Decorating Coffee Tables and Ottomans

By Coral Nafie
About Decorating
Here are some of our suggestions for a piece of furniture to place in front of the sofa.

A coffee table should be chosen in a proper proportion for the size of the room and the sofa in front of which it stands. A large square room would look strange with a small, delicate oval glass-topped coffee table, just as a small room would be cramped with a large, heavy, dark-painted square coffee table.

Before buying a coffee table, place a large piece of newsprint or brown on the floor in front of the sofa to help determine an appropriate size and shape. You can cut down the paper or add to it until you get the right proportion for the rest of the furniture and the room.

When shopping for a coffee table, take the measurements of the sofa with you, in addition to a floor plan of the room and the measurements you've determined will be best. You may have difficulty finding just the right size, but this will help.


A Coffee Table Ottoman
By combining the top of a table with cushions of an ottoman, you'll get the comfort for resting your feet and the convenience of space to place items. Usually with this type of design, the ottoman cushions pull out from below the table top, meaning you can use both the top and the cushions at the same time.

A Large Ottoman
As homeowners are gearing furniture selections to comfort, the ottoman has taken center stage in front of many sofas. Really, an ottoman is just a large padded or upholstered stool or bench. It's a perfect piece to use in front of a sofa, as its soft top offers comfort for legs, the upholstery fabric contributes color and texture to the room, and the large flat to is ideal for placing a tray or books.

A Pair of Small Tables
Two small square tables, placed side by side, give a slightly more formal look than the more modern large coffee table. A matched pair looks best, but a mismatched set of small tables, of exactly the same height, can be used together with matching tops. If you have a pair of small antique tables, this may be the perfect place to use them.

A Picnic BenchFor a very rustic or Cottage Style home, a long, low, wooden bench is a perfect touch. The long flat top works well for placing books and beverages without adding too much formality.

A Piece of Glass on a Base
A large built frame, a pair of cement columns, interesting sculptures, or large pots can serve as a stable base for a piece of 1/2 inch thick beveled-edge plate glass, cut to the perfect size. This is a good option for a very small space, as you can place the bases as close together or as far apart as you wish and have the glass cut to fit your space. Keep in mind that the larger the glass, the heavier it will be. So the bases need to be sturdy enough to support the weight.

An Old Dining Table
This is the perfect place to put a dining table. Of course, you'll need to cut the legs down to the proper height (between 15" and 22") for your seating space, but the large surface will be convenient for many purposes, including playing games, doing homework, and entertaining.

A Piece of Wrought Iron Fencing
Find an ornamental piece of wrought iron fence or a gate and have a wooden frame for it. Place a piece of 1/2 inch thick beveled-edge plate glass on top of the iron for a smooth surface.
You can see that you can use almost anything for a coffee table. Keep in mind that the piece should be sturdy, properly proportioned, and durable, and it will give you great wear and convenience in any room.

Laminate Surfaces in the Home

By
Jolene Gragert

Laminates are extremely popular for kitchen floors, bathrooms, and entry ways. Laminate surfaces are durable and easy to clean. You can select a wood look or a tile look for your floor.

Wood Floors and Area Rugs

By
Jolene Gragert

Area rugs are all the rage now with so many home having wood floors. Select one that is proportioned for the area, is proper size, and color coordination. Rugs are usually imported, hand loomed, power loomed, or hand tuffed. They can be man made or synthetic. Pet spots can be neutralized with mild dish soap, water, and vinegar.

Paint Tips and Trends

By
Jolene Gragert

Paint is the cheapest way to dramatically change the look of a room. Painting techniques such as: ragging, sponging, and decorative roller cover can give the illusion of wallpaper with less maintenance.

Deep warm natural colors are popular with white wood work. White wood work also compliments colored accessories.

When selecting prints, keep in mind the style, colors, and personal style. What are the key elements you want to focus on or bring as a highlight to your room. Then you can begin to work around the main focal points.

Make sure to hang nails and screws eye level a few inches above a sofa or high table. Insert nails and screws at a slant, Plastic anchors also work well for heavy pieces.

Window Treatments: A Few Quick Ideas

By Jolene Gragert

Select window treatments to fix the style, color, and scale of the room.

Wood Blinds add a warm and casual feel.

Cellular Shades are great for a softer more formal look.

Contemparary Rollerblades are light and roll up for easy clearance.

Side Panel Draperies are hot right now. Most hang 1/2" off the floor or puddle a few inches on the the floor. Decorative rods give a sophisticated look.

Tips for Kitchen Remodeling

Tips for Kitchen Remodeling
(ARA)Photo
An effective design is crucial when planning a kitchen remodel. Even the most beautiful kitchen will cause stress if it isn't designed properly. Today's kitchens are used for a multitude of activities, including cooking, eating, arts and crafts, entertaining, and gathering friends and family. Several techniques are used in creating a user-friendly kitchen design. Some involve improving the kitchen work triangle and others involve proper organization and storage.

Remodeling the Work Triangle

Designers use the kitchen work triangle to create efficient use of the kitchen. The concept focuses on the arrangement of the three basic work stations: the refrigerator, sink and stove. The idea is to make the distance from each of these areas far enough to not feel cramped and close enough to carry food and dishes without strain.

Organize and Consolidate Kitchen Contents

It is very easy to become disorganized and cluttered in the kitchen. This is especially true when several people are in the kitchen at the same time. One way to organize and consolidate the items you have stored in the kitchen is to install a walk-in pantry.

This popular modification allows a homeowner to quickly take in the kitchen's contents without having to search through cabinets and drawers. Pull-out pantries can also be used for kitchens that are tight on space. Kitchen pantries localize the kitchen traffic, providing more open space in the work triangle.

Use All your Kitchen Space

Every inch of space in your kitchen can be used to store the many items that clutter this room. Consider installing tall cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. Also, add baskets and shelving inside to maximize storage space. For larger items such as pots and pans, consider adding a hanging rack to free up some space in your cupboards.

Extra Convenient Appliances

Think about how your appliances can simplify your daily routines. For example, a third rack on a dishwasher can cut down on the number of times you have to load your dishes. You could also invest in self-cleaning ovens. Furthermore, energy efficient appliances can save money on your monthly energy bills. Consider a dishwasher or even a refrigerator with the Energy Star rating.

Designated Areas

Remodeling your kitchen is the perfect time to sit down and think about who uses the room and in what ways. You then have the opportunity to create specially designed areas to suit those needs. For example, many children do homework or other activities in the kitchen while mom cooks dinner. Consider adding a couple of stools at the kitchen counter to create an easy, informal place for kids.

When remodeling your kitchen, remember that beauty isn't everything. Of course everyone likes to have a glamorous kitchen with granite countertops and solid wood cabinets, but beauty only goes so far. Your kitchen design still needs to accommodate how your family lives and the traffic flow, and should be energy efficient. These important aspects should not be overlooked during your next kitchen remodel.

Home Improvements to Your New Home

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What to Do Before the Moving Truck Arrives
By Coral Nafie

When you arrive in your new home, you're faced with even more challenges. It may seem a small thing to decide where to put the best china or everyday dishes, but after all the work moving out of the old home, the last thing you need is another big decision or another major project.

But doing some work to your new home right away will make moving in feel great.


Replacing flooring is a major project, and if you have the money and you can make just this one decision at moving time, you'll really be doing yourself a favor. If you put it off, you'll be faced with moving all your furniture out of the rooms. What a bother! Not just for you, but for the flooring istallers as well! There will be furniture all around the place, and you'll have to move it back into the room when they're done. If you can do it when you move, be sure to order the flooring well in advance of your move. Make arrangements to have new flooring installed a day or two before you move in. Cover the new flooring with mats, tarps, or area rugs so the movers don't track in dirt or scratch the wood. Then, when they set your sofa and coffee table in place -- you'll be home.

Below are some other pre-move-in projects that can save you time and trouble.

Choose the projects that are the most pressing. If your budget won't allow re-carpeting the entire house, just do one floor. If you can't face paint decisions for every single room, then just do the rooms where the decisions are easy.

Painting - Whether you do the work yourself or hire someone to do it, it's a lot easier to paint an empty room. There will be no need to move furniture, take down draperies, clear out the closets, or take every picture or mirror off the walls. Allow several days to repaint before the movers show up, especially if you'll be doing the work yourself. This type of work always takes longer than you think. Or, hire a crew (professional painters or friends) to come in and get it over with in a day or two. Painting even part of the house before you move in can be a terrific time saver. If you can't decide on colors, then just have everything painted a clean white, a pretty light beige, or other background color you love -- depending on what works best with your furniture and color schemes. Once the major patching, priming, trim work, and base coats are in, adding another wall color at a later date can be a snap.

Crown Molding - Does anyone not love the look of crown molding? It's a wonderful luxury to be able to install molding around the whole house all at once, before you move into your new home. Be sure to prime and pre-paint the strips of molding before installation, just before painting the interior walls. You may need to do some touch up at the joints and nail holes, but that's a lot easier than standing on a ladder for days trying to paint three coats fo paint on the molding near the ceiling!

Re-Key - You'll never know how many keys are floating around for your new home unless you get new locks or re-key the existing locks. The previous owners may have given a key to neighbors, workmen, relatives, or cleaning services, and you'll get some peace of mind if you get new ones. This is a project to do just before or soon after you move in.

Closet Systems - Having things organized, fitting into your new home, will really make you feel great. You'll love wonderful closet systems with double hanging poles, drawers, and shelves up to the ceiling. If you wait til later, you'll have to take everything out, pile your clothes in stacks on your bed or floor (can you visualize your clothes wrinkling in giant stacks), and live out of suitcases for a day or two until the closet fittings can be installed.

Sell Your Home Faster

A How To Guide For Selling Your Home Fast

ForSaleByOwner.com

It's simple. When a seller chooses on selling a home without a real estate agent, they significantly benefit from the elimination of the agents commission. Because you're not paying the traditional high cost of a selling commission, you can now afford to price your home more aggressively. The lower the price, the more likely it will sell fast. You will still walk away with thousands in savings, but you'll just be doing it faster.

The required steps to selling your property or home without an expensive real estate broker is much easier than most people think. Nevertheless, it will require some modest work on the part of the seller. You'll be doing a lot of things that a real estate agent might normally do, but you'll later discover the work to be conveniently minimal.

Your home's presentation is everything when you desire for a fast and easy selling process. Home buyers are attracted to clean, spacious and attractive homes. Your goal is to impress each and every one of the prospective buyers. You should perform some basic maintenance to ensure your home is in ideal selling condition. Some of the more important areas to check when selling your home include:

Flooring
Plumbing fixtures
Lighting fixtures Heating and ventilation systems
Doors and windows
Interior paint
Exterior paint
Outdoor drainage systems
Driveway and walkway (for cracks)
Outdoor watering systems
Roof
Home Improvements



Cosmetic and Decorating Improvemnts

Make reasonable cosmetic improvements to better increase your ability to sell the home.

Make the entryway to your home as inviting as possible.
Consider even planting flowers in the front yard for a memorable appearance.
Remove any items that might potentially take away a room's natural appearance.
Touch up both the kitchen and bathrooms to help increase the home's value.
Make sure the home's interior and exterior paint is in good condition.
Make sure your address numbers are clearly legible to prospective buyers driving by. Repair if needed.
Check the working condition of all electrical features such as your home's doorbell, lights, and garage door.

Home Improvement Projects to Speed the Sale of Your Home

Fix-It Projects to Speed The Sale of Your House

By Amy Hoak
From MarketWatch

The interior walls are neutral. The clutter is a distant memory. A shower door has been replaced and even the design of the bedspread has been factored in. The Green family's Chicago home also got a professional inspection and appraisal to limit any surprises down the road, said Dan Green. Now it is ready for sale.

"We're paving the road to make the closing process much smoother," Green said.

He has even created a blog, partly as a marketing tool for his Lincoln Park neighborhood home. See the blog.


Six Tips for Selling Your Home Without a Real-Estate Agent

For some sellers, a little extra work can mean not only a difference in how smoothly the sale goes or how much they can ask for their home but also if they get to the closing table at all in an uncertain market.

"Talk to Realtors and they will tell you anything you do cosmetically to increase curb appeal is going to help the resale value," said Sal Alfano, editor of Remodeling magazine.

In addition, many home buyers stretch economically to get into a home, said David Lupberger, home-improvement expert for ServiceMagic.com, an online company that connects homeowners with screened home-service professionals. If a home has number of projects that will need to be addressed in the near future, a buyer might decide to pass it over.

"The last thing you want is a list of projects that has to be taken care of," Lupberger said.

Here's the bright spot: Many improvements that have an impact on selling a home aren't very expensive at all, said Jim Gillespie, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker. And some tasks, such as giving rooms a fresh coat of paint, quickly pay off.

Those planning on adding a "for sale" sign to the front lawn this spring might want to consider these five areas while creating their to-do list.

1. First impressions count

It's wise to make a good impression from the moment a potential buyer pulls up to the house, experts say. First glimpses of the home will include the home's exterior, the shrubbery, the gutters and the front door.

Peeling trim could be a kiss of death. Paint the exterior of the home in an odd color and you could lose their attention before they come inside. Don't underestimate the importance of good lawn care, either.

"A lawn that looks good on the outside gives the impression that someone cares about that home," said Trey Rogers, professor of turfgrass management at Michigan State University and author of "Lawn Geek," a book of tips on how to maintain a lawn.

His advice is "keep it green and keep it cut." Mow the lawn about three inches high at least twice a week when a home is on the market; two inches if the home is in a Southern state. The more it is mowed, the denser it will become. And get on a fertilization program, starting at the beginning of the season, he said.

Bypass store-bought sod and instead borrow some grass from an inconspicuous place elsewhere on the lawn if there are small spots that need to be filled in, Rogers said. The grasses will match better if they come from the same lawn.

Early birds selling at the tail end of winter should keep the sidewalks shoveled if there is snow on the ground.

2. Neutralize and declutter

When it comes to preparing a home's interior, any real-estate professional or stager worth their paycheck will advise a client to make a move to more neutral colors in a home.

"People can't visualize beyond what they see," Gillespie said. Neutral colors, including beige and ivory, can also have an added advantage of making a room appear larger -- an effect that Dan Green noticed right away when he repainted his bedroom walls.

Removing a home's clutter is also extremely important in getting potential buyers to imagine their family living in the home, Gillespie added.

Beyond that, do some basic spring cleaning: Shampoo the carpets, rebuff hardwood floors and oil any wood cabinetry, Lupberger said.

3. Consider replacement projects

Sellers might also consider having a home inspection done prior to listing the home as a way to detect any overdue replacement projects, Gillespie said. A seller has the option of either fixing the problem or giving the buyer a discount to account for the needed repairs, but Gillespie is an advocate for making the necessary repairs before selling.

Home buyers recognize the value of a house that doesn't need major repairs, Alfano said.

"The house is probably not going to move, or you're not going to get all the value out it, if the new buyer knows they're going to have to replace the roof sometime soon," he said.

In fact, according to the 2006 "Cost vs. Value" report from "Remodeling" magazine, a roof replacement for a midrange home had an average cost of $14,276, and returned $10,553, or 73% at resale. A vinyl siding replacement had an average cost of $9,134, and returned $7,963, or 87% at resale, according to the report.

A wood window replacement in a midrange home had a national average cost of $11,040, and $9,416, or 85%, was recouped at resale. A vinyl window replacement had an average cost of $10,160 and returned $8,500, or 83%, at resale. See the full report.

4. Kitchens and bathrooms rule

It's no secret that buyers tend to be awed by updated kitchens and bathrooms.

"If the last time it was remodeled was in 1980, that's going to be points against versus another house that was upgraded even five years ago with sort of a modern look," Alfano said. "It's hard to go wrong with a kitchen or bath remodel unless you get a little too edgy with the design or the materials you use."

That said, a seller with less than a couple years to spend in a house probably isn't going to do a complete remodel of either room. Sellers should decide where these rooms need the most improvement, and then zero in on how much they want to spend, Lupberger said.

If kitchen cabinets are structurally fine but their exteriors are outdated, it might be worth it to reface them, Lupberger said. If counters are old, maybe replacing them will add new life to the room. In the bathroom, there are companies that will come in and resurface chipped and damaged bathtubs, he said.

5. Warranty coverage and documentation

Sellers can provide some extra peace of mind to buyers by purchasing a home warranty on their home that will cover such things as heating and plumbing should the buyer run into problems after closing. The coverage is getting a bit more popular nowadays, Gillespie said. Warranties can be bought from companies including American Home Shield and AON.

"Little things like that ... you need that today to set the property apart with all the competition out there," Gillespie said.

Gillespie also recommends displaying the age of the water heater and furnace; if either one is on the older side, have it inspected for proof that it works correctly.

And if replacement projects have been done in the past few years, dig out the documentation to prove it, Alfano said. Also, explain if any of the improvements have produced a cost savings in terms of energy usage.

Decorating Tips for a Teenager's Room

(ARA) - In some ways, decorating a baby's room couldn't be easier. The room's primary occupant really doesn't have much to say about the décor. Enter the teen years. Now, she hates the pink carpet and floral curtains you thought were precious beyond words. He's into Japanese anime, and your clever pirate theme makes him want to walk the plank.

If your teen's room is overdue for a makeover, there is some good news: Your child is probably old enough now to do a lot of the work him or herself.

"Teenagers are all about independence, control and being cool," says Lisa Jerlstrom, parent of a teenager, and a trend-watcher and art buyer for Environmental Graphics Inc. "Allowing your child to redesign his or her room not only lets them express their independence and look cool in their own space, it can be a great way to teach important budgeting and home improvement skills."

Here are five simple steps to help your teen tackle his, or her, own room makeover project:

Step 1
Set a budget. You can be generous, and give your teen some money to spend in the room. Or you can really drive home the financial lesson by making her create a budget based on her own sources of income - from allowances and part-time jobs to gifts from grandparents. Either way, make sure she understands she must accomplish her redesign with the money she has, just like in the adult world where going over budget would have serious consequences.

Step 2
Help him choose a theme for the room. Most teens have definite opinions about what they like - and dislike. So chances are your teen will have an idea of a theme he would like to pursue. Encourage him to choose a theme that will grow with him, or that he will enjoy at least until he's a college freshman.

Step 3
Enhance the theme with color and artwork. Painting the walls and hanging artwork are two of the easiest ways to underscore a design theme. Most teens are capable of painting. They can also enhance the theme with a wall mural.

"Today's wallpaper murals make it easy to customize your room theme and accomplish the job on your own," says Jerlstrom. Numerous teen-friendly wall murals can be found at www.urbanoutfitters.com. Living with a surfer dude? Try a beach scene. Have a budding Broadway-bound star on your hands? Why not set the stage with a cityscape mural of Manhattan?

Step 4
Don't forget the floors. There are several quick (and relatively low-cost) fixes for flooring. A large area rug that fits the new theme can hide the objectionable flooring. Give existing carpeting a good scrub with a rented carpet cleaning machine. Or, use fabric paint to create a pattern, design or scene on the old carpet - but only if you would have been throwing the carpet away otherwise.

Step 5
Finish with furniture. Early in the redesign process, your teen should decide if his existing furniture needs to be replaced, updated or is fine as it is. Maybe he can live with painting or refinishing his old dresser if it means he will have the cash for a new bed. Perhaps her old bed will work with her new theme if she removes the canopy and posters. Explore discount stores, consignment shops or charity-sponsored stores that resell reconditioned donated furniture.