How to live large in a tiny house. By Julia Caswell Daitch April 6 (Julia Caswell Daitch) I love the tiny house movement.
I love the efficiency of it. I love the flexible use of space. I love the things that fold out from the wall, and who doesn’t love miniature things — so cute! When I was in architecture school, I had a professor by the name of Kaya Arikoglu. (Julia Caswell Daitsch) About 14 years ago, I designed our vacation home on a pretty tight budget and I used this philosophy. Homemade Wood-Floor Cleaner. If you have wood floors, then you know that keeping them clean and glowing can be a challenge.
From streaky cleaners to ones that leave a waxy buildup, finding the perfect cleaner for your hardwood floors that isn't harsh or filled with chemicals can be costly. Instead, toss together this eco-friendly homemade wood-floor cleaner that will wash your floors for only pennies. Spray directly on wood floors, make the cleaner in a bucket, or pour over cotton clothes to make reusable floor wipes.
Plus, this floor cleaner isn't harsh on hardwoods and cleans without leaving unwanted streaks or waxy residue. Read on for the directions. Master the 5-Minute Refresh: 5 Free Things to Do to Make Any Room Look Nicer. Even on the longest, most brutal days, every one of us can take five minutes to make a room look a bit better.
Furniture for Small Spaces: 5 Cool Hidden Beds. The owners of these cleverly concealed beds make do in small homes: One family of three lives in just 409 square feet.
Their decision to hide the bed increases usable space, opens up living areas, and in one case, creates a magical childhood sleeping nook. 1. Look above Mad Men's Vincent Kartheiser in this photo — that's his bed hanging from the ceiling. It's on a clever pulley system that allows him to maximize the living space of his 580 square foot home (spotted in Dwell). Free Home Improvement: How to Do a Home Function Makeover. Have you ever wondered what you would do with a few extra minutes a day, every day?
Have you ever thought there could be hidden energy-sappers in your home, but you've been too busy to think about what they might be? Know Thyself: Setting Realistic Decorating Expectations. One of the biggest mistakes I see in home decorating and decluttering is that people often make purchasing and design decisions based on aspirations (the kind of life you want to lead; the kind of person you aspire to be) — not reality.
So, before you spend a ton of money and time decorating, face the facts. Distinguish between who you are — your real life habits, your idiosyncrasies — vs. who you WANT to be. When decluttering and organizing, work with your habits, not in denial of them! You want to be the kind of person who hangs up your coat on a hanger every day, who files bills carefully the minute they arrive in the mail, who curls up in the reading nook with a book and gazes out at the perfectly-manicured garden. Seeking Simplicity: How to Start Living a More Minimal Lifestyle. A minimalist lifestyle is not for everyone.
But in this hectic world, many of us feel that call — to have less, to spend less, to do less, to need less. The Lazy Person's Guide to a Happy Home: More Sneaky Cleaning Tips for People Who Hate to Clean — Reader Intelligence Report. (Image credit: Everett Collection/Shutterstock) Earlier this year I wrote the Lazy Person's Guide to a Happy Home, full of cleaning tips for people who hate cleaning.
Many of you read it, and commented, and added cleaning tips of your own, and your ideas were so good that I couldn't help re-sharing them. Read on for cleaning tips from some very wise people, aka: you. Make cleaning easier by doing a serious purge. How to Make a Mood: 5 Basic Elements for Creating an Awesome Home Atmosphere.
8 Free Ways to Instantly Make Your Living Room Look a Little Bit Better. Sometimes it's not about the grand, sweeping changes to a room.
Occasionally, just a few smart moves can make a room in your home the tiniest bit better. And what better than a little extra time on the weekend to effect a small but meaningful change? If you're on a budget, you'll appreciate that all these little efforts cost zero dollars. 1. Clean the baseboards, blinds and windows These three small spots accumulate dust, dirt and grime throughout the year, but they're not usually on anyone's list of regular cleaning spots. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. (Image credits: Bethany Nauert) Pull It Off: 6 Ways To Successfully Play With Pastels. Potent Pairings: 8 Color Combos Guaranteed to Push Your Style. Yawn!
Are you one of the many folks who tends to stick to the same old colors in your home, time and time again? It's easy to find a color combo that you enjoy — but things can get stale in your design pretty quickly if every new element you bring in ties into the same color palette. Why not try on some unusual color combinations and see what happens? The words "pairings" in the title isn't totally accurate, because the spaces we're finding color inspiration from lately feature more than just two powerful hues; they are a mix of three or more colors, and they're blended in the perfect amounts. Top Photo: A hot magenta side chair, a deep and rich navy blue couch and a stunningly bright golden yellow wall paint color. Spotted on Camille Styles, this lush room is powerful with a mix of bright pink, crimson red and cobalt blue.