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home decor advice

how-to-create-a-relaxing-luxurious-living-area

If you lead a busy life, then the idea of having a room in your home that provides relaxation and calm whenever you need it is probably quite appealing. A place to unwind or spend time with family and friends can not only make your home a nicer place to be but can also do wonders for your mindset. If you have children, you will know only too well how much stuff they can accumulate, and if you look around your home, you might be surprised to note that their belongings have taken over every room!

If there’s a room in your home that is rarely used or has become a dumping ground for things that don’t have a home, why not consider transforming it into a clutter-free welcoming space instead? Here are 4 ways to create a luxurious and relaxing living area in your home. 

Choosing the right color palette

Color can completely change the mood of a living area, so it’s important to decide on a color scheme before you do anything else. Once you know the color palette you are going for, it will make it far easier to choose furniture and accessories. Websites like colorcombos.com are great for establishing colors that complement each other well. This can make it far easier to decide on the main color then add other colors into the mix by way of soft furnishings. Muted tones provide a far softer look and therefore work well to help create a calming and luxurious feel in any room.

Furniture

When choosing furniture for your room, it’s important to consider comfort as well as aesthetics. A modern sofa with clean lines and a picture-perfect look might be appealing, but if it isn’t comfortable, you aren’t likely to use it very often. On the other hand, a sofa with cushioning you can sink into is likely to turn your room into a space that you cannot wait to spend time in. 

In terms of other furniture, consider how you will use the room. If you intend to read lots of books, you might want to get a stylish bookcase and some functional side tables. If you want to get a TV but feel it would ruin the feeling of relaxation and luxury, why not get a TV unit with doors so you can conceal it when not in use? Think carefully about what you need and make sure your purchases are considered ones.

Lighting

Lighting can completely change the mood of a room. Stark white bulbs can make a room feel clinical and unwelcoming, whereas warm bulbs will create a far more inviting ambiance. 

A mixture of table and floor lamps illuminating all four corners of your room will create a fabulous layered lighting effect. Multiple lights will give you the freedom to change the tone of your room as you please and, depending on the mood you are going for, provide you with the ability to have your room well or dimly lit. 

If you are unsure of the lighting styles you prefer, it’s worthwhile looking online for inspiration. Stylish Direct is an online business that sells a huge range of stylish décor items worldwide. From modern wall lighting to more traditional floor lamps, they have an abundance of lighting options available depending on your preference.  

Finishing touches

From curtains and cushions to rugs and photo frames, soft furnishings and accessorize provide the finishing touches to a room. Without them, a room can look incomplete and will be far less appealing. 

Cushions and throws are a great way to add an even more relaxing and luxurious feel to your living area. Whilst you might be tempted to buy matching cushions and place in each sofa corner, it’s a far better idea to mix and match. Buying lots of different sized cushions in a range of fabrics and textures will add depth and give the impression that your room has been carefully and thoughtfully planned. 

If you want to add a more personal touch to your room, add family photographs in an array of frame styles to different areas of your room. Hanging art that you love on the walls will help to complete the room and add to the relaxing mood that you are trying to achieve. 

Filling the room with relaxing and warming scents that you love is another great way to change the mood of a room. Light candles or have some wax melts burning then sit back, relax and enjoy the peaceful and luxurious haven that you have created.  

SHOP HOME DECOR….

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5-amazing-dining-tables

We are so thrilled and happy to host a new guest blogger this week – Mark from Foosballzone.com

5 dining tables that are insanely awesome

A dining room is where the whole family sits and spends time together over lunch or supper so it is essential for them to feel good. With an astonishing dining table, you can make the whole space look amazing.  Due to that, I have made a rundown of 5 extremely stunning tables which will draw your family in the dining room. One thing you must keep an eye on is the fact that tables like those are not for everyone. Having an amazing table like that is a statement and you should be proud if you are looking to get one of the tables from the article:

Millenium Bontempi

The Millenium Bontempi is a dining table made for contemporary homes of individuals who value basic plan. Just by looking at the table you can see that it doesn’t have any excess decorations and it looks absolutely amazing. There are two shapes of the table; rectangular and roundabout shape so you can pick the table to fit your room. What I like the most is the fact that it is produced using one material. You can pick one from 3 materials: wood, glass and steel. The greatest highlights of the table are the legs. They aren’t in the corner of the table; they are in the middle of it.

Concrete table

The concrete table is a standout amongst the most fascinating dining tables on the market, but it comes with a catch.  It is challenging to locate the perfect one. The concrete table must be smooth, equally hued and with no breaks. That means that you don’t do that alone, you leave it for experts. The ideal blend you can discover that comes with a concrete tabletop is wooden legs. A table like that is impressive dining furniture and it is for a modern house.

Foosball dining table

Another dining table made for the bachelor’s apartment is a foosball dining table. Remember this isn’t just a foosball table with glass top, it is a table made to be a dining table. A table like that will leave an impact on everybody who comes into the room, including the ladies. A dining foosball table like this one has style and class. A tempered glass over the field is lifted because the height has to be like on the real dining table. The glass covers the rods so you won’t hit them while eating dinner.

Swing dining table

I can completely picture this table in a lunchroom in Google since it speaks to the casual environment you need to have in a lounge. It is made for individuals who are kids at heart and I am certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that this table will make you smile. Awesome for family dinners because it is a rare opportunity to see your grandmother in the swing! The table is completely safe and it has enough room between the swings so you won’t feel cramped.

Driftwood dining table

This table may not be modern, but it is absolutely amazing. A driftwood table is extraordinary furniture for any home since it tells to you its story. It would be a disgrace to put the driftwood table in little lounge area so I would propose putting it in an open space kitchen/lounge area. With tempered transparent glass on top a driftwood table, the extraordinary wood will be visible forever.

Author bio:

Mark is a blogger who has a blog about foosball tables. On his blog he shares all that one foosball player has to know, including the posts about various foosball tables like the one you can look at this link: http://www.foosballzone.com/sportcraft-foosball-table/

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100-room-challenge-week-4-room-reveal

Room reveal time! It is now week 4 of this amazing challenge to makeover 1 room with only $100 and I am so excited to show you the results of the room reveal.

Let’s take a look back…..

Remember my extra wide hallway space that was a dumping group for all things kid related?

…and these before photos are showing off the space after I had my kids do a bit of a clean up.  so not the best use of this space.

As my kids are getting older and 3 of the 4 are in school – they are coming home with projects and homework … the kitchen table was an OK area to do the work but my 2 older children in particular were quite distracted by the goings on in the family room with their 2 younger brothers.  So that is what motivated me to create a homework station.  This challenge popped up at the perfect time as I really wanted to have this space all set up before back to school.

Let’s take a look at the progress….

I knew this space would be perfect – we don’t need a massive ‘office’ for the kids and I wanted them to still be close by that we could check in on them and they could ask for help. This little nook space is located between my kitchen and laundry room.

It started with a total removal of everything that was in the space and everything was re-homed to a better spot in the house (baseball bats don’t need to be stored by the kitchen)

I then asked around (starting with family) to see if anyone had anything ‘hanging’ around that they wanted to get rid of — I lucked out with a desk.

The desk fits beautifully in the space and it is metal so it is easy to clean (white may not be the ideal colour for kids but if it gets really dirty and cannot be cleaned….it should be easy enough to spray paint)

I purchased the plastic 4 drawer chest at staples (it was about 1/3 of my budget but it is such an important item).  It comes with wheels so it is easy to slide in and out as my kids need items from the drawers.  I designated (using labels) one drawer per child and the top drawer is for shared items like scissors, erasers, pencil sharpener….)

I soon realized that I had some additional wall space in that nook area and that could be used for back packs! The kids back packs end up in various locations of the house and we need a system….so wall mounted hooks were need. I found some great ‘Buddy Hooks’ on Wayfair and I could have opted for something more typical but I thought these were really fun (and my kids love them, too!) That’s $20 added to my budget – so 1/2 already spent!

I wanted the space to have some colour and also demonstrate that it was a kids’ space – we have tons of kids’ art all over the house and some just stored in bins.  So I spent some time with the kids going through some of their favourites…we found some colourful canvases, a papier mache mask my son had made plus a bunch of other items…..I wanted to be able to show off all of their work but there’s isn’t enough wall space for that – so I thought about adding these clipboards to the gallery wall and this way we could switch up their art and work throughout the year!

I like to plan out my gallery walls on the floor first instead of just ‘winging’ it!

These clipboards were about $5.00 each…

See the full details of this homework station transformation…

week 1

week 2

week 3

Time for the room reveal….

I’m so happy with how this turned out! My kids are really excited, too – my daughter jumped right it to use the space as soon as I announced that it was done!

Here are the buddy hooks – in the back pack area – one hook for each child and I added a photo frame with a school photo – so they knew whose hook was whose….

The final budget…

4 drawer chest from Staples                                     $32.95

Buddy hooks                                                                         $20.00

2 clip boards                                                                         $10.00

3 wood photo frames                                                    $4.50

desk                                                                                     came from my parents

chair with pillow                                                               was already in my home just in another room

art                                                                                        already had

kids’ school photos                                                           already had

pencils, crayons – holder                                                 already had

2 file holders                                                                      $9.99 each

wall mount copper baskets                                             $20.00 (on clearance)

Total:                                                                        $107.43

So I’m slightly over budget….but the extra $7.43 I can live with for a space this useful and that looks this great!

A few more photos of the room reveal….

This new homework station is going to be really useful for us and the challenge really helped me stay on track with time and budget….I’m really looking forward to the next challenge coming up in September.


Let me know what you think of this homework station,

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what-is-e-decor

So what is our e-decor service?

E-decor is an interior design service that we offer for clients who love our style but don’t live in our area or clients who don’t mind doing the leg work but don’t know where to start.  The beauty of this service is you don’t need to live near by, we source items that you can purchase online and have delivered to your door and you can move at your pace as your timeline and budget allow…

How does the e-decor service work?

Our e-decor service is so easy! First, we do need to know which room or rooms you want to design and decorate, we love to know a bit more about your taste and style (sending us photos of rooms you like is perfect!), we need a rough budget to work with (we all have a budget and we believe that style doesn’t come with a price tag), photos and dimensions of your room(s) (in the case of a property under construction, a floor plan is perfect), and we also want to know what purpose you want the rooms to serve, for example – TV room, guest bedroom / home office etc…

Next, we prepare a quote for you and once approved we get started!  Depending on the size of the project this could take anywhere from 2-4 weeks. We send you a vision board with the furniture, art and accessories – you have the opportunity to then critique and we make the changes to produce the final concept.  We also provide a sketch with furniture placement and a series of styling tips (for example art placement)

 

E-decor is perfect for someone moving into a new home or space, some one who is short on time and someone who wants a designer space but doesn’t know where to start. E-decor is a great gift too! We love to work with clients and make their spaces come to life so they can enjoy life and their space without the stress that can come with it!

 

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friday-favourite-quirky-pillows

It’s Friday time to round up our favourites of the week – instead of rounding up our favourite piece from our shopping trips we have decided to share a favourite items we love to add to our decor projects –  ‘quirky’ pillows!

What do we mean by ‘quirky’ pillows?

You have probably noticed over the past 2-3 years that accent pillows with fun or wise sayings have been everywhere… and we love this fun trend too! We have used some in our model home projects and also some of our client decor projects. These ‘quirky’ pillows are a great way to express your style and personality all at once! Plus they are an affordable way to freshen up your home decor.

Pillows are a great and affordable way to update a bedroom or living room.  These quirky and fun pillows are a way to show personality in your space – they set a mood and show off your attitude!

Pillows…

Are a great way to add a splash of colour, print, texture and in this post we are rounding up our favourite ‘quirky’ pillows! Layer one of these into your current scheme. Choose a pillow with a fun or funny saying, something inspirational or wise … there is a ‘quirky’ pillow for everyone!

Favourite ‘Quirky’ Pillows:

The message of this pillow is simple – when it comes to adding this to your decor take inspiration from the colours in this pillow.

 

This is a great pillow cover for a dog lover – it can be added to most decor schemes too…

Kids love quirky pillows too – this ‘PLAY’ pillow is great for a kids bedroom or a playroom.

 

We posted earlier about pineapple decor but here is another great quirky pillow featuring pineapples…love the message!

This Mr&Mrs lumbar pillow is a great anniversary gift or house warming gift – it’s cute on an accent chair or a bed.

 

Quirky pillows are also a fun addition to your decor for the seasons and the holidays…

Sometimes these pillows say what we are all thinking….like this one ‘more summer’! Who doesn’t want that?!

 

Pillows are another way to celebrate the seasons – this Fall pillow is fun and cheery and a perfect addition to a sofa or front entry welcoming friends and family!

 

Halloween is a holiday that is very much about decor so why not add a pillow like this one to your space to celebrate the spooky season….

Show off your personality with a quirky pillow,


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paint-colour-concept-whole-home

When it comes to a paint colour concept you really need to think about the whole home.  We just finished meeting with some clients earlier today to put together their paint colour concept – they have hired a painter to start later in the week and during our paint consultation we discussed the idea of a paint colour concept for the whole home – even though they aren’t thinking of paitning the entire home at this stage.

Photo credit : HomeBunch – This mudroom is painted in ‘Stonington Gray’ by Benjamin Moore

What is a paint colour concept?

Basically it is a plan with a series of colours for the whole home.  The colours all work together even though they may be different – there is a fluidity to the whole look, so as you walk through the home room by room the colours will work in a cohesive manner.

You may not be ready right now (for a variety of reasons) to paint the entire home now but if you have a plan you can focus on the rooms to paint now and still know what the overall look and feel of the space will be.  Be sure to record and file all of the paint info – so brand, name and code – you can refer to it when you are ready to paint the next set of rooms.

What to know when making your paint colour concept?

You really need to understand the lighting in your home.  Which rooms have a lot of light (natural or otherwise) and at what time of day.  Paint looks different in different lights – natural vs artificial, it also looks different depending on the amount of light and time of day.  So we always suggest to clients to paint test swatches on the wall and take a look at them at various points in the day.  Be sure you like the colour at all times of day before fully committing.

Our clients wanted a light and airy look with some ‘beachy’ inspiration without going too literal – their furniture is most neutral (think light warm grey sofas and coffee hardwood floors).  the home is an older home with original interior doors and baseboards, they wanted to maintain that character but give the home a fresher and more current feel.

Here is the paint colour concept we put together for our clients:

Benjamin Moore ‘Balboa Mist’ OC-27 is perfect for their hallways and guest bedroom – it is a soft and warm grey tone and it is one of our favourites to work with.

Benjamin Moore ‘Stonington Gray’ HC-170 is another favourite of ours – it is a true gray that adds some really pigmentation on the wall without being too deep and it has a great freshness about it too.  This is for the dining room (and will be paired with a farmhouse inspired table)

‘Silver Half Dollar’ 2121-40 by Benjamin Moore is a colour that’s really inspired by the beach (not just in name). We chose this for the living room – it is one of the brighter rooms in the house and they wanted a bit more colour in the room that they spend the most time in.

There master bedroom is on the top floor in an attic space – so the sloped ceilings add architectural detail to their master but the ceilings are also a bit lower – so we opted for a light and airy white.  This is a clean and calming tone for the room and offers with great contrast to the dark coffee floors plus this means they have a lot of options for accent colours in bedding and more  – We selected ‘White Heron’ OC-57 by Benjamin Moore.

The homeowners  are happy with some of the existing colours in the home – such as the kitchen and bathrooms (so previous owners must have really focused on where to spend their money when prepping the home for the resale market as the bathrooms and kitchens all had a fresh coat of paint). So we worked with those tones along with their own tastes to create a a whole home paint colour concept.

A paint colour conept is a great way to stay focused on your style and have a designer look in your home…

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wood-bead-garland-decor-trend-love

The Wood bead garland is a trend that we just love! I used some recently in an urban farmhouse inspired model home, not to mention I have some in my own home … I love these simple garlands and let me tell you why and how I love to decorate with them!

Photo credit – PrettySimplyStudio

What is a wood bead garland?

The wood bead garland is probably best described as ‘jewelry for the home’.  It adds a great texture and a new shape to a space.  These wood bead garlands come in different lengths and colours, some even come with different size beads.  The beaded garlands have a touch of rustic which is why they work so well with farmhouse decor.

How to decorate with a wood bead garland?

There is no set way on how to decorate with the wood bead garland but it works best in a relaxed arrangement.  I personally have mine at my front entry draped over some books and a Dutch clog from my husband’s family.  It adds to our entry vignette

The wood bead garland works well draped over a vase, vintage trophy, glass or pottery piece or even draped over a wreath…it add another element of texture.

Photo credit – PrettySimplyStudio

We also love the look of draping these garland in a bowl or tray – hung or coiled or a combination of the two works – just keep it looking casual…

Photo credit – PrettySimplyStudio

Wood bead garland also work beautifully in Christmas decor – if you like a woodland or natural look, try an extra long natural wood garland in your Christmas tree

Photo credit – The Merrythought

Mix it withe some greenery to and add it to your fireplace mantle – it has a woodland look with a touch of Scandinavian inspiration.

Photo credit – Oleander + Palm

Where can you buy a wood bead garland?

If you are crafty, you can make your own wood bead garland….

I purchased my wood bead garlands through a great little shop on Etsy, PrettySimplyStudio I love the quality and the handmade craftsmanship, plus there are even customization options for colour and also some custom tags too.

Photo credit – PrettySimplyStudio

I love the texture and the shape that these wood bead garlands bring to a decor scheme…what other ways to you see this trend working in your home decor?

SHOP WOOD BEAD GARLANDS…

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red-and-white-home-decor-inspiration

Happy 150th Canada! What better way to celebrate a beautiful country than with decor….you can celebrate our nation (and it’s colours) with red and white all year long….

 

To celebrate Canada’s Birthday –

Here are some of our favourite red and white rooms:

This red and white country bedroom has such a relaxed look.  This is perfect for the cottage or any home that has a more rustic feel.  We love this metal bed frame that has been painted in a red chalk paint that has a bit of an aged feel and then paired with the crisp white sheets.

 

You know we love a white kitchen and this white shaker kitchen with a cute window seat is perfection! Red is a bold pop of colour so you don’t need a lot to make a statement – a few pillows in this window seat are just enough.  We also love the mix of pattern in this space – the toile in red and white for the window valance and the rug – add some more visual elements in red.

 

 

Tired of blue for a boys bedroom? Ya, we are too! Red is a great alternative – it is bold, sporty but also a classic it pairs well with the ‘typical’ masculine palette like grey, navy blue and brown – it is used in a lot of sports logos so you could use that for decor inspo, it also works well with a nautical theme but for something more current try adding red to a rustic theme boy’s bedroom, like this one featured in Style at Home.

 

 

We love the look of a two tone kitchen – either upper and lowers in different colours or the island one colour separate from the rest of the kitchen.  We showed you a red and white kitchen earlier but this one takes it to the next level….a red painted island in a white kitchen – it might be too bold for some but we like the warmth this tone brings to the space and how nicely it pairs with the wood tones, too

 

With red and white decor, think outside, too

A red door (white white trim) is such a fresh and clean look plus a red door is just so welcoming – depending on your existing exterior colours will help determine which shade of red is best but there are so many to choose from …

 

We love red and white for the outdoor patio and seating space, too! It adds a great pop of colour plus it is a timeless colour combination, so you can re-use these for a few years…

Red and white home decor doesn’t have to be just for Christmas or Canada Day …red and white is a classic combination that you can decorate with all year long….

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friday-favourites

It’s Friday! and it’s time to round up some of our favourite pieces from the week.  It has been a busy week at kiki interiors and we have been working on so many different projects for clients but here are some of our favourite finds from the week….

 

  Eiffel Side Chair

We are HUGE fans of these chairs – we used them most recently at Stittsville Walk but we have used them with a number of clients.  they come in a bunch of colours and different bases, too!

Zak Teak Dining Table

This was a recent purchase for our staging inventory and we love it! We just took it out of the box this week and wow, it did not disappoint! It’s a perfect table for a smaller space and the reclaimed teak has a raw and industrial look bringing so much character to the room.

 

Bull Printed Framed Art

Another new inventory piece … we love the simplicity and the unexpected element of this piece. It is such a clean looking framed piece – we hung this over an accent chair in our latest model at Stittsville Walk  – we love art with some personality, it really brings a unique feel to any space!

 Laurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse 1 light pendant

We needed something simple in the dining space – we already had an amazing 12 bulb chandelier in the kitchen over the island so we needed something complimentary in the dining space.  We love this simple glass one light pendant with a vintage bulb –

 

Bora Solid Acacia Wood Table

We love the look of natural wood – the character of natural elements adds so much to a space – we love mixing textures! We needed a smaller coffee table and instead of a standard coffee table we opted for 2 of these and placed them side by side.

 

 Bungalow Rose Zanzibar Area Rug 

We love this rug! The colour, the design and the vintage feel – we have 2 clients who have purchased this rug so far and they both love it! Are rugs are a great way to add visual interest to a room with colour and print!

 

Sevan Faux Mongolian Fur Blanket

We love adding texture like fur to living rooms, bedrooms and even dining rooms . Faux fur adds a great touch of softness to any space – it comes in all sizes and colours, too! We also like it as a pillow.

 

This is our round-up for this weeks favourites …. which is your favourite?

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white-shaker-style-kitchen-will-never

The white shaker style kitchen has been seen in kitchens for years! So is this style ever going out? It seems like very Pinterest board, very magazine and every home improvement show has the white shaker style kitchen.  So why is this style so popular?

The Shaker kitchen

Shaker style furniture is known for it’s simplicity and some may say ‘minimalist’ design.  The shaker design refers to the door style – it is a 5 piece door, with a recessed center.  The shaker style drawer could either be a flat panel (which we see in more modern style kitchens where detail is minimal) or you could see the 5 piece door in a drawer. 

This is an incredibly popular style because of it’s versatility but also it is so transitional depending on your handle choices for instance, you can make the cabinet suit any style of decor.

The White kitchen

Still the most popular choice for homeowners – they are clean, fresh and classic.  White works with all styles – you can easily add or incorporate elements of wood in flooring, counter tops or even some reclaimed wood accents.  You can mix your hardware style and finish.  Add glass cabinets and floating shelves, marble backsplash or subway…you can do so much with this colour of kitchen!

This is the best of both worlds – the simple design in white.  It’s perfect!  You can adopt this white shaker style kitchen to just about any style by adding the hardware and accents like back splash, lighting, faucets and more….

Here are some of our favourite examples of amazing white shaker style kitchens:

This white shaker style kitchen is perfection – the mix of the apron sink with the goose neck faucet, the herringbone marble tile backsplash and the oversized stainless steel pulls – makes this white kitchen anything but boring!

This white shaker style kitchen has a bit of a classic meets vintage quality.  The mix of the pulls and knobs in the antique black finish gives some depth and contrast.  The subway tile in the staggered formation with the dark grout looks vintage (like something you would find in a bistro). The open wood shelving add a decorative touch and keep the kitchen from looking traditional and the marble countertops add another classic element. 

Keep it traditional and add an antique touch to the clean lines of a shaker cabinet by adding some crystal knobs and pulls – this adds a great ‘bring’ factor, too! The white subway tile, the white quartz counter and the glass cabinets keep it classy in this all white kitchen.  The cabinetry style is the perfect back drop for all the more detailed elements!

Yes, brass is making a comeback – some of you are cringing….but it looks so fresh in the all white kitchen!  We love the mix of knobs and pulls – it’s a designer look and it really ups the look of the entire kitchen.  The brass adds great visual impact but also a warmth in this all white kitchen, as does the wood floor.  A simple kitchen cabinet can really stand out with great details.

So why do we think this white shaker style kitchen will never be out?

Because classics are never out of style.  They may fade in popularity but they never fade away. 

So if you are considering a kitchen renovation don’t overlook this classic and transitional style – it is perfect in every way,

SHOP KITCHEN PIECES…

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