Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

There are several items that you want to have in your kitchen if you plan on entertaining regularly. Below are the basic essentials your kitchen should have:

• Sharp knives
• Clad pots in several sizes
• Large roasting pan
• Round Dutch oven
• Food processor
• Stainless steel mixing bowls
• Wooden spoon and rubber spatulas
• Whisks and measuring spoons
• Electric knife sharpener
• Cutting board
• Meat thermometer
• Half sheet pan

It’s one thing to have a conveniently designed kitchen for cooking and baking, but don’t you want to get some use out of it too? In order to do that, it’s beneficial if you have the items listed above so you can bake cookies for your family or create a delicious dinner for friends. These essentials will help make your kitchen more functional, so you can take advantage of that new stove or granite countertop.

Your dining table can be an overwelming area, because there are so many utensils, plates and other items that you should have on it. In order to keep you on track, below are the essentials for your tabletop:

• White porcelain dinnerware (this is classic)
• 12 12” buffet plates
• 12 10” salad plates
• 12 9 1/2” rimmed soup/pasta bowls
• 12 mugs
• 12 cereal bowls
• 18 6 1/2” square dessert plates
• 2 rectangular serving platters
• 2 oval serving platters
• 12 22” linen napkins
• 12 15” placemats
• 12 5-piece flatware setting
• 18 stemless wine glasses
• 18 stemmed wine glasses
• 18 highball glasses
• Votive candles

You might also want to have a flower arrangement. If you can’t get your hands on cut flowers, keep silk arrangements on hand in case you have last minute guests. Collecting these tabletop items will ensure that you’re prepared for that extra guest that just shows up. These items are also handy if you enjoy throwing dinner or cocktail parties for friends and family.

When you’re working from home, it’s easy to become distracted, which is why you should have everything you need right at your desk. Below are some essential items that you should have on your desktop:

• Tasking light (this can help save energy)
• Measuring tape
• Simple flower arrangement
• Pencil holder
• Calculator
• Paperclip dish
• Magnifying glass
• Mouse pad
• Flat-screen computer or laptop
• Letter caddy
• Triple paper tray
• Telephone
• Post-it notes
• Stapler
• Tape dispenser
• Picture frame

These are basic items that you will most likely use throughout your work day. Who wants to search for these things on a daily basis? Instead, you can have them right on your desk where you need them the most. Although it doesn’t go directly on your desk, you might also want to get a bulletin board or dry erase board to keep you on task. Also, a small paper holder can be convenient if you want to put important bills on it as a reminder.

Is a friend or your mother-in-law going to be staying in town soon? Before they arrive, make sure you’re guest room is up to par. Below are some essentials you should have in your guest room:

• Bath and hand towels as well as washcloths
• Various soaps (Dove is good for sensitive skin)
• Bath oil or foam (if you have a tub)
• A unisex terry robe
• Hair dryer
• Reusable glass
• Pad and pencil
• Telephone
• Alarm Clock
• A few magazines and books
• Several hangers in the closet
• Luggage rack
• Bedside flowers
• Snacks (orange, apple, nuts)

These little details will make your guests feel welcome and comfortable in the unfamiliar surroundings. You will also benefit too, because you won’t have to get these things together last minute or create make-shift items. It’s also a good idea to ask your guest ahead of time if there’s anything in particular that they will need while they stay at your home.

Pets can get fleas not only from walking outside but also from sitting next to the screen door or window. In order to protect your pet from fleas, you should use flea control topicals such as Revolution, Vectra, Advantage, Frontline, etc. These medications will repel fleas so you don’t have to worry about your pet when you are on your morning walk, and they should be applied year round.

It’s also a good idea to groom your pet on a regular basis. It’s possible for them to have fleas and you not know it. Brush your pet on a daily basis and part the hair to ensure that fleas are not hiding. Give your pet a bath every couple weeks so you can inspect their skin while the hair is wet. It’s sometimes easier to look for black flea droppings.

Indoor flea sprays are effective for soft fabrics like carpeting and pet bedding. If your pet has brought fleas into the house, it’s important to treat your pet and home immediately. Vacuum the carpet daily to remove any flea eggs from the carpet. Don’t forget to empty the vacuum bag and dispose of it in the outside trash.

Do you want your garden to be greener? Maybe you want to save money by canning food and freezing vegetables. If so, try making your garden more eco-friendly. Below are some tips on how to make your garden more rewarding.

• Grow it yourself by planting seeds instead of buying the smaller, immature plants for your garden. Buying the seeds is cheaper than buying the plant. Plus, you are able to take part in the raising of the plant. Nothing is more rewarding than when you have to work hard for something.
• Plant fruit-bearing shrubs such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and elderberries, because they are nutritious and ornamental.
• Setup rain barrels around your home, so you can use rain water to hydrate your garden. This will help recycle the water and preserve your drinking water.
• Start a compost bin so that you can use the refuse as fertilizer. Homemade fertilizer is nutrient rich, and you are fully aware of what is in your fertilizer.
• Use gardening tools that are made from recycled metals and plastic.

A common item from your closet that you might hate ironing is a collared shirt or blouse. These can be a pain, but if you iron in a step by step process, you can have it perfectly ironed in a cinch. Begin by ironing the collar then proceed to the cuffs, sleeves, back and finally the front. Also, make sure that you’re working with a lightly damp shirt. If the garment has pleats or ruffles, you can remove wrinkles with the tip of the iron’s nose. These easy tips make collared shirts seem less overwhelming.

So how can you make your own starch at home? Well, all you need are two simple ingredients: cornstarch and water. Add one tablespoon of cornstarch to one pint of water and mix them together so the cornstarch dissolves. Since it’s easier to spray starch onto the areas where you need it the most, transfer the solution into a spray bottle. You can always keep the extra solution refrigerated in a separate container.

The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka has been using elephant dung to create eco-friendly paper, which by the way doesn’t smell and is bacteria-free. Their adult pachyderms produce approximately 180 kg of waste per day, so waste management has become an issue for the orphanage, that is until they began producing paper.

The dung from each elephant can help product 115 sheets of paper, and the paper has a similar texture and look to the paper made from tree fiber. The process involves boiling, bleaching, coloring, drying and flattening the dung, and they can produce a lot of paper since they house 60 elephants. This alternative source is beneficial to the environment, because there is less elephant dung sitting on the ground and contaminating the soil and groundwater.

Now when you need to write notes to your family or grocery shopping lists, you can use this natural paper. Check out the noteboxes at the Elephant Poo Poo Paper online store.

There are several ways to revamp a chair, but if you have inexpensive ones, you can easily cover the backs with decorative paper. All you need is Kraft paper, pencil, scissors, cutting mat, sturdy patterned paper, decoupage glue, foam brush and a bone folder.

What you do is unscrew the back of the chair and trace its outline on the patterned paper. Then cut out the paper for both sides. Next, apply the glue to the paper and start brushing it onto the back of the chair. If you have any bumps, use the bone folder to smooth them out. The final step is to cover the paper with a thin layer of glue, because this will prevent it from getting dirty or coming loose.

If you want some variety, use a couple different papers for your chairs, because this can create a personalized look at the kitchen table. Just make sure the patterns have a similar color pallette.

Do you have important files strewn across and maybe even underneath your desk? This lack of organization can not only set you behind in your work, but it also doesn’t look professional. So how can you quickly pull your desk together so you can actually see it again?

Peter Walsh from TLC’s hit series Clean Sweep has developed the [IN] Place System. The filing system help keeps projects visible, and the organization is actually flexible and functional too. The portable tote allows you to take your desk files with you wherever you go. So you can store these files on your desk, in your briefcase or in a cabinet.

There are also Post-it Super Sticky Notes, which are color-coded so you can rename and reuse the file folders. It’s somewhat eco-friendly too. If you prefer keeping current projects on your desk, try the desktop sorter, because you can remove or add panels as you finish or get more projects.