Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

If you enjoy having a cup of hot coffee or tea while you read your morning paper or check your email, you may be disappointed when your leisurely drinking results in a cool beverage halfway through.

The solution?

An electric mug warmer.

This handy gadget can go to your favorite coffee/tea-consuming spot and be plugged in to keep your beverage warm–no matter how long you take drinking it. The mug-activated unit only turns on if your beverage is on it, so don’t worry about wasting energy or burning yourself on a hot plate.

Pick up the Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer from Amazon for less than $10:

Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer

If you want to make your house greener and brighter, then check out these Scrap Lights.

These eco-friendly pendant lamps instill “new spirit into salvaged pieces of corrugated cardboard; a scrap light’s lively play on light and shadow invigorates once lifeless materials.”

Offered by Seattle-based Graypants, Inc., the lamps are available in three shapes. The Hive runs 9 to 12 inches in diameter and costs $219. The 14 to 17 inch Disc costs $279, and the 15 to 16 inch Bell lamp is $479.

Who says cardboard boxes are bland?

http://shop.graypants.com/

When you don’t know anything about installing light fixtures, adding a motion activated light might seem like a job fit for the professionals. However, you can install your own, and it will be beneficial for your home in more ways than one. In addition to providing light that you don’t have to turn on, it can also increase your home security.

The GE 55217 Outdoor Motion Activated Adapter is wireless and turn on when motion is detected. With the adapter, you can transform any incandescent light into a motion sensor one. The biggest plus is that you don’t have to deal with the dangerous wiring.

You can even adjust the light and have it stay on for one to ten minutes after the motion has been detected. The sensor works for motion up to 50 feet away.

When you want to spruce up your kitchen, investing in funky accessories is one way to do it, especially if you already like the existing cabinetry and counter tops. So why not add some quirky items that will make you and your guests smile?

The black and white Salt/Pepper Shakers shown below can be an adorable accent to your kitchen table. The kitchen is a warm place full of home baked love, so a pair of hugging shakers fits the mood. This set is perfect if you have modern decor with bright colors, because black and white is a neutral.

Another cool accessory is the Tooth Pick, which can hold about 40 toothpicks. The tooth-shaped holder is made from translucent silicone, and you can put it right on your counter within everyone’s reach.

Heating a backyard pool can be a costly expense, but if you have an above-ground swimming pool, you can invest in some eco-friendly accessories. Going green can help reduce your impact on the environment and keep green in your wallet too.

The Solar Pool Heater is a device that can keep your pool warm and extend your swim season. Every hour, this solar pool heater gives 2,500 BTUs of energy. If you have a 6,000-gallon pool, it will increase the temperature by 5 degrees Fahrenheit within 10 days.

The device is easily installed, because it attaches to your pool’s pump-operated water filtering system. As the filter circulates the water, it’s also warmed. If you want to warm your pool faster, you can have up to four solar heaters going at once. Now you and your family can enjoy your pool for longer.

Although it’s common for homeowners to want their kitchen to be connected to the rest of the home almost like the nucleus, this isn’t always the right design for everyone. If you’re looking for a kitchen that you show off and hide at another time, it’s really all in the construction.

Culhane Construction built a kitchen that you can make disappear and reappear in an instant. Instead of the kitchen being a main part of the home, it’s more like a section that can be hidden from the rest of the house, which is convenient when you don’t have time to clean up.

This particular kitchen was built into a corner with high-end custom cabinetry. In order to disguise the kitchen, a sliding room divider system is used. As shown in the picture, the doors fold up but you can pull them shut and close out the kitchen area from view.

When you have never tried to grow and sculpt a topiary, they can look pretty intimidating. However, instead of relying on your creativity and mastery with a yard clipper, you can leave most of the work to a topiary frame.

With a frame, the moss or plant has a base to grow around, and it will also serve as a guide for you so you know how much and where to trim. If you have a pond or land in your yard, this Nessie Topiary would be a cute touch. This sea monster frame is available in two sizes: mossed or unmossed.

Adding unique topiary frames in with your landscaping will give your yard more character. Maintaining the topiary can also be a fun family activity that you won’t have to work too hard on.

Updating the knobs on your pantry or even bedroom closets can bring about a whole knew look. Although knobs are small details, there are so many different shapes, styles and designs that you can use to dress up a door.

At Knobs and Hardware, you can find nickel, ceramic, brass, glass and black knobs, so you will have no trouble finding various options. The hardest part might be narrowing down your decision.

The Notting Hill Decorative Baker Knob would be a cut touch to a kitchen pantry. With knobs such as this, you can really let your passions and interests shine. There are even turtles, movie tickets, horse heads and more.

Or you can add some glitz and glam to your closet doors with the Alno Round Crystal Knob, and you can get it in a different finish.

One tip for knobs is making sure to pick a descent sized one. For example, large closet doors should have knobs that comfortably fit in the palm of your hand.

When you’re adding final touches to your home, new picture frames can go a long way to bring the look to completion. There are so many different styles and designs, so you can reflect your home’s decor as well as the mood of the picture in the frame.

One place that is chalk full of fabulous frames is Pier One Imports. They have meticulously designed ones with jewels and metal detailing to simple frames made from a thick plate of glass.

If you’re lucky, you can find sophisticated ones with puppy prints for pet pictures and even frames inspired by natural elements such as maple leaves.

This Trend Lab Two Picture Frame Set would set off a baby’s room beautifully. They hang from a cocoa colored ribbon and would look elegant from the baby to teenager stages.

Stylish trunks are just what you need to store those items that are overflowing from your closet. Empty trunks are also convenient to have around if you have children too, because if you find out you’re having company over, you can just throw all of the toys in the trunk for the meantime.

Cindy Crawford’s Nailhead Storage Trunks are modern yet simple with the oyster polyester microfiber and studded detailing. These trunks could be placed at the bottom of a bed or used as night stands. Another option is to put a trunk or two in a sitting area instead of a small table.

If you already own a trunk, you can bring it up to date with paint and stencils. Depending on what the trunk is made of, you can paint over the current paper pattern and add fleur-de-lis or other design in a shade that will stand out.