Guest Post - 5 Ways to Balance Space and Style in Your Home

Now that the market is more active than ever, consumerism is at an all-time high. Thanks to bright entrepreneurs and the latest technological advancements, businesses across all sectors are continuously able to produce a myriad of products. While the constant entrance of new goods may be a good thing for the economy, rapid consumption has led to a lot of people buying too many things.  

If you’re living in a small home, having too much stuff can be a bit troubling. Considering that your space is limited, fitting everything in your apartment while making it look appealing can feel like such an impossible task. The good news is, you can solve this issue by taking note of some simple design tips.

To help you fit, say, your breakfast equipment with your other home essentials, our guide will teach you how to create sensible spaces without sacrificing your desire for a stylish home.

1. Live and breathe minimalism

The first step to balancing your home’s function and appeal is to tweak your mindset. Now that buying products can be done as quickly as a click, you’ll need to practice restraint and prevent yourself from impulse shopping. While an online sale may tempt you to splurge, make it a point to ask yourself if you truly need the things you’re getting. 

The best way to avoid a messy home is to prevent clutter from filling it. With this in mind, practicing minimalism is ideal since it will keep your space tidy and help you save up for more important items. 

2. Designate zones 

One good way to know which item goes where is to designate zones. Keeping your work essentials in your bedroom may be convenient, but it can eventually lead to a messy living space. Creating partitions will help you specify where a particular piece of furniture should be placed, and this can be productive in several ways. Other than giving your home a stronger sense of order, assigning a certain function to an area will make a huge difference in your overall productivity.

3. Remember that smaller isn’t always better

People who live in an apartment tend to settle with smaller furniture and belongings. While going for tinier pieces can let you save up a great deal of space, it can have the opposite effect on your home’s overall ambiance. Too many cups, tables, and knick-knacks can create visual clutter and this can prevent you from making your space look clean.

With that said, always remember that smaller isn’t always better. As long as you measure the things you’re buying and space things out in advance, you shouldn’t hesitate to buy big furniture and other statement pieces for your home. A big couch in your living room will look and feel a lot better as compared with dozens of small chairs just scattered around.  

4. Follow a specific color scheme

Following a color scheme doesn’t necessarily solve your spacing issue but it can make all the difference in your home’s atmosphere. Matching colors can add a sense of unity within all your household items and spice up your apartment significantly. Paired with excellent lighting, this should help you emphasize certain areas of your home and make your living quarters look a lot bigger.

5. Purchase multi-functional furniture

When selecting furniture, make sure that the pieces you’re buying can serve multiple functions. Tables that have drawers, couches that have storage areas, and coffee tables with hidden compartments are ideal since they all reduce the number of things in your home. At the same time, getting pieces that are upright or vertical will significantly increase your floor space and allow you to store your belongings more efficiently.

Try these tips and let us know how it worked for you!

Author Bio

Marla Mendoza is the Marketing Manager of Filigree. She has been handling the marketing and communication initiatives for the high end brand of Filinvest Alabang Inc. Prior to managing the brand, she was in charge of focused residential and township developments. Marla has been in the marketing industry for over 10 years both in the hospitality and real estate industry.

How to Modernize an Old Apartment

Not every facet of your home may be up to the ideals you have for it, especially if it’s on the older side. However, there are still many actions you can take to get your living space that much closer to a satisfying look. The limitations you need to work with may even birth some creativity in you that might not have come out otherwise. If you’re looking for how to modernize an old apartment, you’ve come to the right place. Put your focus on these areas to convert it into a home you can be proud of.

Revive the Restroom

The restroom is a common culprit when it comes to poor appearances in an aged apartment. You might have somewhat ugly fixtures in place there, as well as stains from long-term water exposure. For a less extensive but still effective makeover, emphasize cleanliness with the items you can add. This includes shower curtains, towels, and soap and toothbrush holders, for instance. Going with neutral colors like white will freshen and brighten the restroom beyond its initial drabness. If you know that you will live in the apartment for a long time and are willing to go a bit further, a reglazing can revive outdated colors on the tub and tiles. Try white for a clean, modern look.

Look at the Lighting

You might have some beautiful décor surrounding a room, but if the lighting is decrepit and disagreeably designed, it can bring the whole arrangement down with it. Switch out mismatched fixtures with new ones that follow a consistent theme and that enhance the rooms they are in by forgoing gaudiness in favor of neat lines. Feel free to inject some personality into your apartment by playing with their shapes, though you still want to maintain an overall sense of cohesiveness. For example, you might strike the balance by having lights on the wall all match a certain style, but switching up the design for the ceiling fixtures.

Roll Out a Rug

The floor may be yet another source of an old look. You can easily cover it up with a large area rug, though. The benefits of a well-chosen area rug are many, and when you’re seeking how to modernize an old apartment, its ability to set the foundation of a room physically and visually is invaluable. Whereas the naked floor may look worn or have noticeable blemishes here and there, a beautiful rug will provide the basis for whatever mood you desire. Pay attention to the color palette, pattern, and texture you choose. You might create a soothing space with cool colors and minimal pattern on the rug or energize it with playful hues and exaggerated texture or patterns in the weave.

Guest Post - 7 Unique Ways to Spice up Your Boring Front Door

Spicing up your boring front door is not an easy task. It requires creativity to initiate any transformative changes. Remember, the door is the first place your guests encounter before accessing any other significant part of your house. That means keeping it clean is not enough. You need to go a step further and make it look elegant and attractive. Besides getting high-security locks, you can follow some simple ways to amp up the aesthetics of your front door. In case you have no idea how; here are some unique ways that you can use to spice up your front door.

Trim Your Door

Forget about the actual door frame; there is a way you can glam up your entry by framing its exterior. That is what people refer to as door trimming. When it comes to this front door decoration option, homeowners prefer going with exterior molding. Though common, it offers a wide variety of designs and also makes your door pop. Molds are also easy to manipulate and form compared to the likes of wood and metal. Go for wood if you want something more sturdy and robust. Keep in mind that crafting it to your desired finish will cost you. You thus have to consider your options carefully.

Add a Striking Knocker

A door knocker can instantly add a contemporary, antique, or a luxury look to your home.  There are a variety of knockers on the market that can make your front door stand out. You can also decide to go for a personalized door knocker in case you want to go the extra mile. For an excellent finish, consider going for polished surfaces of bronze, nickel, or stainless steel. 

Hang a Stunning Wreath

Wreaths are remarkable front door decorations that you shouldn’t only use during the festive seasons. There are various types of wreaths that you can use to add structure and texture to your front door. If your doorway lacks any sort of exposure to the elements, you can consider silk and other types of artificial wreaths. Otherwise, go for natural dried flowers, preserved dried flowers, or fresh wreaths. The design of wreath you use also matters a lot. Make sure that it is unique, elegant, and creative for a pleasant finish. 

Change the Front Door Hardware

Some people opt to completely do away with the hardware while others prefer making some significant changes. Some of the transformations you can do to a front door to make it more appealing include applying new paint. The shade you pick can go a long way in helping you achieve the beautification you want. Go for a color that contrasts your walls if you want the door to pop out. You can also change the structure of your door by either removing or adding panels to the outer phase. It is always much easier and cheaper than getting a new door.

Add a Door Lite

Adding a door lite to your fiberglass or wooden front door is among the unique ways to enhance its appearance. Focus more on the type of lite you are using. Another factor you need to consider is the shape of the lite. You can opt for an oval lite for a classy and sophisticated look. Other options are rectangular or square lite. Also, figure out which size is going to bring out the look that you want.

Install Strap Hinges and Clavos

Sometimes thinking outside the box can end up getting you one of the best entry doors in the neighborhood. For many people, it’s hard to believe that you can use hinges to transform your door. So go ahead and install strap hinges and clavos to prove them wrong. You need to make sure that the strap hinges you use are long enough for easy visibility. You can then go ahead and add either round or square clavos. Make sure their color contrasts that of the door to make the decorations evident. If done correctly, you will end up with one of the best antique door finishes in this modern world. 

Place flower pots on either side of the door

Sometimes the only way to spruce up your entryway is to include beautiful decorations.  In most cases, flower pots tend to work remarkably. You should, however, make sure that you don’t use flower pots and wreaths together. They are going to make your entry door chaotic. Also, consider getting beautiful flowers that are less bushy. That is because you want the decorations to stand out and not distract or get in the way. 

With the designs mentioned above, you should be sure that your front door will be the talk of the neighborhood. Each idea listed above adds an incredible finish and makes it stand out from the rest. Most of these makeovers don’t burn a hole in your pocket and are easy to apply. All you have to do is choose which idea suits you the best. 

Author Bio:

Sophia Cooper is a thorough and meticulous Content Analyst passionate about helping businesses succeed. She commits herself to continuous learning and focuses on sharing ideas and techniques learned from her experiences. She is a passionate writer who loves to write in a concise manner so that the information is helpful for everyone. Currently, She’s working with Elite Locksmiths.

Guest Post - Checklist to furnish your dream home on a budget

Making a home is a dream for almost everyone. People grow up nurturing their dreams of a house in their own name. Choosing carpets and wallpapers for the imaginary space, adding curtains and artworks to recreate a chic, 1960’s Hollywood touch to your house is only natural if you too happen to be a film buff. 

And once the stars align in your favor and you finally have the home that you have always dreamed of, its time to bring in the decorations. We know that the aesthetic genes have skipped the majority of the families, and everyone feels a little skittish when it comes to designing the interior of your home. 

So here is a tiny checklist to help you figure out the finances of your first furniture and fixture spree for your new home. We hope that this article will help you set up the home you have always wanted, with the white picket fence and cozy attic, and everything else.

Visualize First

Whether you are closing on a condo or a studio apartment, taking a day to visualize each nook and cranny of your living space is essential. Visit the place during daylight hours and make extensive lists about what is going to be in each room. 

Start from the large furniture items like beds, couches, tables, nightstands, and include all the additional things like garbage cans, doormats, plants, fixtures, and whatnot. Determine what you want to put in the foyer and corridors so that you have the complete picture. We believe that a  rough image of how you wish to style the place would allow you to budget and style better. 

Prioritize next

The economic problem of infinite wants and limited resources becomes the real deal when you start furnishing a new living space. The entire plan becomes dependent upon your priorities. This is where you need to differentiate between needs and wants. 

This is the point where you divide things according to survival and long-term goals. You can take the checklists from the visualizing period and divide each room into two black and white columns of needs and wants. You can start from the bare minimum like a bed, kitchen table, and sofa and then gradually add other things to the list.

Budget Strategically

The budget is where your vision board for the house meets your pocket. This step is critical to your finances in your initial days at the new home. From our extensive research on the subject, we found out that people usually spend up to $7000+ on the first furnishing spree. We believe that taking a generic baseline has the potential to set a reader’s budget way off of their plans. Hence why we dug up the ‘x3 Saving’ technique. 

You need to figure out your general monthly expenses with groceries and bills, come to a set figure, let’s say $5000. Multiply the sum by 3. Hypothetically, we arrive at $15000. Technically, any amount that your accounts have above the three-month floating amount can be used to buy furniture. The x3 saving amount can help you make the most significant purchases in the future if you keep your savings sorted this way. When your savings hit the six-month mark, you can start with your next set of furniture shopping.

How to fill up the rooms?

Now that you have a clear cut budget and list of priorities in your hand, it’s time to start shopping. We have shortlisted some of the most budget-friendly ways to fill up your home without resorting to Ikea furniture.

Shopping

If your recent Google searches have been ‘’ furniture stores Rhode Island’’ then you should not limit yourself to the top three stores. Dig a little deeper to find stores that have cheaper options. You can start shopping with second-hand furniture from antique stores and even garage sales. 

Most people have found gems in these spots. You never know what you may find. You can shop for sheets, towels, crockery, and other household items from end-of-season sales. Or you can find the best organization systems at the dollar stores. Baskets, and boxes for a dime, a dozen could help you declutter faster than you can think. A little compromise now can take you a long way in the future.

Decoration

If you are having a tough time trying to recreate your Pinterest board on a budget, then you can go the DIY route. You can look up the pocket-friendly options on DIY blogs and channels and decorate your home with low budget aesthetics that no one would pick apart. Ideas like a feature wall, DIY garden, and customized, hand-build bookcases add character to your house and help you save many dollars at once. 

If all else fails, then the addition of a few house plants could make all the difference in your home. You can add minimalist pops of color in the shape of cushions, sheets, wall arts, and whatnot. Strategic pieces of decoration will help you distract the visitors to the most appropriate, attention-seeking spots of your home. 

To illustrate the scenario with an example, let's have a look at a personal experience. One of our writers was having a tough time trying to cover up a crack in the wall that needed to be replaced. But budget constraints are a nightmare faced by many. We suggested her to put a blown-up photograph on the wall to cover a large chunk of the crack and place smaller frames around it to cover the remainder. and voila! A beautiful feature wall was ready to break the ice amongst her guests at the housewarming party.

Conclusion

Your home is a representation of your ideas, hopes, and dreams. Moving into a new home with budget constraints could mean a few compromises in the beginning, but you can always make a difference with your mindset. 

You can either start with purchasing only high-quality goods for your home and take your time filling up the rooms. Or, you can start shopping at garage sales and dollar stores to fill in the bare walls with a collection of stories. The choice is all yours because it is your home. The only opinion that matters is yours, so go easy on yourself and let things take their sweet time.

Author Bio: About Michelle Joe: Michelle Joe is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences, and express herself through her blogs. You can find her on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook.