensate for lost work hours. Jason Parks, who possesses a Columbus, Ohio, electronic advertising agency known as The Media Captain, is one such company traveller. He said, I have stress about this, I think business travelers would adapt by taking flights later in the day. I understand this is the path that I would take. I could not afford to be totally unplugged each time I travel during business hours. Travelling at night could give me peace of mind that I am not missing out on important details.

Airline rental laptops

Bruce Clark, an associate professor of marketing at North-eastern University, believes renting reusable laptops might be the reply to an across-the-board laptop ban. He pointed out that executives do not need to look at their own laptops, because of possible damage and data sensitivity.

He explained, airlines or other businesses could provide ‘disposable’ laptops which rely on a cloud management platform to store and protect data. People wouldn’t carry their own laptop, but instead could buy or lease a ‘shell’ notebook where users could upload information prior to the flight and/or download information after the flight. Provided that there’s no information saved on the notebook, it doesn’t matter whether the laptop is stolen or damaged. This is particularly useful for those in professions where workers need that crucial in-flight time to prepare for presentations soon after they land, such professions include international keynote speaking, motivational speakers and international consultants.

The creator of CutCableToday, Chris Brantner, agrees with Clark’s notion of Airlines leasing laptops: I believe that if there is ever a complete ban on notebooks, airlines will begin renting out laptops on flights. Some airlines do it with tablets already for amusement purposes. So ideally, you would have the ability to carry a flash drive or keep everything stored in the cloud, rent a notebook in-flight and get to work.

Work friendly telephones and docks

With no option to work on their laptops, many business travelers will probably turn to their phones for basic jobs. If laptop-free flying becomes the standard, it is likely that phone manufacturers will respond with a broader variety of work friendly phones especially for travel.

Jonathan Rodriguez, the founder, president and CEO of BitMar Networks, thinks phones are the best answer to any (and all) laptop bans. He advocates frequent business travelers ask their employers to provide them with mobiles that are equally good quality and intended for business use.

In Rodriquez’s view, the best company friendly Smartphone is the Windows Phone, especially the 950XL. It’s literally a hand-held computer that even functions as one, when you connect it to Continuum. The same could be said of the Samsung Galaxy 8 and 8+, which is turned into computers through the DeX Station. If Rodriguez’s estimation is right, more mobile companies may well launch business-centric mobiles that attach to compatible desktop or notebook docks.

Relaxation and socializing

Surprisingly, some jet-setting entrepreneurs are not at all concerned about the possibility of future notebook bans on flights. Mary Kaarto, a writer and conference speaker, said, she would sleep, read or really engage with anyone next to her.

Eva Doyle, the speaker, business coach and consultant behind The Reluctant Leader, stocks Kaarto’s general viewpoint. She said she would spend her long business travel hours relaxing, reading and doing occasional work on her telephone or tablet computer. Doyle thinks it is possible that cheap and rugged journey laptops (constructed to endure rough baggage handling) may become popular but also pointed out that in-flight working hasn’t been perfect, the expectation was that individuals will do work on flights, but let’s face it, even in business class, working on your own computer is a small pain. In coach, it is absolutely miserable. Many business travelers will be relieved they cannot work on flights, even if they don’t acknowledge it.

Nobody knows for certain what the future of business travel will be like, but something is clear: there is no possible ban that may quell the innovation and persistence of travelling entrepreneurs.

Shopping Guide for Sydney-Siders

The winter chill has set in this week, making it the perfect time to bring some warmer staples to your wardrobe. It is the end of the school holidays and end of year, so there’s a fantastic deal of warehouse sales going around, which you can organise same day home delivery for. Plus if you believe monogramming is gone in the world of style, think again. Sydney brand Alt.Armour is only one more go-to for many things bespoke.

Alt.Armour Monogram

At the same time in fashion that millennial pink is shaping up to be the colour of 2017 (sorry green, you did not stand a chance), the monogramming trend does not appear to be moving anywhere. Sure it looks like everything under the sun, from our pyjamas to women’s sneakers, today bears our initials, who doesn’t want to invest in a small bespoke piece?

While the vast majority of the monogramming available thus far has been quite ugly, the creative’s behind the blog and e-commerce shop Eating up with the Hannashians and Joshua Joynes of Cosmopolitan magazine have banded together to present a completely new offering at the Australian sector. Observing the current “hardware trend”, Alt. Armour provide industrial-inspired pebbled leather cross body bags, a thick string and elastic soft leather strap, with bespoke heavy-metal lettering bolted on the front. They are chic and functional enough to become your go-to accessory for work and brunch. The bag will go well with your ankle boots, iPhone, wallet and essentials and contains slots for cards.

On Trend

Grey is usually synonymous with the gloomy weather conditions of winter, but it’s going to brighten up — and get more chic — with fashion house Dior with it as one of the basic colours of the Paris Haute Couture collection. Following the exploration of blue at the ready-to-wear autumn/winter collection, designer Maria Grazia Chiuri paid tribute to the colour’s association with lavish fashion through the 40s and 50s. Sheer gowns and tailoring brought to life the various shades of grey, developing a statement. Grey also set the tone for the Valentino and Zuhair Murad collections, providing luxurious materials like velvet and tulle, embellishments, decorative textures and shapes a canvas to glow.

Grey is a Sensible colour to invest in for the seasons to come, ideal for both formal and casual looks and pairs well with both women’s and men’s dress shoes.

New on the Shelves

From the Early 1900s, it is possible to envision that the humble bra appeared quite different, meanwhile the sports bra was still some 60 years from being devised. Berlei, that is now synonymous with the sport bra in Australia, is celebrating its 100th birthday with a series of special edition styles designed by Sydney-based screen-printing artist Kate Banazi. The four designs feature colours and patterns which Banazi says evoke attributes of power and movement.

The London-born artist has collaborated with Dion Lee and Qantas but this assignment introduced parameters unique to lingerie layout. “It is a really small area. You’re utilising maybe 20 centimetres square,” she said. She enjoyed the challenge and the comparison of designing for more commercial boundaries than she does in her own work.

Sales Guide

If you do not mind a sale at a secret place, then the Designer Forum warehouse sale is one to keep on your radar this weekend. The sale will include of 80 percent off women’s, men’s and children’s clothes, stocking the likes of Camilla, Zimmermann, Bec & Bridge and Bassike. The sale location is kept top secret until Thursday, so keep your eye on the brands’ socials for upgrades.

Australian Brand Maurie & Eve are bringing their warehouse sale to Sydney for a couple of days with around 70 percent off fall and winter ’17 stock, along with samples that are chosen. Combining femininity with practicality, expect to see their signature silhouettes, structures and colors.

Synonymous With the Australian fashion trends for decades, Leona Edmiston is holding their annual two-day warehouse sale with a minimum of 60 percent off all stock. Find Leona’s classic feminine prints in the sort of vintage finds, samples, dresses from $30, kids wear from $20, $40 handbags and jewellery and women’s shoes priced at $50.

Mark your diaries, next week Paddington will play host to the cult designer clearance event, Big Fashion Sale. There will be roughly 80 percent off on 20 local and global luxury items, like clothing, jewellery, men’s and women’s shoes and purses. Designers to watch out for include Lanvin, Christopher Kane, Stella McCartney, Alexander Wang, Studio Elke, rag & bone and far more.

Online Boutique Esther has 80 percent off on apparel essentials at the end of financial year sale. The sale includes winter clothes and accessories from Finders Keepers, Blessed Are the Meek, Jetset Diaries, Grace and Hart and more, along with home decor and gifts, Esther also offer a same day online delivery service on all full priced and buy products.

Hansel & Gretel is holding a pop-up sale with previous season samples and collections on offer. Known for masculine shapes with female sensibilities And neutral tones, this is the perfect opportunity to capture some clothing items that will take you from the workplace to date night.

7 Reasons Why your Next Vacation Must Be in Australia

With lots of routes to go on and much more affordable choices than what was previously available, Australia is not only a dream destination – it may be the next destination. Listed below are 7 reasons why an amazing, exciting and entertaining foreign journey ought to be next in your list.

  1. It is closer than you think

Long haul flying is faster and much more relaxed than it previously was, a stop on your way may put in a fascinating additional component for your foreign experience as well. Australia is not nearby, but its distinctive charms are more reachable than you may think.

 

  1. It defines unique

You may like road trips or beach vacations, city breaks or wilderness activities, wildlife spotting or spectacular scenery. You may go to test delicious regional food on a trip to the Yarra Valley, or enjoy regional art and culture. An Australian trip can be as diverse as you want with the wide choices of attractions.

Australia offers magnificent, beautiful schools and stylish boutique hotels; however, you may also prefer visiting the nation in an appropriate campervan. You can test delicious contemporary Australian cooking at some of the finest restaurant and winery regions on the planet, or you could always go for some just-caught fish and toss it on the barbie. Australia is often inexpensive, but you can make it as magnificent as you want if you have some cash to splash, whatever you go with, you won’t feel as if you’re missing out.

 

  1. It is just like a great dessert

You can explore the country piece by piece. Australia is a large spot – a nation a continent’s size – however, you might have a better vacation by giving it your all and selecting one manageable amount. The stark reality is, you will not miss anything. Every area includes a success of activities for each style, whether it’s the Great Barrier Reef you select the wonderful east coast as well as Sydney, or Brisbane as well as the magnificent Great Ocean Road in Melbourne. Try and stick to one piece on your first trip.

 

  1. It is reassuringly familiar, just on the other side of the world

You can have a warm cake at a trendy lunch cafe and a great alcohol in the CBD, or watch the sun go down within the amazing sacred Aboriginal site of Uluru. You can chat to the residents in a bar about cricket, after which, have a close-up experience using the kaleidoscopic marine life of the Great Barrier Reef. Australia is a bit familiar, but amazingly unique.

 

  1. You can pick the weather

Australia undoubtedly will not be a disappointment if you want it warm. But the Australian climate is much more diverse than you may understand. Although it is usually stated that Melbourne may cycle through four seasons of weather in one single day, Adelaide, for example, basks in the type of pleasant summer weather that you may associate with the Mediterranean. Also with warm bikini times slipping into starlit shirtsleeve nights, Tropical North Queensland has the ideal climate, throughout the Australian winter.

 

  1. Australia does ‘inside’ too

There is possibly no better devotee to the planet for outdoor adventure, beach lifestyle and water sports. But don’t believe for a minute that, that is all Australia provides. Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, to mention a few, use the success of cultural attractions, from intriguing historical displays to Aboriginal art that is simply amazing. Rottnest Island – a ferry trip around the west coast – is just a great example of the contrasts from Perth or Fremantle: a house to special wildlife, picture perfect beaches, along with a fantastic small memorial focused on the area’s colourful past.

 

  1. Its food glorious food

Burgers, beer and barbies, is that Australian food? Well yes, however it is also recently caught fish in Lorne or Fremantle, the Yarra Valley wineries with world class wines, as well as the amazing backstreet Asian restaurants of Melbourne. We can go on and on. Australia – in a term – sommeliers and is just a foodie heaven internationally recommended by a few of the world’s greatest chefs. Not to mention the country’s more recent claim to fame, Melbourne’s coffee scene. Be sure to grab a cuppa from an all day breakfast cafe before you leave!

Some Great Traveling Tips

Make your journey memorable

If you are planning to go on a vacation soon then this article is a must read for you. Here are some amazing traveling tips which will make your vacations safe and memorable.

One of the essentials while going for a vacation is to plan it properly. You should make all the necessary arrangements before you set out for travel. This is must to ensure a smooth and a comfortable journey. Purchasing of traveling tickets well in advance is highly recommended. This is required to make your journey free from any kind of hassle.

Make all the travel arrangements on time. No matter whether you are traveling on taxis, cabs or public transport, you should ensure that you know the routes well. If possible, try to book your accommodation in advance, this will save a lot of time and effort. Your traveling agents can give some valuable advice in this regard.
Taking care of your cash is also important while going on a vacation. Many people carry too much cash with them when they are on vacation. However, this is a wrong practice. You should use credit or debit cards instead of cash. These days’ credit cards are accepted in almost every establishment. Moreover, they are safer to carry as well.

Making a list of items that you are going to carry is important. Sometimes you forget to take small yet highly useful things with you on a vacation. Thus, the best way to avoid this kind of situation is to make a checklist. Also, put a nametag on your various belongings to avoid them getting lost or misplaced.

Look at your expenses while traveling

It is a well-known fact that knowingly or unknowingly the cost of traveling shoots up a majority of the times. This fact is also a major deterrent for people to go for vacationing or for holidays. Traveling expenses has the potential to burn a huge hole in your pocket. However, you will still find a large number of people going on holidays for the simple reason that they can’t resist it. Here are some tips which will help you to plan your traveling so that you do not end up overshooting your traveling budget.

Planning is the most important step to reduce your traveling expenses. Organize your trip by drawing a proper schedule of the places you are going to visit and time you are going to stay. Make sure you also include the activities that you are planning to enjoy a vacation.

It is very important to be simple while you go for holidays and avoid extra things and stuff. This includes unnecessary expenditure on shopping, food etc. It’s not that you can’t enjoy a holiday if you have a tight budget. Thus, keep a check on your expenses.

There are some minute things that end up burning a huge hole in your pocket. These include car rentals, gasoline, special attractions, hotel extras etc. Thus, you should avoid them as far as possible. It’s better to focus on things that you wish to enjoy your travel; people to meet, things to learn and views to see.