6 Home Improvements That Add a Luxurious Feel to Your Living Spaces

Real estate observers reported the resurgence of luxury living in the past few years. In some emerging markets, luxury homes have become so popular that property developers can’t keep up with the demand.

You don’t have to be a purveyor of luxury to understand the appeal: living in a high-quality home that caters to your taste and specific requirements is indeed ideal.

While a custom-built luxury home sounds dreamy, you can also experience luxury living in your existing property with a few, well-chosen upgrades. This solution is perfect if you love your current location but are looking to update the look, feel and function of your living spaces.

Don’t worry — a home makeover need not be an unreasonably costly, drawn-out affair. With smart planning, strategic changes and tailored solutions from leading home builders, you can give your existing interiors a touch of luxury according to your vision and budget.

The following are some home enhancements you can apply to immediately give your home a luxe feel:

1. Go for Classic Hues

There’s nothing like neutrals to give home interiors a classy, roomy and zen feel. Establish a neutral color base for your flooring, furnishings and fixtures. Neutrals will give you a huge canvas to make bold color splashes for your focal points. You can integrate bold colors and textures by using accessories such as curtains, cushions, vases, clocks, photo frames, etc., which have both utilitarian and aesthetic appeal.

2. Get Rid of Aging Fixtures

Whether it’s an old lampshade that’s been gathering dust, or a bunch of chipped ornate door knobs, get them replaced. If you really love your vintage pieces, take them to a specialist for cleaning, polishing and repairs. Small fixes like these can affect the overall look of your place, and you can always begin with the little things.

3. Coordinate as You Accessorize

Whether it’s your kitchen or bathroom, or any other part of your home, coordinating hardware finishes works extra to create a polished and luxurious appeal to your home interiors. For your kitchen, you may want to consider investing in stainless steel upgrades that will give your cooking area a classic, clean and coordinated appearance.

4. Attract Attention Vertically

In making your place look luxurious, you can start from the top by employing decorative ceiling medallions that will add “oomph” to your ceiling light fixture. Lightweight polyurethane ceiling medallions come in various sizes and can be done in your choice of color. They work exceedingly well to create a professional architectural touch, and as interesting focal points up in the ceiling. To maintain this look longer at less the cost, use LED lights to power your lighting fixtures.

5. Let Tiles do the Work

Coming in a range of colors, designs, sizes, shapes and materials, tiles are versatile tools and are your home makeover best friends. To add spice to your kitchen’s style, consider various options for tile colors and textures. Subway tiles spell bright and modern. Upcycled bricks or reclaimed wood showcase rustic chic and are eco-friendly. You can go fancy using glass tiles, artsy with Moroccan mosaic tiles, or full-on luxe with marble or gunmetal tiles.

6. Dandy up Your Walkway

You need not keep all your home enhancements indoors. Update the look of your home facade by laying a color of fresh paint on your mailbox. Get rid of weeds and plant pretty flowers around it. Get those trees and bushes neatly trimmed, and rid your garden of any overgrowth. You may also want to upgrade to a well-designed driveway made of long-lasting and low maintenance material.

Luxury is a State of Mind

Keep in mind that whatever time, energy, effort and cash you invest in home improvements will go a long way in making your house aesthetically pleasing, and even quite similar to splendid luxury homes. At the same time, you are also increasing its resale value, whether or not you are looking to sell it any time soon.

AUTHOR BIO

Robert Allam is the Finance and Sales Manager for Trendsetter Homes. Through his journey from being a Sales Consultant then Office Manager, to assuming his current role, Robert has seen the company grow and has guided many clients through the process of developing their dream of a unique luxury home.

Go Green: Boost Your Property Value and Gain Tenants

Guest Blog Post by Kris Lindahl, RE/MAX REALTOR

Going green can increase the value of your commercial property over the long term. It can also help you attract tenants who will view you as a savvy landlord and appreciate your commitment and forethought. Depending on the lease term and other benefits you currently offer, you might be able to increase the rent, add extra months or years onto the lease term and interest higher quality tenants. In some cases, by offering access to green benefits, you can negotiate tenant payments for additional leasehold improvements as well.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, there are two primary reasons for building green: Client demand and market demand. If you own a building with limited green features, adding cost-effective green features can lead to financial rewards. A published global survey notes that 65 percent of construction firms planned new green projects between 2013 and 2015, but that a whopping 50 percent also had green renovations waiting to start.

Improvements With Value

Among the priority targets for green renovation are energy-efficient heating, more effective and air conditioning and ventilation, and water-saving plumbing fixtures. Modern technologies can be installed to monitor and improve daylighting and air quality that are important to building “health” and also improve employee productivity and job satisfaction. More mundane improvements always include stylish, efficient windows and interior lighting, and the addition of quality amenities that might incorporate open spaces, interior atriums, kitchen facilities and cell phone lounges, break rooms and networking or presentation spaces that feel more homelike than commercial.

Green goes hand in hand with smart technology and automation, and it’s difficult to consider one without the other, according to modern designers, architects and space planners. Anything that adds to environmental quality and lower operating costs is an advantage for the building owner. While energy savings were the initial target of the LEED Certification program, today the focus has shifted a bit to include all the “high-performing” building attributes that factor into leasing decisions and occupancy choices.

It’s a new world of concern for a building owner, and from a purely economic perspective, the area of “social responsibility” can have dramatic financial impact. The percentage of consumers willing to pay more for products and services from companies with demonstrated commitment to positive social and economic impact continues to grow, according to a global Nielson report. The real estate industry demonstrates its concern with environmental factors primarily through compliance with green building principles. Owners who embrace LEED Certification and take the initiative to improve lease space in accord with modern standards will enjoy higher acceptance among forward-thinking companies.

Green Building: Looking at the Numbers

Current data bears this out:

  • Lease up rates for green buildings are typically 20% higher than for comparable non-green space;
  • ROI boosts average 19.2% for existing building renovations and 9.9% for new construction.

That’s impressive, but additional scholarly studies prove that the indirect benefits of going green are at least as impressive:

  • There is an increase of at least 16% in worker productivity in companies that can be considered green firms;
  • Mental acuity and memory tests are higher among workers who have a view compared with those who have no view;
  • Improved lighting reduces headaches; better air quality reduces days lost to employee illness;
  • Health care costs associated with allergies, respiratory disease and non-specified complaints have been reduced from between nine to 50% among employees in buildings retrofitted with features that improve the environment.

LEED Certified buildings typically command higher prices; but even without the official certification, building owners can expect higher rates following installation of green features. Vacancy rates are similarly lower for buildings with green features.

A 2012 World Green Buildings Study confirmed the trend:

  • Operating costs decreased by 13.6% for new construction and 8.5% for existing building projects.
  • Building value increased by 10.9% for new construction and 6.8% for existing building projects.
  • Increased asset valuation: New green building projects 5%; Green building retrofits 4%.

With an estimated $960 billion expected to be invested globally, for both new construction and retrofits, prior to 2023, why would you want to be left behind? Investigate the many cost-effective ways to boost the value of your commercial property and assure that you will have happy, productive tenants willing to pay a premium for your space.

The Benefits of Bringing the Outdoors In

“Home is not a place, it is a feeling”

According to a survey by the national Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans spend 93% of our entire life indoors while only 7% of our time is spent in the great outdoors. And, with the exception of work, we spend most of our indoor time in the special place we call HOME. Here are four beneficial ways to incorporate more outdoor life into the 93% of time we spend indoors.

1. Purify the Air with House Plants

House plants don’t just sit still and look pretty. Several studies, including NASA’s clean air study, found that plants purify the air by removing toxins, increase productivity in the workplace and boost your mood. Research in the Journal of Alternative Complement Medicine showed that exposure to pictures of nature, including images of plants, significantly reduced stress of patients in a hospital waiting room.

Choosing an indoor plant for your home needs to be done with careful consideration and research. While some exotic plants may be beautiful to look at, they could place loved ones, including children and family pets, in danger. The safest bet is to keep all house plants out of touch if possible. Some popular kid and pet friendly plants include the Christmas Cactus, spider plant, Boston fern and African violets.

2. Use Windows & Skylights to Let the Sun Shine through Your Home

Indoors does not mean you have to shut out the sun. Having spacious windows and skylights will welcome plenty of natural sunlight into your home. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that daily light exposure in the workplace is significantly correlated with a person’s sleep, activity and overall quality of life. People who work in an environment without windows or any exposure to daylight have poorer sleep quality, more physical health issues and less vitality.

According to a skylight company Freelite, having skylights in your home reduces energy consumption, mildew and mold, and deficiencies in vitamins D and B1. In addition to increasing efficiency and health benefits, skylights are a worthwhile investment that increase your home’s visual interior appeal and resale value.

3. Cozy up by the Fireplace

Throughout human history, the use of fire has been very important to us, from cooking to protecting and hunting. The good news is that you don’t have to go outside anymore to sit close to a warm fire. An indoor fireplace can supply you and your family with an additional heat source and psychological benefits. Research has shown that there are stress-alleviating health benefits associated with sitting and gazing at a fireplace.

To reap the benefits of an indoor fireplace, you may not even need a real fireplace! If you have cable, Netflix, or internet access to YouTube, you may be in luck. Research from the University of Alabama suggests that merely watching a video of a fireplace, especially supplemented with a crackling sound, makes you feel more relaxed and reduces your blood pressure.

4. Keep the Kids Happy & Healthy with Natural Elements

A classroom study in Austria found that classrooms with natural wood elements can keep the kids healthier, calmer and less stressed than traditional classrooms. Another study reported that using wood in your home’s interior provides a positive atmosphere and reduces the risk of allergies.

To bring these benefits into your own home, try incorporating natural wood elements into your decorating style. Styles such as mid-century modern highlight natural wood elements with touches of color, but you can bring natural wood into your own home by investing in wooden storage options, wood beams and wood furniture.

Collectively, research has shown that bringing outdoor elements into your home provides numerous physical and psychological benefits. Having a functional indoor environment with outdoor style will promote the well-being of your family.

About the Authors

Leah Williams is an intern for Turnberry Custom Homes and a senior at Albright College majoring in English, communications and Spanish.

Toe Aung is a psychobiology major in his senior year at Albright College and is pursuing his PhD in Anthropology at Penn State University.

5 Benefits of Houseplants

House plants don’t just sit still and look pretty. From improving your health to boosting your mood, indoor plants can have a positive influence in your life as long as you choose the right plants for your life situation. Here are 5 benefits of keeping plants indoors.

Purify the Air, Breathe Better, & Improve Your Health
Plants naturally remove toxins from the air. In the 1980s, NASA conducted a Clean Air Study which found how plants play a major role in removing organic chemicals such as benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde  from indoor air. These toxic chemicals are found in common household items, such as furniture, plastics, and paints.

Increase Productivity
Several studies have shown that employees are more productive and have improved memory retention when plants were placed into offices. One study by Dr. Chris Night found that employees were 15% more productive when houseplants were placed into “lean,” minimalist workplaces. Other studies found that indoor plants can increase creativity by 45% and boost staff wellbeing by 47%. If you have a home office, you can easily boost your efficiency at home by adding a few houseplants.

Boost Your Mood
Looking at plants can make you feel happier and more optimistic. A study conducted by Seong-Hyun Park and Richard H. Mattson found that patients recover quicker when plants are placed into hospital rooms. Among health benefits such as lower ratings of pain and anxiety, patients who had plants in their rooms felt “more positive feelings and higher satisfaction about their rooms when compared with patients in the control group.”

Grow Your Own Fruits and Vegetables Indoors
For cold winter months and city life, having an outdoor garden may not be an option for your lifestyle. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t grow your own fresh produce right inside your home! Most plants don’t take up too much space and just need sufficient light, water, and TLC. Examples of plants that can be grown indoors include carrots, avocados, lemons, mushrooms, herbs, and tomatoes. Here are some tips for growing your fruits and veggies indoors.

Finding the Right Houseplant:
Kid & Pet Friendly Options
Choosing an indoor plant needs to be done with careful consideration and research. While some exotic plants may be beautiful to look at, they could place loved ones, including children and family pets, in danger. Even a non-toxic plant could cause reactions in certain individuals. For example, a plant that may be safe to eat and touch could cause an unforeseen skin reaction to a sensitive child or pet, or a pet could eat too much of a non-toxic plant, leading to an upset stomach. The safest bet is to keep all house plants out of touch of children and pets if possible. Some popular kid and pet friendly plants include the Christmas Cactus, spider plant, Boston fern, and African violets.

Turnberry Custom Homes located in Reading, PA specializes in new construction, renovations/additions, commercial fit-outs, and project management. We serve Montgomery, Berks, Chester, and surrounding counties. Call (610) 775-7575 for a FREE consultation today.