Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

There’s nothing healthier than eating vegetables from your own garden — no need for chemicals, petroleum-based fertilizers, or depleted soil — and it doesn’t get any fresher than when you pluck a few tomatoes right from the vine and add them to a dinner salad minutes later. But if you live in a townhouse or an urban home with a postage-stamp backyard, you might not feel you have room.

There are lots of create ways to grow vegetables in confined spaces though. Container (pots) gardens are popular, and this picture shows a classy version of that concept: a vertical garden rising from the sides of the deck.

Built by Decking London, this attractive growing space not only lets the homeowner plant vegetables right outside the kitchen door, but it also provides privacy from closely placed neighbors. Too, the walls and overhead slats offer shade on hot summer days.

Need a little extra outdoor lighting on your deck or patio? How about more seating for guests?

You can have both with the Illuminottoman from Hammacher Schlemmer:

“This is the weatherproof ottoman that illuminates with a color-changing soft glow or a vibrant luminescence. Fifty-eight LEDs inside the leg rest produce green, white, red, blue, yellow, purple, or light blue hues. The included remote control adjusts the brightness to three different levels and the ottoman casts a constant glow in one color, transitions seamlessly through the hues, or quickly flashes each shade.”

You can bet you’ll be the only one on the block with these in your backyard!

$150 per ottoman.

Adding a surveillance camera to your home exterior is a wise decision, especially if you want to prevent break-ins. However, there are ways to look like you have security cameras without paying the hefty price for them.

The Big Brother Birdhouse is a unique bird house design, which on first glance, appears to be a surveillance camera. However, on a closer look, you will realize that it’s made for housing birds and not for recording the happenings around your yard.

At least when you’re not at home, the birds will be home watching everything that’s going on! This birdhouse is made from wood and stainless steel, and it’s the perfect shaded home for your feathered friends.

Have you ever dreamed of making pizza at home…from your back deck or patio?

You might think having an outdoor pizza oven installed is a huge project that requires a landscaping or remodeling expert. Well, a little expertise never hurts, but the folks over at Forno Bravo are making it feasible to install a pizza oven on your own. Their modular kits mean the pieces can be shipped to you and assembled in your yard. No need to whip out the bricks and mortar to build an oven from scratch (though the company does have a neat guide online, if that’s something that piques your interest).

The residential modular pizza oven shown below is from the Casa2G series.

The sound of flowing water can create a soothing environment both indoors and out. Adding the element of water to your home is an easy way to start Feng shuing your home.

Try to let things roll off your back and go with the flow. Use the Four Level Natural Rock Pond relax you into a meditative state while you’re outside enjoying the day or sitting back and reading a book. This pond is made from fiberglass but features a life like rock exterior. It has four tiers for water to flow down, and lights are included to illuminate the four basins of water.

With this model, the pump is included, and the design measures 19” wide x 35” high x 21” deep. Since the pond isn’t made from rock, it’s lightweight and easy to move.

Hammock stands are perfect for lounging in the backyard wherever you please. If you don’t have a stand, you know what a pain it is to find the two ideal trees for hanging your hammock. Avoid the ordeal of installing a hammock outdoors, and stick with a portable accessory.

The Laio Hammock Stand enables you to enjoy your hammock in the garden, on the deck or patio or by the pool. There are really no limits to where you can put a hammock stand in your yard. This stand features a triple-arc design made from commercial-grade tubular steel. The high-grade steel hardware gives it added stability and durability.

The strong wheel enables you to move this hammock where you like, and this includes storing it away during the colder months.

Unless you have a high spot in your shower where you can store soap, it’s inevitable that the water will break down the soap. Wouldn’t it be nice if your soap could last a little longer?

The Large Combo Corner Basket is specially designed for the corner of a shower, and it has enough room to hold a sponge and cake of soap. The basket is available in polished brass, polished chrome and satin nickel.

This large corner basket keeps your soap dry so it doesn’t become a breeding ground for bacteria, and it enables you to preserve your soap for longer. This product comes with a limited “lifetime” warranty, and it’s a convenient accessory to add to your bath and shower area.

Show off your decorating skills, and incorporate some nature-inspired designs into your bathroom. There are many cheetah, giraffe and zebra print bath towels out there, but there are classically designed ones that will serve as timeless accents.

The “Snow Leopard” Towels from Horchow are plush jacquard-woven towels made from 100% cotton. They’re conveniently machine washable and feature neutral tones. The contrast of dark and light shades of cream or the black and gray give this a rich look. You can choose between the pearl or anthracite.

A large bath towel, hand towel and face cloth are available, but you can decide how much leopard print you want in your bathroom. For instance, if you want a minimal amount, choose the hand towels and use basic cream or gray bath towels to complement them.

Toothbrushes on the counter aren’t a pretty sight, especially when they have toothpaste dried onto them. However, you can make them more of a counter accessory by storing them in a unique toothbrush holder.

The Country Outhouse Toothbrush Holder is literally a country style outhouse. It features red and cream colors, and has country touches like a star above the door and a black cat waiting by the door. This sweet bathroom counter accessory measures 2.75” x 4.75”, and it can hold up to four brushes.

If your home style is more country with red, white and blue with stars, apples or roosters, this is the perfect addition to your bathroom. Plus, when guests see it, they will be sure to chuckle since your toothbrushes are in an outhouse!

Backyard wildlife can have a hard time finding food in winter, especially when the temperatures go below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. So help your feathered friends and squirrels survive the inclement weather.

The Verdigris Gazebo Standing Birdfeeder has the look of weathered copper, and it stands all on its own. This garden accessory has a fluted rooftop and beautifully designed base. This sculpted metal birdfeeder can add elegance and feathered creatures to your backyard space.

A birdfeeder in the backyard enables you to enjoy nature all year round. By putting it within site from your kitchen or sliding glass door, you can watch your favorite feathered friends flutter and dine from inside. Then during the spring and summer, you can sit on your patio and enjoy the sights and sounds.