How to Make Your Garage a Storage Powerhouse
January 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment
New project for a new year: Add shelving and containers to get your stuff off the garage floor — and still have room for the car
Garages often turn into repositories for everything from sports equipment to holiday decorations. But with planning you can turn your garage into a harmonious space with room to actually — wait for it — park the car.
Project: Get professionally designed garage storage.
Why: “The garage is definitely the most underutilized space in the house,” says Amanda Le Blanc, a professional organizer (she owns The Amandas in Birmingham, Alabama) and spokesperson for Organized Living. “I prefer the garage to the attic for storage, because a garage actually has less temperature fluctuation.”
Where to Splurge, Where to Save in Your Remodel
January 20, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Learn how to balance your budget and set priorities to get the home features you want with the least compromise
Planning a remodel is always a financial balancing act, no matter the budget. Chances are, you’ll need to scrimp a little (or a lot) to make room in the budget for the things that are most important to you. But how do you make those decisions?
While setting a remodeling budget is a very personal endeavor, it can help to get a big-picture view from someone who does this stuff for a living. We caught up with the Best of Houzz pros at Bill Fry Construction for their take on the subject.
History of Interior Design
January 19, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Everyone wants their homes to look nice. From the cavemen to the Egyptians and the Baroque to Regency, people across the ages have witnessed a remarkable transformation of daily life and domestic decoration. Indulging in lavish décor and rich colors, interior design has seen a fine array of styles as homeowners look to transform the look in their homes. This infographic from Terrys Fabrics looks back in time and explores the history of interior design according to the trends at the time.
Upgrade Your House With New Interior Doors
January 18, 2014 By Leave a Comment
New project for a new year: Enhance your home’s architecture with new interior doors you’ll love to live with every day
Interior doors play a more important role than you might realize. While they are minor elements in the grand scheme, they add architectural detail and style to a house. As something we use every day, doors create a tactile experience that leaves a significant impression. Closing a solid wood door, for example, feels very different than closing a hollow door made of synthetic materials.
For a house with modest detail, beautiful doors may add enough interest to make the spaces feel more stylistically specific. Even if your house has significant architecture, upgraded doors can complement and complete your design. For example, gilt, intricate details and the best stained wood finish make this Italian door remarkable. (We’ll get into looks for modern and other home styles soon.)
Turn That Spare Room Into a Walk-in Closet
January 13, 2014 By Leave a Comment
New project for a new year: Get the closet you’ve always wanted, starting with all the info here
If you’ve ever feuded with a spouse over hanger space or drawers, or turned your house upside down trying to find the summer clothes you stashed last fall, you might be a prime candidate for a closet conversion.
Turning a spare room into a walk-in closet is not a huge task, and it can reap instant rewards. “People want all their stuff in one space,” says Angel Martin, co-owner and senior design consultant at Affordable Closets Plus in Bangor, Pennsylvania. Martin’s firm is one of countless companies that will quiz you on your needs, measure your space and install a spacious walk-in closet in what was once a spare bedroom, a nursery or that home gym you swore you’d use but somehow never did.
You can also opt to do the project yourself, using materials from a hardware or home improvement store. Which method you choose will depend on your needs, your budget and the kind of look you want to achieve.
How to Remodel Your Fireplace
January 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment
New project for a new year: Bring your fireplace design up to snuff with this makeover lowdown
The fireplace is often the most commanding element in any room it’s in. Size and abundance of material are often factors, but as renovation specialist Ron Parko points out, our eyes are naturally drawn to the darkest object in a room anyway. Oftentimes, that’s the firebox when it’s unlit.
Naturally you want this element, and everything that surrounds it, to complement the rest of your home. In many older homes where large brick fireplaces prevail, this can pose a challenge. What do you do? Cover it, paint it, rip it out? Here’s what to consider.
How to Design a Family Photo Wall
January 10, 2014 By Leave a Comment
New project for a new year: Display your favorite images of loved ones for the most personal gallery wall of all
In the digital photo age, not only do most of us have cameras on us at all times, but we have printers that can turn them from pixels into paper. There’s been no formal study I can find, but it only stands to reason that people have more photographs of friends and family in their possession now than at any other time in history.
How to display them? Interior designer Emily Mughannam of EM Design Interiors in Sonoma, California, says technology may change, but the desire to surround ourselves with family images seems to stay the same. “An interior should tell a story,” she says. “A photo wall can show us where we have been and where we are going. Frankly, when I’m in a home without one, it can feel a little sterile.” Whether you choose to do it yourself or hire a professional, once the photos are 2-D, the process of creating a photo wall can be decidedly low tech.
6 Ways to Define Your Workspace at Home
December 29, 2013 By Leave a Comment
If you’re ever had the opportunity (some might say misfortune) of working from home, you know that the distractions are endless. Every time you look up from your computer, there’s a stack of personal mail that needs attention, a glass that should be washed or a household member eager to tell you a story. All you want is to be transported to a secluded island (preferably with Wi-Fi) so you can refocus on the task at hand.
You deserve a dedicated space that promotes concentration and creativity, with a bulwark to protect you from diversions lurking around every corner. Here’s how to get it.