Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Decorative door mats are another easy way to add a bit of personality to your home and maybe a smidgen of curb appeal to the front of your house or apartment (if you are an apartment or condo dweller, there’s a limit to how much outdoor decorating you have room for, but everyone has a spot for a door mat).

This Floral Coir Entry Mat (that’s code for it looks like a big flower) will certainly add cheer to your entryway. It’s a colorful alternative to those plain utilitarian mats that are obviously just for wiping feet. This decorative mat is made from densely woven coir fiber, though, so it should stand up to several seasons of foot wiping and weather.

$59 at Grandin Road

I was always someone who hated shopping (too many people, too many lines, too hard to find what you’re looking for), and then along came the Internet. You can browse for everything from home loans to bath mats online. You can make a purchase without any hassle, or you can just shop for ideas without sales people hanging over your shoulder.

As someone who was recently looking for a bath mat at the mall, I must say the Internet selection is much better. Sure you can get your standard colors at any department store, but if you want a decorative mat, the Internet is the place to go (And who wouldn’t want something attractive on the floor in the bathroom? What else are you going to look at while you attend to business?).

Here’s one decorative mat that caught my eye. The 100% cotton “Lulu Pool” mat looks like it would do its job of drying your feet and keeping the floor from getting wet with style.

It’s one of a handful of decorative bath mats over at Motif Modern Living. Prices run $69.

It’s hard to beat solid wood when it comes to a good-looking entry door. Not only is solid wood handsome with the dense richness that radiates luxury, but it’s a good choice from a home security standpoint too. It’s a lot harder to kick in a door that’s made from solid wood than something with a hollow or composite core.

The vintage-style Chateau double entry doors shown here are made from South American Walnut. The naturally rich and dark wood has been distressed to give it an Old World feel. You can get the doors with or without glass inserts. There’s even an option to get a “speakeasy,” which is a little mini door on the top that you can open to see who’s at the door before opening it.

Available from Millwork for Less, prices starting at $1240.

Looking for some outdoor furniture that is eco-friendly? Wood is some of the best-looking stuff out there, but you may not want a tree to be sacrificed for your seating needs. If so, take a look at these Adirondack Chairs.

They look like the classic wooden chairs, but they’re actually made from “Poly-wood,” a material constructed from specially processed, recycled plastics that were once destined for the land-fill. The sturdy stuff is actually supposed to outlast wood and resist weather, UV, and other outdoor elements, so it should be a good furniture investment.

The Adirondack Chairs come in eight colors and cost $220 at Green Culture.

Guys, once you’re married, you’ll be expected to have countertops full of useful kitchen appliances such as toaster ovens, super chopper pros, and mixers, but if you’re lucky enough to be in the bachelor pad years, this might be a more appealing countertop appliance:

The Countertop Beer Cooler and Tap can keep a 5-liter keg chilled, and there is an integrated tap that lets you draw a frothy cold beer anytime you wander through the kitchen (it’d also be a nice addition to a home bar). An LCD display shows the temperature, and a touch of a button lets you adjust the chill factor from 37 to 53 F. There’s also a pressure gauge that regulates the CO2 content, so you can alter the carbonation at whim to “enhance the flavor and aroma of the draught beer.”

A mere $300 pimps out your bachelor pad with this item:

Countertop Beer Cooler And Tap

If you’re remodeling your bathroom, one of the items you’ll probably want to upgrade is the sink. You can find functional pieces at the home and garden store, but if you want something a little more artistic, you may want to browse some of the online merchants who offer hand-made sinks and other bathroom must-haves on their websites.

This gorgeous hand-painted copper vessel sink is from Treasures d’ Old Mexico. It’s named the ‘Reina Dorado’ and it would doubtlessly make a great piece for a southwestern styled bathroom. It comes in three different sizes, and you can choose from two patinas: Clara (medium) or Obscura (dark).

Prices start at $475.

This picture of a Tuscan landscape probably looks like something you’d hang on the wall (assuming you like Tuscan landscapes), but it’s not a painting or a print. It’s actually a cutting board.

Since a cutting board is something you probably always have on your counter or within close reach, why not get one with a fun design that makes it a piece of artwork in the kitchen as well as a functional spot for chopping vegetables?

You don’t have to go with the Tuscan theme. The “Magic Slice” cutting boards are available in a number of different designs. Try grapes or a vineyard, a lighthouse, a busy chef, summer daisies, or perhaps a collection of snowmen for next Christmas.

The cutting boards start around $8, and there are discounts if you buy bundled packs.

Magic Slice

If you need to redo your driveway, patio, or paths around your home, think permeable pavers instead of solid concrete. Why? Permeable pavers are eco-friendly because holes (sometimes filled with crushed gravel) between the pavers allow rain water to slowly percolate into the ground instead of creating fast runoff into local waterways, which can cause damage.

These holes are negligible when you’re walking or driving over the pavers, and they are a simple way to make your home a little more green. They look pretty darn good too!

Picture from http://www.wsud.org/

If you’re a pancake fan, but you’re tired of dripping and dribbling pancake batter all over the place as you try to get a spoonful from the bowl to the griddle, then here’s a kitchen gadget for you:

The batter dispenser allows you to make the perfect pancakes, muffins, waffles, and madeleines. Not only will you eliminate drips, but you’ll be able to get all your pancakes, muffins, etc. the same size. Since they’re consistent in size, they’ll be consistent in cooking time, and they’ll look professional too.

The stainless steel batter dispenser lets you choose small, medium, or large amounts, and its drip-resistant valve can accommodate batters of varying thickness (it can handle add-ins such as chocolate chips and small berries. The gadget can be disassembled for cleaning, and it’s dishwasher safe.

$30 from Crate and Barrel

Looking for a bench that blends nicely with your garden? Something that offers a place to sit and enjoy your surroundings without sticking out? Well, this bench doesn’t just fit into the garden–it is the garden. At least, it can be a part of the garden, since the planters are built right into it.

The Gardening Bench can house rhododendrons, geranium, fougères, ficus, bamboo, and a wide range of your favorite plants. Use your creativity to blend it into the garden, or have it stand alone in a peaceful section of your yard. Of course, this may be the first piece of furniture you have to water, so it won’t be as low maintenance as a simple wooden bench.

From Made in Design