Photo by Melinda Nagy via Shutterstock
Buying your first home is exciting, and your dream-book is full of magazine cutouts and interior design sketches. But many entry-level or starter homes do not come with the built-in shelving of your designer-inspired visions. What do you do on a budget? Use your imagination, a little ingenuity and flat-pack furnishings.
Furniture from in-store and online retailers sell shelving and cabinet units that arrive in flat boxes. They have all the parts, and often the tools, so you can put together the pieces. The main advantage of ready-to-assemble, flat-pack furniture is its affordability. If you’re even a little bit handy, they are simple to set up and offer a lot of sizes to fit most spaces.
The challenge is that it can look sterile and universal. Your stark-white, four-cube by three-cube shelf looks just like everyone else’s.
No, not computer hacking — furniture hacking!
Personalize your furniture with some creativity, elbow-grease and experimentation. The Internet abounds with ways to hack your flat-pack furniture. Some websites devote their entire content to ways of updating low-cost furnishings to fit your style. Options range from changing hardware to painting laminate and all ideas in between. Here are some top contenders for getting a built-in look with your flat packs.
Unfinished wood, MDF and primed PVC materials readily accept paint. Laminate and foil veneer over fiberboard (also called thermofoil) are different. Before you start, make certain you know the composition of the furniture. Trust your paint dealer to direct you to the perfect product. But remember, you cannot sand foil veneers easily. Doing so will tear the finish and damage the furniture. Instead, consider using chalk paint.
For more ideas about making flat-packs appear built-in, talk to your local DIY store professionals. When preparing your home to sell, some built-ins may increase the value, so run it by your real estate professional.
Houseplants come in a rainbow of colors beyond the expected green. Growers are discovering new colorful varieties of popular plants, including those with dark foliage. Dark-leafed plants make a bold statement in an indoor space and add a touch of drama to any plant collection. If you’re interested in finding the perfect dark foliage for your space, here are some suggestions to guide you.
The rubber tree stands out in a crowd with its deep red leaves. New leaves grow in burgundy colored and mature to a glossy black appearance, making a rubber tree a truly stunning addition to any room. To keep a rubber tree thriving and its leaves as richly pigmented as possible, make sure it gets plenty of bright light and consistent watering.
The ZZ plant is a favorite among plant owners for its easygoing nature and ability to thrive in low light. While the normal ZZ has glossy green leaves, the raven variety appears almost jet black. New leaves come in green and gradually darken as they mature. While this variety of ZZ plant is rare, its rising popularity has made it easier to find at nurseries and other plant retailers.
For the more advanced plant owners, an alocasia makes a beautiful addition to a well-lit room. Part of the elephant ear plant family, the leaves on the black velvet are an extremely dark green with contrasting white veins. Per their name, the leaves are velvety soft in texture, which makes them even more striking up close. Alocasia need high humidity and consistent light to thrive, so a humidifier is a must-have to keep these plants happy.
Another elephant ear, the colocasia black magic, is a much larger cousin of the smaller alocasia. This plant produces enormous dark purple leaves that appear black as they mature. They are often sold and grown as outdoor plants but do well indoors as well with enough humidity. Make sure you have the space as these plants can grow up to 6 feet tall with leaves 2 to 3 feet in diameter.
If you prefer succulents, the aeonium black rose is the perfect choice for a dark and dramatic houseplant. This succulent has large rosette-shaped blooms in a deep purple that appears black in certain light. As with all succulents, consistent bright light and careful watering is key to their happiness and survival.
These are only a few of the dark-leafed plants you can grow as houseplants. While they are sometimes more difficult to find than the common green versions, these special plants with their black foliage will create eye-catching contrast in any room.
Does your home need a refresh? If so, making some minor changes can have a significant impact. If you’re thinking about new ways to update your space, here are some ideas for modern home design projects you can DIY:
If you want something beyond just adding a fresh coat of paint, limewash might be a good option. Limewash is made from crushed limestone and other minerals into a substance that goes on just like paint. The advantage of limewash is that it adds texture and subtle color. Limewashed walls appear somewhat chalky and soft, almost like suede. It can add striking depth to plain, flat-colored walls and freshen an entire space.
You can use limewash inside or outside. Unlike paint, limewash gets absorbed by porous surfaces like plaster, stone and brick. Therefore, these types of surfaces will always get the best results. If you use a mineral-based primer, you can also apply limewash to drywall, too.
Window shutters are a classic design element that can change the entire facade of your home. Perfect for breaking up large, empty spaces, window shutters add charm and architectural interest to your exterior. The best thing about them is that you can get the look with no complicated installation: faux window shutters are easy to attach to the walls and look just like their functional counterparts.
If you prefer to add fully functional window shutters, it may be a better job for a contractor. Depending on your level of construction experience and savvy, it can be a more difficult project than attaching the cosmetic shutters. Consider the type of windows and the exterior surfaces of your home when deciding, as these factors will affect the ease and cost of the project.
If you have concrete flooring outdoors or indoors, consider giving it an upgrade by staining it. Concrete staining is a simple way to add color and enhance the aesthetic of your patio, pathways or indoor surfaces. Stained has a smooth and polished look that works well with modern rustic interior design and industrial styles. There is such a wide variety of colors and finishes available you can find the perfect upgrade for any concrete in your home.
Concrete stain is simple to apply on your own, but you can also hire professionals to help. Consult your local home improvement store or internet tutorials for the best way to improve your concrete.
These home improvement projects can work outside or inside your home. No matter what project you choose, do your research to ensure you make the best decision for your situation and skills.
The modern farmhouse trend continues to grow in popularity. For both interior and exterior home design, the name of this style is everywhere, from inspiration blogs to retailers. Real estate professionals have even begun featuring modern farmhouse properties in their respective markets because of the continued demand for the style. However, with architecture and design styles constantly evolving, it might be difficult to pinpoint what makes the style unique.
So what is modern farmhouse style exactly? Below are some key aspects of this design trend.
Modern farmhouse is a contemporary and updated interpretation of the classic American farmhouse style. A modern farmhouse home expertly blends sleek modern efficiency with a comfortable rustic aesthetic. Overall, many consider it an approachable and flexible style that is easy to personalize while still creating a perfect compromise between the new and the old.
The modern farmhouse style is just as much an external architectural design style as an internal one. Once you know the key elements of a modern farmhouse, you’ll be able to spot them right away — incorporate these elements into your own home search or remodel. Most houses in this style feature steeply pitched roofs and large windows. Open floor plans are common and usually include vaulted main rooms. The modern farmhouse style also includes a wrap-around porch or a rear porch depending on the space available. Many opt for traditional rectangular windows on the facade, but it is also common to include sleek triangular windows to accent the steepled roof shapes.
The modern farmhouse trend uses neutral color palettes for the interior and exterior. White is the most common paint choice for the outside of the home, but with bold contrasting elements in black or other dark colors. The contrast not only adds modern appeal, but emphasizes the shapes used in the home’s construction. The exterior walls often include board and batten cladding reminiscent of traditional farm homes. Fixtures are often rustic or industrial, focusing on rustic finishes. On the inside, a modern farmhouse will feature exposed wooden beams and trim and rough-hewn plank flooring. Natural materials with lots of texture are prevalent in modern farmhouse interior design and the more mixing materials, the better. Paint, trim, fixtures and furniture will keep the same color trend as the exterior: light and neutral with dark accents. A combination of leather, metal, stone, jute, linen and other natural materials come together to make the modern farmhouse style cohesive yet comfortably eclectic.
People are spending more time at home in order to work, learn and be among family. Therefore, the demand for comfort and practicality is likely a driving force behind the popularity of this trend. With modern farmhouse style homes, you can have the cozy, inviting feel of a traditional farmhouse style but with a sleek and modern update. The style honors nostalgia and classic American design elements while still including all the efficiency and demands of the present.
You may have heard about home warranties, but are unsure of what they are. A home warranty is an excellent addition to your home insurance and has a particular function. When you buy a home, the last thing you want to worry about is things breaking or malfunctioning in the house after you buy it. Buyers fear the expenses they may incur if items in the home start to break down shortly after the property becomes theirs. As a first-time homebuyer, a home warranty can be incredibly helpful since you may need a crash course on home maintenance.
Depending on what’s the norm for homebuyers locally, either the buyer or the seller will pay for the home warranty. Some sellers pay for warranties up front as an extra assurance to the buyer of the property they’re about to purchase. Sellers also use this as an excellent tactic to “wash their hands” of the property. The buyer won’t need to contact the seller if something goes wrong with the property. A home warranty is a fairly inexpensive way to show buyers that appliances and the home itself have been well taken care of. Occasionally, real estate agents will give buyers a home warranty as a gift for their business. Usually, this is done for higher-end homes.
Home warranties aren’t very expensive. They usually range in price around a few hundred dollars in cost. The cost is based on a yearly rate and can be renewed each year at a slightly higher premium.
How Do The Warranties Work?
The warranty provider works with specific companies for different purposes. When the homeowner calls the warranty provider to let them know there’s a problem, the service provider will call the homeowner to make arrangements to fix the problem. If an appliance cannot be repaired, the warranty company may replace the item. There are usually small service fees associated with these repairs and replacements.
Is Anything Not Covered?
A home warranty will not cover numerous items around the house. These items include:
Outdoor fixtures and plumbing
Indoor plumbing fixtures
Pools
Hot tubs
Some appliances may not be covered
Heating system
Water heaters
Cooling system
Fans
Home warranty plans can vary based on your location and the type of policy. Make sure you review what’s covered before you finalize any home warranty. It’s an individual choice that homeowners make to have a peace of mind when moving into a new place.
