Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Not into holly leaves and Christmas trees but still want to spread some holiday cheer in your home? Table linens are an easy way to bring your home up to date with the season without going overboard.

Martha Stewart’s table linen line at Macy’s has a variety of patterns and colors to choose from. If you want simple, understated holiday linens, consider the Oak Leaf Trellis or Classic Holiday Damask. Both of these linens have elegant patterns and a striking shade. However, you can go bold with vibrant and intricate patterns of holly leaves, Christmas trees, bows and ribbons.

Even if you’re not into over-decorating during the holidays, a touch of color or change of linens can easily improve the look of your home and provide a better entertaining atmosphere. Then you can add a simple flower or candle arrangement for the centerpiece. Adding new linens and a centerpiece takes little effort, especially if you plan to use the same items every year.

Your house is meant to be a relaxing atmosphere, because you should enjoy coming home. However, children, pets and a home office can make your house a hectic and less than quiet living space, which is why you need to add some decorations that reflect peace and calming.

Do you feel more relaxed when you’re around water (at the beach or near a fountain)? Then a soothing indoor waterfall might be exactly what your soul needs to help slow down. This 33” Trellis Outdoor/Indoor Fountain can provide you with a relaxing trickling sound of water. You could put this in your sitting room, entryway or home office, depending on where you want to listen to it.

This particular design is made of slate and stone, and the copper leaves and vines give it a rustic, natural look. Also, river rocks fill up the bottom, so it’s like bringing a little bit of the outdoors inside.

During the wintertime, you’re more likely to stay indoors. After a few months, the décor of your home and the colors can become boring and dull. However, you can brighten your home by adding a few warming elements. You might already have items like this stored away or you can check out local thrift stores, garage sales and classified ads. Remember, the idea is to pump up the color and layer patterns without buying new.

Comfortable and colorful throws can bring some life back to your bedroom and living room. If you can find faux fur blankets, this will add a touch of comfort and it’s definitely worth snuggling up to when the temperatures are below zero. Even if you have white or cream sheets on your bed, a red or blue bedspread can give your bedroom a rejuvenating atmosphere.

Pillows can also make statements and layering patterns on your couches and chairs can make you look stylish and eclectic. Even though it’s not spring or summer yet, you can still add a flower-inspired floor rug and pillows so dig these items out of the attic. You could even find iron on patterns to enhance extra pillows you already own.

Plants are another way to add some color as well as life to your home this season. However, if you have pets, you need to be cautious of the plants that can be poisonous.

Finding it hard to buy cool accessories and decorations for your teenager’s room? If she’s not into stuffed animals anymore, why not introduce her to a more grown up collectible?

The Kimmidolls are collectible dolls that come in mini and maxi sizes. Each doll symbolizes something different, and they come in a gift box with a collector’s card. These are modern, fresh and colorful, and they are reminiscent of female rocker Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku girls.

Kimmidolls can enhance bookshelves, nightstands, hanging shelves, desks, etc. Depending on your decor, you might even want to add some to your bedroom, kitchen or great room, especially if you have shelving. The dolls can bring a pop of color and fun to those empty spaces.

These can be a fun collectible that your daughter can grow with, because it’s so contemporary. Instead of her rolling her eyes at you, she might actually smile!

If you’re one of those neighbors who look forward to trick-or-treaters, you should check out the spooky outdoor Halloween decorations. These elaborate inflatable decorations will definitely make your house the talk of the town, and the children will get a kick out of it too.

The Inflatable Grim Reaper and Pumpkin Carriage from Grandin Road is quite a site to see. Although it’s quite a large inflatable, it’s equipped with a heavy-duty fan. When kids come to your door you can remind them about the headless horseman and warn them about the path ahead!

This decoration includes the grim reaper, pumpkin carriage and horse. It requires four AA batteries, and it’s 15′ in length. It’s also made from all-weather polyester, so even if it rains or snows, you’re house will be recognized this holiday. Regardless, it will be hard to miss the lit pumpkin and scary details on the grim reaper and horse’s face.

Are you celebrating the Halloween with friends and family at your house? Then make the party worth attending with frightful indoor Halloween decorations. There are so many neat holiday decorations out there, and you still have time to shop.

The Broomba Self-propelled Halloween Broom will definitely suprise your guests. It’s a life-sized broom that moves around the room. It also plays spooktacular music, and it cackles like a witch. It requires three AA batteries, and it’s easy to assemble. Its dimensions are 16” dia. x 47”H, and it weighs three pounds.

As long as you have a smooth surface, the broom will be moving all over your house! If you really want to entertain your friends and family, get a few to have around different areas of your home. This is just one way to bring your Halloween party to life.

Hiring a painter to create a masterpiece on your wall can be expensive. Plus, you run the risk of it not coming out exactly the way you wanted it. Why go through the hassle of painting when you can use wall decals instead?

Blik has several different styles and designs of wall decals that can bring life and personality to your walls. They are a sinch to apply, and they will take your wall from ho-hum to amazing in not ime flat.

If you love plants but have a hard time keeping them alive, check out the bamboo, cyclamen or olive decals. These will add a touch of green to your rooms. For children’s rooms, consider their Nintendo series, which includes images from the Super Mario Brothers. You can even customize your designs and have the Blik team bring to life your personal creation, so you can put whatever you want on your walls.

With a little creativity, you can use common items around the house to create personalized Christmas tree decorations. For instance, eggs can make excellent ornaments, and they can give you the energy you need to finish the holiday decorations.

To make an egg ornament, poke two small holes on the top and bottom of a fresh egg. Over a bowl, blow air through the hole on the top of the egg so that the inside of the egg comes out of the hole you put on the bottom of the egg. Save the egg’s insides so you can make an omelet or scrambled eggs later. Now that you have a hollow eggshell, rinse and dry it thoroughly so you can color it. Paint a snowman or Santa or use food color to dye the egg in festive colors. You can also add glitter or ribbon by hot gluing it on. Just make sure to be gentle so you don’t break the eggshell.

Homemade Christmas ornaments make the holiday more memorable and enjoyable, especially if you have children.

Are you already thinking about how you’re going to decorate your home for Christmas this year? Although it’s tempting to buy new decorations, it’s more eco-friendly to reuse the ones from last year. Below are a couple other ways to stay green this season.

Instead of buying a plastic tree, you should purchase a real one. Christmas trees are grown locally and are biodegradable. Not to mention that while they are growing they decrease carbon dioxide in the air and provide soil and water retention. Many of the artificial trees are transported to stores and are made from materials that are not biodegradable. Plus, a real tree freshens your house and makes it smell like Christmas time.

Lighting is an important part of a Christmas tree, but it’s also a waste of electricity. When you have a tree full of ornaments, it can stand alone without lights. However, if you must have lights, use more efficient ones like LED (light-emitting diode) lights. These lights are 80 percent more efficient than traditional ones.

Halloween will be here before you know it! Have you put your summer decorations away and put up your fall wreaths and other knickknacks? If you would like to add to your Halloween decorations or start your collection, check out Pier 1 Imports.

The Metal Leaf Pumpkin is a work of art, because the metal leaves are sculpted into a pumpkin. This pumpkin has several fall colors, and it would enhance a table, kitchen or coffee table.

If you prefer some of the spookier accessories. They have Assorted Flashing Eyeball Glide Balls, which you can add to candy dishes or baskets. You might want to keep some of these eyeballs on hand if you’re having a party, or you can add them to your treat basket and spook the trick-or-treaters.

You can even transform your furniture with Halloween Furniture Leg Covers. These witch boots fit easily over chair or table legs, and your gets will definitely notice them.