Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

I don’t know about you, but I went through a couple of bean bags when I was growing up. Something about slumping into one in front of the television or with a book was just way better than sitting in grown-up furniture with all its inherent rules (don’t put your feet on the couch, use a coaster, make your bed). Bean bags had no rules. And to this day, I secretly find those formless stuffed chairs a comfortable place to lounge.

Whether you’re looking for suitable furnishings for your children’s room or you want a bean bag of your own, you can find all the classics you knew as a kid available online. The Classic Bean Bags from HotBeanBags.com come in a variety of familiar colors and patterns and even some exotic ones I know I never ran across as a kid (I would have dug the spotted cowhide look if I’d ever encountered one though). If cowhide isn’t your style, there are also camouflage, metallic, leopard print, faux suede, and colorful fur bags to choose from.

The bean bags measure 30″ x 30″ x 30″ with a circumference of about 112″ offering 12 cubic feet of beany cushiness, so they’re big enough for adults but not so cumbersome that they couldn’t fit in a children’s room.

I do remember one of my beanbags meeting an untimely fate when our teething puppy chewed through the cover and beans leaked all over the TV room. According to the company, these classic bags are pretty sturdy–the pod-shaped chairs are double-stitched with heavy-duty nylon–so they should stand up well to the wear and tear of every day use (though you still might want to keep the puppy teeth away). A childproof zipper keeps the beans on the inside, so you don’t have to worry about other accidental spills.

Prices start at $89.

Hot Bean Bag Chairs

**This is a sponsored post.

If you have indoor plants, you’ve doubtlessly noticed how they grow towards the sun. If you’re not diligent about rotating the pot, you can end up with some pretty lopsided plants.

The Sun Tracker was designed with this dilemma in mind. You put the platform under the pot, and it rotates slowly on its own to ensure the plant gets sunlight on all sides throughout the day. The platform offers two speeds you can choose from, and it holds pots up to 40 pounds. It runs on 3 C batteries. Say goodbye to lopsided plants.

Price: $30 at the Home Improvements Catalogue.

Do you ever go into the house and forget to close the garage door? Chances are it’s happened before. This seemingly innocent mistake can be an opportunity for would-be burglars to enter the premises, and can be especially disturbing if it happens at night, leaving your home wide open from a security standpoint. An automatic garage door closer can protect you from this potential problem.

The Autocloser-GA is a gadget you install, which automatically closes your garage door if you accidentally leave it open (there is a button you can push to disable it for those times you want the door left open). Available from Smarthome, the device costs $69.99 and is supposed to be easy to install (only standard hand tools required).

Autocloser-GA

via Home Security Gadgets

Many people want the latest and greatest kitchen appliances from the 21st Century, but if you live in an old historic home, you may prefer something authentic to that time period. Perhaps a Victorian or Country stove from a hundred years past?

This antique wood cookstove is one of several available from Good Time Stove, a company that takes authentic stoves from the 1840s through the 1930s and refurbishes them so they can be used in your kitchen today (yes, they will convert them to gas or electric for you). You can get restored enamel, cast-iron, wood, or wood-gas appliances from them.

http://www.goodtimestove.com

When you’re remodeling the bathroom, you’ll be sure to pick a new toilet, sink, vanity, and bathtub or shower (or both) that you’ll enjoy, but don’t forget the smaller items. Toilet paper holders, towel racks, and medicine cabinets can do a lot to define the style of the room. They can also be space savers, if you’re working with a small space.

This sliding mirror cabinet from Peakline offers storage in a unique way. Instead of having a mirror that swings out (which can be awkward in a small bathroom), the entire system slides out from behind the mirror, either left or right. The four shelves offer quite a bit of space for your toiletries, and the cabinet comes with a light fixture mounted atop the mirror.

Original Bathroom Company

When was the last time you went swimming? Speaking as someone who was on a swim team all through school, lap swimming can be a great workout. Unlike running and many other forms of exercise, there’s no impact, so it’s often recommended for people with joint issues or who are recovering from injuries. Of course, healthy people can get a lot out of swimming too. It’s a nice alternative to land-based workouts. If you know all the strokes and can switch things around, lap swimming offers a little more variety than simply running in place on an elliptical trainer or other cardio machine.

But what does all this fitness talk have to do with home improvement?

I’m glad you asked. Thanks to today’s technology, it’s possible to install something called a swim spa or Endless Pool swimming machine in your home. (Think of it as treadmill for swimmers; an adjustable current pushes against you, allowing you to swim in place for exercise)

Sure, you’ve always been able to install a backyard swimming pool, but unless you’ve got a very large yard, it’s hard to build a genuine 25-yard lap pool (and any experienced swimmer will tell you it’s a pain using something shorter, where half your workout is spent doing flip-turns). And having a pool in the backyard can have a major downside: winter. Unless you live in a climate that is warm year around, you probably don’t want to trot through the snow to swim laps outside in December.

So, back to this swimming machine. An Endless Pool can be installed indoors or outdoors, so you can swim all year around. The units look a bit like extra long hot tubs (and you can actually crank up the temperature and use the pool as a hot tub). You can get a model as small as 8 feet by 15 feet, so you don’t need a huge yard to install one (and if you want to install it indoors, you might have an existing room that would work, without building an addition onto the house).

You can swim laps, walk against the current (think water aerobics), do therapeutic exercises, or just sit and soak. If you already swim regularly, it could definitely be a time saver–no more trips to the local pool (and no more having to share a lane with others, hah).

Endless Pools

*This is a sponsored post.

If you’re planning a kitchen remodeling project, you’ve doubtlessly thought of the kind of countertops, floors, and appliances you want, but you don’t want to leave out details such as the backsplash. Though it may seem like a small piece in an entire kitchen, it’s not only functional (it’s a lot easier to clean grease spatters off metal or tile than wallpaper…), but a backsplash can be an opportunity to shine.

This flaming copper wall piece from US Sheet Metal certainly stands out. Though you might think of metal as cold, this backsplash adds surprising warmth to the kitchen (copper is known for being warmer than stainless steel and other metals).

If you’ve got your eye on more than a backsplash, the company does all sorts of custom metal work, such as outdoor stainless steel railings, tables, countertops, fireplace surrounds, and sinks.

US Sheet Metal

If you’re remodeling your bathroom, chances are you’re going to buy a new sink. What to choose? A carved stone vessel sink? A ceramic sink mounted in a vanity? A glass sink? There are all sorts of options out there these days. If color appeals to you, you might like a hand-painted ceramic sink.

Shown here, the Green Bandero from SinkWorks features a creamy eggshell white exterior with an interior bursting with blue. It’s designed to be used as a vessel sink, but it can also be undermounted (set into the countertop). The inside dimensions of the sink are 14.5″ dia. x 4.25″ deep with outside measurements of 15.5″ dia. x 4.75″ deep. The price? $600.

SinkWorks

You’ve doubtlessly got whole-house heating, but if you’re like a lot of folks, there are places in your home that just don’t seem to get warm. Stairways and halls, in particular, often don’t have nearby heating vents, so they can be chilly. Even kitchens, with their cabinets down to the floor along every wall and no room for a heat vent, can be on the cold side. If you’re tired of being cold while you cook, you might consider a “kickspace heater.”

Myson’s Whispa heater is designed to fit the compact kickspace below your kitchen cabinets. The unit has a fan convector to circulate your choice of electric heat or hydronic heat (warmth provided by hot water). The kickspace heater comes with 3 settings, and aside from the kitchen it can also be installed in the riser of a stairway, in a hall, or in any other hard-to-heat space.

Myson Inc.

So, you’re looking for a luxury bathtub. These days, that probably means something big and roomy with lots of jets to soothe your achy muscles. And perhaps even a tub with a remote control?

No, the remote isn’t to turn on a television or stereo. It controls the jets on the freestanding Airspa Capri O2.

The bathtub has an extended square rim that makes it a little different from all those curvy tubs you’ve seen. The built-in towel bar is handy, but I’m sure it’s the 16 jets (and said remote control) that will sell the package. Dial up whatever intensity suits you and enjoy a luxury bath right in your own bathroom.

Available at Victoria & Albert Baths.