Keep It Simple

Removing excessive artwork and shelving in a small room can easily open up a space. Too much on the walls can make it feel as if the walls are closing in. Make the room as inviting as possible by limiting its contents.

Pick a Color, But Not Any Color

You can dramatically improve the spaciousness of a room by picking the proper paint color. When interior remodeling, lighter and brighter paint colors will almost always create the appearance of more space. White or light baseboards or crown moldings can also give the room a greater sense of space and/or height.

 

Floor Matters

 

Floors do matter when it comes to making a small room appear larger. If you're considering installing hardwood, narrow floorboards can make a space seem smaller than it really is. If you're into rugs, make sure the sides don’t come too close to the walls. It often gives the impression that the walls are in the midst of swallowing the floor.

Light Up a Room

Lamps typically lend light to a small area of the room. A great idea to make the room seem larger is to replace floor and table lamps with wall sconces. By lighting up the walls, it pushes the eye upwards. Mirrors are also a good idea, as they tend to bounce light around a room—an illusion that enlarges almost any space. If the room has a window, make sure it’s uncovered. Adding natural light is an easy home improvement idea.

De-clutter

Every time you move, make it a priority to evaluate the usefulness of your possessions. Not only is getting rid of clutter a liberating experience, it can also restore the size of your home back to its original dimensions. Excessive furniture and knick-knacks are a disaster in every home, and keeping them around only makes the entire space feel cramped. Ask your LBD, Home Fashion design associate or a trusted friend about what needs to go.

Scaling Your Furniture

The growth of condominiums in major American cities means there's ample furniture being made for small spaces. If you're dealing with a small space, hold off on the sectional in favor of furniture that fits the room. If you have a room that doubles as a guest bedroom, consider getting a murphy or daybed– something you can use as a couch or reading area most of the time, but can also demonstrate a room's versatility and practicality.

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Some Common Myths about Energy Saving

Myth #1 – All fluorescent lighting is bad

Today’s compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use up to 75 percent less energy than traditional incandescent lighting and, on average, have a life span of up to five years (source: ENERGY STAR). Next time you’re replacing lighting around the home, remember that incandescent lighting has changed very little since the 1800’s, and that one CFL bulb lasts ten times longer than incandescent bulbs of equivalent wattage.

Myth #2 – Installing foam gaskets around electrical outlets and light switches will reduce air leakage

Test measurements conducted by the US Department of Energy show that less than two percent of air leakage in a home is through electrical wall outlets. However the big criminals in this regard are one-pane windows, with a thin sheet of glass, which serves to heat the outside. Or doors left open, particularly in the fall and spring months.

Myth #3 – Leaving lights, computers, ‘sleeping’ TVs, game consoles and DVD/video players on is better than switching them on and off.

This myth has been around since the time that electricity was first harnessed, at the turn of the last century. The small surge of power that occurs with ‘some’ devices when they are turned on is miniscule compared to the power wasted by leaving them on when not in use. And here’s another surprise for you. Even when you’ve turned them ‘off,’ a lot of appliances continue to draw power – ‘phantom power’ as it were – to keep the device in ‘instant-on’ mode or to power lights and LED readouts on the devices. Pull their plugs when not in use, or connect to power bars and switch those off when the devices aren’t in use.

Others-Myths – Cleaning refrigerator coils deliver major energy savings and duct tape placed around joints will keep in the heat (or cold).

Not so. The air in most homes is not so dusty that the heat exchanged through the refrigerator back coils is impeded. And duct tape, while strong, exchanges heat and cold easily.

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What Paint Color Sells a Home?

Color plays a big part in selling a house. How you decide to dress your walls can convince a buyer that your home is move-in ready or leave them looking elsewhere. If the goal is to see the sparkle of “love at first sight,” consider picking the right paint palette to suit a range of buyer tastes.

Proper Preparation

When you paint your walls, make sure you prepare the walls properly. Before you start, use a pre-made crack filler or drywall compound to fill in minor cracks and old picture hook holes. Lightly sanding baseboards, window frames and doors is also a great way to ensure that your paint will adhere to the surfaces properly. Make sure you are using the same base paint that currently exists on the surface you are repainting. Latex on latex, and oil base on oil base.

Picking The Magical Colors

Color choices are plentiful, as are the types of paints. When selecting interior colors, consider how you use each room or the feeling that you want to create for the space. White is a great accent, but for walls it is a harsh and cold color. Instead of white, choose warm, inviting and neutral paint colors such as yellows, warm beige and olive tones.

The best rule of thumb for home remodeling is to stick to a color palette that isn’t too bland but also isn’t too bold.  For the bigger rooms, select a paint that is a couple shades darker to create a cozy atmosphere. For bedrooms, calming paint colors work best.

Make sure the palette you create flows from room to room. LBD, Home Fashion provides paint samples with our consultations or  purchase a smaller can of paint and test it on the walls before committing to the color for the entire room.

Wallpaper Can Be A "Turnoff"

Potential homebuyers don’t always like wallpaper or at least the wallpaper you may have chosen 15 years ago. They want simple, clean, warm and inviting rooms and not the potential headache of steam cleaners and wallpaper removal. It is a good idea to consider removing wallpaper or at the very least painting over it where necessary in order to open the space and make the room feel fresh and clean.

Don’t Forget To Look Up

Potential buyers notice water stains and old-fashioned ceilings. If you have a home with a stucco ceiling, it can date your home to a buyer. Before you show your home, consider painting the ceiling with flat white paint. If you have crown molding, make sure you use the same ceiling paint for a consistent professional look.

Learn From The Experts

Choosing a wall color can be overwhelming. If you don’t know or are unsure, ask the professionals. An LBD, Home Fashion design associate can help you make some of these decisions. Paint color can help you sell a house faster. A fresh coat of paint makes the walls fresh and clean to create an inviting environment for a potential homebuyer.

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Ten Tips On Makind Your Home More Eco-Friendly

Tip #1 – Turn off the lights when not needed, even as you go from room to room in the course of your day (or evening)

According to ENERGY STAR, as much as 20 percent of a home’s energy use comes from light bulbs. Using a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) requires about 75 percent less energy than incandescent, but lights that are turned off save the most energy of all. 

Tip #2 – Wash clothes in cold water (and honestly, the new cold-water detergents do the job just fine)

According to the US Department of Energy, a washing machine uses up to 90 percent of its energy to simply heat the water in a laundry load, and the higher the temperature, the greater the cost to you and the environment. Keeping your cool will save energy and make your clothes last longer, by using cold water.

Tip #3 – Clean the lint filter in your gas or electric clothes dryer, to realize big savings.

Tests have shown that keeping the lint trap clean may provide savings of up to $34 in energy costs each year (ENERGY STAR).

Tip #4 – Better yet, use a clothesline or clothes ‘tree’ and keep the dryer shut off.

An outdoor clothesline costs only a few dollars. You might also want to consider buying an indoor drying rack, so you can keep up your energy efficient ways even when it’s raining.

Tip #5 – Some local utilities now have low-impact hydro-electric windmills and solar farms contributing ‘green energy’ to their grid. 

Find out if your local utility has such a program and ask if they give a discount for purchasing power from these ‘green’ generators. Tied with this is doing your laundry and other energy-intensive activity in mid-day or late evening, when demands on the grid are less.

Tip #6 – Isolate your fridge, for its own good

If your fridge is beside a vent, stove or dishwasher (which give off a lot of heat) your fridge will have to work hard and use more energy to keep its cool. If possible, keep the fridge isolated and reap the financial rewards.

Tip #7 – Forego cleaning products for plain old hot water and white vinegar – the ultimate green living product. If you need something more powerful, most department stores now carry lines of easily identifiable environmentally friendly cleaning products that are less toxic and come in recyclable packaging.

Tip #8 – Make the green grass of home a hardy perennial

Perennial ryegrass and drought-tolerant fescue are grass types that need less watering and chemical care. Use a healthy layer of mulch to reduce weed growth, retain moisture in the soil and keep roots cool, which again lessens the strain on the community’s water supplies. And don’t mind the beneficial bugs, birds, frogs and toads that might make your backyard their home as a result.

Tip #9 – Buy biodegradable pots for your home and garden

Buying plants already potted in bridgeable materials, like bamboo, coconut, rice or wheat fiber, rather than plastic, will eliminate another step in the recycling process.

Tip #10 – Whether it’s bedding, furniture, flooring or wall and window coverings, shop green and leave the plastics behind

Draperies, window blinds, and shades are all now available in natural fibers such as cotton, hemp, linen, wood, reeds, silk or bamboo. Upholstered furniture containing silk, wool, latex or natural rubber are emerging, as are sofas and chairs stuffed with a foam product made from soybeans. In this manner, we can eliminate the need for petroleum-based foam stuffing in our houses, saving thousands of barrels of crude oil in the process.

Additionally, ask for ‘reclaimed wood’ in new flooring or furniture. Reclaimed and recycled wood from salvaged timbers found in old barns, homes, bridges and even sunk at the bottom of our creeks and rivers can also be used to reduce chemically-treated wood for floors, furniture and construction supports.