Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

If you’re looking for a way to decorate your walls, and you want something with a little more texture and life than paint or wallpaper, check out this wood weave from Madrid.

A little different than plain square wooden tiles, the unique design of the weave hides all the seams. You can decorate the walls with the material or install it on the ceiling as well. The wood weave comes in cherry, maple, oak, and even leather (though I guess you’d have to call it leather weave at that point), which snap together to look like the whole wall was laid as one seamless piece. You can order the tiles in 12″ x 12″ or 8″ x 8″ sizes.

http://www.madridinc.com

If you’ve got a beach vacation cottage you’re decorating (or maybe you’re lucky enough to live by the water year around), a nautical theme can be fun. This doesn’t mean you have to hang netting and captain’s wheels on the walls and prop a rusty anchor in the corner. You can do something more subtle and achieve nautical flair.

These anchor andirons are the perfect way to lend that touch to the living room fireplace. They’re functional as well as attractive, designed to hold back logs so they won’t roll out of the firebox when they’re burning. Standing 12″ wide by 17″ high, these andirons are finished in white polished bronze. They’re available from Lyle and Umbach.

House plants can be a nice way to decorate your home with a bit of nature. And having something that’s living always seems pleasanter than looking at something made out of plastic. It can be hard to keep the greenery alive, though, especially if you don’t get a lot of light through windows (or you just don’t have the fabled green thumb). A way to help indoor plants thrive is by setting up a light garden.

This tiered rack from the Gardeners’ Supply Co. includes four 24-watt T-5 fluorescent lights built into it to ensure plants get enough light. The lamp description promises no noise or flickering and says they will last about 30,000 hours. Made from steel, the rack features a durable black finish and includes three drip trays so water won’t slip down to stain your floor. The price for the light garden is $349.

Scroll Light Garden

Though technology is advancing everywhere you look, you wouldn’t think candles would change much, but this coil candle from Uncommon Goods shows that everything is subject to change. The beeswax coil gets fed through a clip in small increments; as it burns down, you simply advance more candle.

It seems like a good idea, since most of those monster candles that are supposed to burn for hours (or days) always leave a big cylinder of wax around the edges that is ultimately wasted (not to mention it makes it hard to light the wick when it’s barricaded off that way). This design, on the other hand, looks like it wouldn’t waste any wax.

The copper plate and clip also offer a bit of warmth to the home, if you enjoy using candles for decorating. The price for the piece is $30 with refills running $18.

60 Hour Coil Candle

If you’re looking for decorating ideas for the outside of your house, a weathervane can be a fun addition to the roof. Wait a second, you’re thinking… Weathervanes? Fun? Well, they can be if they’re sculpted into something that reflects your personality. For instance, if you’re a dog lover, why not try one that features your favorite breed?

This 24″ long Dalmatian weathervane is the work of the Weathervane Sculpture Co. They make custom pieces hammered from brass, copper, leaded copper, and stainless steel. All breeds of dogs are available or you can venture into other areas such as farm animals, people, logos, or trains, planes, and automobiles. There’s even a dragon and a witch on a broomstick for the Harry Potter fans out there. Prices start around $800.

http://weathervanesculpture.com

Are the baseboards in your home a little dreary? Too bland to notice? Ordinary in the extreme? Well, you could add a bit of whimsy with these Fairy Folk Portals.

You place the sprite-sized doorways against a baseboard or on a shelf, and you can pretend they offer up entry to visitors from a nearby fantasy realm. The portals could be particularly fun in a children’s room.

Made in England, the little doors are cast in oak-textured plaster, so they feel like real wood. They are handcrafted and hand-painted, and prices run from $19.95 (single door) to $21.95 (double door). They’re available from the Pyramid Collection.

http://www.pyramidcollection.com

You’ve probably seen some unique mailboxes when you’re out cruising the neighborhood, but nothing would proclaim you a dog-lover so much as these breed-specific pieces from the Mailbox Ranch. The company can customize your box with messages, addresses, or unique painting (maybe you’d like your favorite dog’s specific markings to appear). Though they’re perfect for residential use, the boxes could also be used to advertise a boarding kennel, vet’s office, or other pet-related business.

If dogs aren’t your cup of tea, you can also get cat, horse, farm, or wildlife mailboxes (the swans are pretty impressive). Prices start around $150.

http://www.themailboxranch.com

If you like to collect small pieces of art or knickknacks, you probably want a cool way to show your items off in your home. Sure, you can just stack them on shelves, but if they’re valuable or precious to you, a display case might work better (and look better). Also, cases protect your collections from grubby hands and the potential for breakage (if you have children, or they visit often, this is always a concern).

These wall-mounted mirror display boxes can be hung vertically or horizontally and will, with their beveled edges and rich ebony stain, add a touch of class to any collection. They’re available in small, medium, and larges sizes, and the prices range from $48 to $99.

Velocity Art and Design

Window treatments can make or break a room, and they’re definitely something people notice when they walk in. That may encourage you to do something exotic. Wood blinds aren’t exactly new or all that uncommon, but these ones made from zebrawood aren’t something you encounter every day.

As you can see from the picture, the wood has a unique striping (zebra-like, in fact) that makes it particularly eye catching. If you’re considering wood blinds, it could be a fun way to go.

These particular window treatments are from Hunter Douglas. Some of the features are that they’re fire retardant and have “Optional deLight™,” a feature that ensures privacy and daylight control with route holes toward the back of the slat, which are supposed to prevent light leakage.

http://www.hunterdouglashospitality.com/

Looking for something a little more interesting to do with your walls than simple painting? These wood veneer diamonds are a far cry from your parents’ wood paneling (you know, the stuff that is probably still lurking in the basement next to the shag carpet…).

Made from micro-thin Pawlonia wood, these wall coverings comes in a diamond or basket-weave pattern. The wood is thin enough to be pliable and can be wrapped around columns as well as installed on flat walls.

The handsome veneers are available in several different hues, including cherry, copper oak, charcoal, and silver birch.

From Maya Romanoff