Redecorating used to be most fun for those who had the time to spend poring through interior design magazines, waiting for samples to arrive in the mail, and driving to specialty stores looking for exactly the right item for their redesign.
Today, remodeling ideas and items that would once have taken hours – or even weeks – to obtain are now easily available, thanks to the magic of the Internet. Where once you would have had to locate and drive to a specialty store for items like custom blinds, slipcovers or lighting, you can now browse and purchase a staggering variety of options all from the comfort of your home PC.
Do-it-yourselfers will find plenty of inspiration and inventory online. Here are three interior decorating ideas that you can easily bring to life with the help of some Internet shopping:
1. Buying blinds
Perhaps you remember your mother or grandmother driving from store to store in search of the perfect window treatment. While most department stores have always offered window treatments, in the past the selection has been limited and often pricey. Online resources solve the inventory and pricing problem and spare you a trip to the home improvement store. Websites like Blinds.com offer thousands of cost-effective options, from wood, aluminum and vertical blinds to cell shades, shutters and draperies. Plus, shipping is free.
Changing window treatments is a great way to update the look of a room for a modest investment of cash. And replacing window treatments is one of the easiest DIY projects you can tackle. Online shopping also makes it easy to update your window treatments according to the season. As summer approaches, replace tired old blinds with cellular shades that block heat and ultraviolet rays but still allow light to filter through. When colder months arrive, add a layer of insulation at your windows with lined draperies.
2. Lovely linens
Sure you can find a big selection in terms of style at big box linen stores, but the variety of brands – not to mention lower-priced options – might be lacking. Need especially deep-pocketed sheets for your plush pillow-top mattress? You’ll probably find them in stores, but at a cost that may make you wish you’d bought an air mattress instead. Online, you can find options in every style, color and thread count imaginable – and often at prices that retailers can’t match.
A Google search for “linens” yields nearly 40 million results. Your biggest challenge will be deciding which online merchant to check out first. Some websites specialize in luxury linens, while others offer more basic and practically priced options. You may also find good deals by going directly to the website of a designer you like.
3. Simplifying slipcovers
Long gone are the days when “slipcover” mostly referred to that awful clear plastic covering your grandmother put on the couch to keep the kids and pets from staining it. Slipcovers aren’t just for sofas anymore, according to HGTV.com. You can find slipcovers for ottomans, armchairs, recliners, dining chairs and more – all online.
Modern slipcovers are a great way to change the look of a piece of furniture and the room in which it sits. Cheaper than reupholstering or buying new furniture, adding a slipcover can resurrect a treasured piece that may have worn upholstery but is still in good shape otherwise.
Whether you’re looking to update one room or a whole house, online resources have made redecorating easier than ever. A few clicks of a mouse button can help you quickly create a new look, so you can spend more time enjoying your new decor than you did shopping for it.
Homeowners are looking forward to warmer weather after heavy snow and freezing rain took a toll on homes and businesses across the U.S. during the winter. Harsh weather even made its mark on typically warm climates in the southeastern part of the country, which experienced some of the coldest temperatures on record.
Are lower real estate values keeping you in your current home – even though you were hoping to upgrade? Or, maybe you can’t bear the thought of boxing up all your belongings to move? You’re not alone. More homeowners are staying in their current homes, but remodeling with the idea of improving their quality of life and adding more “live-in value,” according to recent research from Consumer Reports.
If you’re among the millions of American homeowners who’ve decided sprucing up the home you have is more cost-effective than moving into something newer or bigger, you may be looking for some easy ways to improve your living space. If you’re not a seasoned do-it-yourselfer, you could consider calling in the pros – but that would fly in the face of your efforts at frugality.
If you think home maintenance means fixing something only when it’s broken, then you could be in for some costly surprises. Routine maintenance can help identify and address home-related issues early and prevent them from becoming bigger problems later.
When you get the sniffles – do you blame your allergies, or the air inside your house? Surprisingly, air pollution trapped inside your home could be the cause of many of your family’s health concerns – especially if members suffer from asthma or allergies.
Practical pays off when it comes to kitchen and bath renovations. Gone are the days when virtually every kitchen or bathroom remodel involved top-of-the-line luxury upgrades and a budget big enough to fund an Ivy League education. Today’s homeowners want more value for their remodeling dollars, and that means turning to improvements that make both functional and fiscal sense.
Giving an old, tired bathroom a makeover is one of the best things you can do to increase your home’s resale value. And while it can take some planning, remodeling your bathroom is easily within the capability of most homeowners.
Experts say children with good organizational skills do better in school. Performing activities such as sorting and classifying when children are pre-school-age and older can help them acquire organizational skills. It may even help to build self-confidence and self-control, too. What better way to teach kids organization than by starting with their own clothes and toys?
