Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Thinking about remodeling your home? Consider eco-friendly additions that can help you save money and reduce your footprint. Choose an green designer and/or builder that offers a variety of services that can turn your eco-friendly dream home into a reality. If you have saved up your hard earned money for that new kitchen, buy sustainable materials that will last.

Or maybe you want to update your windows or doors by next summer. If these features haven’t ever been replaced, it might be a cost-efficient and energy saving renovation that eco-friendly professionals can help you with. Some companies offer eaves and overhang coverage, which can keep your home cool during the summer so you don’t have to rely on your air conditioning as much.

Updating certain features or adding structures to your home can increase the efficiency of your home and save you money in the long run. Plus, you will have whole new look to appreciate.

Spring cleaning can be a pain in the you know what, but it’s necessary if you want to live in a clean and organized environment. Since it’s going to be fall, it’s best to re-clean your home before winter strikes and you’re stuck with extra stuff you don’t need until spring. One of the best things about going through things is that you can have a garage sale or donate your belongings to others who need them the most.

If you’re closet looks like a tornado went through it, you might have to spend a couple of days focusing on this area of your home. However, you can make it easy on yourself by sorting out what fits and what doesn’t. Once you’ve set your mind to cleaning, you can put yourself on autopilot, and within a few hours you will have done some reusing, reducing and recycling. Then you will actually be able to see the items you own and get more use out of them.

Reusable batteries are handy to have around, but whenever you need to use them, it can be difficult to find the charger. Then you probably end up having to buy more batteries that you don’t really need. Not only is this an added expense, but it also wastes materials. If this happens to you too, you might be happy to know that there are now USBCELL AA rechargeable batteries.

All you do is pop off the bottom and plug it into your computer to charge them…it’s similar to how you would use a jump drive. There are quite a few products that are battery operated in your home (remote controls, wireless gaming controllers, digital cameras, flashlights, MP3 players, etc.), and it’s nice to be able to get use out of them. For less than $20, you can have two AA rechargeable batteries, and you can keep using them over and over again without the inconvenience of a charger.

Opening your windows and letting the breeze filter through your home is refreshing, but it can also give ants, flies and other bugs an easy entry. Anymore it’s scary when you get bit by bugs, because you never know how concerned to be about a bump on your skin. You could get viruses and diseases but more than likely you survive and the itchy, red bump on your skin goes away.

To combat these pesky insects, handle them in a more natural way without using chemicals: grow a water garden full of carnivorous plants! A great option is the bladderwort, which is a carnivorous plant that feeds off of mosquitoes and other small insects. In addition to exterminating insects, the bladderwort will also bloom a yellow or purple flower. Other plants to consider include the Aldrovanda vesiculosa and the Drosera Intermedia. If you prefer an indoor insect eater, a pitcher plants such as the Nepenthes rafflesiana can work wonders.

This is not the typical booster seat you remember from childhood, but it does have a unique and simple design. The KinderZeat is made in Norway, and it’s functional design enables it to grow with your child.

The chair is made from beechwood, and it’s unusual design makes it stable, which is what you look for in highchairs. The seat and footrest can be adjusted up and down as well as horizontally so your child can sit comfortably at the table. Since it lacks arms, it’s safer for those climbers. The chair is made for children ages 18 months and older, and it has a safety harness.

The chair’s design is eco-friendly, because it can grow with your child and even become a suitable seat for an adult. The KinderZeat is so versatile and sturdy that your kids might be able to use it for their children. You can even buy the KinderZeat cushion if you want extra comfort.

Quality water filtration systems can cost anywhere from $500 to $3,000. Clean and pure water is important for your health, but you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to get the best water.

Brita’s faucet filtration systems are a convenient and cheap way to obtain better water quality. Maybe you’re worried about the chlorine or iodine in your water. Who wants to drink all of these chemicals? The purpose of drinking water is to hydrate not contamination your body.

The Basic Faucet Filtration System is less than $20, and it easily attaches to your faucet. The Faucet Filtration System with Advanced Features gives you three different spray options, an Electronic Filter Life Indicator and you can choose from three finishes (white on white, chrome on white or chrome on black). Within a matter of minutes, you can improve your water quality with a device that compliments your kitchen. This can also help you save money, because you don’t have to buy bottled water.

Your home is an investment, but at some point, the investment has to pay off, right? Instead of making frivolous additions to your home in a down economy, consider the following green solutions that can actually save you money in the long run.

• Renovate instead of trading up. Think of your home as a project and try to plan out an efficient yet wallet friendly way to open your floor plan. Sometimes all you need to do is create more storage and reduce clutter.

• Update your old, peeling countertops with ones made from sturdy materials such as recycled glass and paper that have a faux granite finish.

• Color your walls with VOC-free paints that won’t contaminate your lungs or chip over the years.

• Find uses for resources from demolished buildings. It’s easy to find reclaimed flooring and companies with surplus materials.

• Update or fix your windows and doors if the seals are broken. This will lower your energy bill.

These are only a few ways that you can make your home better and reap the rewards over the years (both monetary and health benefits).

Sometimes you just need an extra light on your desk for late night work or even on those gloomy days. Instead of wasting your electricity, use a solar powered and brightly colored desk lamp to help guide you through your work.

Nicolas Cortolezzis designed the Sunnan, which is available at Ikea for $19.99. The Sunnan is a work lamp that contains solar cells that turn sunlight into usable energy. The LED consumes 70% less energy, and it can last four times longer than incandescent bulbs. The lamp head measure 3’’, the gooseneck is 17’’ and the base’s diameter is 5’’.  You can make your desk brighter with green energy, and the lamp also comes in five difference colors: blue, green, red, orange and yellow.

If you’re looking for a simple work lamp that has some pizzazz, this modern lamp might be just what you need. Plus, you can save on electricity when you’re reading and reviewing paperwork.

Composting can feel like a chore, because if you really want to have a successful fertilizer, you need to turn it, check its temperature and ensure that it’s getting enough air, moisture and oxygen. Instead of skipping the compost bin, try something that does the hard work for you.

The Earth Machine is a 10.5 cubic foot or 80 gallon compost bin, which averages between $150 and $200. It’s made from post-consumer recycled materials and high-density injection-molded polyethylene. Not only is it functional, but it’s also durable and tough. Its dimensions are 33’’ in diameter x 33’’ high, and it only weighs 15 pounds.

This machine can help reduce your waste by 30% as well as decrease your gardening water bill by 30%. Plus, you don’t have to use those fertilizers and pesticides anymore for your flowers and garden. Within 10 minutes a week, you can do your part for the environment and reap a bunch of rewards.

Does your back ache from sitting in uncomfortable chairs or maybe your posture is to blame? Although there are some beautiful pieces of furniture out there, some are just not body conscious or ergonomic.

The Bean Rocker by Knoend is a functional and artistic looking piece of furniture that you can add to any room. An added plus is that you can have it sitting out all of the time, or you can easily store it in a closet. The chair is made from FSC-certified maple plywood, and it has an organic cotton cushion.

The reason why it’s called a Bean Rocker is because it’s shaped like a bean, which is meant to provide you with more support. Its dimensions are 17’’ wide x 17’’ deep x 8’’ high. When seated on the chair, you will be about 6’’ off of the floor. You can choose from green, chocolate or orange cushion covers.