Ideas on What To Use Your Spare Room For

A lot of people waste their extra rooms by blocking them off with a bunch of clothes, boxes, old gym equipment, and general junk. The sad thing is, there’s other space for that. Try the garage or the shed for that sort of stuff and reward yourself for your efforts with a whole other room to make use of. Without further ado, here are some of the best ideas on what to use your spare room for.

Baby or Toddler Play Area

One of the better options available is to make the empty area a baby play area. Children’s toys have a way of creeping throughout the house with ease, making cleanup a real time-consuming chore. One of the best ways to combat this is to keep most of the toys in one room. That way, your child can play with his or her toys and stay organized at the same time.

Small Office or Reading Room

If you don’t need a children’s playroom, consider making the room a small office or reading room. All you really need is a desk, a bookshelf, a nice rug, and a comfy chair to make this space feel like home. Plus, you’ll have more storage areas for all your projects and a place to complete them.

Music or Recording Studio

Maybe you already have a reading room and you’ve been wanting to start a podcast on all the books you’ve read. Why not make the empty space into a recording studio? Simply set up some foam dampening tiles on the wall, get your desk and microphone set up, and get to work!

Dressing Room or Organized Closet

One of the other things for which you could easily utilize the space is a closet of any sort. The difference between this and regular storage space is that you can keep a closet neat. Consider having a bench in front of a mirror, a few racks, and some lights to decorate the room to make it the perfect dressing room!

You can go in many different directions with ideas on what to use your spare room for. The choice is simply up to you. As long as the space accurately reflects your needs and expectations, there’s no reason not to redesign it!

Ways To Make Your Hardwood Floors Look More Expensive

Perhaps you’ve moved into an older house or lived in yours for quite some time. If your home has hardwood floors, you’ve likely recognized the signs of wear and tear that they’ve acquired with age. Scuffed and scratched floors can diminish the overall value of your home and clash with your ideas of a satisfactory home interior look. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to make your hardwood floors look more expensive that don’t involve an entire floor renovation. Read on to explore our top ideas for refining your hardwood floors.

Buff Your Floors

Buffing and waxing your floors are simple ways to freshen up their look and take off years of wear and tear. The buffing will remove just the top finish of your hardwood floors, leaving the rest of its surface unharmed. Then add was for some extra shine.

Pro Tip: Many home improvement and tool rental stores will lend out their hardwood-floor buffer for a small fee. That way, you don’t have to invest in a whole floor buffer to get the job done.

Upgrade Them With a Fresh Stain

Hardwood floor stains allow homeowners to personalize their flooring and establish a more refined aesthetic in their homes. Golden oak and espresso are some of the most popular hardwood floors stains, each renowned for their ability to make the natural grain of hardwood planks pop and provide a polished appearance.

Lavish Rugs

OK, so this option may seem like a bit of a cheat, but it’s true! Adding an intricate area rug to cover up especially worn sections of your hardwood flooring is an easy way to lift a room’s overall appearance. Not only will your home appear more luxurious, but it’ll also feel a lot cozier.

Pro Tip: Utilize rug grippers to keep your rug in its ideal position. Without a non-slip rug pad or grippers, you may stumble over your area rug or shift it enough to reveal the unsightly hardwood underneath.

Creating a more lavish home doesn’t have to break the bank. By following these various ways to make your hardwood floors look more expensive, you can have a luxury home interior in no time.

What You Need to Keep Track of When Selling Your Home Quickly

With the plethora of houses around your community on sale, you want to sell your property within the shortest amount of time possible. Here are several things to consider so you can keep track of the process and close the deal immediately.

Market the Home

Today, it is easier to market your home on various social media platforms, follow up, and quickly get a buyer. Most buyers look for homes for sale on social media, and you can never go wrong when using the platforms. Give every detail of the house that can help the buyer make informed decisions. Keep updating the social media posts until you sell the house.

Stage the Home

A staged home looks attractive to prospective buyers. Most sellers often overlook this, and that is why some homes stay on the market for a long time without getting a buyer.

Competition is fierce in the real estate sector, and every seller is looking for ways to stand out from the crowd. So, consider staging your home if you want it out of the market quickly. You can work with a professional home stager to make your home staging appear professional and stand out from the crowd.

Consider a Cash Offer

Some buyers do not need to apply for loans and go through various processes to buy a home. They will go ahead and purchase it on a cash offer once you agree. Consider such deals if you want to sell your home faster. With such buyers, you won't have to worry about spending time and money on renovations since the buyer will purchase the home as-is.

Take Professional Photos and Videos

Quality photos and videos play a crucial role in determining the kind of buyer you get. While you may want to take photos of your home using your phone to save money, you can't compare the quality to that of a professional photographer.

Consider hiring an expert who will take quality photos that can quickly draw the attention of buyers to your property. Remember, many houses are on sale, and a seller will stand out from the crowd if they post quality photos.

Work with an Experienced Real Estate Agent

Selling a home can be a daunting task. Working with an experienced real estate agent is the best way to get a good deal within the shortest amount of time. Remember, you should do due diligence when hiring an agent and go for one with adverse expertise in the field. Reading online reviews can help you decided whether an agent is reputable or not.

Using the tips above can help you get the best deal and sell your home faster. It also helps you attract buyers quickly. This prevents time-wastage and creates a seamless process for the buyer and seller.

Guest Post - Getting the Most Out of Your Small Space

The average house size in the U.S. is growing. In the early 1970s, the average size was 1,660 square feet. As of 2015, that had jumped to 2,687 square feet for newly-constructed homes. But, many people are still moving into smaller, pre-existing homes. Some are even downsizing and jumping on the tiny house trend. 

If you’re one of those people, getting the most out of your small space is important. Living a minimalistic-yet-functional lifestyle is completely possible, even if you’re short on space. 

To make the most of your space, there are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind. Thankfully, you don’t have to be a design expert to bring these tricks to life. With a bit of time, effort, and creativity, you can get more out of your small space – and may even make it feel bigger. 

So, what can you do to maximize your minimal space?

Making Your Space Functional 

To get the most out of your space, it needs to be both a functional and stylish reflection of your personality. This means choosing the right way to arrange your furniture and decorate. One of the best ways to do that is to consider the natural flow of each room. 

Consider practicing Feng Shui for your small rooms. The principle of this practice focuses on the connections between people and their spaces. The idea is that the way you arrange a room can affect things like: 

• Your relationships

• Creativity

• Prosperity

• Wealth

Some people don’t necessarily believe in those principles, but the practice of Feng Shui can make a room more functional. For example, putting your dining table in the center of the room can add a more open, flowing feel. Turning the backs of the chairs in your living room away from doors can allow people to see a bigger space with more open opportunities when they walk in. 

In addition to organizing your furniture and decor the right way, the colors and designs you choose for each room can make a difference. Using different shades of the same color in a room can make it seem bigger. Painting your ceiling a darker color will draw people’s attention upward and make the room feel higher. 

When you allow your design preferences to mesh with functionality, you can create more inviting, open spaces throughout your home – even if some of those “tricks” only provide the illusion of more space. 

Setting Up a Successful Storage Space

The last thing you want is a small space that is cluttered and disorganized. Having things on the floor or out of place can make any room seem smaller and doesn’t allow you to utilize it to its full potential. Even your basement can quickly become a more functional area of your home if you choose to rethink the way you store things. 

When you know how to store things the right way, you can continue to make smart purchases that bring you joy. You don’t have to give up everything just because you’re dealing with a small space. Instead, consider where you’ll put new items and how they’ll contribute to your existing space. Practice mindfulness with your purchases, especially if you are a collector, and ask yourself a few questions, including: 

• Am I getting a good deal?

• Will this item increase in value?

• Will it bring me joy?

• Where will I put it?

• What will I have to get rid of to make room for it?

By purchasing things that are valuable to you in some way, you’re more likely to store them practically. That might include building shelves or cupboards. You might even have an organization system somewhere with bins and boxes that are neatly hidden away to free up more space. It’s also a good idea to think outside the box – literally. When you don’t have much space, getting creative with your storage solutions can be a lifesaver. Try things like: 

• Hanging items on walls

• Making vertical cabinets

• Using “hidden storage” furniture

• Sliding things under furniture

You don’t have to give up a certain lifestyle or things that you want just because you have a small space. When you’re willing to make a few changes and be creative about your storage, decor, and design, you can get the most out of your small space and be perfectly content with what you have. 

Author Bio: Noah Rue is a freelance writer.