All posts by Tamas Toth

There are kitchens where every item is in plain sight. Almost everything is open, meaning shelves are used extensively, and some solutions even involve hanging kitchen utensils on a rod, freely displaying pans, spatulas, and colanders, not to mention larger utensils. On the contrary, there are kitchen designs where nothing is in front, nothing is visible — as if there were no kitchen at all. Some say in such cases, they don’t really cook; it’s just for show 🙂 .

So, we are seeking answers to when it’s advisable to use open shelves in a kitchen, and when it’s more practical to conceal everything in closed cabinets. Additionally, how do these two opposing kitchen storage methods fit into different interior design styles? Which style is more suited to open storage, and which to placement in closed cabinets? How does the layout of a kitchen, whether it’s integrated with the living room or a separate space, determine the practicality of open or closed placement? Furthermore, how does the size of the kitchen or the intensity of its use dictate the necessity of open or closed storage areas?

Continue reading In a kitchen — when is it practical to emphasize open shelves, and when is it better to predominantly prefer closed cabinets? →

When we think of a fireplace, we generally think of a wood-burning fireplace. Naturally, this is for a reason, as we have been burning wood in fireplaces for centuries. Nowadays, fewer people can do this, as in many cases we do not have the option to change the characteristics of a given apartment, or we simply do not have the time to deal with wood-burning. On the other hand, many people have a romantic desire for the sight of a burning fire, or they wish to experience the radiant heat of a fireplace.

Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages we need to consider when choosing between the experiences provided by a wood-burning fireplace, pellet fireplace, gas fireplace, electric fireplace, bioethanol fireplace, or steam fireplace:

Continue reading Wood-burning fireplaces, electric fireplaces, bioethanol fireplaces, and steam fireplaces – which is the best choice, where, and when? →

The vintage style, like retro or antique styles, is not a single style, but perhaps an experience of an era.

Some argue that retro is what has gone out of fashion in the last 20 years. What is older than that but not older than 100 years, or at least newer than 1900, is vintage, and what is even older is antique. According to these definitions, the content of these categories should constantly change over time. That is, what is now retro includes our items from after the year 2000. And then vintage is what came before that. So, as time passes, retro eventually becomes vintage, and if we forget to update our vintage interior, will it become antique? If I created a retro interior design in 2005 inspired by the 1980s, is my style definition wrong because it’s now considered vintage? – No way! I refuse to accept that – for me, it will always remain retro.

Another perspective is that only original items that are at least 20 years old can be called vintage. They say that retro is a modern thing, copying a bygone fashion, and you don’t buy the original now but a reproduction that just looks like the older one. In contrast, vintage can only be something original from that time, meaning it’s also structurally original. However, some narrow down the period and say vintage can be from 1920 to 1980. So, if you have a 1960s-looking radio that is original and uses radio tubes, it’s vintage. But if it just looks like that and is a modern manufacture with a hidden CD tray or USB port, it’s only retro-looking. Similarly, we can buy retro-looking stoves or refrigerators, and even if their design is from the 1950s or 1960s, we can’t call them vintage because they hide modern technology inside.

This is a more understandable approach for me, but the vintage umbrella term still bothers me.

Continue reading How would you describe the vintage interior design style? – or is vintage not even a single style? →

In the past, all ceramics were handmade. Compared to today’s industrial mass-produced ceramics, a handcrafted piece – whether it be a mug, cup, plate, soap dish, or vase – can exist in endless variations, limited only by the creator’s imagination. It is true that some may be less ergonomic, slightly irregular, and more expensive than industrially produced items.
As the saying goes, with an industrial product, if someone accidentally presses the production line button and then quickly turns it off – oops, 1000 mugs have already rolled off the line! 🙂

In contrast, an artisan creates each piece individually. Even if they work in a uniform style, small differences are noticeable, and each item reflects the artist’s unique vision, creativity, and skill. This chosen uniqueness resonates with customers who opt for handcrafted ceramics.

Let’s explore why it is beneficial to choose handcrafted ceramics for home decoration or everyday use:

Continue reading Using handcrafted ceramics – uniqueness in everyday life →

Two years ago, I bought a single plant to enhance my rock garden. I didn’t expect it to be such a vigorous and fast-spreading plant, beautiful even without flowers. Over two years, my single plant has multiplied into hundreds.

Since I initially bought it for rock garden decoration, it worked very well but I found it also suppressed other plants. Therefore, I had to cut off the runners. It’s easy to propagate, and almost all cuttings survived.

Continue reading Creeping bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) – green in winter, burgundy in summer as a robust ground cover →

We can increase our comfort while simultaneously reducing heating costs.

It is well known that the lower the temperature of the water used to heat the house by our boiler, the more economical it is. This is especially true for condensing boilers. Whether it’s an old open fire or a turbo gas boiler, caution is needed because the return water temperature to the boiler must be higher than the dew point of the flue gas. This is approximately a threshold value between 55–60 degrees Celsius. In condensing boilers, the key is that the return water temperature is as low as possible, as the condensation of the flue gas below the dew point is stronger, meaning the precipitation of water vapor from the flue gas. This precipitation, the change of state, comes with additional energy release. The lower the temperature of the water used to heat our home, and by better dissipating this heat, making the return water as low in temperature as possible, the better efficiency we can achieve in operating our condensing boiler.

Here, the heating pipe is already in the living room wall:

All of this is fine and good — however, the lower the temperature of the heating water, the more difficult it is to give off heat, as the temperature difference between the room temperature and the advancing water temperature becomes smaller. This problem can only be solved by increasing the surface area of the heating element. Beyond a certain size limit, implementing this with a radiator would be impractical. Especially considering that multi-panel radiators increasingly enhance heat dissipation through convection (i.e., by heating the air) and to a lesser extent through radiation. This is not advantageous, as heat emitted through radiation provides a more pleasant sensation even at lower temperatures.

On the other hand, if we use underfloor, wall, or ceiling heating, we can heat a larger surface area. This warm, radiant heating ensures a comfortable feeling of warmth.

If we want to live in the apartment during heating system improvements (now specifically discussing water heating), among the three surface heating methods, wall heating comes with the least dust, clutter, and inconvenience, using the following method — provided there is available wall space. And there was.

Continue reading Installing wall heating in an already inhabited apartment, under plasterboard or stone porcelain – do it yourself method →

Two basic principles:

1. Produce the energy with highly efficient equipment!
2. Don’t let the generated energy go to waste!

The transformation of the living room:

As much as it’s a priority to steer the population away from gas consumption, let’s admit that in an apartment block without district heating (central heating), heating and hot water can primarily be provided by gas, and secondarily by electricity. If many people switched from gas to electric heating, it would also cause problems, as many apartment block infrastructure and stairwell electrical systems are not designed for mass electric heating. Therefore, the possibility of massively increasing the amperage of apartments would also face limitations. Naturally, heating with air conditioning could be an alternative to direct electric heating, as it represents roughly a quarter of the electrical load, but many people do not like the warm air blowing, and the numerous outdoor units attached to the façades are already a terrible sight. For this reason, I believe gas will remain predominant to a greater extent.

But what can we do to keep our gas bill low?
Continue reading Energy cost reduction in an apartment block – DIY – window replacement, internal insulation, underfloor heating →

Besides general home renovations – such as replacing cold and warm flooring, kitchen cabinets, and sanitary ware – a crucial point was to create a low utility cost home.

Because of this, modern plastic insulated glass windows with shutters were installed, and the previous convector heating, open combustion bathroom heating, and the open flow-through domestic hot water unit were replaced with a single condensing boiler.

Since there is zero chance for common facade insulation in the apartment building in the near future, 10cm thick glass wool internal insulation was installed on the enclosing walls, with a vapor barrier heat reflective foil and drywall covering.

Continue reading Do-it-yourself home renovation – window replacement, internal insulation, heating modernization, new bathroom, kitchen, wardrobe – cold and warm flooring →

Customer Request:

Since I have already received the measurement data for the Pannon 30 LEDs per meter 24 Volt RGB strip per meter, could I get the same for the V-TAC 60 LEDs per meter 24 Volt strip in a per meter breakdown?

I’ve done it! Not just up to 10 meters, but up to 15 meters, which is understandable as 30 meters with both-end connections.

Continue reading V-TAC 60LED/meter – 24 Volt RGB LED strip measurement data between 1-15 meters, powered from one end →

Question regarding the Pannon 30 LED per meter 24 Volt RGB LED strip:

On the following page: HERE the 24 Volt RGB LED strips were compared to show how much better they are compared to the 12 Volt ones. I understand that because the rolls are 5 meters long, the performance of 5 meter lengths were compared, and since the V-TAC roll is 10 meters long, its values ​​for 10 meters were also shown. I also understand that this V-TAC strip has been adequately praised for how good it is, with 60 LEDs per meter and only 40% of the light at the end of 10 meters, but I’m curious about the 10-meter performance of two Pannon LED strips (30 LEDs/meter) that I solder together, as I feel that the decrease in light would be even smaller. And Pannon is still expected to be of higher quality because it is double-layered PCB and at such a great length many people may not mind that there are only half as many LEDs. After all, consumption is theoretically the same order of magnitude, so luminous flux is similar.

So I would like to know what the Pannon 30 LED/meter 24 Volt RGB LED strip produces over 10 meters, because I think it would win.

Continue reading When comparing 24 Volt RGB LED strips, the V-TAC performed well even at 10 meters, but it would also be good to know what the Pannon 30 LEDs per meter would produce over 10 meters! →