Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Cats are good pets to have in apartments and condos where space is at a premium, but you might not have room for big “cat condos” or climbing trees that sit on the floor. The SmartCat Multi-Level Cat Climber is an alternative option (by the way, if you have as many cats in your apartment as are shown in the picture below, “space” may not be your only issue!).

“The SmartCat Cat Climber is the perfect choice for small homes or for pet owners who don’t want to swap a handy end table for a traditional cat tree. The Cat Climber hangs on virtually any standard door using a spring-loaded bracket system that makes it easy to move from room to room. The durable wood unit features a natural sisal post ideal for scratching. Great for climbing, playing, and sleeping, as well as scratching. Plus, it looks great in any room. Easy assembly.”

$60 at Amazon: SmartCat Multi-Level Cat Climber

There aren’t too many coffee grinders on the shelves at Walmart that are going to make visitors look twice, but this antique coffee mill sure will.

Manufactured prior to 1881, the grinder features solid construction that is a testament to the functional yet handsome creations of the Industrial Revolution. They didn’t have the term “planned obsolescence” in their vocabularies back then, but, even so, it’s impressive that this coffee mill still works.

“This Enterprise No. 7 coffee mill was manufactured prior to 1881. After 1881, all of the mills produced by Enterprise had covers, but this grinder never had one. When I got this mill it had already been sandblasted and painted. It has been repainted in more appropriate colors with blue and gold leaf highlighting the wheels and lettering. It has over 15 inch wheels and weighs in at almost 50 pounds. This mill would look great in a Coffee Shop or even in a large kitchen used as a centerpiece. It has been thoroughly cleaned, works very well and grinds very quickly. The only problems to report are that one of the ‘wings’ on the wing nut has been broken off and the bottom of the drawer has some wood missing near the front.”

This and lots of other cool mills are available through OldCoffeeGrinders.com.

Ceramic trays can have multiple purposes. You can use them as a place to throw your keys or work badge. You can put them in the bathroom to keep your jewelry safe. You can display them in a family room and fill them with delectable candies.

The Wise Monkeys Ceramic Trays from Juliska feature an adorable little monkey. Each tray is meant to illustrate the ‘See, Hear and Speak No Evil’ saying. Each tray is 4.5” sq. These would be beautiful on a long kitchen counter or on a rectangular table in the foyer.

Juliska has many other tray designs, and many of them symbolize desirable character traits like courage and integrity. There is also one for love and friendship, which would make great housewarming gifts.

Philodendron are big and beautiful green plants, and by introducing them to your home, you will feel like you have a little piece of the jungle indoors. Plus, indoor plants help to filter the air, so your house will be refreshed with color and oxygen.

A couple potted philodendron plants can brighten a sitting area, and if you have large windows in a certain room, this plant will tie the indoors with the outdoors.

Another option for displaying this massive plant is to cut a single philodendron leaf and place it in a glass vase with some dirt and water.

The fresh clipping can live for a few weeks in water, so this is a great option when you need color on a shelf or dresser.

Looking for a handheld vacuum cleaner that doesn’t sound like it’s sucking a nuclear power plant dry every time you turn it on?

The Black & Decker PHV1800CB 18-Volt Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner is Energy-Star rated, so you know it won’t be a power hog. The cordless aspect also means no worrying about dragging a cord around after you.

The lightweight handheld vac has solid reviews over at Amazon. Its features include:

• 10-position pivoting nozzle
• 2 speeds
• ability to fold in half for storage
• cyclonic action

Pick one up for about $70:

Black & Decker Cordless Vacuum

One of the perks of working from home is that you don’t have to impress people that often, and worrying about wrinkled clothes isn’t high on the priority list… but I wasn’t always so lucky. Even when I had to press uniforms daily, I can’t say I ever truly mastered the ironing skill, but I might have had better luck with a rotary iron.

If you do a lot of ironing, it might be something to check into. The Miele version has a lot of handy features.

• Its wide roller lets you press everything from shirts and pants to bed linens and tablecloths.
• It’s operated with a foot pedal, which allows you to take a load off while you work.
• It has a fold-away mechanism and wheels that make the professional-style ironing appliance feasible for home use.
• An extendable clothing bar gives you a place to hang your shirts when you’re done ironing them.

Personally, I’d still rather have someone else do my ironing (or not wear anything that needs ironing), but I’m lazy like that.  If I were to wield the hot blade, I think a rotary iron sounds like the way to go.

Miele

Hosting parties and family get-togethers outdoors doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with beverages that come in a can.

If you pick up some shatterproof wine glasses, you can pour your favorite vintage without worrying that someone will knock a glass onto the patio or pool deck. And if you’re half the klutz I am, you might want unbreakable wine ware for in the house too. (I don’t think I’ve got a set of glasses or plates without at least one missing piece.)

These Unbreakable PolyCarb Wine Glasses come in a “party set” of 12 from the Wine Enthusiast.

The set includes four 22 oz Pinot Noir glasses, four 12 oz Chardonnary glasses, and four 20 oz ones for Cabernet. (If you don’t need a set of 12, you can also just buy the 4-sets of each kind.)

Visit the Wine Enthusiast site to see the “unbreakable” glass in action (there’s a video):

Unbreakable PolyCarb Wine Glasses

Home urinals may not be mainstream in the U.S. yet, but we’ve certainly talked about a few models before (from simple residential urinals to custom copper urinals to hide-away urinals just for the home bathroom), and they’re a little more common in other countries (forever solving the lid-left-up/lid-left-down problem).

Here’s a new urinal for your consideration:

The illuminated, color-changing Gloo.

From Philips Watts Design, the Gloo is molded from polyethylene and features internal LED lighting. It’s supposed to be easy to install with simple connections and fixing methods, so feel free to DIY this one.

Here’s a picture, and if you’ve got two minutes to spare, you can catch the video on YouTube:

If you’re remodeling the bathroom and want the high-end luxury look, then you’ll probably want snazzy stone floors, steam showers, jetted tubs, designer sinks, and all the other pretty fixin’s. Well, don’t shy away from the high-end look on your shower floor.

Why not install a shower basin made from natural stone?

Granite, limestone, marble, what’s your fancy? The Neo-Angle shower basin comes in numerous colors of all these natural materials. It’s hand-cut from a single piece of stone, and you can choose from etched, honed (low sheen), polished (high sheen), or sandblasted finishes.

$1671 from Fixture Universe.

Here’s a fun way to personalize your children’s rooms and add a bit of storage at the same time.

The wall-mounted word shelves can be custom made with your children’s names and in their favorite colors.

“Children’s name shelves and Word Shelves hang on the wall. Place photos, knick knacks, books, and craft supplies on the letters of your child’s name or a fun word! Each letter measures 7″ tall, 5.5″ wide, 3.5″ deep.”

By LoveShelf on Etsy with prices running about $10 a letter.