remodel / restore

• Make your living room a place for all the family

  

  It is important to remember that your house has to be practical and functional as well as stylish and luxurious. Above all else, your house should be a family home. There are a number of ways that you can make your home more family oriented, here are just a couple:

  • Ensure that there are family photos on display: Nobody wants to feel like an alien in their own home and achieving a sense of belonging is essential if you’re trying to create family cohesion. To make sure everyone feels at home in their own home, have family photos on display. You should be proud of your family, be sure to show them off with all the pride and prominence they deserve.
  • Don’t buy products based on style alone; make sure they have comfort value: Yes, stylish items can look beautiful but sometimes they are not practical. If you don’t buy practical items then it may discourage your family from using the room and teenagers in particular may skulk off into their own rooms rather than using the family room.
  • Create a room all the family will enjoy: Each room in your home should have something for everyone. For this reason, you cannot build the family room around the tastes of one particular family member. Remember that everyone has to feel comfortable. Yes, your room should be stylish, but it should not be off putting. Sofas and rugs are made for people to sit on- they’re not just art!
  • Centre the room around your television: Although people often do not want to admit it, most of us spend a lot of our family time in front of the Satellite TV. Instead of shunning this, embrace it and make it family time. Try making your television into a home cinema so your family can sit and watch movies together. When doing this, make sure that you use your television to its full potential by adding a backlight to enhance the atmosphere. Try checking out Northern Robotic Systems for ideas.

  Your family really are the most important thing in your life; and they always will be. For this reason it is important that your house is a home and is somewhere that everyone wants to be. Converting your living room into a de facto family room will help achieve this in an instant so try some of the above tips today! 

  partnered post • photo: CC-licensed image by Chunky Salsa

• Choosing The Best Floor Covering

  

  Note: this is a guest post and consideration was received for its publication. photo: CC-licensed image by Marcelle Guilbeau

  Though every aspect of a room has its own
  unique effect on the room’s atmosphere and décor, the floor – and what you
  choose to cover it with – can turn a heavy and dark room into a light and airy
  space that transforms the feeling of your house, or make an area that was cold
  and uninviting into a cosy and welcoming addition. With the array of natural
  and manmade materials available on the market, it’s possible to achieve almost
  any effect, no matter your circumstances or budget.

  Carpet

  Traditionally used for living rooms and
  bedrooms, carpet is hard to beat for sheer softness – the luxurious sinking of
  feet into deep pile carpet is something you might want to add warmth and
  cosiness to rooms used for relaxation. While carpets can be difficult to
  measure and lay, you can always choose carpet tiles for an easier fit – simply lay
  down complete tiles in the centre of the room and work outwards, cutting
  the edge tiles to fit. Carpet tiles also have the advantage of being easy to
  replace if stained or damaged – just lift up the damaged tile and set down the
  replacement.

  Tiling

  Sleek and easy to clean, tiles are an
  obvious choice for kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas that attract more damp
  and dirt than most parts of the house. However, they can feel cold and
  uninviting and carry with them the risk of slippage, especially when wet –
  although non-slip finishes are available for added safety. Choose vinyl tiles
  for an economical and easy-to-lay covering – vinyl is available in a wide range
  of patterns to suit your preferences. If your budget is a little higher, it’s
  hard to beat ceramic tiles for sheer durability. Alternatively, for a
  Mediterranean feel, go for handsome terracotta tiles for a warm and welcoming
  feeling.

  Wood

  Ideal for halls and dining rooms, wood
  offers a uniquely traditional feel that’s ideal for a natural ambience,
  especially suited for homes in the country. Depending on your circumstances and
  expertise, you can nail it to the floor below, glue it down with a hardwearing
  adhesive, or choose specially interlocking boards that can be installed with
  less effort.

  You can choose from solid wood flooring
  which, as its name suggests, is made from hewn timber from a single natural
  source, or more economical engineered wood flooring. Engineered wood flooring,
  available from suppliers like the Reclaimed
  Flooring Company, is constructed from layers of real wood for a high
  quality, temperature-resistant alternative that can be almost indistinguishable
  from solid wood.

• Renovate your kitchen and dining area in order to make your home look truly stunning

  

  One room that can add value to your house is your kitchen. Most people who go on house viewings have the kitchen as a ‘make or break’ room. Even if you’re not looking at selling your house you should still consider renovating your kitchen area because, as well as adding value, it can make your home look truly stunning. Here are some great ideas on how you can make your kitchen area look beautiful:

  • Upgrade your appliances: Although this is a costly upgrade it is one that is well worth making. New, shiny appliances can make your kitchen area look stunning and new gadgets can look cool as well as being functional. Brushed steel and silver look clean and modern and really can make your kitchen sparkle. As well as this, new appliances can help improve your food too. Making tea and serving any guests can be impossible if you have a dodgy oven that won’t stay at temperature, and new appliances will help solve this problem.

  • Consider the use of your workspace: In the kitchen area, convenience often overshadows style and elegance. If you’re going for the luxury look then it is wise to think practically. The worst thing that you can do in your kitchen is clutter your workspace with unnecessary items. Keep it clean and simple; if you keep the number of objects on your workspace to a minimum then your kitchen will look bigger, cleaner and brighter.

  • Get new cupboards: New cupboards can really make your kitchen sparkle. Cupboard doors take a lot of knocks and because of this they become chipped and cracked. New cupboard doors will make it look as though you have a brand new kitchen at minimum cost. As well as new doors, consider quality door handles like the ones offered by Handle Store.

  A well planned and refurbished kitchen area can really make your house look great. Whether this renovation is done to increase your family time or the value of your home then make sure that you do it well. Once it is complete you should get your friends and family around for a dinner party as soon as possible! If you’re renovating then you should always show it off; there’s no better feeling than having other people tell you how beautiful your home is.

  partnered post • CC-licensed image by Grant McLean

• Quick Fixes for Decorating

  

  Note: this is a guest post and consideration was received for its publication. photo: CC-licensed image by Cameron Parkins

  Most of us have incredibly busy lifestyles, and the last thing we feel like doing after a week at work is doing odd jobs around the house at the weekend. It’s a fact of life that sometimes decorating needs to be done though, so for those wanting to spend as little time as possible updating their home’s décor, we have some top tips.

  Kitchen

  Rather than re-designing your whole kitchen, making simple changes to the design you already have is a quick and affordable way of updating the room. Painting your kitchen cabinets is perhaps the cheapest option and can instantly transform your kitchen; however, it might take a little more time than you’re willing to give up. Simply replacing the wooden panels on a few of the cabinet doors with glass is a good way to modernise the room and will give you a place to display your favourite tableware.

  Dining Room

  Replacing dining chairs with wooden benches creates a relaxed and sociable atmosphere around the table, encouraging your family to spend more time together. It also looks super stylish and will bring your dining room right up to date. If you’re handy, you could build some yourself quite easily, but many stores sell basic benches fairly cheaply. Whatever you decide, you can blend them in with the décor of the room by adding scatter cushions or you could even upholster some old sofa cushions to place on top. 

  Bedroom

  If your bedroom furniture is in desperate need of replacement but you don’t have time to shop around for matching pieces from different stores, don’t worry. You could look into purchasing a furniture set; they’re good value for money and can often be cheaper than buying individual items. You’ll find lots of online retailers like David Phillips selling furniture sets, so compare prices and styles before settling on your chosen one.

  Living Room

  Living room furniture is often expensive, but the good news is there are plenty of ways to update your décor whilst holding onto your sofa and coffee table. A simple lick of paint in an unexpected colour can add a new lease of life to the room with minimal effort, or just adding a pop of colour with accessories like lampshades, rugs and photo frames will help establish a fresh new theme. Something as simple as a few new covers for your scatter cushions is another simple yet effective idea that won’t take up any of your time.

• Planning on Decorating a Bathroom? Complement the Bold with the Bright!

  

  Note: this is a guest post and consideration was received for its publication. photo: CC-licensed image of a backyard pond by Summit Design Remodeling

  Whilst both the style and colour are
  generally personal matters relating to the taste of the individual, like
  graphic designers know not to mix their warm and cold shades when producing
  packaging for print of product design – there are a few key take-aways that can
  assist as a guideline to getting the right look! 

  If you’re looking for something extravagant
  you may wish to think again about installing bathroom furniture with overly exaggerated
  features or facets. The same goes for selecting exotic and unusual colours. The
  reasons being is that colours go out of fashion fast, and whilst it’s fab for a
  few months to have that crazy bright contrast – as time goes on these kind of
  creative design ideas can become a grate on your personal space. It’s not just
  this aspect that you need to be aware of though. Colours and designs go out of
  fashion based on the manufacturers consumer demand. That crazy design might be
  discontinued next year meaning that if anything goes wrong or gets damaged –
  replacement parts will be a rarity and extremely hard / expensive to get hold
  of. Whilst I’m a big fan of buying and installing bathroom
  and cloak room suites, often it can be just as practical to purchase
  individual units. It may seem boring and cliché, but depending on your
  circumstances, the fact is, standard white finishes on bathroom products are
  practical because they’re so easy to replace!

  I want to talk about decorating wheels and
  charts for a moment, I feel that I can offer a bit of advice here. Whilst you
  may plan for LED strip lighting under the bathroom cabinets or inside the
  cloakroom I advise that you definitely consider the bare colour scheme under
  natural lighting conditions, and really take into account the areas and walls
  that natural light splashes it’s lumens across at particular times of day. You
  obviously don’t want the bathroom to appear too dank, dark, cold or
  claustrophobic – so if there’s not much outside light within a tightly enclosed
  space then I’d definitely suggest going with a pale warm colour scheme. An
  alternative to this would be to create the illusion of these bright conditions
  with the standard white bathroom fixtures (especially if it’s a suite). This
  allows you to add contrast to the rest of the room’s colour scheme allowing you
  to play more with bolder complementary colors.

• space for a free-standing bath

  

  Note: this is a guest post and consideration was received for its publication. photo: CC-licensed image of a freestanding tub by Erica Nicol

  I was never aware really, until I had my
  bathroom renovated (by some really good natural stone tillers) that free
  standing baths had become one of the most sought after choices for bathrooms on
  large new builds. Free standing baths are a feature unto themselves; an
  expensive and practical bathroom ornament that is elegant, bold and lavish
  enough to create an instant wow factor to anyone who visits. As you know, a
  freestanding bath is not directly fixed to the wall like most units. This is
  not to say it’s able to move however – they are plumbed in underneath and
  through the floor which is why they are so heavy and durable because: If they
  weren’t made of heavy solid composite – you’d catch it with your hip going past
  and rip out the plumbing – we wouldn’t want that now? However this said, it may
  have prevented just a little bruising from my unobservant self. 

  Have you ever tried lifting a freestanding
  bath? Don’t! Simply put, if you’ve splashed out and spent the money – get the
  delivery guys to take this upstairs to the bathroom. They’ll argue that it’s
  not in their remit no doubt…and who can blame them? Lifting these are a pain!
  But worth the effort!

  What Bathrooms Space is Needed?

  It has to be said that free standing baths
  look their best in larger bathroom environments. They are the juggernaught of
  the bath tub world. You wouldn’t stick an Elephant in a Kennel now would you? Let’s
  face it, if you have a small bathroom and you simply can’t go without – I
  suggest knock through a wall or two, move house or just don’t bother. Small
  bathrooms have practical layouts for practical units for practical reasons. A
  free stander would literally be the next large Russian doll in the room and
  you’d be crying for space! Generally you’d want other free standing units to
  accompany this furniture too such as these
  free standing bathroom cabinets or sinks for example perhaps? Free standing
  bath units are absolute luxury because of their individual designs and way they
  cup yours (and whoever else’s – they’re great to share!) body. I reiterate, just
  make sure you have the space!

• How To Create a Modern Kitchen For Spring in Ohio

  

  Note: this is a guest post and consideration was received for its publication. Photo: a colorful modern kitchen, CC-licensed image by Lee J. Haywood

  Where spring is all about color, the modern world seems more set
  of steel and chrome. Color is minimal and there is more of a
  focus on metallic colors, machinery and appliances.

  How do you go for a modern kitchen while still keeping it in line
  with the lively and colorful season of spring in Ohio?

  Do you make it an explosion of colors or do you restrict it to
  the minimalistic and metallic order of the modern world?

  Here are just a few hints and tips on how to make your kitchen
  more modern without depriving it of the spring fever.

  1.  Add Color Smartly

  Hints of color look good when spring rolls around. Having a
  modern kitchen doesn’t mean you must deprive yourself from
  colors, but that you use them smartly. Don’t go ahead and paint
  the entire kitchen yellow. What you can do is buy appliances in
  color.

  A lot of different electronics companies have introduced sleek
  creations that work well as per their function and also have
  infused in them a stripe of color here and there. So though they
  may still appear all steel and chrome, you’ll find some life in
  them.

  2.  Let the Environment Breathe

  When you imagine a modern kitchen, you see a room stuffed from
  wall to wall with appliances. You can always be a little careful
  when buying appliances so that you consume the minimum of energy
  while using them.

  With everything in today's world running on electricity, trying
  to be energy efficient and opting for energy saving products is
  not only wise, but also in vogue. There are plenty of companies
  manufacturing energy saving appliances. You can also save on
  appliances that rely on natural gas by opting for a company such
  as http://www.ohiogascompanies.com/
  or a similar company if you live outside Ohio.

  3.  Create Creative Storage Spaces

  This goes especially for those with smaller kitchens. People do
  tend to horde certain things, whether its grocery items or
  some sort of a crockery item. Regardless, there is always more to
  keep and
  less space to keep it. You don't necessarily have to store it
  in the already cramped cabinets. Modern kitchens are not only
  spaces to cook in, but, increasingly, also to entertain so it
  would do good to add some decorative element.

  Why not make this decorative element a part of your storage as
  well? If you like to collect unique salt and pepper shakers, set
  up a simple shelf on one of the kitchen walls and show them off.
  Alternately, you can set up a peg board on a wall and hang your
  cutlery on it. This will add to the ambience of your kitchen
  while saving you some space in the drawers and cabinets.

  4.  Modernize the Plumbing

  No, don’t redo the entire plumbing, but you can use plumbing fixtures to add some mood to your kitchen, similarly as you use appliances
  for the purpose. Change up your sink and faucets to add a little
  color or add some unique form of faucet that seems very techy,
  but is essentially just a means to wash your hands and dishes.

  One unique design allows water to flow from a faucet in a
  waterfall-like fashion, so you know there are plenty of options
  when it comes to faucets as well.

  Whether it's a major change as of getting new floors done or a
  minor one of just adding a new toaster, making a kitchen more
  modern is not about how big your budget is, but rather how
  innovative and out of the box you can think.

• Getting More Out of Small Spaces

  

  Note: this is a guest post and consideration was received for its
  publication. Creative commons licensed photograph by Jeremy Levine
  design.

  Compared to other markets, finding spacious and affordable
  housing in Denver isn’t that difficult. Still, there are a
  lot of benefits to living in a smaller space. Financially
  speaking, smaller spaces are cheaper. They also force you to
  evaluate not just what you already own but things you think you
  might want to own—which keeps you from spending money on space
  suckers on a whim (another financial boon).

  How smaller spaces are cheaper:

  • Smaller spaces simply cost less across the board than larger
    spaces.
  • A small home is cheaper to insure.
  • Smaller spaces are easier to heat and cool, so your HVAC
    system doesn’t need to work so hard or use as much power.
  • Smaller spaces are easier to light properly (and natural
    light goes further within them) so your electric bill will be
    lower.

  You can see why it’s financially beneficial to go smaller,
  especially when you’re concerned about your financial health.

  At the same time, it’s understandable that you’re attached to the
  things that you’ve collected. You worked hard to bring those
  collections together. You’re proud of them. You don’t necessarily
  want to give them away or sell them or toss them out. So what do
  you do?

  1. Figure Out Some Creative Storage Options

  We’ve talked about how to
  make the most of the space in your bedroom. Apply these same
  concepts to the rest of your house. You’ll be amazed at how many
  things can double as storage containers (and artfully so at
  that)!

  2. Store Things Off Site

  Do you really need to keep your Christmas decorations on hand all
  year round? Do you really need to keep every single book, movie,
  vase, art print, tchotchke, etc within sight at all times? Do you
  really need your winter clothing to be taking up space in your
  closet in the summer? These are examples of things that can all
  be stored off site in a storage unit. Storage units have come a
  long way from the dank holes they used to be a decade ago. Now
  they are affordable, secure and most are even climate controlled
  (check
  unclebobs.com for deals in your area). This is important for
  an area like Denver, where we get all of the seasons and they are
  all intense.

  Either way, you are probably going to have to
  pare down, at least a little bit. Go through your home and
  look at everything you own. Consider each item carefully. If you
  haven’t used it in the last twelve months and it doesn’t have
  significant sentimental value, you can probably get rid of it and
  not miss it too much.

  Instead of simply tossing out the things you decide not to keep,
  though, why not sell them? Put them up for sale online. Have a
  yard sale. Use the proceeds from the sale to finance your storage
  unit and a few of the artful storage containers we talked about
  at the beginning of this article.

  The truth is that living a comfortable lifestyle doesn’t require
  lots of space or lots of things. If you’re creative you can make
  a small space feel and function the same way as a large space.

• Lighting Options for Your Home

  
  

  Note: this is a guest post and consideration was received for its
  publication. Creative commons licensed photograph by Jeremy Levine
  design.

  When you’re looking to spruce up your home, lighting is one of
  the easiest ways to give the space a new feel while keeping it
  consistent with your current theme or décor. Lighting is a
  relatively easy fix and most of the items can be found online in
  places such as LEDRopelightsandmore
  or in most retail stores, which means you’ll be able to simply
  make use of the new appliances without a lot of work.

  When you’ve decided you’d like to upgrade your
  lighting, you’ll need to decide what kind of theme you’re
  looking for and what kind of space you’re dealing with so you can
  most effectively use the room you’ve got for the best lighting
  possible.

  Keep in mind that you can really change the ambience of a room
  simply by switching out the colors of the bulbs you’re using or
  adding in splashes of colors through lamps or rope lights. They
  make light bulbs in pretty much every color imaginable ranging
  from soft pinks for a romantic bedroom atmosphere or bright blues
  for something a bit more fun and wild.

  In most cases these bulbs can be used in the lamps and lighting
  houses you’ve already got, which means you won’t need to purchase
  anything else to get the benefits. Even fluorescent black lights
  can be placed in most traditional fluorescent housings, meaning
  you can save money just by buying the black light bulbs.

  Rope lights are a great way add a little bit of ambient lighting
  to a room quite easily. The best part about using rope lights is
  that they’re designed in such a way that they can be easily
  hidden behind furniture or on the corners of a room, keeping them
  out of sight while still emanating quite a bit of light. These
  are probably the easiest lighting pieces to install as oftentimes
  they’ll only need a few tacks or wall hooks to be used
  effectively.

  
  Chandeliers are a classic lighting prop and for good reason.
  They add a lot of light to any room and they have such a great
  look to them that they work with pretty much every theme or décor
  you could possibly imagine. They add a ton of class to any space
  and the best part is that because they’re meant to be center
  pieces, the light flows around the housing, meaning you can light
  an entire room with just one furnishing.

  Contrary to popular belief chandeliers are becoming easier and
  easier to install and most of them can be hooked into the
  existing wiring that’s already in the roof.

  Another very easy lighting idea that is simple to implement is
  simply using what you’ve already got and using it creatively. One
  of the best ways to control the lighting in any room is to use
  sheers or lamp coverings as they’ll allow the light to filter
  through the fabric in different consistencies depending on the
  thickness and color of the material. If you add this in with one
  of the aforementioned colored light bulbs you’ll see that your
  entire room will look quite different.

  Lighting is probably the easiest way to upgrade or spruce up any
  room in the house and it’s really quite easy to implement. It
  doesn’t take a lot to change some of the lighting options in your
  room and you’ll see a huge difference that will be sure to keep
  you happy.

• How to Create a Modern Bedroom

  

  Note: this is a guest post and consideration was received for its publication. Creative commons licensed photograph by Jeremy Levine design.

  If you are tired of looking at your outdated and even traditional-style bedroom, you may be interested in revamping the entire room and turning into something unique, beautiful, and modern. If you are thinking about a modern makeover for your room, you should always look for modern ideas for your room beforehand. There are tons of images that you can find online to get the inspiration you need to turn your room into something magnificent. In little to no time at all, with just a bit of effort, you can completely transform your bedroom.

  Get Inspired

  Grab a modern bedroom magazine and get inspired. You can look around at all the different and creative ideas that are pictured in the magazines. Of course, this does not mean that you have to copy exact ideas. However, pictures can help you to become inspired on the type of modern theme you want to have for your updated bedroom. Aside from looking at magazines, you can get your inspiration from just about anywhere. A walk in your neighborhood may give you the inspiration you desire for changing your bedroom around and improving its appearance so that it is more modern.

  Consider Contemporary Bedroom Furniture

  Modern rooms tend to contain a whole lot of contemporary furniture, which includes furniture that you may consider out of the ordinary. There are armories, benches, and even bedroom vanities that are made using different materials. These different products are often shaped with a modern look and feel. You will want to add these accessories to your room to give it even more of a modern appeal. When it comes to bedding, look for down alternatives to get the modern look of down without the allergies. Modus Furniture has become a popular choice amongst buyers looking for modern bed frames. There are many styles to choose from, especially from the different collections that they have available. Check out the collections and determine which meets your personal preference and ultimately has the modern look and feel that you like the most.

  Use Modern Colors

  Modern colors come in such a wide variety. Brighter colors are commonly being used, which includes bright shades of blue and green, along with shades of red and purple. As you are planning out the customization of your bedroom, you can jot down alternatives for the colors of the walls. For example, instead of painting the walls one solid color, you can choose a solid color and a design. There are many designs that are being commonly used in modern bedrooms. Some of these designs include damask patterns, argyle patterns, and stripes. Adding a splash of color to add an extra touch is also a good idea. As an idea, if you paint the walls a shade of purple, you may want to buy an even brighter piece of furniture. A chair in the room could be lime green and it would still look well in the room.

  There are lots of easy ways to create a modern bedroom. It is best to start off with some inspiration, jot down a few ideas, and ultimately go from there. Remember that bold colors are considered quite modern and contemporary furniture has become a huge hit. All it takes is the right supplies, some paint, and a little patience because you will likely be remodeling your room on your own or with the help of a friend or family member.