uunisepätblog

Longing for Longevity

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:52:59 +0100

Today I went to see an apartment that had a showing just above where my apartment is located. My apartment is on the fifth floor so this one was on the sixth which is the most upper floor in my building. From the very entry I realized that this apartment was thought until the very last detail and I don’t mean the furniture or the interior design. It was the finishing touches of the window frames, absolutely beautiful cornices, door handles and other built-in details.

I walked around for some time, browsing through the 115 square meter space until I suddenly stopped in the dining room and looked up with awe: there was a fresco on the ceiling! The ceiling itself was round and concave i.e. it was curved inwards. The estate agent said that the fresco was painted in 1937 when the house was built and that the constructor of the building, who chose this apartment to be his, ordered the fresco. That certainly explains why the apartment was done in such detail and love.

I always dreamed about having a fireplace like the ones you can find at Unnisepät. So, after admiring the fresco for a few minutes the estate agent turned my attention to the other special thing in the room: the fireplace. This masterpiece looked like some models I have already seen at Unnisepät! He told it was the only fireplace in the building and was built in the same year as the fresco was painted, that is in 1937. The fireplace was the original and hadn’t been repaired, which means it has been serving the dwellers already for 70 years without any reparations although the house has been renovated few times. I think it is great that one can rely on longevity also with Uunisepät fireplaces which are made to last years to come.

To conclude the showing the estate agent pointed out that the constructor was a very pedant man and built his home in a way that he and his family could enjoy and appreciate and could seek comfort in. I think that is something to go by with, after all, home is where your heart is, and a design made with heart will definitely make a home feel like home.

How to Choose a Fireplace

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:53:50 +0100

It is a lot of fun to decorate and design your home. Some people like to change the place of the furniture once in a while just to freshen up the look. Some will even go further and find themselves painting the walls or even tearing down the old wallpaper. These things are personal and each one of us has their own way of doing things. I myself like to move around the furniture but also do some radical renovations at times because sometimes the state of your home is craving for some radical action.

But what is common for all types of renovations is that you seek to create a home of your own personal style. When choosing a fireplace, you should keep in mind your own style because at Uunisepät you are not limited by options. Your style can be whatever between a voluptuous classical style and a minimalistic dressed down style, but at Unnisepät you will always find the fireplace of your dreams. If you are more of a classical style person then you might go for fireplaces such as Erkkeri Nostalgia or Harmonia, which represent refinement and a more elegant style. For those who like clean lines, minimalism and maybe sleek and shiny materials, there are fireplace collections called Design and Trendi. These two collections represent the 21^st century design. So if you like a dressed down and minimalistic fireplaces then check out Alppi Kaakeli (Design Collection) and Kuura (Trendi Collection), a fireplace with a place for some firewood on the side.

Whichever style you go for you should definitely stay true to the style that you feel comfortable with. For this reason Uunisepät has such a wide collection of different fireplaces. In addition to previously mentioned collections, Design and Trendi, there are also few others worth seeing. And the best thing is that once you have settled on few different options you can compare them directly on the website. You can have the chosen fireplaces next to each other and have a closer look at their technical characteristics, prices, stone and door options and so on. It is definitely convenient to have all these tools at your hand!

Ecological heat

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:45:15 +0100

In today’s world the word ecological echoes everywhere. Some people passionately manifest the ecological way of living, some try to lead an ecological way of life in some aspects, and some think it is either pointless or just don’t have a clue what it is and consists of. The fact is that Earth won’t survive long if everyone doesn’t do his or her own part i.e. doesn’t start living in an ecological way. So what does it really mean – ecological?

Maybe the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind is to walk or to use public transport instead of taking a car. That is a valid point and helps to reduce your carbon footprint i.e. the amount of carbon dioxide that your actions cause. Also, everyone must have heard about the manifest of taking your own shopping bag instead of buying a plastic bag at the cashier. Other ecological things involve eating local organic food because the distance the food travels of course correlates with the amount of emission fuels, and also growing organic food excludes the use of pesticides and other harmful substances. But then again, does it pay off to grow local tomatoes in Finland also in the winter time when the heating expenses are very high? Not really.

Heating costs in Finland are high due to the high market price of the electricity. Moreover, if you do care about the environment and don’t support nuclear power then you can buy environmentally friendly electricity, which costs more than the nuclear power energy. However, one way to reduce your carbon footprint and the electricity bill is to provide you home with natural heat.

Have you ever heard about Uunisepät? Natural heat can be provided with a fireplace, which is an ecological and also an economical way of keeping your home warm. With Uunisepät fireplace you can be sure that your home is heated in a safe and efficient manner. If you have a possibility to have a fireplace in your home, then you should definitely figure out with Uunisepät what kind of options for heating your home you have.

Desire to Decorate on a Budget

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:44:52 +0100

I often find myself window shopping for things that I would love to have but can’t really afford. After student life I also noticed that I have a great desire to build my nest that is to decorate my home and acquire new things to make it feel more and more like home. This desire is fueled furthermore by the various interior design TV-shows and magazines. Everyday they show you how to make your home even more cozy, stylish, sexy, classy and attractive i.e. one has never ending opportunities to renovate their homes.

The sad side of this is that it costs to renovate, and it doesn’t cost that little. Not many of us have a lot of extra money to spend on things we desire. Unfortunately, there are many expenses that come in the way of the new Kartell lamp.

The new tendency to give different payment opportunities for customers is very welcomed. I have bought some things home, such as my white leather sofa and a kitchen, using the “payment in parts” service. It basically means that you make a down payment for the desired item after which you can take it home. From then on, you pay a certain sum a month for an agreed period of time. I have noticed that when you arrange the payment with the store/company itself it is more economical than using a credit card. Usually the interest rate in credit cards is fairly high and it doesn’t pay off to use it when making big purchases.

I respect companies that are ready to help out with the payments by offering their customer the possibility to pay in parts. One of these companies is Uunisepät. If you have been dreaming about a cozy and stylish fireplace, but worry about the cost and payments, you don’t have to worry anymore. Uunisepät offers you “Uuniraha” program which means that you get your desired fireplace without paying the whole sum at once. Instead, you can negotiate with Uunisepät your own payment program. An easy and handy way to tune your home!

The Spring Season

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:34:38 +0100

The first warm sun rays are warming the ground and making everyone wait for the summer to come. The promise of warm weather, flowers and ice cream picnics is in the air. It seems that people are so much happier towards the summer time than they are in the winter. However, the mood is not the only thing that changes once the summer shows its signs. There are several things one must concern himself/herself in the spring.

In our family, we have certain rituals that we must do in the spring before the summer comes. These include, for example, fixing the bikes, putting furniture on the terrace, planting new plants, washing the windows, putting the winter clothes away and so on. Everyone in our family has his or her own task, even the little ones because we think it is utterly important that everyone in the family feels needed. Despite all the tasks, there are also changes in our behavior. In the wintertime, we spend a lot of time at home, especially this has been the case this winter. The reason for this has been the fireplace that we acquired last winter from Uunisepät. The fireplace had become the central piece of our home, a place where everyone gathered to spend time. For me the Uunisepät fireplace was also a decorative element, and my husband can’t stop praising Uunisepät and their fireplace engineering because our heating costs had gone down by 30% percent. In fact, already two of our family friends have either replaced their old fireplaces with new ones from Uunisepät. Talking about word of mouth!

With every day I can feel the summer approaching fast. It feels like everyone has more and more things to do: summer hobbies, SAT exams, making sure the car and the boat are ready for the summer season. I am sure that the summer will bring about some changes to our home and how we spend time together but I am absolutely sure that during the rainy days all of us will cuddle up in front of the fireplace to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate with melted marshmallows.

Quality Over Quantity – Or?

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:56:32 +0100

Personally, I find it always difficult to decide whether to buy a cheaper version of something or go for the more expensive one, the one of quality. But is the price always equivalent to quality? Well, it is not so simple at all. Sometimes the higher price does not stand for quality but for a brand. In the end, how is it possible to know whether you are paying for brand or for quality? That is a question I often ponder on.

I am more than ready to pay for quality if I know that the item will serve me years in good condition. I am the least interested in just a brand – in fact, I don’t have any respect for brands that cost a lot but which don’t deliver long lasting products. I have been especially disappointed with some clothing brands, and nowadays I stick to average brands in clothing. In the end, clothes last pretty much the same time and, thus, there is no point to pay more just for the brand. I have also noticed the same applies to some household items, such as toilet paper, tooth paste and coffee mugs.

Where does the quality matter then? In many things actually. To start with the most common one, I would say you can notice the price-quality ratio in coffee. If you buy the cheapest coffee, it is seldom to have a strong taste. If you pay a bit more, the taste and the scent usually increase with the price. I never complain about the price when it is crucial to have something of quality and when the materials used in the item are important. And example of such would be a fireplace. When we decided upon installing a fireplace, we looked into several different options and did quite a lot of research. We found out how crucial the materials used in building a fireplace are and how a big role the engineering plays. Based on this we went to a dozen of fireplace companies. Surprisingly many of them did not use proper materials and they lacked in engineering. Luckily, we heard about a Finnish company Uunisepät that produces fireplaces with premium engineering and materials. Also, the design of fireplaces at Uunisepät was stylish and up to date. We soon understood that considering the mint engineering and materials, the price-quality ratio at Uunisepät was more than good.

Know the things you are buying and make sure you do your market research before buying expensive things.

Winding Down

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:14:57 +0100

Everyone needs some winding down and relaxing at times. It is not always easy to read the signs of your body and mind and actually stop for a moment and take your time. However, it is good to wind down before you really burn down. There are several ways of recharging your batteries and getting the needed reboot.

First, and unfortunately the most expensive one, is to go on a holiday. Scientists say that it takes two weeks for a human being to forget about work and start to enjoy the present. So if it is possible, most often not, take a three-week holiday, or then just make an effort to forget about work and switch off all mobile devices. Just enjoy the sun or the snow without making any plans or schedules – live in the moment.

Second, have at least one evening a week when you switch off your mobile phone and take your laptop into another room and just enjoy the present. Every Sunday I switch off all the mobile devices, make some nice snacks and mulled wine with all kinds of different spices, and go to the living room. In the living room I switch off the lights, put some candles, light the fireplace and make myself comfortable in front of the fireplace with a good book. I have to say that when I was getting the fireplace from Uunisepät, a Finnish fireplace company, I was getting it only because I had fallen in love with the design of Uunisepät’s fireplaces. It was so white and chic and fit perfectly my living room. However, when I talked with the experts at Uunisepät, I realized that a fireplace is so much more than just the looks; it heats the house, too.

Third, enjoy the time with your loved ones to the maximum. Don’t take work calls or answer emails while you are spending quality time with them. Also, make an effort to come up with different events and ways to spend time together – it really does pay off.

So, separate your work life and private life and live in the moment enjoying every second of the both worlds.

Fighting Stress

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:15:02 +0100

There has been a lot of talk about stress, especially work related stress. I never felt that it was something that I should concern myself with; I was working, doing things, coordinating, keeping everything running smoothly. However, sometimes in your life there are moments when the casual business becomes just too much. For already some days, I have felt that something is off and that I can’t handle everything I am supposed to, but today it hit me when I realized that I had crossed a crucial deadline. I was devastated. And the most devastating thing is that it might be irreversible.

For the whole day, I tried to forget about it, I tried to work to take my mind off it but I couldn’t, not until my husband told me to sit down and just relax. He took me to our living room, sat me down on a big armchair and gave me a blanket. I was still skeptical and in a depressed mood. He lit up the fireplace, put some scented aroma oil in to the fire and brought me a cup of hot beverage. I sat there looking at the fireplace and with every fire flickering I felt better and better. There is something incredibly hypnotizing and soothing in fire. I never knew our ten-year-old fireplace could give me such a peace of mind. I still remember the day I saw this beautiful Uunisepät fireplace in a magazine. I first thought that we would get it just because of its looks but after we contacted Uunisepät and were told about the engineering, how it would cut our electricity bill and bring about a wonderful atmosphere. And they truly were right about all of these things.

Having sat in front of a fireplace for an hour or two, I was able to put everything in perspective. One learns from his/her mistakes and I wish I learned from this one. I have been blessed with many great things including the fireplace we got from Uunisepät. Without my husband having taken care of my stress by giving me exactly what I needed, I wouldn’t have dealt with all this in just one night.