Home Design Essentials

PreFab-ulous Modular Homes: More than just a fresh coat of paint on an old trend!

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:07:00 +0000

The industry of home design is seeing all the signs of a hot new trend emerging, that is to say, re-emerging. And this time, it looks like it is here to stay. Introducing, for the second time around: Modular Homes.

Traditionally, the term modular homes has been associated with the generic, boxy homes of mobile parks. But the new modular home is nothing like the 1970's model. This home, like its predecessor, is build in a factory and assembled on location and there are many benefits to this reinvented method of home development.

Also commonly called Prefab, these homes are the newest generation of sleek, refined and stylish modulars which are becoming a desirable alternative to the "stick-built" homes. Touted as being more sustainable, energy-efficient, and affordable, the latest models of modulars are just as comfortable, and stylish as an on-site home, but with a modern edge.

With the emergence of the Green Revolution, architects and designers are getting creative when it come to designing homes that are eco-friendly. The major international Dwell on Design conference in LA this year hosted showcases dedicated to the benefits and eco-advantages of modular homes. More recently the Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry had one of its most innovative exhibits- the environmentally friendly home, which was also a modular.

In an attempt to create affordable, elegant homes that appeal to the new generation of home buyers' sense of environmental responsibility while still maintaining a designer look and feel, architects and engineers are designing innovative new homes for those looking for something a little different! Modulars are available in many stylish models, and can be customized to meet the home buyers' needs.

In her book Prefab Modern, Jill Herbers wrote "Prefab was long associated with bad design. It got into the hands of the government and other institutions as a way to put up shelter quickly and cheaply, and as a result, design was downgraded. Now we're seeing the polar opposite."

Modular homes are taking on a designer appeal with custom colour-scheme packages, gas fire places, jetted bathtubs and many customized features. These homes are not only stylish and luxurious but also better for the environment. The Prefab home is making a come back, but this time, it is sleek, beautiful, and highly in demand. For more information about modular homes visit HomeFront Modular Homes

7 DESIGNER TIPS FOR THE COMMON HOMEOWNER

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:34:00 +0000

#1: CLEAR THE CLUTTER! Purge before your reno. Stow stuff you must keep, but keep it out of sight. That way you can imagine your new look. The first step is always to envision what you want.

#2: GO WITH THE FLOW! Set sightlines in your home. Stand in different prime locations such as the front entrance or the middle of the kitchen, and plan to eliminate "things" that block the flow of energy in your home. Things could mean furniture or even a wall!

#3: TAKE IT ONE AREA AT A TIME. Once the project has started, your home will find itself in disarray; to avoid being overwhelmed just take it one step at a time, one room at a time, one project at a time.

#4: PRACTICE DIPLOMACY WITH TRADESPEOPLE. Be diplomatic! It will pay off when you need the tradespeople to revisit for deficiencies or particular touch-ups. It could even bring your bill down.

#5: REPEAT ELEMENTS. Rather than being suddenly jolted by a totally different look in each room, repeat a theme, harmonize your paint colors, keep all the knobs silver, etc., for a cohesive, pulled-together look.

#6: BUT MIX IT UP! "Matching pieces" are a bit passe. Blend disparate objects to create an alluring setting. This is where your personal style gets to shine. Avoid a catalogue-perfect look.

#7: BLING THE UNEXPECTED! Try a chandelier in the kitchen, an antique in the bathroom, a painting in the garden. Make your home uniquely, beautifully yours.

Green Wall

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:31:00 +0000

Spring equinox is upon us! On the West Coast the sun is calling us outdoors after hiding behind rain clouds for several months. As you venture forth, there are some great ideas to take with you.

One of the most recent elements of exterior home design is the GREEN WALL. It is considered a vital element by many building developers. In some countries, such as Germany and Japan, builders receive subsidies and tax breaks for installing this sturdy wall panel loaded with plant life.

Traditionally, we're accustomed to ivy or vine-covered walls. Today, multi-colored plants yield a green canvas for our urban communities. Licorice ferns, begonias, huckleberries, even lettuce, create a colorful collage.

Besides adding natural beauty to our concrete surroundings, a Green Wall cleans internal air of dust and smog. It enhances storm water run-off. It increases sound insulation while reducing energy costs.

Pre-packaged green-wall kits, including plants and empty wall racks, are available to fill with your personal palette of grass, ferns, herbs, and berries.

Caution is required regarding the wall you choose. Make sure it's a wall that can withstand water soakings when you tend to your thirsty plants. Is the wall able to ward off plant roots trying to penetrate?

If you're a patio gardener or a condo-dweller you too can participate in the urban greening movement by designing a plant sculpture. The skeletons are available to you, all ready for setting the plants into. For example, you might envision a bear or a deer in your garden; green of course!

Sustainable housing is a fine art. Go Green!

GOING GREEN is SUITE!

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:41:00 +0000

Most of us are at level one in the Green movement. We're starting to get into the gadgets and habits that we truly believe are our way of contributing to the desperately needed regreening of the planet. But according to experts, when it comes to our homes, true Green is about the building itself. The way of measuring this includes:

building on a sustainable site
water efficiency
energy prudence and atmosphere control
materials and resources
the individual environmental quality

Since 2004, every house in Vancouver may include a suite. This is a positive environmental solution because it means less driving due to more housing within the city. It also makes detached-home ownership more affordable, when the owner has a "mortgage payer" suite; in addition, it helps to make urban rentals more affordable when there are enough to go around!

As a wise owner, make an up-front GREEN investment in your rental suite!

Many suites are in the basement or on the ground floor. They therefore have limited natural light, are prone to ventilation challenges, and can be damp with the resulting problems of mould and dust-mite growth.

By investing on no-VOC paint, such as provided by Canvas Home Basics, there will be a reduction of indoor air pollution. Installing hard flooring such as wood or laminate, and getting rid of the carpets, harbingers of dust-mites and mould, is also an attractive improvement. You can add insulation between the suite and the owners' upstairs, which will reduce noise pollution and save on heating energy. Hot air rises! To reduce energy and water consumption there are Energy Star appliances, low-flow showers and toilets, and faucets with aerators.

A wise owner will want to attract good tenants who will stay a long time and play an important role in the Going Green Movement.

Decorating Dilemmas

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:17:00 +0000

Need to hide clutter? Divide up a space? Give distinction to an unattractive wall? Many decorating dilemmas can be resolved with the use of draperies! Don't be afraid to use curtains to transform an area of your home from plain to classy, mundane to sassy!

Apparently, in the 1800's curtains were hung in doorways to keep drafts out. These portieres are a smart addition even today, during the colder months. Use a reversible print since the curtain will be seen on two sides.

Drapes hung in an entryway create a cool vestibule. Pull the same drapes back during the summer months and let the soft breeze flutter by.

You can add privacy to a section of your home using draperies as well. Perhaps you have a guest room, or student quarters; hang a curtain in the hallway, color co-ordinating it to the room. Enjoy the feeling of added privacy. Drapes will also muffle sound, just like in a theatre!

Full length drapes are perfect for concealing closets and storage space. Hang them close to the ceiling to accentuate height, giving elegance to an otherwise functional area. Choose fabric that creates the ambiance you desire: soft? cheery? elegant? masculine?

Covering a wall in floor-to-ceiling drapery can be stunning! Then some of your art can be displayed on easels rather than on the wall.

Think about a stylish or humorous shower curtain in a corner of the patio to create shade and privacy!

Draperies can be used to create a faux canope bed or to claim an area to dress behind or to break up a room, or simply, to add interest.

Best news: you can take curtains down with ease when you need a change or when you decide to do something more permanent, and expensive!

Moving Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:18:00 +0000

So your "home staging" was extremely successful and you sold your place! Congratulations! Now it's time to move out and with a few helpful hints you can change Moving Madness into Moving Magic. To avoid exhaustion and expense, try to do as much as you can before the movers come in.

It's all about the boxes! The classic places to find them are liquor stores or grocery stores. But you can visit your local high school for excellent boxes with lids, as schools routinely receive paper shipments. You will need more boxes than you think and you'll need boxes of all sizes. Big isn't necessarily better because if they're too heavy the bottoms can break through. Put soft, light items such as towels, baskets, or light clothing in with heavier items that need padding, such as china and glass. Label each box with the room it's heading to at the new place and the main item that's inside. You'll be glad you did when it comes to UNpacking! You can even ask the movers to place the KITCHEN boxes in the kitchen, for example, and direct them as they enter your new place.

Don't wrap things in newspaper. Contrary to popular opinion, newspaper isn't the best because you end up with black ink on everything and that makes extra washing work for you when you're unpacking. Use newsprint, tissue paper, and even linens and clothing!

And remember, save ONE box for the very end - the last to go on the truck and the first to come off, with your tea kettle, mugs and teabags, toilet tissue, hand soap, bath towel, bedding for night number one, and tools for remounting the beds.

Start packing early, doing a little at a time, as you have the time and energy. Pack things you rarely use such as the turkey roaster, extra bedding, or seasonal clothing because you probably won't miss them. Fill empty suitcases with toiletries or shoes or games or toys! Wrap pictures in blankets.

If you're moving PETS: Move them last! Set up the new litter box for kitty and lower the stress level for pets by keeping them at the old home or at the groomers until the actual move-in day is over.

If you're moving indoor PLANTS: Stop watering a few days before because dry soil is lighter than wet soil. Cover plants with plastic bags if it's cold outside.

If you're moving KIDS: See if they can stay with friends or family till you at least have the beds made up and then focus on something fun or positive about the new place to keep your child's mind off the sadness of moving.

Safety Tip: Remove light bulbs from lamps.

Time Saving Tip: Label cords coming out of electronic equipment so that it's easy to hook things back up.

Make your move a marvelous adventure and pass on any tips to your friends when it's their turn!

TEN TIPS to CLEAR the CLUTTER

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:48:00 +0000

When staging your home for sale you want to wow the public with show-home style.

Step one: Clear the clutter!

Paper is our biggest clutter-bug. When you bring the mail in make the decision to handle it only once. Immediately sort junk mail into the recycle bin, file bills into appropriate dossiers, and shred any identifying items to prevent identity theft.
Recycle outdated phone books, magazines, catalogues, and newspapers.
Set up a binder with monthly dividers to organize receipts, warranties, recipes, and special interest articles such as school newsletters.
File business cards right into your telephone directory with 2-way tape.
Donate, donate, donate. There are many organizations which would be so grateful to retail your unused items. Go through all your kitchen cupboards and toss out the expired goods but pass along that utensil, juicer, pasta-maker, etc. that you've only used once since the wedding!
Clean out the closets! Donate clothes that haven't been worn in over a year. Make sure the bedrooms have a chair for laying out the clothes which are too dirty to hang up but too clean to put in the wash yet.
Invest in clear plastic containers for storing seasonal wear, art and craft supplies, pet toys, etc. It's easy to hide things away when they're not being used if you have such storage bins! Easier to retrieve when needed again!
A plastic garbage can makes a great bottles recycle bin under the sink until recycle day.
Seek out a cool shoe storage unit for your entrance way to leave a wide swath of welcome for prospective buyers, not to mention friends and family too!
Develop the habit of tidying as you leave a room thereby avoiding build-up of chores before your home is being shown. Then on your day off you'll find you have time to smell the roses!

Home Art Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:35:00 +0000

With the scent of autumn in the air and the leaves beginning to change colors, there's no better time to launch a home art project. Change the color of your surroundings, as the weather turns us inward for a few months.

Let Canvas Home Basics online retailer take you there with its quality product pre-mixed paint system. Go online to preview inspirational colors for your fall home art project!

Imagine a feature wall in your living room that you paint in a deep tone or lighter tint to tie in with the fireplace bricks or tiles, which also can be painted!

Perhaps it's time to put a few glass doors in your kitchen cupboards and paint what's left with a warm color that sets off the glass and what's inside. Paint some antique chairs to match and voila!

How about a skylight ceiling to add romance in the bedroom? Then create a beautifully painted floor-to-ceiling headboard in a rich hue that compliments the walls.

Paint up the patio benches to create the feeling of a larger family room when the color takes your eye to the backyard and protects the benches from autumn rain too.

Transform what you have into a shoe cupboard, then hide it behind secret panel doors painted the same color as your walls.

Turn your child's room into something delightful so you'll want to hang out more there too! Paint a mural together!

For a satisfying segway into fall, see what Canvas Home Basics has to offer! These impressive matte-finish low-odor paints can be ordered online, right down to how much you'll need using their clever paint calculator. You'll remember this September when the paint arrives at your doorstep.

Midsummer Nights

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:59:00 +0000

Midsummer! The gardens are heavy with greens and lush with ripe tomatoes, peppers, and grapes clinging to the vine; the scent of jasmine hangs delicately in the warm evening air. These are the nights to enjoy with family and friends or with total self-absorption! Get outside and stay outside until you hear your bed calling you in.

Make your patio, yard, deck, or balcony more enticing by adding some seating or lounging pieces during the summer months. Nothing is more tempting than an empty hammock in the dappled shade on a lazy Sunday afternoon. That same hammock can be very comfortable by night! Using an extension cord, plug in a reading lamp nearby and hunker down with a new novel.

And don't forget the kids! They can be lounge hounds too! Set up the tent in your own backyard. A small table and chairs set on the patio can mean board games into the sunset! Have a night-time scavenger hunt with flashlights! They'll love it! Some glow-in-the-dark items would be encouraging!

Pipe some music outdoors! A couple of extra speakers and voila: symphony under the stars! If you're in a busy urban area, play nature sounds! Even the smallest source of trickling water gives that zen feeling to your outside place.

Create your own constellation by arranging mini lights in your outdoor living space. They truly add a touch of magic to the night scene. Sprinkle tea-light candles around to add a romantic ambiance. Burn some citronella to ward off mosquitoes! Invest in a little wood stove so you can sit around with friends making "smores" while the neighbours enjoy the sounds of people talking, laughing, and enjoying life.

Relish the summer months from sunrise to sunset and later. Create the ambiance with the natural beauty around you and your imagination.

The Door to Your Home

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:19:00 +0000

The main entrance to your home can say many things to your friends and visitors. When you and your family approach the door to your home, it's great if it gives you a feeling like, "Ah! It's good to be home!"

The door itself can invite you inside with a warm and cheerful colour such as yellow.

If you crave peace when you return from work or recreational activities, a soft blue can calm you down.

Forest green or sapphire blue can help you to feel relaxed as they inspire the sentiment of a lush woods or the Caribbean Sea!

A shot of red, or even a purple door, add an artistic flair to your entrance-way so that you enter in anticipation of good energy inside!

Solid black can help you to feel stable and a rock on either side of your entrance door is the Feng Shui way of attracting prosperity.

Be brave! Make a statement! Try Canvas Home Basics line of pre-mixed paints to choose an attention-grabbing colour for your door, tying it in to the colour of your foyer once inside.

You can further welcome friends through your portal using outdoor art, tastefully presented on the way to your front door. A healthy plant or topiary tree will punctuate the statement your door has made, eliciting "Welcome Home!"

Don't forget the inside of your front door. Just above it you could try a touch of cultural good-luck such as the Irish script: "May the wind be always at your back!" or perhaps something whimsical such as "Don't forget to smell the roses!" for those on their way out the door.

Romance in the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:07:00 +0000

Creat an idyllic locale for a sunset barbeque with a loved one. With just a few thoughtful touches you can transform your outdoor living area into a very romantic setting.

Candlelight raises the romance quotient! Choose candles in floral scents, enhancing the already fragrant evening breeze. Be sure your candles are sheltered from breezes by a votive or hurricane lamp.

Place a couple of champagne flutes on a vintage serving tray on an outdoor table. Just the tease of champagne conjures up romantic ideas. Be sure to have some well-chilled champagne ready to rock!

Try one of these ideas, just for fun:

Your birdbath strewn with just-cut daisies floating in fresh water...he loves me; he loves me not...

A banner with I Love You in as many languages as you can find, written in your own hand-writing.

A few pictures of the two of you bringing back feel-good memories. Bring them outside by the champagne and candles!

Aphrodesiac appetizers: gently sauteed asperagus tips, pineapple spears, fresh raspberries and strawberries tossed together, truffles, dark chocolate...let your imagination do the rest!

A piece of vintage furniture such as a bamboo sofa from a local flea market can be revived with a touch of paint and new cushions. Much cozier to share than separate lawn chairs!

A long-range project for your romantic garden might be updating your old garden shed. Make it new again with a fresh coat of paint. Match the look of your shed to your home and let it become part of your romantic retreat. Rim it with tiny white decorator lights. Hang window boxes laden with luscious flowers. Invite the birds and the bees by day; turn on tiny white lights by night and you'll feel like dancing under the stars.

Outdoor Living

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Wed, 30 May 2007 22:38:00 +0000

Step outside and soak up the summer sunshine while it's here! The sun couldn't feel any sweeter after such a long winter. We have more hours of sunshine to enjoy as the days lengthen out and stretch into June, July, August! Let yourself be inspired by the yellow light and fresh greens and try to bring that summer feeling inside your home as well.

June's yellow and green palette makes a natural companion indoors and out. Revitalize your home after the long winter with fresh wall colors. Use pre-mixed paint kits to keep your life simply stress-free as you welcome the warmth and ease of summer into your home.

Think eco-consciously and try recycled materials to give your outdoor living area a new piece of history and personality... a second chance to be beautiful. You can create whimsical lanterns from unused sheetmetal and paint them up delightfully. The Canvas Home Basics line of pre-mixed paints will cover all types of surfaces!

Carry an old coffee table outdoors and paint it up. Add some fresh gingham or floral cushions to your lawn chairs, and voila! Summer's here!

Pull together a few old garden tools, some burlap bags, ropes, then add fresh geraniums or petunias and create an artsy corner in your patio or yard...a quiet place to sit and read. Add a trickle of water with a mini - fountain and even the birds will be dropping by for a drink!

To Summer!

Prepare Your Home for Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 18:51:00 +0000

Thinking of selling your place? Maybe your decision has already been made! You can de-stress the whole process by enlisting the expertise of a professional home-staging team. By updating your abode, you can fatten your wallet and save yourself from worrying.

Showing a home does interrupt your daily life and so the less time your home is on the market, the better. You want your place to look so sexed up that people are bidding on it in a panic to buy! Home stagers know how to give it curb appeal so that when someone drives by they want to come inside and see the rest.

You can also take on many home staging techniques yourself if you have the time and would like to save some labour costs. Simple things such as cleaning up the yard, getting rid of clutter, and applying a fresh coat of paint, add value to your home. Check out the new pre-mixed paint kits in rich neutral tones and try using them to give your home a flow of harmonizing color.

A touch of light colored paint can open up any space, including the hallways, an often neglected but important link in making your home appear larger and more user friendly. Just the right shade of paint can give the illusion of spaciousness; for example, a hallway can become an art gallery with nice lighting and tastefully framed paintings.

You want your home to appeal to as many people as possible so keep it simple and refreshing. You want your home to look so appealing that you would buy it yourself!

Home Staging - Living Room

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:44:00 +0000

When preparing your home for sale it's the living room that will create the ambiance for your entire home. Buyers walking through your home will get a feel for it in the living room, the hub of the home.

Home staging experts recommend that you choose a color scheme that is relaxing, and re-vitalizing. There are pre-mixed paint kits available which greatly reduce the stress of "what color should we paint it?" Professionals have selected colors which compliment each other beautifully. When painting for resale purposes keep in mind that you want it to appeal to the next owners as well. There are many lovely "neutral" colors which aren't bland.

Lighting should be gentle on the eyes with a good reading lamp in a stategic location. The more natural light you can lend to your living room, the better. Perhaps keep your draperies to a minimum so that simple, natural light graces your furniture and floors.

Quite often when someone is planning on listing their home, be it a townhome, garden apartment, or full-sized house, they'll remove the old carpet and replace it with laminate or wood flooring. This opens up your room, updates your home, and when you see what's under the old carpet, you'll be glad you've replaced it with something easier to keep clean and attractive. The value it adds can be retrieved from the sale of your home.

If you're a pet-lover and you want your home to show well without becoming a drill sergeant, just place a large, soft towel or blanket over your sofa and fold it up with the hair and all when someone comes by for a showing. Home staging means your home is aesthetically pleasing and user friendly!

Your home is your refuge. It's important to look forward to relaxing and spending quality time in a nurturing environment. The living room can be this sanctuary!

Staging Your Home for Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:06:00 +0000

When listing your home for sale this spring the place to start sprucing it up is from the outside - in! Spring cleaning can lift your home out of the winter blues and blahs just as easily as washing your windows. Start outside using a mixture of 1 bucket of warm water, 1 cup of ammonia, and 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Apply with a sponge then shine with newsprint or paper towels. Voila! The first step to staging your home is complete. Now you'll be inspired to keep going.

When someone first steps into your home the first impression they get is when they first step into your home! In other words, the foyer, or entrance way, needs to feel welcoming, spacious, clean and enticing. If this is a place where everyone takes off their shoes and leaves them to trip over, start training the troops to put their footwear in the closet. There, it's out of sight but still convenient for everyone.

Experts agree that there's nothing better than a fresh coat of paint to renew your home for the prospective buyer. And if you're worried that maybe you don't have color matching savvy or that you're not sure of the latest color trends, there are now paint kits available with beautiful, trendy colors pre-matched for you.

General home staging tips include de-cluttering in order to create the illusion of more space. Whether it's the bathroom or the kitchen, the tip is the same: clear the deck! Put things in baskets and tuck them away where they're easily accessible. When you simplify by de-cluttering, others can imagine your home belonging to them and that's precisely what you want!

Home Staging Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 19:40:00 +0000

When selling a home, be it a house or perhaps an apartment, older or fairly new, who wouldn't want to increase the selling price? Home Staging is the new catch word for preparing your home for market! There are steps to take to improve the profit.

Statistics show that most potential buyers decide that a place is right for them in the first 10 to 15 seconds! That proves the adage: you don't get a second chance to make a first impression! So by making your home more appealing to the buyer at large, you can benefit greatly.

There are different degrees of home staging depending on your budget and time factor. For example, it's possible to be your own homestager by following a number of interesting tips, or you may solicit the professional advice and services of homestagers known in your community. Research online or ask for referrals from your realtor.

Some GENERAL TIPS for increasing the appeal of your home:

de-clutter
clean-up, starting at the curb!
minimize (less is more) be it furniture, art, collectibles, noise
neutralize for example paint tones, drapes
make minor repairs

These tips can be associated with every aspect of your home from the outside "curb appeal" to individual rooms inside. There are even paint kits available now with pre-matched paint tones if you don't have a great deal of confidence in your own decorating talents.

Remember, try to put yourself in the place of the prospective buyer and leave room for the people moving in to add their own personal touches. If your home is attractive and functional someone will want to move in right away. So get your home in tip-top shape, or pay someone to do it for you. It will pay off in the end.

Home Staging

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 19:38:00 +0000

"Home staging" is becoming a huge new trend in the homeowner and seller market place. It is not entirely new to the real estate market, however, with the increased number of homes going on the market and as the shift from a sellers market to a buyers market emerges - home staging professionals are growing in number and the demand for their services is increasing.

Home stagers prepare a house to be sold and for open houses and showings. Anywhere from lighting accents, music, rental of new furniture to cleaning up clutter and arranging rooms.

They say that first impressions are lasting ones so Home Stagers must ensure that this impression is a good one. To find a good home stager speak with your real estate agent and try to get a referral - that way you can be sure to get a professional. Another trick is to go to open houses and the ones that you like ask who was responsible in staging the home if anyone.

Make sure you ask what the rates are for your home stager's services. Right now it's all over the map, from an hourly rate, to a fixed amount right up to a percentage of the sale of the home. Most will come and do a free estimate on how much it will cost you to stage your home.

Canvas home basics has a line of excellent designer selected and created interior paints and accessories that are ideal for those of you who are looking at selling your home or are professional home stagers. Go to www.canvascorp.com to learn more about this innovative company that is helping Americans update their homes in a professional and cost effective manner.

Cutting Down on Waste and Improving Recycling

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 20:33:00 +0000

Turning Old Things into New Uses

We all have things collecting dust around the house that have been used and are bound for the garbage. Here are some ideas that may help save you money, help organize your rooms and make a small impact on your home design.

1) Spice Rack and Containers into Organizers
Many spice racks are now sold with 20-30 associated spices included. Once you run out of ginger pepper and salt - most people throw out the bottles and start over again.

Give some thought to using your spice rack for a mixture of often used spices and the many other items that are needed around the house but clutter up the kitchen drawers. Once the spices are depleted refill the bottles with:

Elastic Bands
Safety Pins
Small Nails
Small Post-Its
Stickers
Postage Stamps

This idea came to us when we saw a line of new products from Canvas Corp. A company that is spicing up the Hardware Industry and giving it an interior designer flare. They have created a line of finishing nails and screws that are packaged in a spice rack packaging. You can check out their tools and finishing by visiting www.canvascorp.com

2) Garbage Ties into Wire Consolidator
Garbage ties are never used - now instead of throwing them out use them to tie loose electrical cords that are too long or tie a few of them together that are coming out from the same electrical socket.

3) Napkin Holders into Bill Organizers
Not the small round ones that are used mostly for special occasions but the ones that hold napkins on the kitchen table that are rectangular in shape. Instead of using them for napkins, get one that can hold all your bills in an organized fashion instead of piling up your bills and correspondence in a messy pile at the corner of the kitchen counter.

4) File Folder Labels into Wire Identifiers
Ever looked behind you stereo, TV and other electronic devices? Wow there are quite a few wires. Wonder where they all connect to? Use the file folder labels and attach them to each wire with an explanation of what they are for. Do this for your electrical cables as well?

5) File Rack into Pan Organizer
Take that old file rack from your office that you are not using and redeploy it in the kitchen for two purposes. One as a dish or pan dryer after washing the dishes and or as a pan, breadboard, organizer in a cupboard.

6) Laundry Scent Sheets into Other Scent Devices
Consider using your used laundry scent sheets as drawer scent sheets. The new ones may carry too much of a scent but the one use sheets are ideal to keep your drawers and clothes smelling fresh and clean. These little babies have multiple uses - Try cleaning your faucets and stainless steel appliances with used fabric sheets - just dab a little water on them. Stick new ones in your sports shoes, skates and boots to get rid of those nasty odors.

7) Old Clay and Terracotta Plant Pots into Cleaning Agents
Instead of throwing these pots out - replace soil with sand and put your gardening tools and BBQ utensils in them - with a little oil mixed into the sand it will clean all the gunk off them and they will be ready for another tour of duty.

8) Old Toothbrushes into Scrubbing Super Stars
Instead of brushing your teeth use these products to scrub your bathroom tiles and grout. Get into the places where regular scrubbers can't. The electric or battery operated ones work even better. Clean around the faucets with them as well.

9) Old Dressers and Kitchen Cupboards Renewed
Before throwing out a piece of furniture or deciding to replace all of your kitchen cupboards consider replacing the old pulls or handles with new distinctive ones. There are so many stores that sell funky pulls - it's a great way to improve or update the look of your dressers and kitchen and has to be one of the least expensive ways to do so.

10) Paper Clamps into Picture Holders
We are talking about the clamps that bind 50-100 pages together that are found at all office supply stores. These clamps can be used as post card, picture or photo holders. Just attach them to the bottom of the any card.

11) Wooden Crates into Book Shelve
Those old wooden storage containers that may have held fruits or vegetables make for great bookshelves. Stagger then on top of each other and screw them together. Horizontally and vertically - mixing and matching makes for an interesting set of shelves that can hold books, picture frames etc...

12) Ceramic Mugs as Candle Holders
Take that hole coffee set of mugs that you have and select most unique mugs to hold some thick candles in the kitchen, bathroom or even out on the back patio.

13) Old Cookie Sheets as Serving Trays
Those old cookie trays that need to be upgraded with new ones can be used as serving or condiment trays. Put a nice serving cloth over them and away you go.

14) Old Garbage Pale as Garage Organizer
What are you doing with your rakes, shovels, spades, brooms and hockey sticks? Stick a garbage pale one of the corners of your garage and drop them all in. Keeps everything organized and they are easy to store and put away.

15) Storage Bin to Recycle Organizer
Everyone needs to recycle - make it easy on yourself and the collections - take a storage bin and separate it into four categories:

Newspaper
Bottles
Card Board and Magazines
Cans

These are just a few of the many things that you can to do organize your home, save money and recycle - cut down on consumption and recycling saves money and helps everyone. Send your ideas to info@homedesignessentials.com.

Creating The Perfect Home Canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 20:30:00 +0000

Today's home interiors can be compared to a painted work of art. Every artist's painting begins with a clean, perfect canvas and then the creativity and uniqueness is unleashed and a piece of art is created. No two are alike. Homes today are a true reflection of the homeowners and are best completed when they are begun with a perfect home canvas. Canvas Corporation is an organization that truly understands this and epitomizes the changing needs of homeowners today.

A perfect home canvas can be defined as a neutral color palette that moves from one space to the next, throughout the home, with attention to walls, trim, ceilings, flooring, air vents, switch plate covers, electrical outlets, canned lights, windows, cabinets, permanent furniture, stair rails, banisters, columns and any other permanent interior pieces of the home. The home canvas will vary from home to home based on the style, permanent pieces, number of windows, flooring, size of rooms, and height of ceilings. These are all important aspects of a home and depending on whether you are building a home, renovating it or simply staging a home for sale your priorities will be different.

The most inexpensive yet important aspect to home staging or decorating a home is the paint and paint colors that you chose. Canvas home basics "interior designer" approved line of paints is one of the surest ways to improve the look of your home and with its mix and match neutral color palettes you literally can't make a mistake. Canvas Home Basics even has a line of latex wall putty. You can purchase this line of paints at various retailers or for convenience sake you can even order a sample pack of the full line of Canvas Home Basics line of paint - www.pre-mixedpaint.com.

Creating A Perfect Canvas for A Reno

noreply@blogger.com (Home Design Essentials) — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 20:27:00 +0000

Interior Design and Creating A Perfect Canvas for A Renovation

When working in a renovation or remodeling situation, many of the choices may have already been decided and to make changes can be very costly. We recommend that all of these permanent color options be represented together to help determine the direction to go and also to determine if any of these options can be transformed, such as dark wood cabinets that look outdated and looking into the possibility of painting them a lighter color. The wall color is then determined based on what will best neutralize the current colors and finishes as well as what will provide the best overall color for the home canvas.

When working in older construction, walls can be damaged and flawed, matte finish paint is the perfect coverage option and with new washable matte finish paints on the market, there is no longer the fear of using matte finish paint. The Canvas Home Basics pre-mixed line of paints that are interior designer selected and approved are an excellent choice with any of the 7 colors being a perfect fit in today's home. www.pre-mixedpaint.com exclusively carries this line of paint and believes that this is the future of the North American paint industry similar to how paint is packaged and sold in Europe.

For homes constructed in previous decades that have numerous permanent features Canvas Home Basics have designed the exact same colors in Semi-Gloss paints to be used on such things as radiators, large vent grills, pipes, heaters, along with the standard switch plate covers, lighting, etc. If a wall is filled with these items and the goal is to create a solid home canvas, each item should be painted in the same color and that's what Canvas Home Basics line of Cabinet, Furniture and Trim paint offers. This line is keeping in mind that walls should utilize wall paint and metal, plastic, wood and other mediums should use a paint designed for these finished. Due to the fact that different finishes dry differently and colors may vary. It is ideal if you can buy premixed paints in both finishes for the best results.

A perfect home canvas is becoming extremely important especially in the Home Staging profession for rental homes, spec homes, homes on the market.

Without question for every home that we live in a neutral canvas of paint colors on your walls seems to be the best option as interiors are forever changing and with a neutral canvas, it makes the process so much easier to change.

Another product that is on the market is pre-tinted wall putty. There are several kinds on the market today however the really interesting thing is Canvas Home Basics have created a line of pre-tinted wall putty that are identical matches to the set of Canvas paints. This allows you to match your wall color and quickly fill holes when designing in an ever-changing space.

There are an unlimited number of paint colors available on the market, making paint color decisions very difficult. Some colors follow trends, others are favorites to a particular interior style, while others are strictly personal preference. Each home and each room is truly a reflection of the homeowner, from art to furniture and from lighting to rugs. A neutral environment allows these items to stand out with a beautiful canvas backdrop.

Does every room in the home have to follow the home canvas philosophy? No, the home canvas is focused on the more public rooms, leaving children's rooms, studies, and laundry rooms for creative room colors, if you desire, in your home. Just keep in mind that a room is as much about function as it is about the feeling when you are in that room. A clean and calm environment before the interior begins is a sure bet that the final result with bring a feeling of contentment.