Tips to Make Your Kitchen Look Better

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Since your kitchen is one of the most-used rooms in your house, why not make it a place where you like spending time? Even if you're only ready to run the dishwasher, keeping a few minor techniques in mind can help you convert your food prep room into an expensive-looking location that you'll thoroughly love spending time in. Continue reading for pointers to keep in mind as you organize and decorate.

Showcase some artwork

Instead of being 'simply' a kitchen with cupboards, counters, and appliances, it seems purposeful and like an extension of the rest of the house. Naturally, you won't want to spend a lot of money on kitchen artwork that will be placed in an area that is prone to clutter. As a result, re-printable digital files or thrifted items are excellent selections for this high-traffic area. 

Why not go for a food or drink theme while you're at it? This may be done in a classy manner without sounding cheesy. To adorn your walls, look for vintage-inspired fruit prints or utilize menus from your favorite pubs and restaurants from your travels. Even when conducting the most mundane culinary tasks, these simple nuances will make you grin.

Consider the lighting

Light fixtures are an easy and effective method to make a kitchen feel more luxurious, so they're well worth the investment.

It's the one location where we recommend our readers invest their money, lighting transforms a room. Kitchens with large gold lantern pendants and chandeliers are transformed from ordinary to extraordinary. A little lamp on your counter is also charming and practical. Mini lights are really popular right now, and you can make a fashionable vignette by placing one next to a stack of cookbooks.

Set up a bar station

It's no longer appropriate to keep all of your wine and party goods on top of the refrigerator, like you did in college. 

Another method to make a kitchen seem and feel posh is to create a tailored bar area. Nice wine and liquor bottles, a crystal decanter, magnificent stemware, and bar accessories have a certain opulence to them.

If you often party, have a separate drawer dedicated to fancy cocktail napkins, paper straws, coasters, a specific cocktail recipe, and the like. Even the most unplanned happy hours will seem a bit more luxury with these festive accents on hand.

Use brighter colors 

A light hue on the walls and cabinets illuminates a room quickly, making it appear larger and more costly. Light hues reflect light and conceal a variety of flaws, including scratches, dings, and dents in your existing cabinets.

Consider the best tiles

Porcelain tiles or natural stone tiles would be the ideal tiles for a kitchen floor, depending on how your kitchen is used. Both of these alternatives are tough and long-lasting, allowing them to survive a lot of use over time.

Our kitchen floor tiles advise would be to avoid natural stone if you have a lot of activity in the kitchen every day, such as if you're an ardent baker, if you allow the kids assist with the cooking, or if you're a little clumsy. Stone is porous, and if it is not sealed and handled correctly and on a regular basis, it will discolor and mark over time.

Your Metals Should Be Balanced

Allow yourself the freedom to change things up. Mixing metals, such as stainless steel appliances with brushed brass plumbing fixtures or black hardware with a vibrant accent color stove, gives your kitchen a selected look rather than a store-bought one. You wouldn't wear a matching set of earrings, necklace, and bracelet in terms of fashion. This has a lot more personal feel to it.

Remove cabinet and drawer pulls if possible   

This is a straightforward change that will have a long-term impact. Oversized cabinet pulls give the area a sense of weight and quickly elevate low-cost cabinets. Most significantly, this is a renter-friendly upgrade, simply store the original pulls until you're ready to vacate. When you're ready to leave your current home, pack up the hardware you purchased and transport it to your new place.

Replace your counters

If you only have money for one major upgrade in your kitchen, make it this one. Most people think of cabinets as the most prominent feature in a kitchen, but the counters are actually the most obvious.

A gorgeous granite pattern or traditional soapstone may completely change the look of a kitchen and turn it into a place where you're happy to entertain friends and family. People are generally terrified of granite because it requires sealing, but once they see how simple the procedure is, they get more at peace with it.

Toss the unnecessary 

Decant goods like coffee grinds and cereal into attractively beautiful glass jars and discard ugly bags and cartons. Note that this setup will not only look nice, but it will help keep pests out of your snack cache. Print labels to keep track of exactly what you're putting in each jar if you want to go the additional mile. It's never felt so nice to be organized. 

Maintain a Clean Kitchen

A well-kept and well-maintained kitchen appears to be more expensive. Don't allow dirty dishes and plates pile up, look through your cupboards and get rid of chipped or broken glassware, and keep track of food and condiment expiry dates. Even if your kitchen is modest or part of a temporary facility, a little TLC will go a long way toward making it sparkle.

Improve the products you use on a daily basis

Replace raggedy dish towels with new findings, and finally quit stashing utensils in that empty oatmeal jar. Investing in visually beautiful yet useful elements will make your kitchen look more modern.

Renovations to the kitchen might be intimidating. If you're on a tight budget, though, even the tiniest things may make a big impact in your kitchen. We hope that the aforementioned pointers will be useful in furthering your design and making your kitchen seem beautiful. To get started on your project, get additional design ideas or browse through inspired kitchen styles. 

How to Inspect Your Roof After a Storm

Even if you have a relatively new roof, a storm could still cause major damage in the blink of an eye. That is why you should always spend a few minutes inspecting your roof immediately following high winds and heavy storms. 

Checking the Roof From the Ground

The very first thing that you should do after a storm is to take a quick look at the roof from the ground. Some of the most common types of roof damage that you should be looking out for include missing tiles, missing shingles, bent flashing, and large objects on the roof. Luckily, storm damage is often relatively easy to fix as long as you catch it right away and immediately contact a roofing repair company. If your roof requires repairs, then they will be able to help you resolve them. Additionally, they’d likely be able to see something that you may not have noticed.

Getting a Closer Look

While a quick inspection from the ground will allow you to catch major problems, there could still be some smaller issues that require a closer look. As long as you are comfortable doing so, you should use a ladder to get slightly closer to the roof. Once you are on the ladder, you might notice relatively minor problems such as missing nails, shingles that are beginning to curl, patches of mold, or rust.

Walking Around the Exterior of the Home

You will also need to inspect the exterior walls of your home and the ground near the foundation. When a roof is damaged, it is going to impact the rest of the house as well as certain areas on your property. Piles of loose granules, broken shingles, and water stains on the walls are just a few of the most common signs of roof damage that you might notice along the outside of your home.

Heading Into the Attic

It is an unfortunate fact that many different types of mold are extremely toxic and will greatly increase your risk of countless ailments. After a storm has occurred, you should always spend a little bit of time checking your attic for leaks, standing water, or excess moisture. When those issues aren’t taken care of, they could result in a mold outbreak that makes your home completely unlivable.

If you aren’t comfortable inspecting your own roof, then you will need to contact a reputable roofing contractor at least a few times a year. One of those professionals will have the tools and training that are needed to carefully inspect every inch of your roof and its support structure for any signs of damage.

Ways To Make Neutral Home Decor Exciting

Neutral doesn’t mean bland. Many people embrace neutral home décor because it’s relaxing and calming. Still, too much brown can make your space look boring. Find ways to make neutral home decor exciting when you embrace the right tones and textures.

Popular neutral tones include:

• Beige

• Gray

• Off-white

• Ivory

• Black

• Silver

• Gold

• Blush

• Taupe

Design With Texture

To make neutral colors pop, give them texture. Create dimension when you choose textures you can see and feel. Tactile textures are 3D and make your space more vibrant. Find a balance of rough materials like brick and wood along with soft textures like fur and suede. Wall hangings, rugs, and throw pillows stand out when you use enticing textures.

Learn To Layer

Another way to create tactile texture is with layers. When choosing a transitional area rug, consider multiple shapes and sizes that will pair together. To layer rugs or pillows, you’ll start with the biggest one you have on the bottom (or at the back for pillows). Place smaller pieces on top to create a layering effect.

Include Plants

Get away with adding color to your neutral space with plants. They blend in seamlessly to any design. Bring the natural world inside your home to freshen it up and make it comfortable.

Choose a Bold Accent Color

Decorating with neutrals doesn’t mean you can’t add a splash of color. Amp up your design with a bold accent color like yellow or blue to draw attention to or away from certain areas in your space. Consider a colorful accent pillow, chair, or wall hanging to stand out against everything else in the room.

Make It Shiny

One of the best ways to make neutral décor look great is with metallics and mirrors. Balance muted shades with shiny and reflective surfaces. Use metals, crystals, mirrors, and more to give your space a little sparkle.

With so many ways to make neutral home decor exciting, you may find it difficult to choose a direction. Neutral designs are forgiving and transitional, so you can easily swap out items you don’t like. Edit your space as you get acquainted with it so your home becomes a relaxing space you love.

What to Do in Order to Prepare for Spring and Summer

Spring and summer will eventually be here. Hopefully, they're a pleasant time of year. However, if they're a pleasant surprise, then it might be a case of you not being ready. Knowing what to do in order to prepare for spring and summer lets you make the most of each season.

Plan Your Vacation

Most years, the first few months of a new calendar year are known as “wave season” for the cruise line industry. People know how much money they have to spend after the holidays are over, and they're looking forward to getting places that are warm, sunny, and maybe even exotic. Get the best deals and options by planning early.

Get the Yard Ready

Make sure the lawnmower still works, and have some idea when the grass will need its first cut. Check with gardeners in your area for when to plant specific herbs, fruits, flowers, and veggies you want to enjoy in the coming months. If you decide to do indoor seedlings for later transfer, you'll need to start that while it's still wintertime.

HVAC Inspection

If your heat is still running, then your air conditioning might be the last thing you're thinking about. However, it's been sitting there idle all winter. You want to make sure it works the first time you fire it up for long sunny days. Have an air conditioning repair technician come out early in the spring to give it a lookover and standard maintenance. If you didn't have this done in the fall, then you might especially need more work on it than you think. This will likely save you a headache in the upcoming summer months.

Clean the Pool 

One thing that is often overlooked is having maintenance done on the pool. It’s often an easy thing to do, but if forgotten, can cause issues long-term. Make sure to contact a local company and have your pool and pump inspected to ensure everything is running smoothly and all the gunk is cleaned out.

Bust Out the Decor

Whether it's a flag you fly in front of your home or just a seasonally patterned throw you put over your good sofa, you might have some spring- and summer-specific decor to mark the sunny time of year.

The calendar always keeps moving, and March will come again. Spring will also come, whether that's March where you live, or earlier or later. Be ready for it when it does so you can spend time enjoying it instead of catching up.