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How to Get Your Home Ready for Valentine’s Day

February 9, 2015 By

As the author Melissa McClone wrote, “Life takes you to unexpected places. Love brings you home.” Although this adage almost always holds true, it has extra value on Valentine’s Day. This year have a Valentine’s Day date at home. Here’s how you can fill your home with lovely details of love.

1. Romantic photos: Display your wedding photos and other romantic photos around the house then find them all together. Walk through your home together and talk about the stories the pictures tell.

2. Flowers: There is nothing like a beautiful bouquet of red roses to make your home feel ready for Valentine’s Day. Display a few bouquets in your bedroom and on the dining room table. Feeling extra romantic? Scatter rose petals in a heart shape on your bed.

3. Candles: Light scented candles in your living room, kitchen, and bedroom. Candles are soft, romantic, and can change the ambiance of any room.

4. Date night activities: Cook a decadent dinner together then set the table and eat by candle light. Hang a sheet on a large wall and use it as a movie projector. Watch your favorite romantic movie and share popcorn. Move your living room furniture and dance to love songs.

5. Details: Add details like heart cutouts, heart shaped garland, and your favorite candy.

Setting the mood is the first step. Turn the lights down, set out some wine glasses, and enjoy a nice evening in with your loved one!

 

Recommended Reading:

-5 Creative DIY Projects You Can Do with Wallpaper

-5 DIY Projects to Tackle This Year

-How to Decorate Your Home for the Holidays

 

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How to Turn Your Bathroom into a Spa-Inspired Escape

January 22, 2015 By

Your home should feel like a calm and comfortable space where you can unwind, relax, and recharge. Here are tangible ways to let the soothing qualities of a day at the spa inspire your bathroom decor.

1. Aromatherapy: Choose scents that match your desired mood and intention. If you are stressed, nervous, or can’t sleep use scents like bergamot, chamomile, cinnamon, lavender, clove, rose, sandalwood, or vanilla. If you are feeling a bit melancholy, use scents like clary sage, cypress, or marjoram. Tired and fatigued? Try cinnamon, cypress, eucalyptus, fennel, lemon, peppermint, sage, or spiced apple. Learn more at Underground Health, then set up a collection that makes scents for you!

2. Vanity: You’ll feel like a celebrity when you do your makeup at your vanity. As an extra perk, you can keep all of your beauty products and jewelry organized and accessible.

3. Mood Lighting: Skip the florescent bulbs. Your lighting affects your mood. Take some cues from the New York Times article, LEDs Change Thinking About the Light Bulb.

4. Calm Colors: Use the principles of color psychology when you choose your paint colors. In an interview with WebMD the color consultant Leslie Harrington recommends painting the bathroom in shades of blue, green, or turquoise. These colors, “give a sense of being clean and fresh — and calm.”

5. Little Luxuries: Incorporate little luxuries like, fresh flowers, a heated towel rack, pretty soaps and storage containers, a bath pillow, bath salts, fluffy bathrobes, and an additional shower head.

6. Storage Space: Keep your bathroom clean, open, and clutter-free. Recent studies have shown that clutter causes stress. Don’t let a mess ruin your at-home oasis.

Now the only thing left to do is to draw a bath, pick up a good book, and relax.

Recommended Reading:

-5 Ways to Make Your Home Cozy for Fall

-5 Ways to Take Your Bedroom from Good to Great

-Be My Guest: How to Style a Guest Room

 

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5 DIY Projects to Tackle this Year

January 6, 2015 By

With the New Year in full swing, take this fresh start as a time to complete some fun DIY projects. You’ll save money and get the satisfaction of having made something yourself. Take out your paint brush and your tool kit and get started.

Tackle one project at a time and you can have an improved home in no time.

1. Install a new backsplash: You can instantly alter the aesthetic of your kitchen by sprucing up your backsplash. There are lots of creative ways to DIY a backsplash. Tile, stainless steel, glass, chalkboard, or mosaics are all lovely options. Regardless of what you choose, you can pay a fraction of the price by doing it yourself instead of hiring a professional.

2. Change your architecture: Change your architecture – without hiring an architect or needing a wrecking ball. Add a chair rail and/or crown molding to give your room texture and depth. Take the proper measurements, then head down to your hardware store to get the materials you need.

3. Paint cabinets: Whether it’s your bathroom or your kitchen cabinets, adding a fresh coat of paint can make the room feel brand new while also adding value to your home. This DIY project doesn’t take much time or money.

4. Curb Appeal: Make a good first impression. Paint your front door, change the address numbers, add a unique knocker, and repair or paint the exterior trim. This is another quick and easy DIY that project that can make your home feel new again.

5. Paint: Paint your interior for an instant upgrade and shift to your decor. Change a light colored wall to a dark one for a completely different look, or simply repaint with the same color to make the room look fresh again. You can also put up wallpaper to add a more detailed design.

DIY projects don’t have to take a lot of time or money. Projects like these can be done in a few days and you could end up with an improved home at a fraction of the cost of hiring a professional.

Recommended Reading:

-Creative DIY Projects You Can Do with Wallpaper

-Just DIY It: 5 Natural Cleaning Products

-How to Style a Gallery Wall

 

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At Home Magazine: How to Install Flooring

December 12, 2014 By

Laminated planks offer the look of wood or stone, but they provide greater durability and convenience. Looking to make a few renovations this winter? You can install flooring using these simple steps.

1. Allow flooring to acclimate to the room. It should sit for at least 48 hours prior to installation in order to contract or expand in relation to room’s temperature.

2. Remove existing base molding and flooring. Save molding to reinstall at the end of the project.

3. Install foam underlayment, ensuring the surface is clear of staples and nails from old flooring.

4. Plan your layout.

5. Measure and cut your first piece.

6. Install the first row with the tongue side facing the wall, cutting the tongue edge off of these planks.

7. Connect planks to each other using the tongue and groove.

8. Allow for expansion; leave a one-quarter-inch gap between the planks and the wall.

9. Cut the last plank to length.

10. Install additional rows, allowing at least 12 inches between the seams of adjoining rows.

11. Install the last row.

12. Cut around door casings using a jamb saw.

13. Reinstall base moldings. Install shoe moldings over expansion joints, caulking around the perimeter before installing if in a bathroom. Use transition strips to connect the laminate floor to adjoining surfaces, such as carpet.

Voila! Enjoy your new floor (and the fact that you saved money by doing it yourself)

Recommended Reading:

-Old to New: Tips for Rearranging Your Furniture

-6 Inexpensive Remodeling Ideas for Your Home

-Ask Our Expert: Budget Friendly Bathroom Update

-Done in One Hour: How to Install a Faucet

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How to Decorate Your Home for the Holidays

December 1, 2014 By

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Not only are the holidays arguably the most cheerful and fun days to experience with your loved ones, they’re also the best time of the year for decorating. Whether you go all out or prefer minimal decorations these tips will get your home into the holiday spirit.

1. Decorate the door: Make a great first impression. Decorate your doorway with garland and hang a wreath from your front door.

2. Christmas lanterns: A lantern is a very elegant and sophisticated piece of decor that will instantly dress up any room. Add candles or flameless candles to brighten any room.

3. Centerpieces: A centerpiece is the focal point of your table. It transforms how guests view your dining room and can really get everyone into the Holiday spirit. Adorning your table with a bouquet of red roses mixed in with some garland, berry sprigs, and candles is a great way to bring the season into your home.

4. Hanging lights: Decorate any sort of hanging, pendant light with garland.

5. Staircases, columns, etc.: Take your love of detail into other parts of your home. Add bows, garland, and string lights to the handrails and columns inside and outside your house. These small decorations will help make your home cozy and give it a very Holiday feel.

6. Coffee Table: Fill glass bowls or cylinders with ornaments. If you’re feeling extra creative spray paint pinecones and add them.

7. Mantelpiece: Your mantelpiece is usually the focal point of your living room, and what better time to draw more attention to it than the holidays? Decorate the mantel with red berries, tree branches, Christmas stockings, and other small holiday touches.

8. The tree: For Christmas it’s all about the tree during the holidays. All families have their own traditions, but you may want to change things up a bit. Add some metallic shimmer, top the tree with bells instead of an angel, and cluster ornaments together. It’ll give a traditional tree a new look.

Decorating your home for the holidays is a fun family activity. Add some cheer to your home!

Recommended Reading:

-5 Ways to Make Your Home Cozy for Fall

-5 Creative DIY Projects You Can Do With Wallpaper

-First Impressions: Door Decor for Fall

 

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6 Natural Home Decor Ideas

November 11, 2014 By

Contribution by Andrea Davis, HomeAdvisor

Can’t get enough of the outdoors? If you want more of it in your home without maintaining a jungle, then consider alternatives. Here are some top ideas for homeowners wanting that extra touch:

1. Add natural elements: One of the easiest ways to incorporate the outdoors indoors is literally to add it to your home decor. It might be pebbles, wood, straw, leaves and other pieces in smaller amounts throughout your home. You could also add photographs, paintings and framed pieces of wood or leaves to the walls of your home.

2. Assemble flowers and plants in pots: If you are willing to do the maintenance and manage the upkeep, you can add potted plants to your home. This adds elements of color and natural fragrance to your home. You might avoid real plants if you have severe allergies and do plastic versions to be safe. You should also be aware of any plant varieties that are poisonous to your pets.

3. Install natural flooring: If you have tile, laminate or vinyl floors, you can have a flooring installer replace them with hardwood, cork, bamboo or other natural flooring materials. They feel warmer underneath your feet, and they are organic and biodegradable compared to what might have been in your home before.

4. Make the most of your windows: Your windows are for more than a beautiful view. You can let in natural light by opening them or replacing heavy curtains with light, see-through drapes. You can also let in fresh air and the scents of the outdoors. If you’re worried about pests or debris, install new screens.

5. Use outdoorsy colors: Another option is painting parts of your home with naturally-inspired colors. Some color options include green, blue, yellow and brown. There are also neutral tones like white, tan and beige to evoke cleanliness. Whether you paint an entire room or just a wall, you can complement the room with elements like plants to make it seem more outdoorsy.

6. Consider stenciling: You can also stencil outdoor-related images onto your walls. Maybe it’s trees, leaves, the sun, moon, stars or an entire landscape. You can do random stenciling or theme it by room. The end result will be a design that attracts visitors and complements the outdoor landscape.

Your interior can get closer to the outdoors depending on how much money or time you want to spend bringing the elements indoors. The end result will be a natural, seamless transition from the beautiful landscape outside to the same relaxing feel inside.

 

Photos courtesy of DesignMine

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Bring on the Patterns: How to Combine Designs with Confidence

October 31, 2014 By

Usually when it comes to options, more is better, but that may not be how you feel when you get to a home decor store. There is an overwhelming number of fabric, color, and style options. Don’t worry. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that even the pros use formulas to create the styled rooms we all love. Use these tips and techniques to create a home you’ll love.

Adopt the Rule of One: One floral, one stripe, one check, and so on. Use this approach to limit your selection to no more than one of each so that you won’t have to worry about similar patterns clashing. Create a cohesive design by selecting similarly colored detail pieces like throw blankets, pillows and vases.

Start Small: If you’re uneasy about decorating with a large-scale or dominant pattern, use it in small doses. Decorative pillows are a great way to introduce patterns into your space without needing to make a big change.

Live Large: The larger the room, the bolder your use of patterns can be. To create a more intimate feeling in a big space, repeat a pattern or two. For example, use the fabric from window treatments on a chair cushion.

Give Texture a Try: Not into big blooms and colorful stripes? Create an alluring room by combining textures like hard wood and rugs and fabric in a variety of textures.

We hope that these tips help you create a beautifully decorated home. We’d love to know your tips for combining patterns and designs. Connect with us on Twitter and share your advice!

 

Recommended Reading:

-5 Ways to Take Your Living Room From Good to Great

-10 Secrets for Making Your Bedroom Appear Larger

-Small Changes, Big Differences: 5 Low Cost Ways to Give Your Home a New Look

 

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5 Ways to Make Your Home Cozy for Fall

September 29, 2014 By

It’s officially fall! Break out your sweaters, boots, hot apple cider, and other fall essentials. Make your home cozy and comfortable so you can enjoy family game nights, carving pumpkins, and curling up with a good book.

Use these tips to make your home snug and homey.

1. Candles: Lighting a candle, especially one that gives off a fall scent, such as pumpkin or apple spice, will help you relax after a long day. Scented candles fill a room with a sweet or spicy aroma, give an extra bit of light, and add a calming effect to your house. They instantly make any fall night cozier. (For safety never leave burning candles unattended).

2. Plush throw blankets: Placing a fleece or knitted blanket on your couch will instantly add a warm feeling to your home. Curling up under a blanket on a cool night, while your scented candles are lit, makes all the difference. As an added bonus, this is a great way to add color and decoration to your furniture.

3. Switch your curtains: During the summer months, you keep your window treatments as light as possible to cool off your home. Now with a cold breeze in the air, warm up with a heavier material. This adds natural warmth and coziness to the room. Go the extra mile and make the curtains a deep, warm color like chocolate brown to really bring the season into your home.

4. Add a fabric table runner: Sitting down at your dining room table can sometimes feel too formal and bare tables don’t add anything extra to the room. Change the dynamic by adding a seasonal table runner. This brings a homely feel and makes any family dinner feel more festive.

5. Layer your area rugs: Putting more than one area rug in a room will give an added cushion, perfect for lounging on the floor and watching television on a chilly night. More than one rug also means more warmth so the chill that wooden floors bring won’t be an issue this season. Opt for a color like orange or brick red to tie the look together.

Incorporating these fun, cozy fall ideas into your home is a great way to change up your decor, while also creating the perfect atmosphere for you and your family. Now pour some hot chocolate or hot apple cider and gather around for game night.

 

Recommended Reading:

-Fall into Fall: 5 Ways to Make your Home Fall Ready

-How to Make your Home Summer Ready

-5 Ways to Take Your Living Room from Good to Great

 

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Summer Transitions to Fall: Home Decor

September 26, 2014 By

As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” The fall season starts in just a few days and excitement is in the air. The beginning of a new season is the time for a fresh start. Welcome it with a new look for your home. If you prepare your wardrobe for fall, shouldn’t you change your home decor as well?

Here are a few ways to transition your home decor from summer to fall.

1. Neutral Tones: Swap out your bright colored decor for more neutral tones. Take a cue from nature and add brown, orange, red, green, and yellow elements.

2. Slipcovers: Add a slipcover to your couch or chairs. They’re available in a variety of colors and patterns, making it easy to change the look of your home without purchasing new furniture.

3. Bed linens: Change your bed linens from bright hues to darker colors and thicker material. Add a throw blanket or quilt for extra comfort and warmth. Add a few red, orange, or green throw pillows to complete the look.

4. Details: Bring the nature indoors. Add a pumpkin, a bowl of apples, or pine cones in various areas of the house. Add some fall scented candles and flowers such as orange roses, sunflowers, dogwood, aubergine dahlias, bright yellow marigolds, and deep burgundy ranunculus.

5. First Impressions: Make a great first impression by making a fall wreath and putting orange or red potted plants and pumpkins on your front steps.

These tips will give your home a new look for the new season. We predict that you’ll fall in love with your fall-inspired home!

 

Recommended Reading:

-How to Style a Coffee Table

-Serene Spaces: 5 Tips for Creating a Calm Bedroom

-10 Incredible Home Organization Tips

-Sweet Dreams are Made of These: How to Style a Bed

 

 

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Dorm Room 101: How to Decorate a Dorm Room

August 18, 2014 By

A dorm room is a student’s home away from home. It is possible to make it feel more home-y (while still ensuring that they come back home for breaks).

Use these tips to help them show off their style and personality!

Decorative Bedding: The beds are the focal points of a dorm room. Bedding is a great way to showcase your child’s style. Have fun choosing the perfect extra long twin sheets, comforter, decorative pillows, and other bedding necessities. If they know their roommates in advance, you can coordinate a color scheme with them!

Clutter Concealers: Dorm rooms are notoriously small and students generally share the space with at least one roommate. Conceal clutter by using storage pieces such as under the bed boxes, a storage ottoman, slim hangers, and closet storage accessories.

Cover the Walls: Most schools won’t allow students to paint the walls of your dorm room, but there are other ways to enhance a bland white wall. Frame posters, art, and personal photos. You can also put up a wall decals or removable wallpaper, just make sure to take it down at the end of the year.

Extra Lighting: Dorm rooms often have fluorescent lighting. To create a home-like feel, use floor lamps, desk lamps, or table lamps instead of the main lights for a room.

Curtains: Curtains make any room feel more like home and they block out light better than blinds. If you are allowed to install a curtain rod, purchase curtains for the space.

Extras: Extra items could include a small couch, a behind the door mirror, desk organizers, a small trashcan, a lap desk, and a small floor rug.

Follow these suggestions to style your child’s dorm room. They’ll enjoy having a cozy and comfortable space that they can call their own (for at least a year).

Recommended Reading:

-How to Make a Rental Feel Like Home

-Sweet Dreams are Made of These: How to Style a Bed

-How to Style a Bookshelf

-Home Office Essentials

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