Area rugs that are harmless for kids and pets have grown in popularity. If you have a dog, you may be wondering if a rug for your dog is the right choice. Here are a few things you must consider when deciding on purchasing rugs for dogs.
Things to Consider While Purchasing Rugs for Your Pet
Type of fiber: The first consideration is the type of fiber used in the rug. The type of fibers in a pet-friendly rug should be chosen carefully. Additionally, the material should withstand stains and odors.
Color: The color of the rug also matters. You can find rugs for dogs in neutral or dark colors, or choose a textured one.
Pile height: A high-pile rug will not be very durable against messes that your dog can create. A high-pile carpet is more susceptible to damage and digging. If you choose a rug with a high pile, it will be difficult to remove the stains.
A lower-pile carpet is less likely to be damaged by chewing. Generally, a pet-friendly rug will be a low pile rug.
Maintenance: A rug that you aspire to may not be washable, so you must look for a rug that can be swept or vacuumed. If your pet has an accident, you can simply hose it off in the backyard or air dry it.
A good choice for rugs for dogs is one made of wool. This kind of rug is a great choice for households with large dogs or those who have a small pup.
Stain-resistant: If you’re looking for a rug that won’t show stains or attract pet hair, you’ve come to the right place. Luckily, there are numerous rugs for dogs and pets that won’t show stains and hair. Here are 8 options that won’t attract a lot of attention from pets.
The Pet-friendly, Khema2 Grey Area rug is flat-woven using wool, which is a highly durable material. It is available in a wide range of sizes, including extra-large rectangular rugs. This rug is easy to install, maintain, clean, and is resistant to stains and mildew.
Aesthetically, it amplifies the décor with its high-low texture and fascinating geometric pattern.
Kista Natural pet-friendly area rug is flat-woven with wool and viscose to ensure safety for pets. This is one of the best rugs for dog, and is easy to clean. The best part is that it won’t leave lingering stains or odors, and you can vacuum it with ease.
Dark-colored rugs are more likely to hide pet hair, so choosing a dark-colored rug will hide them. The Lake Placid Charcoal rug will be the best choice if your pet is not yet potty trained.
Additionally, the wave pattern on the rug and the embedded curves will lend an artistic touch.
If you are more concerned about the durability of rugs for dogs, consider the durability of a thick-pile rug. It won’t scratch and mark the rugs even if your dog’s claws can catch on the edges of a carpet.
Also, it will cease to compromise on beauty with its stripes and poxes running across the surface of the rug.
Having a pile height of 0.5 inches, the Manchester Multi area rug is one of the best rugs for dogs.
To add to it, the simple yet beautiful horizontal stripes ensure that you do not have to compromise on the aesthetics.
A high-pile wool rug is not the best choice for pets. A high-pile rug will be too soft for your pet to handle. It’s hard to keep pets off of a floor and can cause injuries if your dog tries to scratch the rug.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for rugs for dogs that can also withstand a lot of use, a thick and durable fiber will last longer than a weaker one. However, make sure it is suitable for your pet’s lifestyle.
Choosing from especially made rugs for dogs, you can protect your carpet and prevent stains while keeping it looking beautiful. Also, it’s important to choose a rug that is safe for your pets.
A low-pile rug is safer for your pets than a high-pile one, as your dog’s claws can catch on the edges of a carpet. Moreover, a low-pile rug will not trap your pet’s paws and will not be a safety risk for your home.
Choosing a rug with a pet-friendly material is important. If you have a pet at home, you need to choose one that is made for pets.
Industrial Farmhouse decor fuses the charm and warmth of the countryside with the modern edginess of industrial style. Modern farmhouse decor includes shiny metals and lots of white and other light hues whereas industrial decor features darker tones, tarnished finishes, darker metals and reclaimed wood elements. It’s a classic case of “opposites attract”.
There are those who like the warmth of modern farmhouse style but find it a little too cute or contrived. Industrial style design can feel too cold and rugged.
Read on and learn how these two styles can be blended together to create a totally unique decor.
The Industrial Farmhouse Evolution
The way we describe Industrial Farmhouse style is different today than it was just a year ago. It will likely be different next year. Industrial Farmhouse style is constantly evolving and its flexibility is part of the appeal and enduring popularity.
A few years ago you might have envisioned industrial farmhouse style as a modern, edgy loft apartment in an old converted factory in the city. It might be decorated with cozy fabric textures and furnished with a soft comfy sofa and big comfy chairs.
A good description might have included exposed brick on some walls and sheetrock on others. Exposed stainless steel ductwork and plumbing, with very high ceilings and tall windows, would be part of that look.
That’s still a cool look and always will be. That’s where Industrial Farmhouse was born. Like everything else, it has expanded and evolved. It has become harder to define because it’s a much more broad term now.
Look at these 2 photos…
They are both considered Industrial Farmhouse style. What is similar about them? Not much, right?
They don’t look alike at all. They share some characteristics like open shelving, metal pendant lighting and black metal stove hood but that’s about it.
What is Industrial Farmhouse decor?
Industrial style, which came from factory loft-inspired living, was adopted and brought into family homes and so it evolved. It is this flexibility that has made Industrial Farmhouse take on such enduring popularity and wide appeal.
It has a more unique outcome than other styles. You might begin your decor project with Industrial Farmhouse style in mind. What does that mean? Well, it means different things to different people. That’s the appeal!
On the other hand, if you said you were going to decorate your home with Modern Farmhouse Style, most people would conjure up a similar picture in their mind.
Go to wayfair.com and search for “modern farmhouse furniture”. You’ll see lots of white sofas, white painted or natural hardwood dining chairs. If you search for “industrial farmhouse furniture” you will see a lot of wall decor and lighting fixtures but you’ll have a hard time finding furniture pieces. This is true when you search Google images and Amazon as well.
Why is that? Maybe it’s too hard to define or furniture companies just aren’t branding their furniture and describing it as “industrial farmhouse furniture”. The fact is, there are many styles of furniture that work beautifully in the industrial farmhouse context. Perhaps it’s because it is such a flexible style.
Mid-Century Modern furniture always works with industrial farmhouse. So do big soft contemporary styles of furniture. This is where you make it your own.
This style of industrial farmhouse fuses the rustic charm of the countryside with the modern edginess of industrial style. We usually envision traditional industrial style as modern, edgy loft apartments in old converted factories in the city.
Industrial Farmhouse is more city than country
Designers are taking the farmhouse style and making it more urban.
Modern farmhouse style has a rustic charm that people love. But designers are transforming them into more modern spaces with a city feel. The old country appeal is still there, but it’s been updated to be cleaner and more contemporary.
The enduring appeal and popularity of Industrial Farmhouse Styles
Some say modern farmhouse style is out but is it really? The fact is, we just get tired of things. It’s in our nature.
If you have a modern farmhouse decor style, you can probably just do some minor updates like changing paint colors or updating the backsplash to make it feel fresh again. Maybe you just need a new coffee table that adds some edge to your current look.
Make Use of Existing Structure
Industrial decor style looks amazing in a warehouse, loft-type space but it is certainly not limited to that. In a loft, you would incorporate any exposed brick, heating ducts, and feature any raw architectural elements in a modern industrial building.
These are elements we usually hide with drywall in a residential dwelling but here they are celebrated. The Industrial Farmhouse style also makes use of concrete features that may exist. Concrete features such as pillars for internal support and load-bearing walls can be decorated in creative ways for a unique effect. These concrete features are normally flat and without any decorative detailing.
If you love the look of warm and cozy interiors but don’t want to use any old furniture and accessories, you will definitely enjoy the charm of the Industrial Farmhouse decor with its sleek lines and simplistic approach to design. A contemporary style of farmhouse decor is one with clean lines and minimal decoration. You can still add beautiful furniture pieces, but it is important not to clutter the space with too much artwork and knickknacks.
How to get the Industrial Farmhouse Look?
Elements used in the Industrial Farmhouse style would be described as rugged and sturdy, not delicate. Reclaimed wood, tarnished metals, wrought iron, and vintage furniture are some of the staples of modern Industrial Farmhouse decor. It blends the contrasts of urban and rural styles in exciting and unique ways.
If you want soft comfy furniture, consider adding industrial edginess with a rustic coffee table made with reclaimed wood and black metal or maybe an old trunk. Try to create a balance of cold and warm, soft and hard.
When decorating with modern industrial farmhouse style, think of different ways to combine vintage elements with modern decorating ideas. Don’t limit yourself, explore the possibilities. Combine rustic wood with smooth wrought iron or smooth wood with aged metal.
If your home has exposed brick walls, you can add vintage signs to the walls and hang vintage posters that pay homage to past eras. Add a few natural accessories, such as wooden wall shelves and pottery.
If you don’t have exposed brick and you would like to have some without the cost and messy installation of real bricks, check out this Industrial farmhouse wallpaper.
The Industrial Farmhouse style is all about simple lines, sleek appliances, and simplistic color schemes. Think rugged, not dainty.
Industrial farmhouse furniture can take many of the characteristics of industrial design and create a comfortable but ruggedly modern room. Dark woods and black metal accents are commonly used and industrial farmhouse style furniture leans toward darker fabrics or leather.
Add warm tones of color using throw pillows. Tans, beige, and gray tones can add softness to offset and balance out the coldness that industrial decor can have.
Industrial Farmhouse decor ideas
Source: decorsteals.com
Wrought iron and black metal are key elements that can evolve your decor into an industrial style. It can be used the barstools if you have an island, chairs, coffee table legs, industrial shelving, light fixtures, railings, sideboards, coat racks, and more. There are many other decor elements that you can use to bring in the industrial style. In the kitchen are for instance you could use reclaimed open shelves instead of upper kitchen cabinets. Add black pipe style brackets or black metal L brackets to give them a sharp industrial look.
Source: decorsteals.com
industrial farmhouse lighting can dramatically change the feel of the entire space. For the dining area, something like a vintage wheelbarrow-style chandelier is a spectacular look. Industrial farmhouse pendant lights or birdcage pendants over an island or other areas that need overhead lighting can add beautiful dimension.
Another way to create the look of rural style is to decorate with finished wood products from around the world. Solid unfinished hardwood furniture comes in many varieties such as teak, mahogany, and oak. There are many different finishes available such as sanded, clear lacquer, natural, and oil rubbed. You can also find various modern farmhouse wall decor and accessories such as vintage signs, barn doors, wall clocks, wooden coat hangers, and abstract wood artwork.
Industrial Farmhouse Decor on a Budget
Incorporating items like wrought iron, farmhouse tables, antique doors, floating shelves and other vintage looking elements like old signage and posters will get you started. Check out stores that sell wrought iron and furniture that are inspired by vintage designs.
There are plenty of thrift stores that sell old metal parts, such as wheels and handles, that can be used to complete your custom made industrial elements. Visit Flea Markets and garage sales where you can old wooden furniture that has been slightly damaged. Then you can repair, paint or stain in any way you like to create your very own vintage style elements that will suit your taste perfectly.
Facebook marketplace is also a good source for used furniture. Regardless of how you choose to incorporate the look of industrial elements into your home, it’s sure to add a unique touch that no other home will have!
If your aim is to create a more modern look, then the emphasis will be on bright colors, stainless steel, and metal fittings. Glass is often used in industrial farmhouse style as are steel framing and stainless steel wire. Wall decor can be either bare or decorated with wall art. When you decorate with industrial farmhouse style, don’t limit your modern farmhouse living room ideas to wooden elements. Incorporate metal and even copper or iron elements into their design.
If you have a large painted wall, try creating a gallery wall of photos, signs, and other elements to really warm things up. As mentioned earlier, floating shelves are a great choice too. Use pipe style brackets for the industrial look and warm it up with family photo frames resting on the shelves. If you have an exposed brick wall you don’t really need to put anything on it all in many cases.
However, if you feel it needs something consider a vintage sign or maybe a collage of them. Find sturdy pieces of furniture for your industrial decor style that are made from sustainable woods. A good idea might be a coffee table or daybed that can double as a sofa or chair. If you have a craft table or an artist’s table available, make use of it as an extra place to craft homemade projects.
Rustic metal finishes add an element of ruggedness to the industrial farmhouse style furniture and are very popular. If your piece of furniture doesn’t have metal finishing then you should look for pieces of furniture with decorative iron features that will add a touch of elegance.
Modern Industrial Farmhouse Kitchen Ideas
With industrial decor style, you’ll find many antiques and period features. For example, your kitchen walls may be lined with wood shelves to hold dinnerware, cups, pans, and plants. If your kitchen includes an island, adding a barn-style door to cap the end is a great look and it adds warmth and charm to the space. Don’t forget to include high-quality metal in your plans for your kitchen.
Metal is the easiest way to create a focal point in any room. High-quality metal items will help the entire room seem modern and chic and modern stainless steel appliances will certainly fit right in.
Try using an industrial farmhouse style kitchen sink to really celebrate the style. Over the countertop, you could place a piece of round or oval metal cooking rack with three racks above the sink. The combination of high-quality metal with touches of wooden elements will give your kitchen a real country kitchen feel.
Key elements that will give your bathroom an Industrial Farmhouse look are similar to what we described for the kitchen and living room. There are so many possibilities when you’re doing industrial farmhouse bathroom decor.
For instance, it can look amazing with a vanity made of reclaimed wood, rustic mirrors, stone sinks, and wall sconces. Open shelving with pipe brackets works beautifully, subway tiles always look great. Try a ladder style towel rack made with pipe fittings. An open shelf vanity is also very effective. Try metal pendant lighting.
Cool Industrial Farmhouse Finds on Etsy
Etsy is a great place to find unique industrial farmhouse decor diy. You can find fantastic shelving and unique wall decor that you won’t see anywhere else. Here are a few gems we found that are perfect for your industrial farmhouse decor diy project.
Several large retailers like Pottery Barn and Wayfair have beautiful farmhouse furniture. Thrift stores, second-hand stores, and Facebook Marketplace are great sources if you are up for doing a little restoration work.
Websites to find Industrial Farmhouse Decor
If you’re looking for something new and a little more unique, we rounded up some great websites where you can find farmhouse furniture online:
It was not that long ago, relative to human existence LOL, that we would watch TV shows like the Jetsons and Star Trek that featured futuristic smarthome gadgets and innovations that we only wished we could have.
They had all these cool things that were just dreamed up by writers at that time and what incredible visions they had.
One cool gadget after another would suddenly appear and we were in awe. They had things we still can’t make and they sure had a hand in shaping our future.
The futuristic Jetsons cartoon from 1963 was full of labor-saving home automation devices that just grabbed our imaginations and took us for a ride.
They had spectacular gadgets like a robot vacuum cleaner, smartwatches, video calls, drones and flat-screen TVs.
Can you remember wishing that you had some of those gadgets? Maybe you were a Jetson wannabe.
The gadgets were pure fantasy but we all felt like it was all possible and maybe someday it will happen.
So, the future is here and below are some of the ways you can take advantage of the most advanced home automation innovations today to make your new home a smart home.
1. The Smart Hub
If you have a large luxury home, you will probably get a company to install an integrated system for you.
Some of the popular platforms they use are Crestron, Savant and Control4. These are complex that require professional installation.
To install a system yourself, there are many smart hubs available and the list will keep growing but for the sake of this article, we will stick to the 4 most popular Amazon Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant.
There are some excellent smarthome devices listed below here but the first thing you probably need to do is choose a platform hub for all your smart devices.
If all you want to do is have smart lights then you don’t need a hub. If you want to do things like have a smart lock, and turn on the lights whenever the lock opens at night, then you will need a smart hub.
A smart hub is also referred to as a personal assistant and one of the main advantages of having one of these is that you don’t have to carry your smartphone around all the time.
You can just activate commands using your voice. “Dim the lights please.” Please is optional.
Do You Need a Wall-mounted Controller for a Smart home?
Your home automation setup can be controlled from your computer, smartphone or tablet. A wall mounted a controller is not required but it is nice to have one in a fixed position. Imagine that someone is at your door and you want to see who it is but you left your smartphone upstairs. It’s nice you know you can go to your wall-mounted controller. You can install several of these in your home if needed.
The Brilliant SmartHome Control is one of the best. Just replace a light switch with the Brilliant controller. It has beautiful touchscreen panels and built-in Alexa making it easy for everyone at home to control all the connected devices, lighting, thermostats, cameras, intercom and more. It is compatible almost any smarthome device.
You don’t even need to walk to the front door to see who is ringing the doorbell anymore.
The newest smart doorbells offer tons of cool features that lets you monitor and even converse with whoever is at your door without even being at home.
They are relatively inexpensive and easy to install, assuming your home has already been hardwired to accommodate one.
Once it is installed, you will wonder how you ever lived without a smart doorbell, as they are wifi enabled and connected to other smart systems throughout your home.
Adding a smart lock to your front door will increase security. Smart locks are typically keyless and touch-activated.
You can lock and unlock your door from your phone, in addition to basic features like automatic locking – a great feature if you’re the kind of person who often loses their keys or can’t remember to give a spare set to your dog walker.
Passcodes can even be created separately for each person who needs access to your home. The smart doorbell is the perfect solution for an added layer of security and ingenuity at your front door.
The ROOK™ 5-in-1 Smart Lock (picture above) has several valuable features including Custom Auto Lock Timer, Unlock with Smartphone, Fingerprint Scanner, Touchscreen Digital Keypad, Key Cards (included), or Keys (included).
It also has Low Battery Status Alerts and a Backup Power Plug.
Cameras are one of the most innovative home technologies today, primarily because they increase house security.
Although cameras are often used solely to record what takes place outside a home or to keep an eye on pets when the owner is away, they are actually very useful home security tools (even fake ones). In addition, they’re now much cheaper to buy because of their popularity.
Geeni Freebird Wireless Indoor/Outdoor WiFi Security Camera (picture above). It’s a Rechargeable Battery-Powered Home Security Camera with 1080P Night Vision/Waterproof, Motion Detection, 2-Way Audio and it works with or without a smart hub.
With a smart thermostat, you can replace your home’s current thermostat, which monitors your energy usage over time to determine how much and when your home is typically heated or cooled.
Smart thermostats generally adjust the operation time on their own, limiting energy consumption when you’re not there.
You can also use apps that connect to these devices so you can monitor daily and monthly energy usage and make small adjustments for significant energy savings.
6. Smart Water Sensor
Here’s a must-have for serious peace-of-mind seekers.
Simply place these sensors near or under anything you want to monitor.
They’re ideal for monitoring toilets leaks, water heaters, laundry machines, sinks, fish tanks, dishwashers and sump pumps. Add any other spots in your home that could be vulnerable to water leaks and flooding.
When it comes to energy conservation, did you know that even when you aren’t using your electronic devices, they still consume power? Often referred to as vampire power, standby power wastes energy over time.
When you use smart outlets, you can take back control of your energy consumption and set up automated rules for this type of energy usage that align with your lifestyle and habits.
This way, you can stand up to vampire power. Besides smart outlets, a truly energy-efficient smart home will also have smart power strips and lights.
This is one of the simplest yet most efficient ways to make your home automation feel smarter.
LED light bulbs use about 50 percent less energy than traditional bulbs, and many of them last for decades.
Replacing your old bulbs with LED ones is a simple and cheap project that will save you money on both energy bills and bulb replacements.
A wide variety of dimming options is available with LED bulbs, especially when compared to fluorescent bulbs.
With the smart sockets above you can connect and control the lights through your smart hub so you can use voice commands, use group control so you can control several at once, set timers and much more.
You can add sensors so that lights turn on when you enter the room and off when you leave.
Smoke alarm batteries no longer emit the “beep, beep” of a dying battery. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that are smart are constantly charging themselves, which ensures they will always function.
There are a few other benefits, too, such as the ability to detect smoke precisely and to notify you via mobile phone if the smoke detectors go off while you are not home.
Many of these detectors can also be integrated with smart thermostats where the heating system will be automatically shut down if smoke or carbon monoxide alarms go off, preventing a worsening of the situation.
The prices can get a little expensive, depending on how many you need to buy, but they are well worth it when it comes to efficiency and peace of mind.
Google Nest Protect – Smoke Alarm – Smoke Detector and Carbon Monoxide Detector (picture above).
A friendly voice gives you an early warning when there’s smoke or CO in your home. It also sends alerts to your phone when you’re not home.
Have carefree indoor garden for up to 6 plants. It’s easier and 5 times faster to grow your herb garden indoors with one of these.
The AeroGarden Harvest is an indoor garden with LED grow lights and a control panel that tells you when to add water, and plant food. It automatically turns lights on and off.
Have a the ventilation switch on when you walk in the room and turn off 5 minutes after you leave. Super convenient and a real energy-saver. There are some fans that activate by a humidity sensor if that is more of a priority.
Fill you smart home with purified air. Make sure you get a purifier that is ultra-quiet: This LEVOIT Smart Air Purifier has no lights or noise, just air purifying at it’s best.
The HEPA filtration system relieves allergies, asthma and dry throats by trapping 99.97% of airborne particles 0.3 microns in size. Just set it and forget It in Auto Mode.
It will sense any change in PM2.5, and automatically adjusts fan speeds.
It is estimated that we spend approximately one and a half to two and a quarter hours each day cleaning and maintaining the house. Isn’t that a lot of time spent cleaning when you could be doing something else?
With smart home technology, you can at least save time by skipping vacuuming.
Robots vacuum your home regularly to remove dirt, crumbs, pet hair, and other debris before manually returning to their charging stations.
The best part is that they don’t need to be installed. Once the charging dock has been set up, it is ready to go.
Open or close your garage from anywhere and give access to neighbors while you’re away. Don’t worry about whether you shut the garage door, just schedule it to close every night.
14. The Personal Assistant
If you took the advice above and got yourself a smart hub then you’re all set to get start creating your smart home. You now have a personal assistant.
You can order your groceries, turn on your stereo, and put your favorite song on your stereo with just a touch of a button without having to get up from where you’re sitting.
Virtual assistants today come in small devices that you set on your kitchen counter or nightstand.
Using a system such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant can make your day-to-day easier if you want to automate your home and life.
If you have your credit card connected, it’s easy to order products but be careful not to let the kids too chatty with Alexa! It could get expensive.
15. Kitchens with Smart Home Technology
You can’t exactly ask your kitchen to make dinner for you yet, but you can access your fridge online so you can see what’s inside it while you’re at the store or listen to your Spotify playlist while you’re making cookies.
Take the time to decide what items you would benefit from most so you can create the best smart home possible for your needs.
In addition to these smart slow cookers, there are also smart plates and forks to help you monitor your food intake when you are watching what you eat.
Always forgetting to update the essentials on your shopping list? When you throw out items, the smart garbage can scans their barcodes and adds them to a list you can take with you.
As you can imagine, nearly every kitchen appliance has a smart home version. Check out Multo By CookingPal (picture below).
It’s a Smart Compact Countertop Multi-Functional Food Processor with guided recipes and built-in wifi. It chops, kneads, steams and cooks. It’s an awesome All-In-One kitchen gadget.
Creating a smart home in your new home doesn’t have to be done all at once if it is not in your budget.
By adding more features, though, you’ll be able to reap one of the biggest benefits of the best smart home technology: integration.
Many of these systems interface with each other, so that your security systems, energy efficiency systems, and even your kitchen gadgets (for example, a new LG refrigerator can tell your dishwasher when you have a lot of dishes).
The time has come to live in the house of the future if you have always dreamed of it. The popularity of smart homes is increasing rapidly, and many new and renovated homes will soon include smart features.
Discover which options work best for your home, your budget, and your lifestyle, then turn your home into a space that’s both comfortable and efficient.
A Nod to One of The Greatest Innovators of All Time
Thanks to courageous and innovative minds like Steve Jobs, we are here enjoying so many of those things today.
There have been many, brilliant innovators and contributors through the years.
Steve Jobs is mentioned here specifically because it seems like the iPhone was an incredibly significant turning point in technology.
It just opened up many more possibilities for faster innovation.
The iPhone inspired innovative developers to dream up ideas that could tap into and piggyback off this amazing new technology.
An just like that, everyone in the world could be connected to each other wirelessly.
The speed at which other technologies have advanced since the iphone release in 2007 is astounding.
We can do so many things on a smartphone now that it is just commonplace and we would have a hard time getting by without them.
It seems like Smartphones are the remote control to our lives.
We use them to lock our doors, turn on the lights, do our banking, change the room temperature, monitor our homes, and oh yeah, even talk to people. Thanks, Steve!
If you feel that any of these installations are too advanced, consider taking a brief course at Udemy.
I this article we discussed smart electronics, smart home automation products, home tech, home technologies, smart home sensors and more. Come back soon for more on home automation setups and scenes.
Hardwood flooring has a lot of advantages over other types of flooring. Not only is it comfortable under your feet, but it is durable and long-lasting. It also adds adds a classic, luxurious appearance to your home. It comes in a wide range of grain patterns, colors, and stains, making it a great choice for any room. It’s extremely durable and will stay beautiful for a lifetime if you take care of it.
There are many different types of hardwood flooring to choose from, including solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, and reclaimed hardwood. It is important to choose the right kind for your home and lifestyle. Consider the benefits of each type and decide which is best for you. If you have children and pets, consider choosing solid hardwood. If your space is small, and there isn’t too much foot traffic, consider installing engineered hardwood.
How to Choose From the Types of Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring is easy to maintain. It’s durable, allowing you to sand and refinish it as needed. Moreover, it’s easy to clean and has a high resale value. You can even purchase it prefinished or unfinished. If you choose unfinished you can get any kind of stain or finish that you want to ensure that it matches your home’s style.
Hardwood is a renewable and recyclable material, and doesn’t require any harsh chemicals or other chemicals for cleaning. The natural qualities of hardwood flooring give it a great advantage over some other flooring choices.
Hardwood floors not only look amazing, they are a great investment because they will increase the value of your home. The wood will gain character over time.
Hardwood flooring comes in many different species, including oak, walnut, ash, and maple. Oak is by far the most commonly used hardwood across America. However it is not the hardest.
What is the Hardest Wood flooring?
We asked the experts at Weles Wood Floor Services, who provide hardwood floor installation in Boston all day long, and they told us that Ipe also known as Brazilian Walnut is the hardest wood flooring that there is. It is also rare and expensive. “When customers want the hardest wood flooring we recommend Hickory or Maple hardwood since it is easily available and more reasonably priced”.
The Cost of Hardwood Flooring
According to Home Depot, the average cost for installation and materials is $6.40 per square foot for Engineered Wood and $7.80 per square foot for Solid Wood Flooring.
Choosing the Thickness of the Hardwood Planks
3/4-inch is the standard thickness for wood flooring. It is possible to find hardwood flooring as thin as 5/16 of an inch, but this affects the refinishing process. Sanding and refinishing solid 3/4-inch planks can be done ten times. Boards that are thinner can’t be sanded as much and won’t last as long if they are repeatedly refinished.
Should you Choose Engineered or Traditional Hardwood?
Engineered flooring is plywood with a finished wood veneer on top. Solid hardwood might last longer, but engineered flooring performs well for a lower upfront cost. Engineered wood flooring is a good choice for homeowners on a budget. They are moisture-resistant and durable. Maple, heart pine, white ash, bamboo, Brazilian cherry, Brazilian koa, and acacia are among the most popular engineered flooring options. You can sand and refinish solid hardwood flooring numerous times, which means it is likely to be the only flooring you need to purchase for your home.
Repair or Replacement of the Existing Hardwood Flooring
You may be able to refinish or repair your existing hardwood flooring if you like the way it looks. It’s an affordable option if your hardwood floor simply needs sanding and refinishing so that it has the luster and shine it once had. Multiple sanding and refinishings are possible with solid hardwood flooring. It is also possible to refinish engineered wood, though fewer times. The cost of refinishing hardwood floors ranges from $1,000 to $2,500 on average.
Material and Labor Cost Variables
The cost of hardwood flooring varies quite a bit, depending on the wood product and a few other factors.
Generally, the harder the wood flooring, the longer it takes to install it. The installation time of exotic hardwoods, such as Brazilian walnut, is longer than that of a softwood, such as pine. Herringbone and other intricate patterns require more cutting, which increases the cost of the flooring material as well as labor. Hardwood flooring costs will also rise if the room has a complex layout or counters.
A Caution About Wood Flooring
There are three main categories of traditional wood flooring: soft, medium, and hard. Because these are natural wood planks, installing them below ground level is not recommended. Wood does not tolerate changes in moisture or heat.
The planks can warp, crack or splinter when exposed to excessive heat or moisture. Before purchasing and types of hardwood flooring, your contractor will give you advice about these factors for flooring selection.
The Types of Hardwood Flooring that are Right for You
We have given you several things to consider when choosing for the all the types of hardwood flooring that are available. The decision usually comes down to a couple of things. The cost, durability. How long you intend the floors to last and what you are willing to pay for them are main factors that people base their decision on. From there you can choose the color, pattern and wood grain type.
Say Goodbye to Clutter with these Smart Bedroom Storage Solutions
Have you ever heard anybody say “I have too much storage space”? Probably not. We keep accumulating more & more stuff and you gotta put it somewhere. If you had enough storage space two years ago it doesn’t mean you have enough today.
Bedrooms are particularly challenging because you have lots of little personal things and you don’t want to have clutter so we gathered up some brilliant bedroom storage solutions to help.
One of the goals of a bedroom storage solution is to free up floor space to make it feel more spacious and relaxing.
Here are some excellent bedroom storage ideas that we curated.
1. Place a blanket box at the foot of the bed
A beautiful blanket box can help store any miscellaneous items, like blankets and pillows. The blanket box will also provide additional storage for out-of-season clothes. Regardless of the type of storage unit you use, don’t just fill it with junk, clear out all the things that you never use. A bedroom is more pleasing to be in if it feels uncluttered.
There are also all kinds of other beautiful free-standing bedroom storage solutions that you can find…
A very popular way you can make use of empty space is by installing built-in closets on the wall opposite the bed. It’s not a logical solution for renters unless you plan to stay long-term but this can make the room feel bigger and allow for more space for other storage options.
It’s a beautiful alternative to freestanding storage and makes use of awkward nooks and alcoves. Using a bespoke built-in wardrobe will make best use of every inch of space. After you’ve chosen a style of bespoke built-in storage, you can organize your closet, wardrobe, or other bedroom storage solutions.
3. Use boxes and trays
These items will help you sort your socks, shoes, sunglasses, and belts. Besides trays, you can also use drawer dividers, which you can buy from IKEA or Amazon. Also make use of ottomans. Using storage ottomans will give your bedroom a modern and chic appearance. The choices are limitless!
4. A bed or headboard with storage
There are some beds and headboards with brilliant bedroom storage solutions built-in. They provide plenty of drawer space for clothes and extra bedding, books and other personal items.
5. Use a storage solution under the bed
If you have a large amount of clutter, you may need to keep things out of sight. The best solution to the problem is to use a storage container underneath the bed. A soft plastic bin will work well with a zipped cover works great for this. It’s a great storage solution for off-season clothing, shoes and other items that you don’t need to access everyday. This will help to keep the room organized. These solutions can also be used in other rooms. The bedroom is the most personal place in your home, so it needs to be furnished with practical pieces that make you happy.
Don’t forget about the vertical space. The wall space above the bed can be used as valuable storage. A built-in window seat with storage is a win-win with attractive style and functionality.
What are some ways to get the most storage in a bedroom?
You should add a mix of storage solutions to your bedroom to maximize storage. So you have plenty of storage options, incorporate hanging space, drawers, shelves, cubby holes, baskets, bins, and underbed storage. You should look for spaces that can be utilized more effectively and see if they can be converted int into storage areas.
For easy affordable solutions, choose furniture with multifunctional purposes like an ottoman or blanket box with storage, an upholstered window seat, a bed with storage, storage containers that fit under the bed. They can help to add to your bedroom’s storage capacity.
I have lived in many homes and gone through several renovations that involved new flooring installations. It’s astounding how many beautiful flooring options are available to us now. They have beautiful designs, and colors and come in durable materials like vinyl and laminate and they come in a range of reasonable prices.
Have you heard that beautiful flooring has always had ugly cousins? That’s right I said ugly and they’re called Vent Covers. Those ugly old AC and Heat register covers that stick out of the floor and we try to pretend they are not there.
The real old metal ones looked like they came from old military aircrafts or something. After you install beautiful new flooring it’s a shame that you have to put these things in and ugly up the floor and just accept that they need to be there.
Over the years we have seen decorative designs come along that are supposed to make it prettier but they draw your attention. Why would you want to draw attention to the holes in your floor? If you are minimalist, you probably hate these decorative vents.
Some are cute and whimsical but they are certainly not elegant or luxurious. The typical floor vent covers that you find at Home Depot are not befitting of the luxurious homes that are being constructed these days.
They have colored plastic vents that you can sort of match to the flooring color. It still looks lame though especially if you have luxury design.
There is Something Better, Finally!
I was very excited when I was recently introduced to a solution for the ugly air vent problem. Check out kul grilles. If you love elegant, minimalist design, you’re going to love these air vent covers.
The design is so simple and understated that it’s hard to believe that they haven’t always existed. I believe they only come in 6 colors but they don’t really need more colors.
Visitors to your home may or may not notice these elegant air vents. They somehow blend in with their minimalist design while elevating the elegance of a room at the same time.
While there aren’t many color options for these vent covers, they do come in many sizes so you can use them for your larger wall vents as well. You can also order custom sizes if you need to.
While I’m sitting here writing this and looking at one of the kul grilles vent covers, it just dawned on me what makes these so different. It’s the direction of the vents.
Typical old heating registers have several vent slats going across the short width. By contrast, Kul Grilles have fewer vents going across the length which gives the design that sleek, minimalistic feel along with the simple bevel edge frame.
OK – not to gush here but I’m glad to see that we finally have a new option for adding touch of luxury for all the beautiful homes out there.
Kudos to Kul Grilles for a beautiful innovative vent cover design – an old product that many people were not paying much attention to.
When a child appears in your life, you want to make their world beautiful and cozy. Apart from nice furniture and clothes, parents often look for home design elements to make a child’s nursery room more personalized and good-looking. Still, not every design available over the counter will be useful and beneficial. Some of the plastic toys and decor are just too low-quality and can even be dangerous if they are made of harmful substances.
That is why buying the most natural and safest designs for a child’s bedroom is a wise choice. With them, you will always know that these items do not only beautify the dwelling but bring only positive experiences and don’t carry threats.
Still, deciding on a specific design can be challenging at times. What should you start with? Simply listen to your heart or choose practical items? Luckily, Crawoo.com can help you choose since there is a rich number of baby name signs for nursery as well as other creative and non-cliche childrens’ room designs.
5 Actionable Tips for Organizing a Safe and Unique Nursery
Here are top 5 tips for making the child’s room design safe and amazing. The first thing to know about decorating the nursery is that it is best to start this long before the baby arrives.
Why? Firstly, because you need to think everything through, – from floor surfacing to painting the walls. The nursery should be ready months before the baby is born.
Many paints have the tendency to gas off for weeks and you wouldn’t like the baby to breathe it in.
But what else besides this to pay attention to? What if your nursery is ready in every aspect but not decor and furnishing?
Tip 1. Buy a Non-Toxic Bed, Sleeping Pads, and Mattresses
A sleeping place is where the newborn will spend 12 to 14 hours every day. So it is of paramount importance for the sleeping place to be absolutely safe and comfortable.
When choosing a mattress, consider firm mattresses made of materials like organic cotton. The material doesn’t ignite easily unlike synthetic textiles.
Another great idea is a waterproof mattress with safe food-sort polyethylene inside.
Tip 2. Plan the Nursery Room Layout in Advance
Designing the nursery room means seeing the whole picture including the bed zone, changing zone, storage place, play area, etc.
For example, make the sleeping zone far away from the door for the cases when you will need to check on the baby without waking them up. Also, move the bed away from the radiator.
Planning this layout for the near future, think also about where you might move the bed when the baby becomes older.
Tip 3. Use Colors for the Nursery Interior
It goes without saying that the nursery room decor shouldn’t be black and white. But don’t go into bright designs too much. Use colors in a smart way and instead of gaudy colors choose more calm ones. In this case, they will not make you tired or annoyed.
Also, try out combinations of pastel colors with neutral tones such as light beige, sandy, or light grey, especially in big areas of the nursery such as furniture or walls. They look refreshing and are easily mixed with a lot of color shades.
Tip 4. Make the Nursery Room Decor Personalized
Cute decor items with the baby’s name, different soft toys, an animal decor item, or a plant sign, colorful wall phrases, – all of this makes nurseries unique and one-of-a-kind. Nursery signs with wonderful fonts and pictures can be found at Crawoo.com.
There are wooden signs with names, growth charts, nice 3D animal wall signs, and many other design items that will be suitable for boys’ and girls’ rooms.
Great eco designs are not only for walls. Crawoo has nice wooden toys, rainbows, baby’s name signs, and milestones for shelves and any other place in the room.
Crawoo also allows complete personalization: just pick the color, add the baby’s name, or choose the variant without the name on the decor piece.
Tip 5. Choose One Theme for the Whole Interior
Parents sometimes tend to desire everything at once but keep in mind that having a simple interior with several accent pieces will be better than gathering all cartoon characters in one room.
If you want to design a nursery in the owl or giraffe theme, do it! But remember that the theme should be adaptable and meet the needs and wants of a child when they will get older. So, instead of ordering wall paintings, think of wall stickers.
They are produced for every taste – animals, patterns, small illustrations, etc. And the good news is that such stickers can also be eco-friendly and paper-based.
Conclusion
The organization of a modern nursery room is easier than you think it is. Using these tips and tricks, you can turn it into an enjoyable process of preparing a special place for the newborn.
Hopefully,these ideas will come in handy and your nursery room decor will be easily adaptable, safe, and cozy at all times.
Looking for a Mid Century Modern Dresser? If you have a love for the Mid Century modern decor style, you’ll have fun decorating your room into a unique space that you will love to spend time in. There are so many great new and vintage Mid Century furniture options that can make your home look beautifully eclectic, elegant, and modern.
A Mid Century Modern dresser is a great addition to any modern bedroom. There are so many elegant designs and that will always be in style and you can find them at any price level. If you’re looking for something inexpensive, IKEA is a good place to start as most of their designs are Mid Century inspired. Below we will take a look at several different ways that this type of furniture can help you create a more modern living space.
Where to Find a Mid Century Modern Dresser
If you’re into authentic vintage furniture there are some examples near the end of this post. If you like the vintage look but want something more affordable, here are a few examples of Mid Century Modern Dressers that look vintage but they are new…
If you are someone who likes a more open floor plan then a contemporary piece of furniture is going to be the perfect option for you. This style of furniture is ideal for those who like an eclectic living space. This type of furniture gives you plenty of storage options so that you are able to keep most of your clothing in one neat location. This beautiful piece has a vintage look without the vintage price tag.
One other Mid Century Modern Dresser style that you may want to consider has a medium brown stain and metal handles as well as knobs. This can be a great way to create a very chic style in a room when you have enough wall space. It will give your room a simple elegant look and provide ample storage space for your clothes and its classic style will always look modern.
One other style of modern dresser that you may want to consider is the tall style. This is a beautiful piece with a dark finish. This can be a great way to create a very chic style in a room that typically smaller and does not have a lot of color. You may find that this type of furniture can give your room a very clean and simple look that is perfect for a room that has a lot of glass. Adding some abstract wall decor made with wood can really give your room a spectacular eclectic look.
Mid-Century Modern Furniture is a great choice for just about any room. You will be able to find just about any style that you are looking for online. You may also be able to find a great deal if you shop at office supply stores in your area. Department stores may carry a few different options but you will probably have to try them out to see which ones work the best for your needs. It is always a good idea to measure up the space where you plan to put one of these beautiful pieces so that you know what kind and size of furniture to get.
Collections of Beautiful New Mid Century Style Dressers
We rounded up some more beautiful bedroom dressers to choose from. Check these out…
A Mid-Century Modern Dresser is a great addition to any home. If you are a collector you will find that mid-century vintage furniture is a fascinating area to explore. One relatively new site that caught our attention is Chairish.com. They have a large collection of really unique new and vintage furniture and accessories as well as custom furniture.
Vintage furniture can be expensive but it’s an investment since the value will likely increase. Here are some beautiful pieces we found on Etsy…
Lane Burl Long Dresser Credenza Mid Century Modern
You can dramatically change the decor of a room very easily by adding one of these beautiful pieces. The styles are varied and you can be sure to find one that will blend in with the style of your other furniture.
We hope you enjoy part 3 of our collection of home decor ideas & quick tips to take your own decor to the next level.
Here are the next five home decor tips. We have many more to come so check back soon.
How to Design a Photo/Gallery Wall
First of all you have to pick your photos. You can either have a wall of same-style photos, (family photos) or mix them up with maybe family, vacation, celebrations, black and white color, big or small anything goes. If you decide on doing a gallery wall you can use drawings, paintings, mirrors or prints. This too will be very impressive on your walls. Also using a mix of different frames can give it a stylish eclectic look.
Before you start making holes in your wall you seriously need to plan it out. Lay all your frames on the floor and come up with an arrangement that you love, after that hang them accordingly. A good rule of thumb is to always put the largest photo in the center of your arrangements surrounded by the smaller ones measuring an equal distance between frames. Starting in the middle is always best.
Make sure there is balance to your arrangement. This can be achieved by maybe a theme you have in mind, color consistency, or maybe even identical frames. Measure distance between the centers when you have the laid out on the floor and use the measurements to place pencil marks on your wall.
How to Display your Unique Items on a Bookshelf
Bookshelves can be a beautiful feature in any room. Not only can they be decorative but they’re a great way to display either unique pieces, plants, books etc. Always group your accessories in odd numbers & in the same color group. If you’re displaying books, feature them horizontally and vertically it makes it more interesting than all lined up the same. If you’re displaying both accessories and books try and add in some foliage it’s just such a nice touch. Two thirds of one thing and one third of another are great ways to create a good balance.
Ideal Rug Size and Placement
Have you ever walked into a room and known something is off? Chances are it could be a rug that’s too small and looks lost. Ideally, a rug should be big enough that some of your furniture’s feet can sit directly on it. Under a dining room table make sure the rug is large enough so all of your chair legs can fit on the rug while sitting on it.
How to Make Your Room Feel Larger with Paint
Making your small room feel larger is all about creating an optical illusion. When selecting paint, light colors are more reflective giving the feeling of lightness and openness as opposed to dark colors which makes a room feel smaller. There are beautiful choices of white so just grab a swatch from your local paint store bring it home and choose the one that you feel the most compatible with. Blues and greens are also another soft calming color. Also, if you paint your moldings and trim lighter than the wall paint, your walls will feel farther back creating an illusion of the room being larger.
Wallpaper in the Bathroom has Become Popular Again
It’s a great way to make a bold statement in your home decor! In a smaller room like a bathroom, powder room, or hallway the effect can be spectacular. A lot of people don’t want to take the chance with wallpaper as they can be high areas of moisture but there’s an item called Decorators Varnish and when applied after you hang your wallpaper, it seals & protects without adding shine. It also comes in a sheen so if you want to add some shine to your wallpaper you can go with a satin or gloss finish. Be sure though to test it on a wallpaper sample before applying it to the wallpaper. If you’re really hesitant about using wallpaper in the bathroom but really want that big statement effect try going with peel & stick wallpapers that have become very popular recently There are many wallpapers on the market now. Try finding ones that are Water-resistant polymer material, moisture-proof and wear-resistant, easy to clean, long-lasting color with smooth surfaces.
Here’s a video version of our Home Decor quick tips volume 1:
We hope you enjoy part 2 of our collection of room decoration ideas & quick tips to take your own decor to the next level.
Here are the next five room decoration tips. We have many more to come so check back soon.
Quick Decor Tips Vol. 2 – Room Decoration Ideas
Black Accents
Most people think black accents make your space seem smaller but this isn’t the case. It actually can enlarge the space by putting your darkest tone on an area you want to push back. If used moderately it can actually ground your room and tie everything together. The overall contrast can be absolutely striking and look very elegant.
Cohesive Flooring
If it’s possible your flooring should be cohesive throughout your home. This can be expensive but overall it’s much more appealing to the eye and will also elevate the value of your home overall. Using the same flooring throughout the home also gives it a much larger feel. You can also use rugs to break up the continuity and divide up the space.It also creates the illusion of distinct dining and sitting areas but still pulls together as part of the same, larger whole.
Ways to Spruce up an Old Fireplace
Current trends favour brightly painted fireplaces and it does look very chic. If your fireplace is not a working fireplace you can use it as a decorative piece by placing candles, books, and any decorative items that you want to display. Displaying pictures, paintings or plants on the mantle is also another way to utilize the fireplace. Pull out some of your old items that you’ve had stored away and you may just have the place for them now.
Good Sight Lines for TV
The best way to hang a television is at eye level. For instance if you’re sitting on your sofa you’ll want it at eye level from the position you are sitting at.
If you like to watch tv when you’re in the kitchen you may want to hang it at eye level from where you’re standing or if you happen to sit at an island you may want it at eye level from there. It’s best to hang it at 1.5 times the diagonal span of your TV screen for optimal viewing. Consider a TV mount that swivels if you like to view from different positions in the room.
Make the Room Feel More Open with Lighting
If you are lucky enough to have a lot of natural light, larger windows is a key component to connecting the room with the outdoors. If however you do not have this option lighting fixtures is an amazing way to create the effect of openness and brightness. Sheer window coverings are also a great idea for your windows as it provides some privacy yet still lets the light shine in.
Here’s a video version of our Room Decor quick tips volume 1:
Carpet and Area Rugs can be a beautiful addition to your home. You may decide against carpet, however, because you believe that the experience is likely to be a difficult one. If this is you, it’s possible that what you believe is only a myth. Check out these common myths about carpets.
You shouldn’t get carpets because they get dirty
It’s a given that anything you walk on every day will catch a certain amount of dirt. It doesn’t matter whether it’s wool, nylon or polyester – soil is a given when you have carpeting. It’s important, then, to think about the soil problem when you choose a carpet color. White and light colors usually show up soil. The answer is simply to choose a color that isn’t likely to show up dirt.
Carpet is not good because it has formaldehyde
Formaldehyde was a part of the carpet manufacturing process prior to the year 1978. It was a resin hardener used in some carpet products. Modern carpeting, however, does not contain the substance. There’s a reason why the formaldehyde myth is persistent, however. It’s because home test kits are available even today, that claim to be able to test for formaldehyde in carpet. In truth, such a test kit makes no sense today.
Carpet is bad because it contains dangerous chemicals
Carpet is not a complicated product — there is fabric backing made of jute, and there is the wool, polyester and nylon yarn that is glued to the backing. These are all materials commonly used around the house in clothing and furniture. Even the glue used in carpet is made of synthetic latex, material that is even less likely to cause allergies than natural latex.
Carpet promotes mold growth
Carpet does not promote mold growth per se. It is capable of growing mold, however, when it is damp. If it tends to be humid where you live, you could have mold on your carpet, but it could grow on other surfaces, as well, including your sofas and beds. Carpet is no more prone to mold growth than any other material exposed to moisture.
Carpet is bad when you have allergies
Studies have shown that carpet traps allergens, rather than have it float about in the air. This makes carpet good for you when you have allergies. Dust and other allergens can be a problem when you vacuum carpet, however. All you need to do is to use a vacuum with a HEPA filter so that the act of vacuuming doesn’t release allergens in the air.
The thicker the carpet, the more durable it is
Thickness has very little to do with quality or durability. Some of the hardest wearing carpets are the commercial kind, and can be very thin. Rather than thickness, you need to be looking at density. The more yarn a carpet uses per square inch, the more durable it is likely to be. If you want a hard-wearing carpet, you should compare different products by density.
The longer the warranty, the better the quality
It’s incorrect to think that the carpet brand that offers the longest warranty must come with the best quality, as well. Carpet warranties often include clever language excluding all kinds of common situations. It’s important to determine the quality of the carpet you buy in other ways. Carpet can add a great deal of luxury and beauty to any home. If you love carpet, but always decided against it because you believed in a myth or two, you could now begin to reconsider.
We’re putting together a collection of room decoration ideas & quick tips to take your own decor to the next level.
So here’s are first five room decoration tips. There’s many more to come so check back soon.
Room Decoration Ideas….
Make the Most of Your Natural Light
Have you ever picked colors in store and thought they would be perfect for your room and to your dismay when you brought home the color swatches they look completely different up against your walls. Well thank goodness you didn’t actually buy the paint and be thankful for those color swatches the store provides. The best way to pick a color is in natural light. When you decorate you should always look at the natural light in your room. When facing south, your room benefits from the maximum amount of light whereas north facing windows are darker so paint colors can be a very different hue.
Hanging Curtains
The best way to make a room feel higher than it really is to hang your curtains high. This can creates a very impressive impression. Also, go for a luxurious fabric, velvet or silk just to name a few this creates a beautiful frame for your windows. Do not hang your curtains close to the frame as this makes the room feel smaller and it’s just as appealing.
How to Give the Effect of a Higher Ceiling
1. As far as purchasing furniture with a low ceiling in mind, think low furnishings. The low height of the furniture will help give the illusion of a higher ceiling room.
2. Keeping your lighting flushed to the ceiling hence giving the appearance of more headroom.
3. Keeping your window coverings light & simple works & is also a great way to make your room taller. If you use heavy window coverings it just makes it feel closed in. If you do select drapes, choose a pattern that will draw the eye up giving an illusion of a higher ceiling. A solid color drape with some kind of pattern at the top will also add height. If you’re installing crown molding, keep it in proportion.
4. Groupings of different objects on shelves going up to the ceiling also draws the eye up & picture hung in vertical rows, will also give the illusion of height.
5. If you have an older structured home sometimes there are nice surprises lurking in your ceiling. During a renovation you may want to take the ceiling out to it’s bare bones exposing it’s structures and find that you may have a nice floating ceiling. In older homes the ceilings were built lower as this was a desired look back then. You will be surprised how much taller your ceiling will be if you have the opportunity to do this.
6. Bouncing some light off the ceiling will also give it a higher effect so when purchasing lighting try and keep in mind this tip. Try sconce lighting or indirect lighting directed upward from an interior cornice or torchèr lighting.
In order to divide up the space you may want to add on a partial wall or pillar to divide the room visually or with texture like area rugs, wallpaper or furniture to help create different spaces yet still making it cohesive. Even a piece of furniture like a sofa with its back to another space, a bench, a decorative screen, floor lamps, or bringing in plants can help divide the spaces.
Groupings of 3… the Magic Number
If there is a magic number in design, it is 3 and in general, use odd numbers. Group odd numbers of items whether it’s books, cushions, photos or candles. It forces the eye to move around the display, creating a level of visual interest that is symmetrical, even-numbered groupings just don’t have the same effect.
Can you remember wishing that you had some of those gadgets? Maybe you were a Jetson wannabe.
Have you heard that beautiful flooring has always had ugly cousins? That’s right I said ugly and they’re called Vent Covers. Those ugly old AC and Heat register covers that stick out of the floor and we try to pretend they are not there. 
