Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Eating at an eco-friendly dinner table has become easier with the Bardwil Evolution Table Linens Collection. These linens are made from post-consumer recycled RePET polyester, and they have a highly textured woven pattern that is classic and complimentary to any current tablescape.

Since these linens are made from recycled plastic, they are durable as well as spill-resistant. So instead of having to wash your table linens several times to get the stains out, you can wipe up spills in an instant, because liquids will bead up instead of soaking into the fabric.

These linens come in Ivory, Merlot, Sage, Sea and Straw. You can get tablecloths, placemats and even napkins. The Sea, Sage or Straw are more springtime shades that would look great for Easter dinner and other dinner parties this season.

If you’ve wanted to collect rainwater for watering your grass or your garden in the dry months, but you’ve been disinclined to have a big ugly rain barrel in your yard, you might like to try something a little different. Like a rainwater collection rock, perhaps.

The sandstone rock is hollow and can hold 40 or 80 gallons of water, depending on the size you get. They come with a downspout diverter, so you can simply connect your current gutter system to the water storage stone without any extra parts required. You can also link two of the stones together for extra storage capacity. Put a couple on each downspout, and you’ll soon have plenty of rainwater to keep your vegetable garden growing all summer.

The rainwater collection stones are available at Northern Tool for $130 (40 gallon) or $200 (80 gallons):

Rainwater Waterstone

As you’re running out the door in the morning, do you grab a bottled water or a reusable water bottle? While choosing bottled water may seem more convenient and safer than your tap water, think again. Regulations on bottled water vary, because the U.S. Pharmacopeia standards for purified and sterile water do not apply to carbonated, seltzer, sparkling, soda or tonic waters. So even though you’re drinking bottled water, you still need to be aware of where it came from and who certified the water’s quality. Instead of paying for potentially impure water, you can use a simple gadget that fits into your reusable water bottle, which filters out those bad tasting chemicals.

Guyot Designs created the TapGuard, which can serve as an alternative to bottled water. All you have to do is run the carbon pouch under water for one minute, slide it into the TapGuard, place the unit into your water bottle and drink clean, fresh water throughout the day.

The TapGuard comes in three different colors: Tahoe Blue, Tangerine and Black. The unit comes with two replacement carbon filters, which is enough to filter 200 liters of water. The carbon is made in the U.S., and it is derived from charred coconut husks from the Philippines.

When you’re building from scratch with green living tips in mind, it can feel like an overwhelming task. There are so many ways to make your home more efficient and eco-friendly, and the fact is that you probably are not aware of all of the ways. In order to build or re-design your home so it’s more energy efficient, it’s important to seek out expert advice.

SunTerra House Plans gives you the information you need to design your home with sustainability in mind. They have housing plan styles for the following types of homes: bungalow, contemporary, country, lodge, mediterranean, modern, prairie, ranch style and rustic home.

If you’re not keen on one of the pre-designed housing plans, you can have this company custom a design that better meets your needs. Now does building a green home sound so challenging after all?

If you want to make your house greener and brighter, then check out these Scrap Lights.

These eco-friendly pendant lamps instill “new spirit into salvaged pieces of corrugated cardboard; a scrap light’s lively play on light and shadow invigorates once lifeless materials.”

Offered by Seattle-based Graypants, Inc., the lamps are available in three shapes. The Hive runs 9 to 12 inches in diameter and costs $219. The 14 to 17 inch Disc costs $279, and the 15 to 16 inch Bell lamp is $479.

Who says cardboard boxes are bland?

http://shop.graypants.com/

Heating a backyard pool can be a costly expense, but if you have an above-ground swimming pool, you can invest in some eco-friendly accessories. Going green can help reduce your impact on the environment and keep green in your wallet too.

The Solar Pool Heater is a device that can keep your pool warm and extend your swim season. Every hour, this solar pool heater gives 2,500 BTUs of energy. If you have a 6,000-gallon pool, it will increase the temperature by 5 degrees Fahrenheit within 10 days.

The device is easily installed, because it attaches to your pool’s pump-operated water filtering system. As the filter circulates the water, it’s also warmed. If you want to warm your pool faster, you can have up to four solar heaters going at once. Now you and your family can enjoy your pool for longer.

If you have a pool or live off of the beach, it’s refreshing to be able to wash the chlorine or sand and saltwater off of your body before entering your clean home. An outdoor shower is also convenient when you need to cool off if you’re one of those die hard sun worshipers.

This Game Outdoor Solar Shower has a sturdy black base made from PVC, which is weather resistant. The dimensions of the shower are 4.3 x 4.3 x 72”.

In order to install, you just have to hook it up to a standard garden house. You can have this up and ready to go before family or friends come over for a pool party.

An added bonus is that it can be an eco-friendly addition to your backyard since it runs off of the sun’s energy and not your electricity.

Put a return address label on any items that you lend out to friends or family. This will act a subtle reminder to them so they don’t forget to return it to you. You can put the label on car scrapers, umbrellas, workout equipment, shovels, lawnmowers, etc. This way when they tell you that you never gave them something, you can point out your return address label, which shows otherwise.

Secure yours or your children’s school supplies. Those mathematic calculators are not cheap and neither are those other special supplies that you need for school. Add a return address label to pencil cases, calculators, protractors, books, binders, etc. If you leave a book on the bus or in the classroom, someone might actually return it to you since they know your name and address.

Mark items that are going out for repair. If your sweeper, stereo, chair, etc. breaks and needs to go to the repair shop, add a return address label in a conspicuous area that isn’t broken. Then you can make sure that you got your possession back and not a different one.

Do you receive several different designs of return address labels from charities and other non-profit organizations? Although these can be convenient when you have mail to send out, you will probably find yourself with extra sheets that you don’t know what to do with. If you pay your bills online and send emails to friends and family instead of letters, you’re going to have plenty return address labels left over. So what can you do with them instead of throwing them out?

Place personalized tags on your bags to prevent them from getting lost. You can put the address label inside of your laptop bag, eyeglass case, gym bag, luggage, etc. If you want to ensure that it’s secure, cover the label with a clear piece of packing tape.

Label your expensive possessions in case you would misplace them. Just because you didn’t take out an insurance plan on your laptop, PDA, MP3 player or camera, doesn’t meant that you shouldn’t take extra steps to prevent your pricey item from becoming lost. The return address label doesn’t guarantee that your high-end item gets returned, but it does increase the chances.

Greenhouses can be convenient, because you can place your favorite plants in one during harsher weather as well as keep a supply of herbs on hand. If you’re trying to incorporate more herbs into your foods and eat more organic plants, a greenhouse is a great way to achieve this goal. However, a greenhouse can be a larger structure, so if you don’t have the room for it, you might not even consider getting one.

However, the Halls Wall Gardens Lean-to 62- 4′ x 2′ Greenhouse can be placed right up against the side of your house so you don’t need extra yard space. The front has a sliding door for easy opening, and you can purchase this model in aluminum with the choice between horticultural or short pane toughened glass.

This greenhouse can be your only one, or you can use it to supplement your current greenhouse. Then you can grow plants right outside your back door where they will be more accessible.