Inject Personality into Your Room with these Creative Decor Ideas

Redoing your room or home is, objectively, a lot of fun. Even if you’re moving homes and it’s a hassle and you don’t really have the time, it’s still fun. It’s fun because your place, where you live, is essentially you. Right? It’s kind of an extension of you. A way for you to project your individuality beyond yourself. How cool is it to have someone walk into a space that you’ve created and start engaging with it, picking up subconscious cues? Everyone who walked into Dragonstone knew exactly what the Khaleesi was all about. You know, the whole grim, barebones, give-you-an-inferiority-complex type of decor. Now you don’t have to go so far as to install giant dragon figurines by your door (or do, if that’s your thing), but there is a whole lot you can do to remake your room in your image. And it doesn’t have to be a complete overhaul either. Small touches here and there can lend a sense of style to your surroundings and elevate an otherwise ordinary space. 

Walls

It’s often the first thing people register when they walk into a room: the color of your walls. Ever since paint became a thing, colors like white and beige have been the go-to, mainly because they reflect light better and make your room appear more luminous. By playing with the color of your walls, you can make a smaller room feel more spacious or add focus and character to a larger room. Don’t want too much color overwhelming you? Try a statement wall. Pick one side of your room and paint it differently — a rich blue, red, or green — to offset the otherwise neutral color palette. It could serve as a backdrop for your bed or an art display. You could even do a mural to add some life and movement to the room. 

Accessories

Accessories are everything. Install some that you like and not ones that the magazines say you ought to like. Everyone’s got feng shui or a laughing Buddha these days. Experiment with some eccentric home decor ideas that’ll catch your guests’ attention — maybe keep them occupied while you’re mixing the drinks or create some interesting conversation. 

Soft Decor

You’d be surprised how much real estate your curtains, couch covers, and pillowcases consume. After your walls, they probably contribute the most in terms of setting the color tone of the room. You could go the whole mismatched route for that boho-chic effect. If you prefer something more understated, let your furnishings blend in and place some decorative cushions to add a pop of color to the surroundings.    

The Floor

This is an interesting one. Picking your floor is both an aesthetic and a functional decision. It needs to look good, yes. But it also needs to feel good. Tiles, wood, vinyl — they all feel different to walk on and affect the acoustics of the room. People love solid wood since it makes for a timeless choice. It can also make for annoying clickety-clacks as you’re walking on it. Our recommendation? Try adding in an area rug. It’s a great way to soundproof the sitting area and serve as a beautiful floor piece for your furniture. 

‘Content’ Case

Yes, a content case. We used to call them bookshelves or record collections back in the day. And if you don’t like intellectual and creative pursuits being reduced to a generic consumer commodity like “content”…..well, then you don’t like it — it’s a problem, what do you want from us? But add one in any way. It doesn’t have to be books. Have it be whatever best reflects your interests. Video games, classic vinyls, BluRays, abstract art...something that presents a window into your mind and gets your guests talking. And if you run out of ideas, you can always stick up a poster of Che Guevara. Right next to the priceless china or opulent fireplace. People won’t know what to think. 

Natural Elements

Incorporating some greenery or raw wooden items into your home decor can really lift the vibe of the place, give it an earthy feel. If you don’t have enough time to look after potted plants, try placing some artificial ones around. They look just as good, minus the hassle of having to keep them alive.  

When redecorating your room, remember that you’re going to be the one spending the most amount of time there. Playing to the gallery is all well and good, but you don’t want to be weirded out in your own space. Take time with your decisions, ensuring you’re comfortable with the outcome. There’s nothing like hitting that perfect decor combination that feels like you and feels like home, and where it’s always a pleasure to entertain guests as well as spend time alone.

Relocating Your Family: 4 Tips for Finding the Right Home

So much goes into buying a new home, particularly if you have to relocate. You must think about what types of schools your kids have access to, what kinds of amenities you’ll have nearby, and more. If you're in the process of relocating, then you'll want to read this short guide. It gives you four tips to help you decide what you need to look for as you’re relocating your family.

Look Into Pre-Approved Financing

You’ll save yourself a lot of hassle and heartache if you get pre-approved for a mortgage. It tells you straight away how much home you can afford, which prevents you from falling in love with homes that aren’t in your price range. This will be especially important if you have to move a significant distance to your new home. Not having to worry about whether you can afford your new house or not will save you a lot of stress down the road.

Get a Pro to Sell Your Home

Some homeowners think they’ll save a ton of money by trying to sell their homes themselves. Maybe you’re among them. While this may be true, inexperienced sellers may actually benefit from hiring a sellers’ agent. This dedicated real estate professional’s whole focus is to sell the property at terms that are good for you, the seller. This frees you up to take care of other more personally pressing issues in the sales process like packing up your home and looking into new schools for your kids.

Nearby Activities

If you’re active as a family, you’ll want to find a home that’s around lots of activities. Aside from looking for the best schools, you may want to look for local parks, including dog parks, a YMCA or activity center, or hiking trails. Having these amenities close by allows you to go out and play together as a family and to really start living where you live. Additionally, you can start testing out the different activities in that area before moving to help get the family excited about the new location.

With Room for More

It may be appealing to buy the best, most finished house within your budget, but it’s good to keep in mind that you can grow with your home. That is, you can buy a home that’s mostly finished and add new features like better countertops or a new toilet in the bathroom later on. Buying a cheaper home that you can fix-up, may allow you to get more space for less money. As long as the house has good bones, that fixer-upper may be just the place your family needs as it grows.

Your new home has to fit your family now and five, 10, or even 15 years from now. That’s why it’s wise to put a little thought into what you want in a new home before you start looking. If you employ the four tips in this post, you’ll be setting you and your family up for success in your new home, no matter where you relocated to.

Guest Post - Buying a New Home? What to Look for When Getting a Mortgage

When you are shopping for a new home, remember to check out the mortgage options as well. You may be working with a preferred lender where you do most of your banking or you might consider a different bank, credit union, or loan company with better terms. Here are some things to keep in mind when you are looking for both a new home and a workable mortgage.

Choose a Reputable Lender

You can find numerous mortgage offers all over the Internet or you might receive offers through direct mail. Some companies are more stable and reliable than others, so go with a lender that has a proven track record and a good reputation. You might want to talk to lenders you have heard about through friends and family or browse mortgage application invitations that you get in the mail. Check out established lenders like AJM Mortgage Inc to evaluate their mortgage loan terms and conditions rather than a company that offers a deal that is too good to be true, because it probably is.

Compare Mortgage Options

Examine the terms and conditions of all the mortgage options you are considering. While the interest rate may be similar, look at the length of the loan, required down payment, PMI as a possible requirement, and monthly mortgage payment. When you do a careful analysis, you have a better chance of finding a lender who can work with your financial situation to get you an affordable mortgage.

Read the Fine Print

In addition to the major mortgage loan elements, such as the loan amount for which you qualify and the monthly payment you will have to pay, check the smaller details in a loan application. For example, is there a grace period for late mortgage payments? If you have to pay PMI, at what point of your loan or change of financial status would you be able to drop the PMI? Mortgage loan application fees, points to be paid on the loan interest rate, and any annual maintenance fees should also be evaluated.

Talk to a Loan Officer

Talk to two or three loan officers to explain your mortgage needs and concerns. Get the facts and take notes to ensure you have accurate information to refer to later. Follow up with the lender if you think of any new questions after the meeting.

Buying a home is an exciting opportunity. Take time to get the best mortgage loan for your needs, since you will likely have to live with those loan terms for many years.

About Anica

Anica is a professional content and copywriter who graduated from the University of San Francisco. She loves dogs, the ocean, and anything outdoor-related. She was raised in a big family, so she's used to putting things to a vote. Also, cartwheels are her specialty. You can connect with Anica here: https://ajmmortgage.com/mortgage/

Where You Should Keep Your Indoor Trash Can

If you’re moving into a new home or recently tackled a renovating project, you might be in the process of moving things back into place. One object that often gets overlooked during this process is the trash can. You might be wondering where you should keep your indoor trash can to keep it from being an eyesore. Well, here are some of the most convenient and common storage solutions for your garbage can conundrum.

In Your Kitchen Space

Of all the places to keep an indoor trash can, the kitchen is the most popular room in the house. This is because of how often we go through food scraps and other messes in the kitchen space, making a trash receptacle a necessity. There are even trash can models for busy kitchen use, with foot-operated opening systems for when your hands are full. If you have pets at home, make sure to choose a covered trash can if it will be sitting out in your kitchen so your pet doesn’t have access.

How You Can Hide Your Trash Cans

If you prefer to keep the bin hidden, there are plenty of ways to store your trash cans out of sight around your house. If you have the cabinet space for it, you could try a shorter garbage bin that would fit the space under your sink or other cabinet space. You could also invest in pull-out trash cans that fit into the cabinets themselves. These specialty bins are designed to pull out like a filing cabinet drawer to reveal your trash, recycling, or composting cans. There are even tilt-out trash can storage options for those with less space. Just remember to keep your indoor trash can clean by using a liner and taking out the trash regularly to avoid odor.

Other Areas of the Home

You may also want to keep trash cans in other rooms of the home, and there are ways to keep these hidden as well. You’ll likely need a trash can in the bathroom too for disposable beauty products, etc., so employ the same storage technique here—you can easily keep a small bin underneath your bathroom cabinets as well. If you want to have a bin in each room, consider keeping them out of sight by storing them underneath desks and beds or in closets. As long as you can still reach the trash can when you need it, there are plenty of inconspicuous places for it to hide.

We hope these suggestions help answer the question of where you should keep your indoor trash can. These tips can help you keep the trash can out of sight but still within reach when you need it.