How to redesign your bathroom so it will look modern and stylish

A bathroom is the second most expensive room in the home to redesign, just after the kitchen, and that’s why many people are reluctant to even consider redesigning it. The truth is that you can make your bathroom look more modern and stylish even on a tight budget. The remodeling things you wish to do will highly depend on your budget and you’ll choose them accordingly. Some of these projects require more money and some less. A luxury bathroom can be created in any home with some careful considerations and detailed planning. Such a bathroom is not related to the concepts of traditional or contemporary – a lavish bathroom revolves around providing space where you can truly relax and unwind after a long hard day. So, what exactly is it that you can do? Well, for starters, you could start with the furniture – it should be stylish. Then, you should consider the bathroom fittings and perhaps adding a touch of brass or wood. If the walls are old and dingy, you should definitely think about upgrading them as well as lighting. You can also bring in nature with a few potted plants and purchase fancy towels. One of the most lavish materials you could consider in a bathroom design is certainly marble. And finally, you should take into consideration your senses as well as other bathroom details. Take a look at some ways to make your bathroom look more expensive. 

1. Incorporate stylish furniture

Storage is an essential aspect of every functional, practical and orderly bathroom, so it is one of the first things you should consider. For a luxurious look, opt for either white gloss or wood furniture, as these are classics and you can’t go wrong with them. Try to use your bathroom space to the maximum. Experts suggest using fitted items for a unified look instead of fitting freestanding furniture. In small bathroom designs, in order to get an illusion of larger floor space, you could opt for wall-mounted furniture. 

2. Bathroom fittings

When it comes to bathroom fittings for a luxurious bathroom, performance is everything. If you have plenty of space, you should include both a bathtub and a shower. On the other hand, if you have a small bathroom, you can install a stylish showerhead over the bathtub and perhaps add a hinged bath screen, which will be useful for showering. A perfect showering solution would definitely be a showering system that includes both a large fixed shower head as well as a removable one for easier rinsing. Remember that these kinds of redesigns require professional help from a plumber in Canberra, Sydney, London, New York, or wherever around the world. 

3. Add a touch of brass

Most recently, you could have noticed that many modern bathroom designs use a touch of brass or copper. These two materials have gained popularity in sleek and contemporary bathrooms. Before this revelation, people usually used chrome, which is a kind of a basic finish, and there’s a significant difference in how it looks and feels. You can go big and replace all your faucets and different hardware, but if that’s not an option, there are other plausible ways to add a touch of brass. For instance, you can get a mirror, a soap dish, or a jar with brass or copper details. 

4. Upgrade walls

If the walls in your bathroom are worn-out and dingy, you could consider repainting them or replacing the old and outdated tiles. However, this can be a costly endeavor. If you’re tight on budget, and you still want to do something about the walls, there are things you can do. For example, you can consider putting wallpaper all over the walls to add a touch of style. Even though it’s a bit time-consuming, the effects it has really make it pay off. Spending some money on a roll or two of some eye-catching wallpaper can be transformative. You don’t have to even do it with all the walls – you can just do one accent wall and/or the ceiling.

5. Bring in nature

To truly make a bathroom feel luxurious, you should definitely consider bringing in nature indoors. You can do that easily with some tropical plants such as philodendrons and ferns, which thrive in a bathroom environment. Also, you can even level it up with some eucalyptus, which releases its therapeutic natural oils triggered by the heat and steam in the bathroom. In this way, you get your own spa! Other great plants you can incorporate in the bathroom are potted orchids, which need low light and humid air environments. Moreover, cute little succulents make great bathroom plants and décor. 

6. Update lighting

This can’t be emphasized enough, but lighting is truly an essential aspect of interior design. Lighting is a key component of every bathroom, so you should consider how to kick it up a notch, especially if your bathroom is too dark. For starters, what you should do is light the bathroom mirrors evenly on each side to limit shadows. You can also mount some light fixtures such as wall lamps or brass bulbs on walls for an elegant touch. You can consider switching regular lights for LED lights, which are brighter and energy-efficient.

7. Purchase fancy towels

For a genuinely splendid bathroom experience, you should consider upgrading the bathroom linens such as towels and bathrobes. They should be quality, soft and highly absorbing. There’s no better feeling than cocooning yourself in a fluffy towel after a relaxing bath or a shower. Egyptian cotton is one of the best choices when it comes to quality and luxurious towel alternatives. A colour you can never go wrong with when it comes to towel and bathrobe choice is definitely white. And you can also install a heated towel rail, which you can use to warm your towels up before taking a bath or shower. 

8. Consider marble

Marble is one of the most luxuriously looking materials you can use in a bathroom design. If you have the budget for it and you’re considering making some big changes, marble is the way to go. For the utmost luxury, you can even install a heated marble floor – but have in mind that it is quite pricey. However, there are other ways you can add a touch of marble to your bathroom. For instance, you can purchase a marble accessories tray, a marble toothbrush holder and a marble bin. 

9. Work on stimulating your senses

The scent is also important when speaking about the feeling of luxury and style. To evoke pampering feelings when you enter your bathroom, you should equip it with essential oils and scented candles. These small things have the power to transform a simple shower routine into a multi-sensory experience. Use some scented and nourishing shampoos as well as hair masks to feel it even more while showering. 

10. Pay attention to details

The ultimate style of a room is achieved through some carefully picked out details such as photos, knickknacks and other decorative items, so keep that in mind when designing your bathroom. 

Regardless of your budget, you can transform your bathroom in some of these expensive and inexpensive ways. Find your inspiration in bathroom designs online.

How to Decorate a Living Room

Whether your taste is classic or modern, informal or formal, bright or subdued, your living room should be a place where you can relax and spend quality time with friends, family, or just yourself. Designing a space that looks beautiful and functions well is an art. So, before you engage an interior designer to renovate your living room, do some research first.

1. Make use of a mix of light and dark hues.

A white and bright living room may look excessively "pure" and distant. When everything is dark, it might feel like you're in a tunnel. Combining dark and light colors creates a lively and well-balanced look. At least a little white and a little black must be present in each region's design.

2. Experiment with Contrasts in Natural colors

A variety of contrasting neutrals, as well as some white and black, go a long way toward making a living room appear rich and welcoming. The white walls, caramel leather, brass hardware, gray sofa, and blue-gray cabinetry all contrast with one another in this example, emphasizing their various finishes and undertones. The palette seems rich even before adding additional important elements like color, pattern, and texture.

3. Play around with texture.

When it comes to decorating a living room, texture is easy to overlook, especially since we don't see it nearly as much as we touch it. Soft textures that are pleasing to the touch, as well as coarser textures that provide contrast, are essential for creating a pleasant atmosphere in a living room. Consider adding taper candles too. Textures should be varied in leather, cotton, wool, metal, stone, glass, and plant life.

Look for a range of artifacts and furniture to add to the palette's variety of materials, even if just in little amounts.

4. Do Some Woodwork

Wood is one of the greatest materials for generating a nice environment in a living room, and we can't talk about texture without discussing it.

Wood may be used in a variety of ways to improve the appearance of a place Wall paneling, side tables, movable stools, picture frames and carved works of art are just a few of the many options.

5. Play around with your furniture.

Although most furniture companies offer the option of purchasing a whole living room set with matching upholstery, this is not something you should do Matching furniture in a formal seating area may give the appearance of maturity and order, but mixing and matching upholstered objects in your living room will make it feel more comfortable and welcoming.

Mixing leather chairs with a fabric sofa, or vice versa is one of the safest ways to accomplish this, as the materials contrast in an evident way. It adds variety to the living room decor, as well as giving family members varied sitting alternatives to suit their tastes.

6. Select Practical Fabrics

When it comes to upholstery, living room chairs need to be both comfortable and long-lasting. What this implies to your family will be decided by you. You may have babies or little children, pets or no pets, and they might or might not be unclean. Extremely pale or dark hues show dirt and wear quickly, therefore mid-tone textiles are the best choice.

Because leather is readily wiped clean, it is a good material for avoiding stains in the case of a spill. It may not tolerate animals as well as other fabrics since it is more easily scratched.

Denim and corduroy are two more fabrics that are both appealing and long-lasting. Plus, when contrasted to the standard basic cotton or wool upholstery you see in stores, they provide an interesting twist. When picking fabric for your living room furniture, seek a combination of natural and synthetic textiles to get the best of both worlds. If feasible, bend a fabric sample to make sure the weaving is tight and the backing material isn't visible. Regardless of the material, a tight weave will last longer than a loose one (which allows dirt to hide).

7. Add a pop of color to the mix.

While a beautiful environment may be created without the use of vibrant colors, even a small amount of color in a living room can go a long way toward creating a relaxing and pleasant ambiance.

Choose a vivid blue when in doubt; it's a hue that virtually everyone can agree on It complements warm elements like leather and wood, yet it's neutral enough to work with nearly any accent hue.

8. Place a Patterned Rug in the Room

A patterned rug provides these benefits to the floor while also anchoring a seating area and bringing new vitality to the room. Even if you already have carpeting, consider adding a rug to your seating area. Consider adding a rug to your seating area even if you already have carpeting. When you first roll it up to take to the cleaners after a major spill, you'll be glad you have it on hand.

9. Don't Take Everything Too Seriously

An artsy gallery wall, mix-and-match throw cushions, open storage baskets, and amusing furniture like this tepee-inspired tent are all wonderful ways to embrace intentional chaos in the living room.

Attempting immaculate order will make anything out of place stand out like a sore thumb, but embracing a little controlled anarchy will allow the occasionally dropped toy or draped blanket to blend in.

Have you ever arranged a tiny living room to make it feel more inviting and spacious? Have you made any modifications to a large living room to make it cozier?

How to Landscape Without Grass

Perhaps you don’t want to use lots of water and time to maintain a lush lawn, or your yard soil is poor or too shaded. Whatever is the cause for your landscaping troubles, be assured that your yard can look beautiful without grass. You only need a little creativity and some great landscaping ideas.

How to Landscape a Shaded Yard

Grass usually needs lots of sunshine to grow and thrive. If your yard is mostly shaded, consider sticking with shade-loving plants to achieve the best results. It’d be best not to pick flowers but instead use plants with attractive foliage. Here are a few of them.

Groundcover

These grasses spread low, and the height is usually around 12 to 18 inches. Consider growing them between taller patches or alone to cover up spots in your lawn.

Taller Plants

European ginger, Japanese painted fern, and astilbe are a few tall plants that can complement the groundcover in your shaded lawn.

Native Plants

Visit your local nursery and find the best forest-dwelling plants. These plants grow well in shaded areas and don’t frequently require maintenance, such as fertilizing.

Paths and Sitting Areas

You can create an outdoor haven for relaxation using brick pathways or stone pavers, furniture, hammocks, or benches. Consider adding trellises, garden art, or bird fountains for additional beautification. 

How to Landscape a Yard With Poor Soil

If your lawn finds it challenging to grow or has a nutrient-poor or heavy soil, you might have been planting the wrong things. The following are some ideas for using perennials that thrive in poor soils to landscape your front yard without grass.

Periwinkle

This one-foot tall groundcover plant produces star-shaped blossoms. It suppresses weed growth in areas it spreads to and prefers part shade.

Lenten Roses

These plants are very tough and can withstand heat, humidity, poor soil, and drought. They’re usually two feet tall and thrive in full shade areas.

Bleeding Heart

This plant has heart-shaped blossoms that add a cottage-garden look to your landscape. It prefers part shade.

How to Landscape a Drought-Tolerant Yard

Landscaping without grass is recommended for people living in drought-prone areas to enable them to save on water. Consider implementing xeriscaping techniques. The following are low-maintenance plants known for thriving in drought conditions.

Ornamental grasses

There are different varieties of ornamental grass. You can get the splayed or upright ones or the short or tall plants and use it to create a focal point on your lawn.

Cacti

Plants with spikes or thorns like cacti usually work well in drought-prone areas.

Inorganic Mulch

Fill your lawn with stones and pebbles which doesn’t require watering.

Get Help Landscaping Your Yard

Conditions like poor lawn soil, heavy clay soil, or living in drought areas might necessitate the need to landscape your yard without grass. The ideas we mentioned here will help you have that beautiful yard even without green lawn grass. If you’re eager to start implementing it, contact Eden, a professional landscape design service, so our experts can bring your idea to life.

Guest Post - How to Keep Up With Exterior Design Trends

When most people are trying to upgrade or remodel their homes, they focus on interior design first. That’s usually because both tastes and trends change, and you spend most of your time inside your home. 

But, exterior design trends change, too. Unfortunately, they might be tackled less often because they can seem overwhelming. After all, it’s easier to paint a few internal walls than put new siding on your home. 

So, how can you keep up with exterior design trends? What can you do to erase past trends and bring your home exterior up-to-date, either for yourself or to boost curb appeal? 

Let’s cover a few exterior home trends that have stood the test of time and will undoubtedly look great, even years from now. When you know what will last, you can make better exterior design choices for yourself or a potential buyer. 

Look at Your Landscaping

Landscaping can make a big difference when it comes to curb appeal. It can boost the value anywhere from 5.5%-12.7%, potentially allowing you to add thousands more to your listing price. 

But, not all landscaping endeavors are created equally. 

Maximize curb appeal with timeless landscaping trends, including:

• A pristine yard

• Additional plants and flowers

• Little/no clutter

If you’re not sure where to get started when it comes to quality landscaping, think symmetrical. Whether you’re adding stones, plants, or furniture to your front yard or back patio area, keeping things as symmetrical as possible will give your home exterior a clean, welcoming look. It will draw the eye and make people interested in seeing more. 

Speaking of furniture and decor, another good idea is to make a seamless transition between the inside and outside of your home. Warm lighting and comfortable outdoor furniture can give your patio a “living room” feel while bringing live plantsbringing live plants inside your houseinside your house can add a much-needed touch of nature that reminds potential buyers what they liked about your landscaping. 

Lighting Replacements

If you want to renovate your home exterior on a budget, consider changing the lighting that surrounds your property. It’s easy to think that certain lighting elements are “trends,” but there are some things that are here to stay – or, they should be.

Switching to LED bulbs throughout your home can save you up to $1,000 a year on utility bills. That includes exterior lights. Whether you plan on selling or you just want to save money, it’s a great investment and can boost the overall appeal and value of your house. 

The good news? LED lights aren’t going to go out of style any time soon. They are quickly becoming the norm thanks to their energy efficiency, and you can find bulbs in just about any shape and size you could want. 

Another option is to install solar lighting around your house. Having solar lights in the ground to illuminate a pathway or on the corners of your house to light up your yard at night is a fantastic way to make your house feel more like a home while remaining energy efficient. 

Update Your Roof

One home exterior trend that will never go out of style is a solid roof. Composition shingles will last 12-20 years. So, if you’ve been in your home that long or you’re planning on selling, installing a new roof is a great idea. You can choose from different materials for your roof, including: 

• Metal

• Asphalt shingles

• Cool roofs

• Green roofs

• Synthetic materials

Some of these options are “hot” trends right now, especially green roofs or roofs with solar panels. And, metal roofing is making a big comeback. Instead of giving in to trends, though, think about what would most benefit your home for the next 10+ years. Think about other features your home has. For example, if you have a smart home or a sustainable home, a solar or “green” roof might be the way to go. 

There are so many ways to update your home exterior, it would be impossible to list them all at once. But, don’t fall victim to trendy designs that won’t be popular in a year or two. Do your research, go for the classics when possible, and think about how your home will benefit from certain trends. 

Author Bio: Noah Rue is a freelance writer.