Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

The more you store, the more space you free up. When you live in a condo or apartment, it’s important to have a place for everything, because even a little clutter, can look overwhelming when the space is tight to begin with.

These Silver Compinibili Storage Units by Kartell have a modern industrial appearance, but they have an iconic style that has been around for almost four decades. The storage units are available in two and three drawers, but both are 12.5” in diameter. The drawers work on a tongue-and-groove system, which makes them stable and easy to put together.

The two-drawer unit is 15.5” high, and the three-drawer model is 23” high. In addition to filling these units up with goodies, you can also display items on top too. You could either sit these units in a corner of your home or put them in a closet for your socks, underwear, etc.

Modern lighting has come a long way, and the designs are endless. However, if you’re looking to electrify a certain room, you might want to display an older version of the lighting we know today.

The Edison Lamp from Michele Varian is designed with a glass exterior that covers a wood base. The metal twist switch protrudes from the glass, and the plug is set in back of the wood base. This lamp measures 10.5” in height and 4” wide, and the light bulb is included.

This old fashioned lamp will be enjoyed for years to come, and you can save it for special rooms like the patio where you spend hours reading or in your bedroom where you like to journal. If you have a guest room with country style bedding, this lamp would pull the look together.

Scented and colored soaps are the finest luxuries of a bath, and if you invest in the purest skin care products, you should display them for all to see. Plus, when you see how many soaps you have, you can always make sure you’re in stock.

This Large Glass Apothecary Jar with Finial Lid will add elegance to your bathroom counter, and it’s large enough to store your most coveted soaps. Just imagine this jar filled with lavender, vanilla, juniper and mint soaps. Each one’s beautiful colors will shine right through the jar.

The jar measures 17” tall and 6.5” in diameter, and each one is unique since the jars are handmade. You can also store spices, candy or potpourri in the jar, and feature it as a centerpiece if you don’t want to have it in your bathroom.

Inexpensive outdoor rugs can be hard to come by, but the World Market is full of interesting options. Weather-resistant carpets can bring the indoors outside, and now that fall will soon be in full swing, you definitely need some comfort while you take advantage of the cool days ahead.

The Chains Indoor-Outdoor Rug has a chain motif in black and neutral, and it’s hand tufted of polyacrylic pile. When you need to clean it, simply use a mild soap and water from your outdoor hose.

The smallest rug is sized at 24” x 36” and costs $39.99. This design is currently out of stock, but you can choose to be notified by email when it is back in stock. For now, check out the other outdoor rug options here. The fern border and ravella zebra designs are neutral options too.

Let’s face it, carpet stains are bound to happen, even if you’re a cleaning Natzi. It’s probable that your baby will spill food or drink on the floor and that your pet will mess at one point or another. Also, a quite dinner party could result in a red wine stain too.

In an effort to make carpets more resistant to accidents, Mohawk SmartStrand has a new kind of fiber called Triexta. Stain protection is built into every carpet strand, and even though the material is more durable, it’s still retains comfort.

With SmartStrand’s DuPont Sorona, the carpet is also eco-friendly. This renewably sourced polymer requires 30 percent less energy to produce and greenhouse gases from manufacturing are reduced by 63 percent.

When spills do happen, you can rest assured that warm water and a mild detergent will take care of mustard, red wine and even cherry Kool-Aid.

White resembles peace, cleanliness and simplicity, and you can really add it to every floor of your house. However, white accents in your bedroom can look incredibly sophisticated, and different shades of white do go together.

Charles P. Rogers & Co. has a variety of bed options from new and original designs to restored antique beds and daybeds that feature classic materials such as wood, leather, brass and iron.

The Newhouse Bed is a vision in ultra white. It has a 20th  century Bauhus design, which has been modernized. While wood and iron headboards are beautiful, an upholstered one can increase your comfort level and look luxurious.

You can purchase the headboard separately if you want it to stand alone, but the solid Mahogany frame with open footboard will give it a more completed appearance in the bedroom.

A tablecloth and buttons isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of board games.

However, these materials make great checker board games, and they these sets are sold on HomeALaMode.com.

The Button Checkers Table Set is under $25, and it includes a 100 percent cotton, 12 red buttons, 12 yellow buttons and playing instructions. Currently, this game is sold out, but it will become available again in Novemer 2010, so if you want to make sure you get one from the limited supply, order now.

This checker set is great for children, and you can even use the game board tablecloth for picnics in the backyard. While you’re eating lunch or dinner outside, you can challenge your child to game of checkers.

Metal canisters have been a part of traditional kitchen decor since the mid-1800s, and it until World War II, that the jars became more stylized with graphic prints. Now you can find them in a variety of shapes, styles, designs, colors and patterns.

This three piece Red Metal Canister Set is in a burnt red color, and the pointed lids are reminiscent of Chinese furniture styles. All three jars are constructed from 100 percent sheet metal. The small canister measures 12.5” H x 6.25” W; the medium one measures 15.5” H x 8.25” W; and the largest one is 18” H x 8.25” W.

These canisters will keep flour, sugar, coffee and tea fresh as can be. In addition to warming up a kitchen counter, these jars would also be beautiful on a long table or wet bar.

After a long day of work, probably the last thing you feel like doing is cooking. However, if you want to maintain your weight, prevent diseases and promote a healthful future for yourself and your family, you’re going to have to pull it together and muster up enough energy to design a nutritious meal.

One kitchen accessory that can help you get dinner to the table faster is a copper pot and pan set. The Mauviel M’heritage collection is a perfect marriage between two materials: copper and stainless steel. The copper increase heat conductivity, and stainless steel is ideal for everyday cooking.

With this cookware collection, you can even choose among various handle options: cast iron, bronze or cast stainless steel. Quality cookware like this will be durable and function, and it will also be a beautiful addition to the kitchen.

A large part of your time in the laundry room is probably on stain removal. How do you get muddy grass stains out of your daughter’s soccer uniform? What do you do know that the coffee spill didn’t come out of your blouse during the first wash?

Instead of pre-treating stains to no end or running out of time to perform your clothing inspection, try Tide’s new Stain Release products, which come in either powder, a duo pack or liquid form. The Duo Pac includes the powder and liquid form all in one little square, so you can pop it in the wash and forget about spending time treating each little stain.

These in-wash boosters make stain removal easy and convenient, because you can throw in the Duo Pac and get on with your day. If your kids help with the laundry, you won’t have to worry about them forgetting to pre-treat.