Author: Ginny Green

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By Topic Home Improvement

Green Materials to Use for Home Improvement

In need of a new look for the inside of your home? Widespread concern regarding pollution and the conservation of natural resources has prompted more homeowners to consider greener ideas and environmentally friendly materials.

Install Bamboo Floors. Most people think bamboo is wood, but bamboo is actually a grass … and one that grows quickly, within three to five years to be precise. This means bamboo is a good renewable resource. Most bamboo is grown and harvested in either Hawaii or China. Bamboo is resilient and comes in a variety of colors and shades.

Use Reclaimed Wood. Reclaimed or salvaged lumber can be used to build walls, as support beams or even in roof construction. Instead of dumping previously used lumber into a landfill, it can be put back into new construction projects.

Choose Low or Zero VOC Paint. A new coat of paint can transform the look of an old room into an exciting new space. However, most paints contain harmful volatile organic compounds that contribute to air pollution, smog and respiratory problems. By choosing low VOC paint, you can help reduce the volatile organic compounds in the air and still have a beautiful, freshly painted room.

Categories
Furnishings Home Decor

Get a Fresh Look with Easy Staging Tips

Give a fresh look to mantels, tables, shelves, bookcases and nooks in your home quickly and inexpensively. These places can be superbly staged using things you already have. Dig into the attic, basement, junk drawers or closets for unique and quirky pieces that can be recycled into an interesting display.

Bookshelves

Bookshelves can be revamped and given a clean consistent look by keeping mostly white or black book spines on the shelves complemented with a colorful accent as a bookend. Think along the lines of a bright piece of coral or blue glass bottle.

Personal Collections

Themed collections are always pleasing to the eye and make a personal statement about what’s important to you. Try contrasting textures and colors such as ceramic or glass paired with rough sea pieces like shells or interesting fossils. Use a mixture of tall with short, smooth and rough, flat and multi-dimensional.

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Articles Home Decor

4 Ways to Create a Home Spa Atmosphere

A spa environment is synonymous with the feeling of peace and tranquility. By adding just a few accents, it can be easy to create a spa environment in your own home that can have a calming effect on the mind and body.

Use Calming Colors. Use cool, calming color palettes like blue, shades of light green, white or lavender.

Add a Dish of Pebbles or Crystals. Place a bowl of pebbles or dish or crystals in the bathroom or bedroom as a reminder of nature’s endurance and strength.

Use Essential Oils. Scent the room with a diffuser made of natural essential oils such as lavender, almond or sage.

Buy Non-Toxic Soy Candles. Add blue, purple or white candles to a room and create a calming environment for meditation. Candles, plants and essential oils all contribute to a more relaxing, healing atmosphere.

Soothing Sounds. Play a CD or download tracks of the sounds in nature, classical or harp music to bring soothing music into your home and create a spa-like environment.

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Featured Lawn & Garden

Which Plants Are Easiest to Care For?

Indoor plants not only add to the décor, but also foster a fresh and energizing atmosphere if kept healthy. In addition, plants can help counterbalance the effects of humidity and electrical radiation. 

The challenge, especially if you lead a busy lifestyle, is proper care and tending. You can get creative with plants by placing them in an unused fireplace or atop high kitchen shelves and ledges.

Below is a list of three low maintenance indoor plants that you can easily incorporate into your eco-friendly living space.

Christmas Cactus. The Christmas cactus can handle low light and infrequent watering.

Pothos. One of the easiest houseplants to grow. The Pothos is tolerant of almost any lighting environment and almost impossible to kill.

Mother-In-Law’s Tongue. Long living plants with sharp pointy leaves that require infrequent watering.

Categories
Furnishings Green Building

How to Decorate in Earth Tones

When thinking about giving an interior facelift to your current home or selecting a color palette for an exciting new space, nature is a great reference point. If you look at a handful of pebbles, a field of grain or a forest of trees, you can detect a wide variety of colors that can help bring an eco-friendly look indoors.

Creamy or pale-earth yellows will help create an illusion of space in a tight area. One important tip is to avoid large expanses of sterile white, which can feel unfriendly and institutional. Since earth colors are generally warming, they work particularly well in large living rooms.

If you’re adding a new coat or two of paint to your walls to bring earth tones indoors, check out Benjamin Moore’s Natura line of zero-VOC paint. It’s a premium-quality paint with a washable finish that has none of the toxic fumes associated with traditional interior paints.

Neutral, natural colors are ideal for walls and floors since brighter tones such as reds or oranges can be added as accent colors through furnishings or smaller surface areas. This is especially important if you like to mix up your furnishings or accents frequently. Using a neutral color as a base will allow you to easily incorporate new colors through throw pillows, photo frames, or vases to keep your décor fresh.