When planning a huge renovation project for your home, there are several steps to consider before tearing down the walls.  Don’t lose faith; your renovation will yield incredible results.  But before you begin, you want to ensure that your home, the architecture of your home, and the planning stages are complete.

A renovation requires an investment of time and energy.  Whether you’re looking at a single room or multiple rooms in your home, you don’t want to sacrifice quality work for speed.  Renovating can be an exciting time of new beginnings, dreams, and reality coming together. 

Don’t be hasty in this process.  There are a lot of decisions to be made.  Frequently, you will notice plans changing and new expenses added.  With proper planning and a well-orchestrated budget, your house will be a home in no time.

The first step to planning for a renovation is establishing a budget.  Of course, you want stainless steel appliances, built-ins, and the latest in modern art.  But before you can get to the decorating phase, the architecture must be completed with precision and attention to detail.  The more detailed the process becomes, the more expenses add up.  This should be calculated for within your planned budget.  Leaving room for unexpected expenses is essential to completing your budget.

Once the budget is in effect, you can move on to architectural details.  For this stage in planning, you will need a professional.  Compare your options and choose the best fit for your family and home needs.  During this stage, openly express your dream outcome.  What changes would you like to see in your kitchen?  Do you want a garden tub or a claw foot tub?  What do you want the crown molding to look like?  Be specific and do not be afraid to get incredibly detailed.  This can only help your designer and architect come to a conclusion of what is realistic within the means of your budget.

After you’ve planned and prepared, the demolition phase commences.  This is your time to say goodbye to the old and anticipate the new.  For your own mental health, be realistic in your daydreaming.  Often times, homeowners have a very specific end result in mind.  If not met with precision, dreams are crushed.  That is why planning in detail is so important.  As you progress through each stage, don’t hesitate to communicate with your architect and designer exactly what your expectations are.  They will be just as open with you about the realistic goals you can achieve within your budget.

Planning for a renovation requires a lot of time, but it is time well spent.  During the demolition and rebuilding phases, you might not enjoy each day’s progress, but in the end, you’ll love the look and feel of your newly designed home.  Be involved in the renovation, pay close attention to each new development, and be prepared for mishaps.  When you plan well, you yield impressive results.  Have fun planning for your home’s renovation. 

With the ever-changing style of fashion and décor, finding pieces that withstand the test of time can seem like a daunting task.  From furniture to fixtures and so much more, you want your home to be updated and upgraded for a flawless look.  But what happens when your new choices quickly become regrets?  Don’t worry, with a little help, your home will never be in danger of losing its style or looks. 

You are either looking to purchase new furniture to update your home or you’ve already purchased and you already regret your decision.  With either decision, your goal is to create a look that not only offers stylistic elements that remind your guests that you keep up with the latest trends without being so trendy that you lose a classic and timeless look.

Your first goal will be to blend trend and timeless beauty.  If you have yet to purchase furniture, look for pieces that do not mold to the latest trend.  This might seem impossible, but keep a close watch for the following:

Find wooden furniture that is not painted.  Look for solid or striped fabrics of neutral colors.  And, finally, avoid patterns, bright colors, and trendy shapes.

Let’s start with patterns.  If you are in to the modern style, you might find yourself out of luck.  So much of the modern style is trending and popular.  This requires a lot of bright colors, patterns, and shapes.  However, you can still be cautious in your furniture.  For the living room, find a couch that is sleek and add colorful pillows for a more modern twist.  Use decorative pieces that have a lot of patterns and fun shapes to accentuate the modern style.  But keep your basics more reserved.  Mount your television and avoid purchasing a modern stand.  Use your more traditional bookcases and place your modern art on the shelves.

Bright colors are a must in every room.  Your definition of bright might be different than your neighbors, but the goal is to keep your home colorful, according to the season and your style.  If your home is traditional, you might aim more for greens and blues.  Shabby chic styles go for coral, soft pinks, and baby blues.  You want a lot of color, but not at the expense of your entire design.  Look for accent pieces that can serve as the focal point.  Use your furniture as the neutral balancer. 

This last step is the most difficult.  Trendy shapes range from the shape of the couch, dining room table, and even bedroom suit.  To avoid getting trendy shapes you will later regret, you have to do your research.  Look at archives, examine styles that have surpassed the ages.  Once you’ve found shapes that will keep your home timeless, your task will be complete.

Finding furniture for your home requires some attention to detail.  Keep your eyes peeled for pieces that suit your personal style and accents that bring the trend.  You’ll love your space for years to come. 

Finding the perfect dining room table for your breakfast nook can be difficult.  From a bay window to rounded corners, it can seem as though you are completing a jigsaw puzzle.  If you’re looking for a table to fit your family needs without taking away from the style and aesthetics of your kitchen, here are a few tips to consider.

Measure your space.  This step should be first and foremost.  Knowing the parameters you can work within will help you narrow down your choices.  During this stage, do not choose a table shape.  You might be surprised your final choice.  Just keep an open mind.

Knowing the measurements of your space, look at the shape of the area available for a table.  Some breakfast nooks are accompanied with a bay window and bench seating while others are at the end of a square wall.  However, your final decision should not be based on the shape of the wall. 

Keep the shape of the area you’re looking to fill in mind and consider the style of your kitchen and dining area.  Does your home have an open concept?  Does your living room open to your kitchen and breakfast area?  Or, is your kitchen enclosed and separated?  It is crucial to consider each aspect of your homes design before making a final decision on a dining table.

With all of the information gathered you can begin to narrow your choices and find a dining table that best suits the needs of your family and the aesthetics of your home.  Here is how to blend the two together nicely. 

First, you want to look for architectural details that you like.  If your space is small, consider a table that is sleek and slender.  A bulky, thick table in the breakfast nook can cause a barrier in the aesthetics of the room.  However, by choosing slender table, the eyes can easily move through the table to see the details of the wall color, decorations, and so forth.  This is a manipulation of design.  By finding a sleek table, your space will appear larger.  Of course, the opposite holds true for a large room.  Finding an ornate, thick table brings a sense of comfort and completing to your space.

Knowing the requirements for your space: the measurements of the room, the appearance of the table, and the style of the room, your choices should be narrowed enough to make an educated decision.  Depending on your own style and preference, you can determine the best shape of table for your space.  If you have bay windows, you might want to coordinate with a round table.  If, however, you have an eclectic taste in style, you might enjoy the opposition of rounded walls and square furniture.  Both can have a bold and captivating result.

Once you’ve purchased a table that fits in your room, begin decorating.  Pull colors from your kitchen and enjoy the unity of a breakfast nook and kitchen.  You’ll love your freshly designed dining table. 

Just as fashion trends change from year to year, the fabrics you choose for your home are dependent on the most prominent materials of the season.  When you are looking for new fabrics for your space, there are several considerations to keep in mind.

Before you begin your shopping experience, research different fabrics for the areas in your home being redone.  From the kitchen to the living room, and, of course, the bedrooms, each space has a different theme and purpose.  You want to flawlessly blend functionality with aesthetics.  There are several ways to accomplish this, using timeless fabrics that never go out of style.  Here are some tips to keep your home timeless and stylish.

Your first goal in choosing fabrics for your home is to make a budget.  How much money do you want to spend all together, for each room, for each piece?  For example, you may want to invest more in your living room curtains than in your bedroom curtains.  Or, perhaps, you want to spend more money on your favorite couch cushions and pillows and less on your kitchen chair fabrics. 

Once you have prioritized, it’s time to think about style.  Make a list of your dream fabrics.   Research fabrics you like without hesitations due to finances.  This is your dream list.  Consider the touch, function, durability, cleanliness, and health of each fabric.  These five factors will be used to determine which fabrics are best for your family.

Touch and comfort are extremely important for certain fabrics used in your home.  While it might not be as important on your curtains, it’s crucial to your pillows and seating areas.  Find a fabric that not only has the colors and print you enjoy, but one that is comfortable to the touch.  The function of each piece is equally important.  The function of your couch is seating.  Thus, touch, cleanliness, and durability are important.  However, for curtains, aesthetics and shade are the main function, meaning touch is not as important.

Keeping these five factors in mind, you can work your way through each room in your home and determine which fabrics will best suit your needs.  Once you have a good idea of your needs, you have to consider the aesthetics of each space.  Design is driven by precision and attention to detail.  It’s crucial that when you are decorating, you keep in mind function and design.  Do the fabrics you have chosen function well but clash with the style of the room?  Find fabrics that meet both of your needs.  Function and fashion are equally important.  While your living room curtains might shield the sun, if they do not mesh well with the style of the room, the print of the rug, or the pattern of the cushions, the entire room will clash. 

Consider the five factors while you shop for a functional and fashionable fabric.  Knowing exactly what you need will help you narrow down your choice and allow you to find the best match for your home.

With the spring season in full effect, it’s time to get outdoors and stay active.  With the sun, the cool weather, and a light breeze, there are several activities you can partake of to experience nature and absorb those UV rays. 

The first activity is walking.  With your family or for exercise, take a stroll at your local walking trail, park, or hiking facility.  With the proper gear and outfit, walking is great for fitness and UVs.  It’s important that your body gets enough sunlight.  When you want to get outside and experience nature, a walk is the perfect solution.

If you are looking for a more family friendly activity, consider bike riding.  From your toddler’s tricycle to your tandem bike, you can have a lot of fun taking a family ride.  Riding a bicycle promotes healthy living and fun for all ages.  It’s never too late to learn to ride.  Grab a friend and enjoy the great outdoors. 

There are so many wonderful ways to experience the spring season.  Whether it’s sand volleyball, rollerblading, a picnic at the park, or boating, it’s always fun to soak up the sun without the smoldering heat of summer.  Grab your family, bring some water, and say goodbye to winter, until next time.

With the cold weather dying down, the spring is the perfect opportunity to enjoy your own outdoor space.  Without leaving your own backyard, you can experience all that nature has to offer.  Consider planting a spring garden.  By spending time outdoors, your emotions improve.  It’s true; sunlight is proven to promote happiness.  If you’re feeling down from the abundance of clouds and done with the cold winter months, find joy and peace in planting a garden.

Improve your patio and soak up the sun.  You know the phrase, “spring cleaning,” is in full effect when the freeze turns into a breeze.  What better place to begin your cleanse than your outdoor space.  From your outdoor fabrics to your patio furniture, it’s time to revamp your space.  Get your outdoor living area ready for entertaining, relaxing, and daily use. 

Once you’ve taken care of your outdoor cleaning and landscaping, it’s time to plan for an event.  Kick of spring with a barbeque.  Invite your friends and family and enjoy the outdoors.  After months of finding activities to pass the time inside, you finally get to experience nature in its enjoyable form.  Host an outdoor event and enjoy time with your loved ones.

One of the benefits of spring is taking advantage of the inexpensive, if not free, activities you can enjoy outdoors.  From spending time walking through your neighborhood to planning a picnic with your friends, there are plenty of activities you can do to enjoy the sun.  Begin planning your spring activities.  This is the perfect time of year to relax outdoors without freezing or burning.  Don’t let this season pass you by without having experienced all it has to offer.  From your own backyard to your community, get outdoors and stay active. 

Spring has sprung and it’s finally time to put your green gloves on and plant a garden of spring flowers.  The only problem: knowing which flowers are right for the season.  It can be difficult to choose the perfect flowers for your garden and watch them bloom for the spring.  If you are new to the gardening world or, perhaps, you just want to learn about the various flowers for spring, here is a list of some you might not be familiar with.

Perfect for beginners, ephemeral flowers are short-lived, pest-free, don’t need fertilizer, and disease-free.  With so many benefits and little work required, if you’re looking for a garden of beautiful flowers, your options are endless.

You will find that ephemeral plants thrive off of an abundance of sunlight or light shade and are nourished through well-drained soil.  Easy to grow, if you’re looking for a garden of spring flowers without having expertise in gardening, these are the perfect starter plants. 

The first flower on the list is an oriental poppy.  These plants are gorgeous with vibrant colors and captivating crepe-paper flowers.  If you’re looking to create a captivating garden, this is the perfect choice.  Once flowered, don’t be surprised if you notice the Oriental poppy folding up.  They remain dormant until fall.  Upon fall, new foliage appears.

Another great choice is fawn lilies.  These flowers are classic and sophisticated.  Described as luscious and beautiful, these lilies are perfect for the spring season.  With leaves mottled like a fawn, you’ll enjoy watching these flowers bloom in your very own garden. 

With poise and elegance, the Chinese hellebore is unique and breath taking.  With nodding pink flowers, your spring garden will be colorful without an overwhelming tone.  The Chinese hellebore has a unique growth requirement.  In the summer, it needs dry soil so that the leaves can fall and be ready to bloom in the spring. 

The pasque flower is geographical in requirements.  Because they require wetness, if you live in a region with humid and hot summers, this flower is probably not your best choice. 

The European wood anemone is perfect for the spring season.  If your garden is near trees, you’ll love watching these flowers bloom.  With success in humus-rich soil, the European wood anemone enjoys moisture during the winter and spring, but doesn’t require any moisture in the summer. 

Trilliums are colorful and unique in their shape and design.  Ranging from the coast trillium and the bloody butcher, purple trillium, to the yellow trillium, growing trilliums yields a beautiful garden. 

There are so many beautiful wildflowers for your garden to succeed with little maintenance.  If you are new to gardening, research the flowers you are interested in growing and speak with experts at your local nursery.  Flowers like the fawn lily and the trillium cannot be collected from the wild.  Make sure the nursery you shop has nursery-propagated flowers.  With so many choices, you’re bound to have a beautiful, colorful, spring garden. 

If you have a half bath, you understand how difficult it can be to find the space, time, or energy to decorate your space.  In fact, you might be thinking, “what space?”  I understand your pain.  You want to make every square inch of your home ready for a magazine shoot, but when your space is so limited, how can you decorate without making it look cluttered and small.  Though the task before you seems overwhelming, rest assure that with a few helpful hints, your half bath might just take center stage.

The first rule of thumb—paint well.  It can never be overstated that the paint color you choose has the potential to make or break the entire aesthetics of your space.  If you’re looking to open up your space without it looking completely bare and avoided, picking the perfect paint will prove harder than it appears.

Consider the facts here.  You have to paint around a sink, toilet, and possible cabinetry.  If that’s not enough, you have to maneuver your body around these pieces and avoid the baseboards and ceiling.  The task ahead holds no promises of fun or pleasure.  But like the saying goes, “beauty is pain.”  Whether you opt for professional help or a go-getter attitude, you still have one major decision.  Which color is right?  While neutrals are most common through the home, consider a playful color that gives your half bath a theme and purpose.  Whether your style is traditional, classic, modern, eclectic, or anything in between, hone in on your style when finding the perfect paint. 

If you want a beach theme, blue is the number one pic.  A light blue has the allusion of openness, making your space look bigger.  Combined with white and stainless steel accessories, your half bath will look crisp, clean, and complete.

For a more traditional look, consider investing in an ornate, wooden vanity.  Giving you extra storage space and giving depth to the area, there’s nothing to lose.  For a paint color, consider an off-white.  By adding just a hint of color, your half bath will use decorations to complete the look.  Find ornate towels, rich colorful wall art, and brass accessories.  With the perfect mix of open wall color and rich decorative items, the half bath will feel elegant and open. 

If your home is modern, there are several options for your half bath.  A wall mounted sink is the perfect way to open your space up and give the illusion of a large area.  Accompanied by a light wall color, your space will be well on its way to looking complete.  There are so many options for a modern half bath.  A light blue, stripes, or a playful color will enhance the modern look. 

After preparing your meals in the kitchen, you move toward the dining room for family time and food.  But what kind of atmosphere is your dining room?  It’s important to consider the aesthetics and the function of each room in your home.  If you walk into a dull room with no purpose or appeal, it’s time for a makeover.  By making some simple changes in your dining room, you’ll anticipate each experience in your inviting space.

In today’s architectural realm, homes are being built according to an open concept.  Gone are four walls and long hallways.  Instead, there is an increase in pillars and large, open rooms.  If your home doesn’t adhere to these stipulations, you’ve probably noticed an enclosed feeling.  Without having to complete a renovation, making small changes like paint color and fixtures can make a significant difference.

All homes are unique and have character.  If you have an older home, don’t rule out the aesthetic possibilities of creating a stylistically advanced space.  Depending on the size and shape of your dining room, you can have a sophisticated, fun area.  Begin by choosing a paint color.  If your space is enclosed by four walls, a light color will add an open feel to the room.  It’s true that the eyes are easily manipulated.  When walking into an enclosed space, it appears larger than it is when the paint color is lighter and softer.  Though you aren’t restricted to a neutral color, there are several colors in the neutral family that can bring your dining room to life.

Color choices are key to transforming a room.  With stark contrasting colors, the room looks and feels more spacious.  Here are some color ideas to keep your dining room functional and aesthetically appealing without feeling outdated or confined.

Starting with the neutral family, a taupe, beige, or khaki color is simple and sleek.  This is best suited for those with colorful decorations to add life and energy to the room.  Finding colors in the neutral family can be more difficult than imagined, however.  You want the color you choose for the wall to mesh well with the style of the rest of the home, without coming across as bare or incomplete.  If you choose a neutral color, make sure to put a lot of effort into decorating.  The furniture, centerpiece, and wall art will give your space the depth necessary to look complete.

If you want to be a little more colorful in your wall color, a light blue, mint green, teal, or playful color can mesh well in a unique way.  While you might be hesitant to choosing a bold color, after all this isn’t a child’s room, don’t hold back your creativity.  If your furniture is bold, dark, and sophisticated, having a coat of fresh paint opens the room up, takes away the dark and enclosed feeling, and allows you to use dark decorations throughout the space.

Find the perfect color and decorative combination to open up your dining room and enjoy your space.

It’s no surprise that the living room is one of the most often used rooms in a home.  When you want to relax and enjoy reading or watching television, your feet always tend to take you to your favorite spot on your favorite couch.  It’s only natural.  But what happens when you have a small living room that serves multiple functions?  Take a look at how to best utilize your small space.

Whether you live in a loft, apartment, or home, a small living room doesn’t allow for much socializing and entertaining—at least, that’s what you’re told.  But the truth is, square footage can be manipulated to give you ample space to meet all of your lounging and hosting needs.  Here’s what you do:

Start with staging.  Staging is an important process in any home.  You want to use the square feet you have to enhance the look, feel, and openness of your living room.  Disclaimer: this does not mean push everything against the wall so that you have an open area in the middle of the room.  Quite the opposite, you want to utilize your square feet wisely to get as many different areas in the room.  For example: the couch area, a walkway, a second sitting area, a fireplace area, etc.

When you open the furniture too wide, you lose valuable square feet.  If your living room is smaller, you might not be able to have more than one or two highlighted areas, but you can use your space to meet the needs of your personal and social life.  Here’s how it works: 

When decorating a small living room, you want to focus on the furniture first.  Whether your style is traditional or eclectic, you want your furniture to be conducive to the environment provided.  Be proportional.  If your ceilings are low and your couches are bulky, the room will automatically look smaller.  Consider patterns or stripes the elongate the room.  Find furniture that is sleek and comfortable.  Find a focal point to stage your furniture around.  If possible create two separate sitting areas—a lounge area with the couch around the fireplace and a couple of straight back chairs near a window.  This creates the illusion of more square feet. 

Like all rooms in the home, wall color matters.  Find a soft neutral to open the room and give it a large feel.  Be wise with your decorations.  Too much, even for the eclectic style, and you’ll end up with a cluttered mess.

Once you’ve staged and decorated your living room, walk through each doorway to get a visual of each entrance.  Look through the lens of a guest.  Is the seating arrangement conducive to entertaining?  After staging, the answer should be yes. 

In the end, you can entertain and host gatherings and enjoy a relaxing night at home, all from the comfort of your living room.  Don’t let size defeat you, enjoy your space and show it off every once in a while. 

For new homeowners, creating the perfect atmosphere in the kitchen can be a daunting task.  You want the perfect decorations mixed with the perfect dishes and even the most desired appliances.  But what aspects of kitchen living are necessary and which are desired?  For all of the secrets on kitchen essentials for new kitchen owners, here is a list of tips.

The first step to having a successful kitchen experience in your new space is organization.  If you are new to living independently, you might not have all of the essentials to organize.  In that case, your first priority is to shop for the goods.  Consider essential cooking tools like measuring spoons, dry ingredient measuring cups, liquid ingredients measuring cups, three mixing bowls, a cutting board, a chef’s knife, a paring knife, wooden spoons, a vegetable peeler, a colander, a grater, and, last but not least, a can opener. 

Seems easy enough right?  This is only the beginning.  Whether you’re a pro chef or a beginner, you want the necessary tools to enhance your cooking experiences.  From the mixing bowls to the can opener, each listed tool will help you in the process of preparing a meal. 

Once you have all of the necessary tools, it is time to organize.  From mixers to toasters and, of course, your decorations, you have a big task before you.  While you don’t want to disrupt the aesthetics of your freshly decorated kitchen, you also don’t want to worry about digging through drawers for each meal.  Here are some quick organizational tips to keep your kitchen classy and classified.

You have two choices when it comes to your small appliances—to hide or to display.  If you use your toaster each morning, tucking it away after each use might become a hassle.  You have to consider function as well as aesthetics.  Because the kitchen receives the most foot traffic of any room in the home, it’s important that the function remains intact.  To keep your kitchen organized and functional, you have to find a presentable place for your small appliances.

Before you get into the aesthetics, start with your small tools and kitchen gadgets.  Mixing utensils can be stored in a drawer and coordinating cabinet.  Dinnerware and silverware can be stored in the same manner.  Plastics, pots and pans, and other kitchenware can be stored in cabinets, the pantry, and drawers.  Once all of your small items are neatly tucked away, you can focus on your countertops.

If you’ve chosen a theme for your space, you want your appliances to adhere to it.  Whether you have stainless steel, black, or white appliances, your small appliances should complement your theme.  Are you decorating in a traditional style or are you taking a modern approach?  Determine which kitchen tools are essential for display and store the rest in a safe location. 

Once you’ve got everything stored and displayed properly, you’ll love spending time in your kitchen.  Enjoy your new independence and cook up something memorable.