Bathroom Redo Ideas

Here's an interesting take on redoing a bathroom. . .

To Get the "Look," Avoid These Mistakes

Want a fresh look for your home, and want to do it yourself? Here are some decorating mistakes to avoid:

1. Too many colors. Try to keep the paint colors in your home to a minimum – two or three at most. And, if possible, use one carpet throughout the entire house. A plethora of colors will make your home feel chopped up and stop the visual flow of your spaces.

2. Busy fabrics on large pieces. Think of your sofa and sectional as background. Select simple fabrics for them, preferably without much color or pattern variation. Think of these large furniture pieces as something akin to your “basic black” dress. You can dress them up or dress them down. Save the patterned fabrics for pillows or drapes.  Use accessories – like art, area rugs or throws – to bring the “punch” into your rooms.

3. Layout unbalanced. When arranging your furniture, be careful not to put all the heavy pieces on one side of the room. If you have something tall (like an armoire) on one wall, try to balance it with, for example, a large picture on the opposite wall.

4. Too much stuff. A good rule of thumb is this: Think of everything you want to put into a room, and then cut it in half.

5. No theme. The eclectic look is great, but – for it to be successful – it needs a theme, be it style, topic or color. In our Stillwater model home at Newport Cove, our waterfront development on the Chain O’ Lakes, the theme is nautical and color-centered, using a palette of white, blue and tan. This 2,215-square-foot home offers three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a full basement with nine-foot walls and an optional bonus room over the 2.5-car garage. It is in the community's Cottages neighborhood, an area where the homeowners' association takes care of all landscaping maintenance and snow removal.

Attractive Practicality Is "In"

According to a survey by the National Association of Home Builders, the average square footage of new homes has been dropping. The median size of new homes being built today is just above 2,100 square feet, down from 2,309 square feet three years ago, in 2007. However, the survey also shows that, while the size of homes has decreased, the price (and cost) per square foot generally has not. Labor costs have gone done, but material costs – copper and steel, for example – have skyrocketed. Recent federal legislation is requiring more energy-efficient (translation, more expensive) insulation, windows and heating/cooling systems. Moreover, more buyers seem to think, “Well, if I’m building smaller, at least I’m going to build better.” As a result, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and designer touches are de rigueur.

Consumers, from baby boomers to their children, the “eco-boomers,” are realizing that a well-planned house can live bigger than one that’s big simply for the sake of being big. Spaces that serve double purposes, such as a family room that converts to a media room, or an office tucked into a nook rather than using an entire room, are in demand. Today’s home buyers simply do not want to pay for and/or maintain space they rarely use.

Amenities also are important to today's consumer.  Home buyers are willing to pay a little more to live where there are amenities - such as Newport Cove with its private marina and waterfront common areas.

Attractive practicality may be the theme of the day. . .