Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

If your usual shower is leaving you feeling clean but otherwise uninspired, maybe a Vitamin C shower is in order. I know what you’re thinking; that’s something you eat, not bathe in, right?

Well, according to Sonaki America, their showerheads (with special Vitamin C filters) eliminate chlorine, reduce scaling, and reduce dry skin, skin irritation, and rashes. They’re even supposed to protect dyed hair and improve overall hair condition. But the real question is if you take a few swallows while you shower, does that mean you don’t need to worry about orange juice at breakfast?

You can choose from several showerheads at the company’s site. Each comes with two Vitamin C filters (each filter lasts 3,000 gallons or 3-6 months with one person showering). Sonaki’s original massage shower costs $185, and a 5-pack of filter replacements will run you $49.

http://www.sonakius.com

We’re well into the new year. How are your eat-healthier and lose-weight resolutions holding up? If sweets are a major temptation, here’s a gadget that’s supposed to help keep your hands out of the cookie jar.

The Shockolate Vault has a timer you can set for up to 24 hours (fill the jar with cookies when you’re feeling strong, set that timer, and if you weaken later and try to grab a cookie, it’ll give you a startling shock… I guess this is what shock therapy is all about). I suppose this could also be a way to keep the kids out of the before-dinner treats. (Although I’m not sure something as brush-offable as an electric shock would have kept me away from cookies as a kid… or now for that matter. A padlock and a snarling Rottweiler perhaps…)

The alarm riddled cookie jar runs on 3 LR44 batteries, which are fortunately included, because I wouldn’t know where to buy those. The Shockolate Vault is available online for $20.

http://www.x-tremegeek.com

Whether you’re planning the kitchen of your dreams, adding rooms onto your house, or building something in between, you’re probably going to need to hire a contractor to take care of things for you. Though some people go it alone, working as their own general contractors, most of us don’t have the time (or interest) to manage everything ourselves. Hiring a contractor can be tricky though. This is the person who’s going to be in charge of your remodeling project, a project that will probably cost tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of dollars. The new construction will become a permanent part of your home and will affect the resale value when it’s time to sell. That’s why it’s so important to find a good contractor.

The tried and true way that most experts recommend is to get referrals from friends and family who have had work done. With so many horror stories floating around about nightmare remodeling jobs that went over-time and over-cost, you don’t want to just randomly select someone out of the phone book. But what about selecting someone off the Internet?

Though a referral from a friend, from someone you know who has actually worked with the contractor, may be more reliable, it’s not always possible to find someone in your area who has had the kind of work done that you are pursuing. The Internet offers an alternative. Much like buying a book on Amazon, you can now hire a contractor based on what past customers have posted online.

There are plenty of web sites that specialize in hooking up contractors with homeowners who need work. One such is Findoha, a site with an Online directory and contractor leads. Findoha lets you get estimates from local contractors. The site will soon be implementing a system that lets people submit ratings and reviews of contractors.

If you choose a contractor off the Internet, even from a site that has reviews posted, you’ll still want to do some research on your own. Make sure the contractor doesn’t have any complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau, and make sure the contractor is insured. Even if you think you’ve found your dream contractor online, it’s still a good idea to get multiple bids for your project.

Whichever route you take, good luck with your home improvements.

**This is a sponsored post.

If you’re remodeling your kitchen, you can add a special cabinet dedicated to holding trash and recycling bins, but if tearing out and reconstructing your cabinets isn’t in the cards, there are simpler ways to hide garbage cans. This trash can cover from Winterthur Gifts lets you hide your unsightly discards in plain sight. The distressed black with its pineapple centerpiece might not fit every kitchen, but if you don’t mind a bit of tropical whimsy, maybe it would suit yours.

The hand-painted bin holds up to a 24″ tall 13-gallon can, and there’s a drawer below to hold bags and twist ties. There are vents for air flow in the hinged, lift-off lid. The price is $189.95.

Winterthur

If you’re looking for a way to decorate your walls, and you want something with a little more texture and life than paint or wallpaper, check out this wood weave from Madrid.

A little different than plain square wooden tiles, the unique design of the weave hides all the seams. You can decorate the walls with the material or install it on the ceiling as well. The wood weave comes in cherry, maple, oak, and even leather (though I guess you’d have to call it leather weave at that point), which snap together to look like the whole wall was laid as one seamless piece. You can order the tiles in 12″ x 12″ or 8″ x 8″ sizes.

http://www.madridinc.com

If you thought the folks at Frigidaire only did refrigerators, boy were you wrong. This fish tank table is part of a snazzy new model kitchen put together by the company. You have to be pretty devoted to fish to want them to be an integral part of your kitchen, but if you are (or if you just want to entertain the kids while they eat), you should be able to have this eye-catching aquarium table installed soon.

If you’re wondering about the mechanics, there’s a hideaway opening on the top that allows you to feed the fish. In the model kitchen, the pumps and supplies are concealed in another island table. Let’s just hope you do a good job of keeping the aquarium clean; you probably wouldn’t want to smell that fishy odor of a stale tank while you’re eating your breakfast. No word on price yet, but I’m sure it’s just a little more expensive than your standard Ikea table…

http://www.frigidaire.com via HGTV’s I Want That

If you love your outdoor entertaining (and money is no object), then you could add a bar to your patio or pool deck. This stainless steel martini bar is designed to look good while it stands up to the elements.

Made by Kalamazoo, the bar features food-grade stainless steel, bar faucet and sink, storage for your bottles, a stainless steel ice bucket, a built-in bottle opener with cap catcher, a stemware rack and condiment holder, an in-line water purifier, and outlets for your blender and other power-requiring drink-mixing tools. This is all behind the scenes, so all your guests see is the smooth, sleek bar. Oh, there’s also outdoor-rated LED lighting, inside the bar and out. You wouldn’t want your guests to drink their martinis in the dark, would you?

The price tag for this luxury outdoor bar? $9,850. You’ve got that in the couch cushions, don’t you?

Kalamazoo