ABC’s of Fine Design

If you have a small dorm or apartment you are always looking for ways to keep as much space as possible. With compact refrigerators, dishwashers and microwaves you can keep all of that space and still be able to have good food and a clean area.

One thing you should remember when buying these is that it’s usually best to buy them together, sometimes they work as a set and interlock to save even more space. Most college kids don’t care much about looks but if you are one that does buying them together will help keep the colors matching and your space looking good.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Now that it has been a couple of weeks since you made that new years resolution to lose weight I have one question for you, are you doing it? One reason that you may not be as excited about losing the weight is that you don’t feel comfortable where you work out.

If you have a home based gym I have a few great ideas for you that will make the room scream come in and play! It will also answer that dang question of where to put that dang elliptical.

My first tip is simple, paint the room one of two types of colors. Bright and exciting or calm and relaxing. It really depends on how you want to use the room. If you using it for both relaxation and as a heavy workout area think about using both colors. Stick to the same color but different shades and you should be fine. Paint one wall the bright color and the opposite the calm color, keep the other two walls a neutral. Set up your equipment so that you are facing the correct wall for what you want to to. If you need energy for that tread mill set it so you face the bright wall. If you need a calm place to meditate or do yoga seat yourself facing the calm color wall.

Another thing is put a TV in your workout room. Watch your favorite movie or music videos while you work out. Using a radio or mp3 player can help too.

Bring in plants, they make the room more inviting and help clean the air. This could just make it easier on your body as it will have fresh air to work with.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Everyone has different taste when it come to a mattress but their are some tips to help you decide which one is right for you.

Do some research. That is what the Internet is for right? To give you information on products and services. Check out the manufactures website to find information on mattresses your interested in

Talk to your doctor. If you have any type of health condition consult your doctor. They may be able to tell you what types of mattresses to stay away from.

Check your size. If both you and your spouse are small you don’t need a pillow top mattress. If you want one that is your choice. If your bigger the extra padding may be helpful to you.

Use the mattress before buying. No I’m not saying you should sleep on it, unless they offer that type of trial, but you should test it out for about 15-20 minutes before you decide to buy.

Don’t buy whats in style, just because it is. If all of your friends buy the Tempurpedic mattress and you check it out and hate it, don’t buy it.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

When looking for accessories you don’t always have to go to the most expensive thing, sometimes you just want to have something that if it’s ruined your not out $5000. This is the case with paintings. I personally would buy a painting that is a knock off or reproduction rather then the real painting. Of course there are exceptions but I still would not display them without some sort of protection and a good security system.

For most people though a monet oil reproduction is just as good as the real thing. So what is my advice when looking for paintings. Check some antique stores, the dollar stores are wonderful if you have kids or go ahead and splurge a little.

If price is not an issue, buy something you love, but something that will either go with your decor or stand out in a good way. If you have mostly antique furniture don’t buy a modern painting. The clash. If you have a mix of furnishings a modern painting may work well.

Whatever you do choose something for yourself, not because it’s expensive and it will help you make friends. People who buy things based on the money factor tend to not appreciate it as much. At least that is my experience anyway.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

With New years just around the corner many people are looking to spruce up their bar area. You want to make a good impression if you are the one doing the hosting this year and you want that bar to look like a million bucks. Bar faucets are a great place to start, you can get very cool looking faucets for almost nothing and it can really add some sparkle to your bar. Add some nice lighting and you are good to go. A bar remodel that can cost as little as $50 depending on what deals you can find.

If you have a little more money you can also look into chairs or a new counter for the bar area. If you want to really wow them go sleek and modern with black or glass tile. If your looking for something more down to earth that might fit in better once it’s super bowl time, then you may want to try a wood counter. Both will create a great bar look and really make a splash this new years eve.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I was asked today by an online friend if they should think about going wireless. I asked them why and they replied “because it’s a mess”. Of course I ask what is a mess. Then they tell me, their home. I get it now. There are too many wires and HDMI cables all over the place that she can’t move.

This can be a problem of a home based business. Designers need to be aware of this because not only will you have to be the one to solve the problem for your clients, if you work from home you will have to watch out for this yourself. I love wireless, but there are issues that happen when going totally wireless. Things work on the same frequency and if your neighbor has wireless it could mess with your stuff.

Example, my mother has wireless Internet, phones and the satellite can be set up with a wireless connection to the phone. Well because most things out here in the middle of no where are wireless our neighbors Internet or satellite was messing with our cable. We got some interesting programming from pay per view. The weird thing is it was always ordered during our dinner time. So we knew it wasn’t us ordering it. That bill ran up to about $200 just for those movies.

So yes wireless is great for good interior design, it helps you to move things around more and make life easier, but when using wireless you have to think about the world around you and what others are doing, not just to avoid charges on your satellite, but to keep people from steeling your stuff.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Resale value is not the only thing you should think about when looking into the future of your home. If you plan on living out your days there you should start thinking about how you are going to get around that wonderful home of yours.

Now that people are living longer there are many things that have now started to effect our aging population. Many things that before either never happened or you didn’t have to live with the problem for that long. Now you may have to live with a disability for 20 years before you pass away.

Using Universal Design is the best way to keep your home working for you as you age. Install different heights for your counters so that you can still use them if your in a wheelchair. Install stair lifts if your home has two stories, of course you don’t have to do this until you need it, but save for it as it can cost a great deal of money.

If your building a home and it’s a two or more story. Design it so there is a bedroom type room downstairs. That way if you can’t get up the stairs you don’t have to worry about it, you just move your room down. Also second story laundry rooms are a big thing, but if you also put hookups on the main floor it will make your life easier later on.

I know that most people don’t want to even think about getting old and dying, but it is a fact of life. If you plan for it the process will be much easier and you won’t be a frustrated old man or women who yells at everyone. Of course if your trying to get back at your kids maybe you want to be one of those people.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!