The lights are the jewelry of a space. Swap out light fixtures to instantly update the style of a kitchen, designers say. Houzz recently featured an article offering tips on how to choose kitchen lighting. Among its insights:Layer the lights. “Light layering involves creating different shades of light, playing with shadows and using colors to highlight a room’s best features,” interior design writer Georgia Madden notes. “In the kitc
Cookie-cutter homes and apartments can look too similar to their competition, making it harder for them to stand out. But developers and designers are finding some ways that can make an abode different from the rest.“Everybody’s looking at what everybody else is doing,” Jonathan Miller, the president of Miller Samuel Real Estate Appraisers & Consultants, told The New York Times. An apartment can be “really nice and spec
Some real estate pros are prepping their “spooktacular”-themed open houses to attract potential buyers this month. Here are a few tips if you decide to follow the Halloween vibe:Don’t go all “goth” when decorating: Keep the themed decor simple and especially tasteful. No tombstones and graveyards or skeletons on the front stoop to frighten buyers away. April Struhs, a real estate pro with Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Esta
Nothing ruins a bathroom like a bad hue, and the gray trend may be one of the worst offenders, designers say.“Bathrooms tend to be enclosed spaces, so greige-y muddy colors can make the space feel smaller and dingy,” Ariel Okin, an interior designer in New York City, told Apartment Therapy. “Lighter colors like bright crisp whites, powder blues, and spring greens always play really well in a bathroom, as do moodier shades such as inky navy
Homeowners can do plenty to spruce up their home and make it more enticing for buyers. But when they're narrowing their list, what are a few quick fixes that can have a big impact? Besides a fresh coat of paint, Redfin highlighted some additional ideas on its blog, including:Update the door.A new front door can be a cost-effective update that can make a big difference, real estate pros say. “Solid wood doors are always a classic style
The living room—that main gathering spot in a home—is a critical part in your showings. Home stagers recently chimed in at Apartment Therapy with their favorite tips for creating a better-staged living room.One of their biggest pieces of advice centered on the tendency to cram too much furniture into one space. Ensure the living room has proper flow with sizable walkways among furnishings. Nathan Thompson with Pavilion Broadway, a luxury inte
A master bedroom is meant to be a peaceful place to relax and recharge. That’s why designers say a lot of attention needs to go into its look: to make sure it fulfills that purpose. Design experts also say an uninviting master retreat could negatively affect resale value, so there’s more at stake in the bedroom design than a night of restful sleep.“One thing to keep in mind is that form follows function, meaning the visual appearance of you
How homeowners treat a yard this autumn can determine the quality of their yard next spring and summer. Kris Kiser, president and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, offers up the following checklist for homeowners who want to lay a strong groundwork for a great yard next spring:Keep mowing. Grass still needs regular care to stay healthy. Grass that is too high may attract lawn-damaging field mice. Shorter grass is more resistant t
Drilling a hole in the wall to hang pictures or a TV might sound like a simple DIY project. But handyman services are warning that homeowners could do a lot of damage to a home if they aren’t careful.Many homes have pipes and wires that run through a wall. Homeowners who are unaware of these could risk personal injury or serious damage to their home.Realtor.com® recently featured safety tips to avoid hole-drilling nightmares, in
Only about 1.4% of the population has a perfect 850 on their FICO credit score. “Achieving a perfect credit score is largely out of your hands,” Riley Adams, a licensed certified public accountant and senior financial analyst for Google, told Apartment Therapy. It can take years to build up a perfect credit score of paying bills on time and paying off debts.Apartment Therapy recently asked financial experts how consumers can improve their sco
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