Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Your hands are full of groceries and other shopping bags, and as you approach your door, you realize that your keys are in your pocket. Now you have to put all of the bags down just so you can open the door. Instead of always having to rely on your keys to open the garage door or front door, you can install a digital deadbolt.

A digital deadbolt gives you the option of opening your door with a security code or the house key. So when you’re in a hurry or don’t have an extra hand to fiddle with the key, you can punch in the numbers and go. The LockState remote control deadbolt locks 20 seconds after you unlock it, and it has six user sub codes.

This improvement can make your home safer and more convenient, especially since it has a glow-in-the-dark touch keypad. Just remember to replace the four AA batteries on a regular basis.

Accenting your home’s architecture with color is an inexpensive way to make your home look new and improved, especially if you’re willing to paint it yourself. Before taking on this task, it helps to become familiar with some basic color vocabulary terms.

Choosing a color scheme (a group of colors used to create a visual harmony) is the first step in making your exterior look better. For example, maybe you want to go with blues, reds, yellows, greens, Earth tones or neutrals. Cool colors are greens, blues and violets, while warm colors are reds, oranges, yellows and browns. To make a color a tint, you have to add white to it so it becomes lighter. To make a color a tone, you have to add gray to it.

If you’re trying to create some allusions, keep in mind that receding colors (cool and light colors) make surfaces appear farther away.

Bidets make excellent additions to your existing bathroom, but they are not always functional or convenient to use. For instance, who wants cold water on their bum? However, the Kohler C3-200 is an elongated toilet seat with bidet functionality and in-line heater, which makes the hygienic process more comfortable and easier.

This bidet uses two separate nozzles that spray warm, aerated water. Other features include an anti-microbial plastic, seat sensors, heated seat, warm air with fan speed setting, deodorizer, presets (memorizes control setting for two users), lighted bowl for night time use and energy saving mode. Plus, it has a remote control.

A less expensive version is Kohler’s C3-100, which is an elongated toilet seat with bidet functionality and tank heater. This also has two separate sprayers, anti-microbial plastic, heated seat, seat sensors, lighted bowl and energy saving mode. A couple differences include Kohler’s Quiet-Close Quick-Release toilet seat and side arm control.

Every day after you come home from work, what if you could have a full body massage? It might sound unrealistic, but a therapeutic spa could offer you this every day regardless of the season.

Barefoot Spas’ Body Lounger 57BL is a small-model spa, which is perfect if you don’t have a large patio or deck. Plus, if you have a small family, this is a way to get luxury without paying the high price.

This spa’s dimension are 84’’x60’’x34’’ so it seats three people. There are a 32 jets and one body lounger, so you can lay back, relax and enjoy the hydrotherapeutic massage. It requires 200 gallons of water, and it has a 4.1 kw heater. Plus, it has the Barefoot Spa’s Dream Collar feature, which provides neck and shoulder therapy. If you have tense muscle from sitting at a computer or doing manual labor, the custom-designed head rest and three powerful jets can help them relax.

Organizing your grocery list can be an even harder task when you have friends or family staying. But what if you could compile a digital list and print it out at the end of the week when you’re ready to shop?

The Voice Recognition Grocery List Organizer is a modern and convenient gadget that you can add to your kitchen. This device stores the items that you speak into its microphone and then prints out the list when you’re ready. This gadget can match what you say to 2,500 food, beverage, household, beauty and office products. In addition, you can add errands such as going to the bank or veterinarian, and you can even alphabetize the list.

The grocery list organizer is magnetic, so you can stick it right onto your refrigerator. You can also manage two lists at one time, so you can prepare your meals ahead of time or watch your budget.

There are so many cleaning products, but most of them contain chemicals and have strong odors. Instead of being able to enjoy your freshly cleaned home, you might want to run outside and get some fresh air. Certain essential oils have powerful anti-bacterial and anti-septic properties that are a great alternative to traditional cleaning products.

Products from the grocery are costly, but if you start making your own homemade cleaning solutions, it’s much cheaper. Citrus essential oils such as lemon and orange are perfect for multi-purpose cleaners. All you need to do is add 10 to 20 drops of the oil in a liter of water.

If citrus scents are not your favorite, try cinnamon. This has anti-fungal, anti-microbial and anti-viral properties, so if you or a family member has been sick, wipe down counters, nightstands, etc. with a mixture of cinnamon essential oil and water. Another option is tea tree oil, which also kills bacteria.

Essential oils are natural and safe cleaning products when diluted with water, and you get some aromatherapy out of your housekeeping too.

Even though your garden might be located in the backyard, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t embellish it. There are endless ideas for enhancing your garden wall or fence, and there are some ornaments you probably wouldn’t expect to be stylish.

Bird cages painted with bright, bold colors are charming ornaments for your garden wall, especially if your wall looks depressing and bare. Other options include copper-bottomed plant holders, statuary and stone spheres for the top of your posts.

Or create an enjoyable scenery that you can enjoy all year round by painting a mural on the garden fence or wall. Murals date back to the Greek and Roman times, and they can provide a whimsical and fanciful feel to your backyard. Maybe you will choose an ocean view or an Italian vineyard. To make the painting look more realistic, add a coat of translucent glaze for an aged appearance.

Are you ready to replace your wood or stone wall around your home or garden? If so, you need to consider how the new wall will look in comparison to your home. The truth of the matter is that it might stick out like a sore thumb if you own an old home or have an established garden. Below are some ways to age wood or stone so your new wall will blend seamlessly into your existing style.

It can take years for wood to weather, but using the right products can significantly short this process. If you want the wood to look naturally aged, try using bleaching oils and stains for six months. However, this option is risky, because the chemicals can kill your plants so you have to be cautious. An alternative is to apply a semi-transparent stain with a gray or white pigment.

Stone and brick can immediately appear aged if it has moss or lichens growing on it, but it helps if the wall is somewhat shaded. If you have a small amount of moss already growing, apply a thin layer of yogurt or buttermilk onto the surface of the wall to encourage more growth.

The bright sunny color of sunflowers can bring a smile to your face. Their long, strong stems wave in the wind as if they’re saying hello. These cheerful flowers can make for an easy yet unconventional hedge or border around your home. Below are some tips to help you get started.

Since there are a variety of sunflowers available, choose one that isn’t too tall or short for your home. Once you have chosen the type of sunflower, start growing the seeds indoors at least six to eight weeks before the last frost in your region. This will give your border a head start and enable you to create the ideal environment for the plant to thrive.

Before planting the baby sunflowers, make sure that it’s in an area that is well-drained and facing east to southeast (these flowers require full sun). For a more diverse border, choose different types of sunflowers and plant the tallest ones in the back.

The dry conditions of a rock wall make it difficult for many plants to thrive. However, there are good candidates for these environments, and they are often plants that have small root systems and are reseeding annuals.

The pink and white color of the fleabane is a hardy option, and it has the ability to reseed in the smallest of cracks. Other plants that can be grow in a wall include the candytuft, ice plant, hens-and-chicks, lavender cotton, pinks, rock cress, snow-in-summer, thrift, wooly thyme and yellow corydalis. Thyme and sedum are also known to thrive in small spaces.

Some tips to make it easy for the plants to grow include planting as you build your wall or at least leaving enough space between the rocks to plant the root. Also, a landscape fabric can prevent your nutrient-rich soil and seeds from being washed or blown away. If you want to plant on an existing wall, use a butter knife to get the seeds into the crevices and make sure there is enough soil and water.