Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Thinking of redoing the lighting in your kitchen? The Source: House Beautiful‘s 2005 Annual Product Guide offers a few suggstions:

• Use a combination of pendants and recessed fixtures to crate aesthetically pleasing layers of light.

• Task lighting, general lighting, and ambient lighting are all important for style and function.
• Today’s trends for fixture finishes tend toward wrought iron or painted metals.
• Up-lighting over cabinets is good for drawing attention to stylish ceiling treatments.
• Undercabinet lights are best for illuminating work areas.

Luxury isn’t just about looking good; it’s about installing quality materials that last and don’t require a lot of maintenance. If you’re shopping for material for a new countertop, here are a few questions you might want to ask before you commit to buying:

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Granite isn’t the only option for handsome, durable countertops. Harder than most natural stone, quartz is also flexible which makes it easier to install. Aside from looks and installation, the big appeals to quartz countertops are that they are very resistant to heat, mildew, mold, and stains. If you’re interested, you can find out more at CaesarStone.