Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

If you love kitchen gadgets, but you’ve already got too much stuff cluttering your drawers and countertops, you may appreciate one that actually clears up space instead of consuming it. The under-cabinet-mounted “touchless paper towel dispenser” is here to make your life easier (that’s what the product description promises anyway).

Just wave your hand between the LED sensors (let’s hope these work better than some of those towel dispensers in public restrooms), and the gadget will distribute and cut a sheet to your desired length. “The device helps prevent cross contamination and conserves paper towels by cutting off only the precise amount required, regardless of the location of the perforations.”

It works with normal paper towels, so no need to ditch your favorite brand and buy anything special.

$130 at Hammacher Schlemmer:

Touch-free Paper Towel Dispenser

What do you think kitchens will look like in the year 2040? IKEA surveyed about 2,000 people to find out what they had in mind. It’s no surprise that the kitchen these people dreamed up was self-sufficient and relied on more technology.

As a result of the survey, IKEA developed the “SKARP” concept, which is what a kitchen would have in 2040. Some features of this high tech kitchen model include a 3D food printer, an interactive refrigerator, self-cleaning surfaces, multi-touch tap, remote controlled cooker, heigh-adjustable cabinets, genetically-engineered foods and energy monitor.

It looks like meals will be magically prepared in the future, and the kitchen will always be spotless. Some of this technology already exists or at least can be created with the knowledge we already have. However, the future looks like it’s going to make us lazy.

At some point in time, your teenagers have to learn how to get up on their own in the morning. As hard as it is at this age to avoid sleeping in until the afternoon, it’s beneficial to make the morning fun, or at least interactive.

The LCD Touch Activated Digital Projection Clock can be turned on and off with a switch at the bottom, and the RGB light show commences after switching it on. This bed side clock projects the current time on the walls and ceiling, and it functions on three AAA batteries. To activate the clock, you simply touch the white shell.

This clock is a great accessory for your son or daughter’s night stand, and even if they’re still lying in bed, they will know what time it is.

Among personal use, business needs and home security software, your computer is the master mind behind everything you hold near and dear to your heart. No matter how reliable or the quality of computer you own, it’s always a good idea to have back-up storage.

The Fantom Drive G-Force MegaDisk Hard Drive is a compact storage system for your computer. It has an aluminum closure, which not only looks cool but also dissipates heat. This package contains a G-Force MegaDisk hard drive, USB 2.0 cable, eSATA cable, power cord and user manual. With 4TB of storage, you will be able to meet your personal, business and home security needs.

It features NTI Shadow, which is compatible with Windows® XP/2000, Macintosh OS X v 10.2.8+, and U3™ Smart Devices.

Is music what keeps you going? Maybe it motivates you to go that one more mile or keeps you entertained while you garden. Music can be an entertaining as well as mood-influencing force, and if it’s a part of your life, you probably are always in search for the newest gadgets.

The 2GB MP3 Player Sunglasses from Shop4Tech.com are available in black for under $30. This gadget supports MP3, WAV and WMA files. The glasses run on the battery for about five hours, and it has a two hour charging time.

These musically inclined sunglasses can go anywhere with you whether you’re exercising, shopping, driving, gardening, etc. So along with using them while cooking or tanning on your patio, you can tune things out wherever you go.

Now that it’s almost time for the kids to return to school, there are so many deals out there including discounts on clothes, bedroom furniture, office supplies and even computers. Although you might not be going back to the books, you can still take advantage of these great deals.

The HP Pavilion dv6-3000 dv6-3037sb Notebook PC is now on sale for $796. It features Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit, Intel HD Graphics, DVD Super Multi-Drive and HDD. It also comes with a webcam, 15.6” screen size and LED backlit technology.

Laptop computers are the way to go, especially if you’re not always going to be at home or at your office desk. These are more portable so you can go anywhere with them. If you’re buying them for a small business, you can take them to Wi-Fi hot zones and enjoy a tea or scone at places like Panera…this definitely makes a work day better!

Any old fireplace is great to enjoy, but one that is special looks amazing even when its not fueling a fire.

The Zeta Fireplace by EcoSmart at Parnian was designed by John Dimopoulos, and it received the Australian International Design Award in 2009. The fireplace has an elliptical shape as well as some traditional Greek features.

This original fireplace is made from timber, leather and stainless steel. It’s conveniently portable, and you can get it in Ciocolatta, Nero Ranch Hide and Latte. Since it used denatured ethanol, which is a renewable biofuel, this is a more eco-friendly fireplace.

An original piece like this would compliment a modern patio, and if you have friends and family over, you definitely need some swanky seating to go along with such a striking fireplace.

Are you watching your weight? In this day and age, it’s hard not to obsessive over your weight for health and vanity purposes. Whether you’re trying to maintain, gain or lose weight, it’s beneficial to have an accurate scale to track your progress along the way.

The Taylor 550 Pound Projection Scale can give you the truth about how you’re doing. The best feature about this scale in comparison to most is that it conveniently projects your weight on the wall through the red LED display.

The scale measures 13 x 12.5, and it has non-slip treads to keep your feet firmly planted. All you need is three AA batteries, and the scale has a five year warranty. With the projection display, you won’t have to worry about straining your eyes to read your magic number.

Thunder is rumbling and the dark clouds consume the sky…then unforgiving bolts of lightening shear through the blackened sky like a knife. After those scorching, humid days, a perfect summer storm is bound to happen. But how prepared are you?

When the electricity unexpectedly goes out, it can be a scary experience, especially when you’re alone. The last thing you want to be doing is bumping into chairs and cabinets and blindly rummaging through the drawers to find a candle and lighter.

The Energizer Weather Ready Rechargeable LED is a flashlight designed for those weather-related electricity outages. It’s bright enough to light an entire room, and it automatically turns like a nightlight so you don’t end up tripping.

Owning a large amount of land can be an adventure. You might have a farm, a horse barn, backyard chickens, etc. In any case, you’re going to  have to check on your property and ensure that everything is running smoothly, but if you have a busy schedule, you’re going to need to get around fast.

The Segway I2 Personal Transporter is a quicker way to roam around your backyard, and you can even take it inside too. It’s even an eco-friendly mode of transportation, because it’s powered by a battery that can be recharged. On a single battery charge, the Segway can travel up to 24 miles or 38 km at speeds of up to 12.5 mph.

In comparison to a golf cart, this is a safer and more natural way to get around. In addition, you won’t have to buy gas or worry about having enough parking space.