Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Life

Tag: decor ideas

  • Create More Space and Freshen Up Dated Bathrooms with Remodels

    Since bathrooms are usually among the smallest rooms in the house, unless you’re doing a complete tear out and replace, a simple bath restoration can usually be accomplished in a weekend. That’s great news for folks looking to create more space and freshen up dated bathrooms with a remodel.

    Here are some suggestions for bath restorations that don’t cost an arm and a leg.

    Frame Your Mirror

    Wall-mounted, flat mirrors are great for reflecting light and making a small room look bigger. However, by framing the mirror, either with tiles or traditional wooden framing materials, you can make the ordinary look extraordinary. Since mirrors are a large feature of most bathrooms, this is probably the biggest bang you’ll get for your buck.

    Create a Bathroom Gallery

    Whether it’s a series of three whimsical prints identically framed or a larger collection of small art carefully arranged on a single wall, art in the bathroom is something you and your guests will both appreciate. There’s never been a rule that bathroom art has to be tacky, or that bathrooms have to be solely functional.

    Toilet bowl in modern bathroom interior

    Paint

    Try painting a wall or two in wide neutral stripes (two shades of the same color, for instance, on two walls that meet at a corner). Neutrals, soothing blues, greens, and grays work well, but the color you choose will have to work with your existing (or new) linens. Better to let your linens provide a pop of color than your walls. Also, try to avoid dark and shouty colors. Bubble gum pink is rarely a good idea in a bathroom.

    If you like your wall color, perhaps you could paint your vanity. With all the humidity in bathrooms (even if the fan is used religiously before, during, and after every shower), many wood vanities start to look shabby while they’re still perfectly functional. Pick an accent color that works with your linens and any other furniture you may have in the room. That includes shelving, ottomans, or small linen closets.

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  • Innovative Ways to Use Your Basement Space

    Finished or unfinished, basements are too often overlooked. They are frequently forgotten when it comes to considering available space, due to clutter, dampness and darkness. These issues can be addressed with a few tried and true techniques and basement renovation ideas. Here are five suggestions.

    1. Home gym

    Save yourself the gym membership fees and commute time by installing a home gym. For a modest investment, create a dedicated workout space that changes with your needs. Start with a yoga mat, an elastic exercise band and some free weights. You can find a used weight bench with a bar and some weights for about $150.00, or find working stationary bikes and treadmills for even less. Heavy bags provide a wonderful way to relieve stress and condition your body in the privacy of your own home.

    Make your home gym even more serviceable and comfortable by including rubber flooring and a full-length mirror to monitor your form. Shelves are handy for exercise books, cleaning supplies and bottled water. A bar fridge or plug-in water cooler will help you stay hydrated. Finally, a smart TV that supports YouTube lets you sample a variety of exercise techniques or catch up on the news during cardio.

    2. Home Theater or Music Room

    A home theater delights the whole family and is relatively cheap to install. A large screen smart TV and a family computer with lots of memory are a great way to begin. Good speakers enhance the entertainment experience. Sectional couches (or old movie theater seats) provide ample, comfortable seating. A microwave and a bar fridge allow you to prepare snacks and refreshments for game or movie nights. Carpeting is a good idea to warm up the space and reduce noise.  If you’re willing to make the investment, cork flooring provides a beautiful and forgiving surface that doesn’t need vacuuming.

    3. All-Ages Playroom

    The large footprint basements offer means little ones can scatter their toys and enjoy hours of fun. Shelves for books and board games make the space useful. Install a large table for crafting and painting, as well as for puzzles and games.

    The good news is your basement can provide a playroom no matter your age. Invest in an air hockey or ping pong table, foosball, miniature pool table or a pinball machine to create a grown-up relaxation space.

    4. Bedroom, Bathroom, and Laundry Room Combo

    An extra shower in the family home is a great idea and it gives guests a little more privacy. Installing one in your laundry room can be an efficient strategy. Adding bedrooms and bathrooms will also improve the resale value of your property and provide a convenient place to host family and friends. Be sure you comply with regulations, including mandatory exits and closets.

    5. Bachelor Suite

    If you’ve already got a bathroom and bedroom downstairs, think a little bigger. A children’s room adds convenience for sleepovers, while a full guest suite provides extra income through homestay students or long-term tenants. A kitchen space that includes a sink, stove, refrigerator and table is essential for a self-contained rental unit.  Additionally, a private entrance is the single most important feature tenants looks for.

    Before you embark on a basement renovation, make a list of goals. Use shelving and storage boxes to pack and re-organize everything you’ve stashed under the house. Unify what’s stored into a single room furthest away from the social or living areas of your repurposed basement.

    Invest in a dehumidifier. As the damp disappears, so will the impression of coldness. Cozy is good, but hygge is better.

    Eliminate dark basement corners with appropriate lighting or add a large carpet to unify the space and provide bright splashes of color. Paint walls white or an engaging hue, like butter yellow, to improve your mood. Add to this airy brightness by choosing shiny flooring materials and a variety of small lamps. Use mirrors and clear glass windows to brighten the space or use frosted glass lit from behind to give the impression of windows. Overall, it’s most important to be creative. It’s your basement, after all.

  • Discover Beautiful Dining Table Decor Ideas for Every Season

    So many of our dining table decor ideas involve bringing the outdoors in, as if to assert some kind of connection between our consumption and its creation. More often than not, seasonal dining table decor reflects this theme. We use pumpkins or smaller gourds, twine leaves and garlic braids with twigs for harvest. We cut pine boughs and dip their cones in gold paint and splash some holly and ivy around for the winter holidays. We continue the trend with greenery for spring and cut fresh flowers in summer.

    There’s no end to found-in-nature objects you can use to jumpstart dining table décor brainstorming. To move beyond the ordinary, here are a few non-traditional suggestions.

    High contrast for winter

    Since the three functional elements of a dining room are its chairs, lighting and the table itself, why not focus on two elements at once and make your centerpiece the most food- and mood-flattering light source you can find? After all, it is in the winter when we rely most on artificial lighting to boost our spirits.

    Whether your table is round, square or rectangular, the centerpiece should be your dining room’s pièce de résistance, the object that draws the eye to the table before your guests’ gaze radiates outwards.

    The classic approach is, of course, candelabra—a single, large fixture centered on the table, or a series at intervals. Instead, try taking an eclectic approach: if your dining room is modern or functional, find the most elaborate, massive, rococo bronze candelabra available and pose it on a damask brocade table runner with gold tassels. The contrast between your sleek teak or glass table will startle and intrigue.

    If your dining room is traditional, go another route and invest in something modern and Calder-esque—a candelabra made from copper plumbing fittings, clean, geometric metal shapes or simple, black staggered cubes of variegated height.

    Clean and green for spring

    When the days start to get longer, it’s time to time to strip the table and let its lovely lines and textures speak for themselves. Get rid of your layered-linen approach and switch them out for placemats and a runner. Alternatively, try a long, narrow mirror on a rectangular table to shine and reflect light from new angles.

    Spring is all about seizing the day and ending our hibernation, as well as spending time outdoors for longer and longer each day. Make it easier to migrate to the patio or deck by using a round, square or rectangular tray as your dining table centerpiece. This makes it easier to grab when you realize it really is warm enough to have coffee or dessert outdoors.

    Try also to sneak more than one shade of green into your dining room: a series of small succulents, the palest of green linen napkins or some startling chartreuse placemats. Think beets and asparagus, snowdrops and lilacs when choosing your table linens.

    Light and airy for summer

    Summer is all about fresh, and your dining room decor should reflect that. It’s a time for linen and lace, not brocade and velvet. Let your table decorations reflect that sentiment and get rid of heavy tablecloths in favor of light and airy fabrics and bold, bright colors. If they make you think of corn and watermelon and fresh peas, they’re a perfect choice. Consider also translucent fabrics paired with white linens.

    Still want to bring the outdoors in? Use an herb garden as your table’s centerpiece and keep some kitchen shears handy so you can make the rounds just as dinner is served. You can welcome guests to your table as you sprinkle a few fresh-cut chives, a basil leaf or two, or a fresh sprig of rosemary, coriander or parsley on each plate.

    Invest in a few great fruit bowls that are also conversation pieces and lead with a fresh fruit dessert centerpiece—mangos, berries and cherries for a summery feel.

    Spare and bare for fall

    Most fall dining decor themes reflect the abundance of the harvest season, with its russets, taupes, ochres and rich, dark greens. Try taking a minimalist approach to fall dining decor. The falling leaves expose a tree’s true form, and decor that reflects structure can be dramatic. Take advantage of the changing angles of light to feature a series of small wood sculptures as centerpieces. Choose ones that look good from all angles and contain depths of color: marble, granite or wood. Or try a large round metal piece that both reflects and absorbs light. Embrace the stark and don’t be afraid of high-contrast color choices. Rather than black and white, though, think tan and gray.

    Just as what we eat changes from season to season, the way we eat changes too. Try to create a dining experience you can customize to reflect the rhythm of the season.

  • 10 Living Room Decor Ideas

    1. Bold hues

    This year’s motto is the bolder, the better. Intense teal and vibrant purple are very on-trend choices.

    Jewel tones and shades of green are big this year, while last year’s popular gray hues are a bit passé. Predominantly white living rooms with splashes of intense color are in, so are plants (but not succulents this year). If you would prefer to stick with earth tones, steer clear of beiges and grays. Instead, spice things up with mustard, terracotta or doeskin shades.

    2. Art Deco

    Designers are done with mid-century modern (called “MCM” in some circles), with its sleek, blonde and minimalist teak lines. Instead, embrace glam deco styles that incorporate the staples of maximalism. Look for this trend in lighting, fabrics and gold metallic hues.

    Symmetry and metallics are two of the defining characteristics of traditional Art Deco style. Think parallelograms plating a round gold mirror, a geometric oval racetrack rug, an overstuffed taffy velour club chair or a round, glass-topped bronze drink cart. All of these exude classy but casual glitz.

  • DIY with What You Have

    Refreshing your home doesn’t have to mean getting bogged down in major projects. These easy DIY ideas offer serious design inspiration without the big commitment.

    Paint a pattern.

    A fresh coat of colorful paint will revive a piece of furniture, but you can take it a step further by adding a pattern, too. Use paint pens to draw designs on drawer fronts, tabletops and more.

     

     

     

     

    © Meredith Operations Corporation. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Embellish with watercolor.

    To give a plain lampshade an artistic makeover, moisten a large paintbrush with water and sweep a wavelike pattern around the bottom of the shade. Then, tap wet paint into the pattern with a soft, round watercolor brush. (Use watercolor paint for paper lampshades and fabric paint for fabric shades.) The paint will bleed to the edges of the moistened area. After the paint dries, dot the wave with more paint in alternating colors. For dots that blend, paint them with edges touching.

     

     

     

  • Stylish and Space-Saving Small Room Décor Ideas

    Make a small space a place for big living. From tiny houses to studio apartments, these small room décor ideas will maximize any space with both style and storage.

    Less is More

    If you have a small room, keep it simple to make the space feel open and airy. Make sure a room isn’t cluttered with too many decorative items. Pick just one piece to add visual interest instead of multiple items. Embrace a minimalistic mindset by adding only the pieces you love. Adding an oversized painting above the sofa keeps the lines of the room clean and fresh while also giving the room a striking splash of color. Remember, the less clutter, the better!

     

    Paint Walls White

    Two words of advice for wall color: use white. White paint on the walls and floor makes any room feel more expansive. Having a light color scheme also offers the flexibility to play with decorative items, throw pillows and bedding, which can be changed as frequently as you wish.

     

  • Three Classic Dining Arrangements

    Explore how to make every meal a pleasant experience with these three dining arrangements. No matter the placement, a dining table and its accessories must function to make meals enjoyable and allow for loved ones to move around freely. As such, chairs should be placed around 18 inches apart for ample elbow room. Additionally, rugs should extend 18 inches beyond the back legs of the chairs with the dining table in the center.

    Use windows as the focal point

    For sunshine-filled breakfasts and a view to set the ambiance, move the dining room table next to windows. Casters will make this rearrangement doable if this only works for weekends or special occasions. While Mother Nature may be the best accessory, the right type of window treatments will make your décor shine. Roman shades offer a casual style with minimal fabric. Corniced and woven blinds enhance the color and pattern of a dining set when the sun hits it. These blinds also give off a sense of continuity and provide architectural interest. Swags generate a luxurious feel for traditional dining rooms. If you are seeking an unexpected treatment, consider going asymmetrical or creating depth and a dramatic mood with black curtains. Dashes of pink create a whimsical glamour, while traditional draperies in any color provide privacy and light control.

    Invite every loved one

    Thanksgiving and other holidays are the perfect reason to invite a large number of guests to celebrate at your home. Don’t worry about having enough space for everyone; placing your dining table in the traditional position at the center of the room is ideal for a formal atmosphere or large groups. To make any shared meal extra memorable, focus on crafting the perfect tablescape. Gorgeous linens will ground your feast and express creativity. If serving a meal with sauces as part of the piece de résistance, consider darker colors and laundering tablecloths as soon as possible. Try patterns such as paisley in seasonal colors for an inviting look on a large or small scale. While florals for spring may not be groundbreaking, you can select unexpected hues, such as gray or Pantone’s Color of the Year, Ultra Violet. Fabrics can include burlap or velvet for any occasion. Think about layering or using a runner to set the right tone for your gathering.

    Serve the perfect meal on a grander scale

    For a buffet service, push the table right up to the wall. This will leave ample room for traffic in the center of the room. As the host, consider the following etiquette tips to put guests at ease. Serving a bounty of food offers the opportunity to sample a wide variety of dishes. Give guests a tour of the food stations beforehand or while placing dishes on the table. Ensure that there are plenty of tongs, spoons and serving forks to fend off the use of fingers. Encourage guests to place all serving utensils in their original dishes to avoid cross-contamination and allergic reactions. Keep in mind that spills happen. Provide plenty of napkins or paper towels to keep guests from feeling embarrassed. Handle any mess graciously and discretely if it requires more than a few wipes. Announce whether guests can start eating as soon as they are seated or if you would like for everyone to wait until a prayer is said, speech given or guest of honor is seated.

     

    Serve meals in any of these three arrangements to create a memorable feast that were inspired by the September 1958 issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

  • Mid-Century Modern Décor Ideas

    Mid-century modern décor is having another moment. You may have noticed the Danish sideboards and colorful sofas gaining popular. Arguably, the style may have never fully left the design sphere.

    Although the official movement has long passed, people are still obsessed with the clean lines, sleek structure and inspiring color palettes associated with mid-century modern décor.

    The aesthetic is by nature minimalistic, with the form being inherently functional. When done right, mid-century modern is organic, fluid and universal. Executed the wrong way, it can look like a Brady Bunchesque nightmare.

    The key to maintaining the proper mix of history and modern – to recreate a version of the perfect abode that incorporates comfort, beauty and ingenuity – is to understand the core tenants of mid-century modern. To realize that the style that grew out of early 20th-century modernism and spanned from roughly 1933 to 1965 is based on simplicity, creative use of materials and a strong (but artistic) connection to nature.

    The mid-century modern design movement encompasses architecture, interior design, industrial elements and graphic design. Made famous by designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Richard Neutra and Harry Bertoia, mid-century modern focuses on small spaces, expansive use of glass, multi-purpose furnishings and other elements of design that are clean, contemporary and creative.

    Less is more

    You can incorporate mid-century design principles into your home by adhering to the “less is more” concept made popular by Mies van der Rohe, a German architect and leader in the movement. By adding thoughtfully and subtly crafted pieces, like marble-topped tables and molded Eames chairs to kitchens, dining rooms and living rooms, you’ll present a contemporary and classic vibe that is straight out of the 1950s.

     

    Clean lines and natural hues

    Mid-century modern furnishings have clean lines and neutral colors. Often, wood pieces made from teak are used to showcase natural beauty in a home. A mid-century modern dining table with teak legs or frame topped with a simple sheet of clear glass is a beautiful addition to a home.