Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

When you live near the coast, white is a fabulous accent to any room. However, if the walls in your attic are weathered, don’t fret because you can actually work with them and create a relaxing yet lively ambiance.

Turquoise and white can definitely make a statement, and as shown in the picture below, the turquoise doesn’t even have to be that bright or bold. Depending on how weathered your paint is, you might want to touch it up a bit. However, you don’t have to. When you add the turquoise paint, you want it to look as washed out as the white, so you can use a light sandpaper to create this look.

Even though you’re walls are weathered, your furniture can look new and modern. Accents of turquoise in the furniture can tie it all together. But it’s also important to include some texture too. For example, add a furry pillows or a rug and maybe a steel table with a glass top.

Wine crates can make unique shelving units. You can build an entire wall of them or you can stack them wherever you need them. The hard part might just be getting your hands on them.

It’s best to go to a local wine merchant and find out if he/she will sell the wine crates to you. Some might even offer them to you for free. Even though you might not spend much or anything at all, they are great crates that can be transformed into something functional and unique.

In order to turn the crates into drawers, you will need to screw four three-quarter-inch ball or roller casters on each crate. This is a creative way to dress up your kitchen drawers. If you’re not that handy, stack them in different ways as shown below and use them in your shed or garage to store tools, gardening supplies, shoes, car cleaners, etc.

Small rectangular decks right off the house are functional to a point. Creating floating octagons with walkways is an attractive way to extend your deck and make it more appropriate for your needs.

If you choose to build two octagonal foundations, connect them together with small walkways. The smaller foundation can contain a bar, grill and refrigerator while the larger one can serve as an outdoor dining area. The octagonal platforms can be embellished with benches with built-in planter boxes. The landscaping around the deck can be simple too. Add some large rocks to the entrances of the platforms and plant colorful flowers or shrubs along the edges.

You might also want to consider adding cabinets or counters to make it easier for cooking and storing utensils and other necessities. If you’re planning on having an outdoor refrigerator, hire an electrician to run an underground cable or install a new circuit.

Need a peaceful and calming place to relieve your tension and worries? Create a meditation room or space within your home that you can go to when you think you can’t handle one more ounce of stress.

One way to make a relaxing space is to incorporate a zen garden. All this involves is a sectioned area or wooden foundation that you can fill up with sand and rocks. The zen garden below has different sections, which make it more interesting. For more ambiance, add some candles in the garden’s design too. The soft glow can get you in the mood to settle and center.

With a simple wooden rake, you can put interesting designs into the sand to mimic movement or symbolize water. Raking your garden might be a peaceful activity in itself. A zen garden like this would be a perfect addition to a small room that has windows as its focus.

When your chimney needs repaired, what do you do? If you just let the mortar continue to crumble, this isn’t a good look for your home. Many chimney repairs can be DIY projects, but you need certain tools.

In order to replace mortar, the job will require a masonry hammer and chisel, a cement-mixing container, spray bottle, trowel and tuck-pointed tool. Basically, you have to remove the mortar, mix up more mortar, spray the joints with water, and load in the new mortar.

If the crown of your chimney is deteriorating, you will need masonry nails, a form built to fit around your chimney and mixed cement. This job includes fitting the form and carefully pouring cement into it.

Sometimes people choose to remove the fireplace when there is extensive damage to the chimney. Removal could be cheaper than repair. However, if you decide to make those minor repairs by yourself, always take safety precautions by wearing goggles and a harness.

There are several deck options you can choose from if you’re building onto your home. Below is a brief description of some of the most popular decks that might be suitable for your living space.

• An above ground pool deck is a summer essential so you can thoroughly enjoy your backyard retreat. It also makes your backyard safer, because you can easily enter and exit the pool and not have to worry about swimmers falling out.
• A wood deck is a traditional and classic option, and you can paint or stain it whatever you like.
• A composite deck is made from innovative material (half wood, half polymer). It’s durable with the look of wood, but it doesn’t splinter.
• If you have an urban townhouse or apartment, you might need a roof deck. Just make sure to have a secure railing on it to prevent falls.
• Vinyl decks are an affordable option, and you never need to paint or stain them. They come in many colors and are splinter free too.

A round steam shower is enticing. After all who wouldn’t want a steam sauna and shower all in one without having to visit a hotel? The Renovation Store has a large steam shower perfect for two, which has a simplistic design with chrome, white and glass physical features.

The circulating back nozzle is like a massage that can either wake you up in the morning or get you ready for bed in the evening. So if you don’t have time for weekly stress-relieving therapies, invest in this steam shower, which can relax you every time you shower. Other amenities include the foot massager, luxury large overhead spray, multi-functional shower head, dry-fire protection and leakage protection.

If you love gadgets and fun extras, this model comes with an alarm, loudspeaker, computer with remote control, FM, external CD and telephone capabilities. Also, the built-in exhaust fan will help with moisture control. This model goes for about $3,400.

Do you want to make a statement with your flooring? Well, you can customize your floors and create unique patterns of your own. Armstrong has a large selection of wood, stone and metal flooring that you can have fun mixing and matching.

The Natural Creations Mystix collection can give you a contemporary feel, because you can have a couple different materials in one area. Although wood floors are classic, why not mix them with limestone for a more interesting design?

Since all of the wood, stone and metal flooring options are within the Earth tones, they are easy to mix together. You don’t even have to be very creative, but adding another element to the floor can enhance the room’s presence. However, if you like taking risks and experimenting with color, try the Chroma Stone Citron (green) or Chroma Stone Luna (blue) for a punch of color. There are even bamboo options.

Quality water filtration systems can cost anywhere from $500 to $3,000. Clean and pure water is important for your health, but you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to get the best water.

Brita’s faucet filtration systems are a convenient and cheap way to obtain better water quality. Maybe you’re worried about the chlorine or iodine in your water. Who wants to drink all of these chemicals? The purpose of drinking water is to hydrate not contamination your body.

The Basic Faucet Filtration System is less than $20, and it easily attaches to your faucet. The Faucet Filtration System with Advanced Features gives you three different spray options, an Electronic Filter Life Indicator and you can choose from three finishes (white on white, chrome on white or chrome on black). Within a matter of minutes, you can improve your water quality with a device that compliments your kitchen. This can also help you save money, because you don’t have to buy bottled water.

Installing two dishwashers in the kitchen has become a popular trend in home design, and it’s not surprising. Having an extra dishwasher makes life more convenient. No longer do you have to put dirty dishes in the sink if the dishes in the washer are clean. Plus, if you’re busy working and running kids here and there, you can live out of the clean dishwasher and fill up the empty one. Who doesn’t need that leeway?

These two dishwashers are right next to each other, but there are other options. If you’re rebuilding your kitchen, consider putting a dishwasher on the right side of the sink and the other on the left side. This way you’re close to the cabinets and sink when you need put things away or rinse off the food from the plates.

If you have an extra sink in your island, maybe you will want the second dishwasher built in here. Double dishwashers are a great addition to your kitchen, and they can make your life easier.