Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Typical sheets are often a 50/50 blend, because they are usually made from non-organic cotton and polyester. This type of bedding can cause athlete’s foot and night sweats, because the fabric is not breathable or completely natural. Updating your bedding in your master bedroom and even in your guest room can make sleep more luxurious and comfortable.

Since there are a variety of designers who create organic sheets, duvet covers and comforters, it’s easy to find a suitable set to match your room. Plus, if it’s been 10 or more years since you have purchased new bedding, it’s time for a change. Patterned or brightly colored bedding can enhance a room’s style and mood.

Instead of cozying up to sheets that were made from fibers treated with pesticides, you can sleep without worry and enjoy the new look of your bedroom. If your guests have sensitive skin, organic bedding is a considerate amenity too.

A grandfather clock has unique elements that can warm a home. The chiming clock peacefully acknowledges certain times of the day, and the display case keeps precious family heirlooms safe. However, one feature you might not realize a grandfather clock can have is a secret storage space.

Although grandfather clocks can be an expensive addition, building them on your own is an inexpensive project. Plus, you can design it better to fit your needs. For instance, you can create a storage cabinet on the bottom of the clock as well as a secret storage shelf above the clock mechanism.

The secret storage can be used to store valuable jewelry or even extra cash you have in your home. The outside display case can feature knickknacks or books, but no one will suspect what else the clock holds. Whatever you decide to use your storage for, the clock will be a functional and classic piece in your home.

What are cupolas? These are roof structures that accessorize the tops of Colonial homes as well as garages, barns and even business buildings. There are a variety of styles, so they can match a traditional or contemporary home.

The purpose of a cupola is to decorate a plain roofline, increase natural light and provide ventilation. If you have a stuffy attic, this structure can help release hot hair. In addition, it can give you more daylight in comparison to a skylight, but this is also dependent on its design.

Bar Harbor Weathervanes and Cupolas sell this cypress cupola with a copper roof, which also has crown molding and is weathervane ready. This particular design has windows on all sides, which will increase the amount of light in your home. It comes in five available sizes, and you can even customize your cupola to meet your needs, especially if you prefer cedar or PVC.

Your bedroom should be just the way you like, because otherwise you might lose sleep over it. Sometimes rearranging the furniture can help the energy flow better, but if your bedroom deserves something new to spice things up, try a duvet cover.

Duvet covers can be used alone, but they actually go over your existing comforter. Since your old comforter is soft and worn in, there’s no sense in buying a new one. However, adding a duvet cover can transform your current comfortable and bring a different color or pattern to the room.

This Havana Floral duvet set in burgundy/chocolate from Target is under $100, but it has deep colors and an interesting pattern. If you tend to get tired of your room frequently, purchase a couple duvet covers and switch them when the seasons change. This can give you a sense of newness without the price, and they are so easy to put on and wash.

Do you have allergies or difficulties breathing because of all of the dust in your home? Then it’s time to give an air purifier a try.

The Blueair ECO10 is an energy-efficient model, which only uses 10 watts of power on its high speed. In addition, it’s perfect for condos, apartments and smaller rooms, because it can filter a 20-by-15-foot room.

It has a HEPASilent filter, which needs replaced once every year. If you live with a smoker, this is an excellent way of trapping cigarette smoke so you don’t have to breathe it in.

Most candle holders are little dishes or cups that sit on the table and hold your votives or tea lights.  I’d say that for the most part… that works.  Buuut if you’re one of those folks who likes to do things differently, you could try elevated pedestal candle holders.

These parallel stem candle pedestals from DESU Design are designed to hold either tea lights or taper candles.

“Depending upon your viewing angle, the pieces are perceived as either light and open or solid and rooted. Constructed entirely of solid, cold rolled steel bars; the top portion of each piece is milled from a solid block. The pieces are bronze plated with a dark patina finish.”

Fancy elevated candle holders don’t come cheaply however: it’ll cost you $164 (plus shipping) to take the smallest (15 inch) pillar home.

DESU Design

Trivets are certainly useful for protecting those designer countertops from burn marks, but why settle for a boring old metal rack?

These colorful floral trivets will go a lot further toward adding some personality and cheer to the kitchen.

(If nothing else, you’ll be able to spot them quickly when you’re rummaging in drawers or cabinets.)

The 7-inch floral trivets come in a set of three for $28. Made from melamine, they are dishwasher safe and heat resistant to 356 degrees Fahrenheit, so there’s no need to worry about the colorful pieces fading or cracking under a hot bread or brownie pan.

From French Bull.

I bought my first “green” sheets last month (they’re made from a bamboo blend), and they feel pretty good (and unlike the grungy hand-me-down sheets I’d been using for ages, they actually fit the bed). When I was shopping, I noticed are quite a few options for sheets, duvet covers, comforters, pillowcases, and the like for folks looking to green up the bedroom.

In addition to bamboo, another material that’s catching on its hemp.

“Hemp sheets have more texture and strength than organic cotton sheets, which are smoother. Hemp sheets are similar in look and feel to fine French linen or Irish linen sheets; they are traditionally finished crisp for that classic linen look. Hemp sheets get very soft and cozy over time.”

Check out the selection at RawGanique to see the colors and sizes available in hemp.

There are lots of uses for a lazy susan, but you’ll often see them on a countertop or tabletop to make passing the food a little easier. If your lazy susan is going to be as much a display piece as a functional tool for your family, you might as well get one that looks good.

This wood mosaic lazy susan is made from 6 types of wood:

• Tulipwood
• Satinwood from Brazil
• Purpleheart from Central/South America
• Hackberry from Missouri
• Wenge from West Africa
• Oak from Missouri

You’ve got a lot of continents helping out with the construction of this piece!  The different types of wood are formed into 80 diamonds and 224 triangles, creating a “Lone Star” quilt pattern.

The wooden lazy susan was made from scratch on a foot-powered table saw.

$150 from Robin Tucker’s Wood Mosaics shop on Etsy.

Candle holders are nice for the ambiance that burning candles provide (and they’re handy when the power comes out), but the holders themselves can be quite decorative as well.

The “Connection” series of wall-mounted metal candle holders from FosterWeld certainly offer a unique look.

“This collection of distinct wall-mounting candle holders will add style and bring conversation to any room. Available in a large model with five candle coasters, or a smaller scale model with three candle coasters. The spiraled steel will cast magnificent shadows upon the walls.”

All of the company’s pieces are handmade, so no two candle holders will be exactly the same.

$200 a piece.