Family

Trendy Interior Designs You Should Try For Your New Home

Published

4 years ago

November 28, 2019

Writer

Joel Spolsky, a renowned writer who is also the brains behind Trello was once quoted saying that “design adds value faster than it adds costs.” This is exactly what some of us should be thinking about… adding value to our homes, or increasing its real estate value. Whether you’ve just relocated to a new or old home, or are looking to resell your house, interior design needs to be at the top of your priorities. But most people have got it all wrong, thinking that revamping their home’s interior design will cost a fortune. Sometimes it’s the little, less expensive things you do that make the most impact. Well, just like fashion, interior design trends come and go but a little pick me up won’t hurt. And even then, some design ideas never go out of style. To help you update the look of your house with some stylish home decoration ideas, here are trendy interior design tips you should try for your new home.

1. Add Some Sparkle with Decorative Mirrors

It’s funny how mirrors have the effect of making smaller rooms feel larger. If you have a smaller space, your rooms may not be receiving enough natural light, especially considering that you may be dealing with smaller windows. Now, if this is the case, one of the best things you can try is adding decorative mirrors on the walls directly across the windows. This will give the illusion of another window and in addition to this, add brightness to your rooms. Decorative mirrors come in all sizes and shapes. When used properly, they can help to enhance the dimensions of your rooms while at the same time filling empty spaces on the walls. Here are some tricks you’ll need to use when decking up rooms with decorative mirrors:

With mirrors, bigger is always better
Always ensure that mirrors are well positioned
Avoid hanging mirrors too high
Decorative mirrors can be expensive, making it important to avoid too much contact with them

2. Spruce Up Your Bathroom

Most people dread the idea of walking into a dated bathroom. There are a dozen reasons you may want to remodel your bathroom. First and foremost, the bathroom is among the most important parts of your home. Also, before making a deal, most home buyers will first want to look into the bathroom and the kitchen. The list of reasons goes on and on, but let’s take a look at the focal points of a bathroom that you may want to update.

The faucets and bathroom hardware

Showerheads are the most neglected hardware in a bathroom. But the design and placement of your showerhead can have a huge impact on your bathroom experience. It can affect your comfort and convenience while in the shower place. According to a guide on Showering Center, adding a shower arm extension not only adds value to your bathroom, but it also adds comfort to your life. With a good showerhead extension, you won’t ever have to do the shower dance or strain your neck to ensure water hits your body evenly. Also, some new, shiny, and stylish faucets can dramatically change the look of your bathroom.

A fresh coat of paint

To improve the look of your bathroom, the first thing you’ll need to do is change the color. Needless to mention, brighter colors often make a small space look bigger. But adding up some vibrant colors will give your bathroom a touch of vibrancy. Today, you have the option of adding matte paint to avoid mildew, so you don’t need to necessarily go for gloss paints.

Bathroom tiles

Well let’s face it, most bathrooms are boring and this has to do with the choice of tiles. The best thing is that today, you don’t need an overhaul remodeling when it comes to freshening the look and feel of your bathroom tiles. Removable adhesive tiles, also known as peel-and-stick tiles, can do the trick when replacing scratched, dented, discolored or broken bathroom tiles. The fact that they are removable means that you can DIY whenever you get bored with the color without having to replace the existing tiles. There is a wide range of color choices, patterns, and textures to choose from, so be sure to choose what suits you best.

Add some wall art

Now, who said you cannot add some wall art in your bathroom? And we’re no longer living in the age where water-resistant canvas prints adorned bathrooms! You can also personalize your art by making a wall gallery of starfish, decorative mirror artwork and prints, or hued glassware pieces.

3. Revamp Your Kitchen

A lot of time is spent in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes, planning for meals and preparing them, entertaining guests, and the list is endless. So it’s only befitting to bless the room that holds families together with some design love. First things first, you need to choose the right colors for the kitchen cabinets. This means colors that make the kitchen look comfortable and bigger. If the walls have brighter colors, go for darker shades of colors for the cabinets and vice versa. This will give the room contrast as well as the idea of functionality. Below are some more interior design ideas you could borrow for your kitchen:

Kitchen lighting – It’s imperative to ensure that your kitchen has enough lighting. This should also go well with your overall kitchen design. For a modern look, dimmable and ambient kitchen lighting will perfectly do.
The right countertops – If you have a busy kitchen, you’ll need to invest in durable countertops. Countertops are not only functional, but they also add aesthetic properties in your kitchen. Today, you’ll be spoilt for options because of the many varieties of countertops in the market. If you are on a tight budget, you can always go for laminate countertops. After years of vilification, laminate countertops are once again reclaiming their popularity. For an upscale kitchen, granite, quartz, and marble will do, especially if you go for a design that includes a kitchen island.

4. Add a Personal Touch to Your Rooms

While you may want your home to be filled with designer products and accessories, it’s always important to add a touch of personality. All the aspects of interior design say a lot about the person you are and what you stand for. This means that while you’re enhancing the details, it’s also important to own what is already there. For instance, when it comes to painting your house, you may be tempted to wait years before you give your walls a fresh coat. To make your interior design more appealing, however, you may want to give your rooms a personalized wow effect by:

Redecorating the walls with wallpaper
Adding some area rugs to define your space
Giving your home a personal touch with art
Ditching the boring and welcoming a little contrast
Adding flowers and potted plants for a natural aesthetic look and feel

Keeping up with a home interior design can feel overwhelming. But then again, your house could be where you’ll spend the rest of your days on the planet, making happy and sad memories. It’s also probably where you’ll grow grey hair. So you need to ensure that it’s comfy and attractive… and what better way to do that than adopting the trendy designs that you possibly can. The above home interior design tips can help to piece your home together, making even the most neglected rooms look fabulous.

Up Next

How to Keep the Fun Alive When Camping at Night

Don't Miss

The Top 3 Renos You Shouldn’t Neglect this Fall

Writer

Family

Countdown to Christmas Day Our Holiday Gift Guide: A Portable Campfire

Published

3 mins ago

December 9, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

17 days to go! Every year people panic to find the perfect gift. We at T2C have been collecting idea’s all year long to bring you the perfect gift guide at all price levels. When you’re at the end of your rope trying to find the perfect Christmas present this year, come to this guide for some great suggestions.

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. For anyone who loves to sit back and relax near the campfire but doesn’t have the space or wherewithal to build one, gift them this nifty little thing for Christmas. A Portable Campfire $35.99. This candle-like “campfire” has 3 to 5 hours of burn time and is sleek enough to bring the campfire wherever — be it the beach, the backyard, terrace or anywhere else!

Do I feel a smores treat coming on?

Events

Happy Chanukah Day 3: Food For Thought

Published

3 mins ago

December 9, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

A Chanukah menu includes potato pancakes, fried, of course, in lots of oil. Sweet cream cheese rugelach. Strawberry-jam-filled doughnuts (sufganiyot), covered in powdered sugar. Fried apple fritters. Cheese-filled doughnuts fried in oil and dipped in honey and Cheese blintzes. Chanukah food traditions have their origins in the first years that the holiday was celebrated, and are meant to remembrances of certain miracles associated with the reason for Chanukah.

The first is the miracle of oil. One day’s supply of oil lasted for eight days. Mystically, both the menorah and the oil used to light it are associated with Chochmah, and the war between the Greeks and the Jews.

The word shemen, Hebrew for oil, contains the same letters as shemoneh, eight, the number of days that the miracle of the oil lasted.

The dairy is to honor a young woman named Yehudis. During the war against the Greeks, she fed a Greek General salty cheeses so that he would become extremely thirsty and brought him wine to drink. He fell asleep, she killed him. The Greek army fell into disarray and fled. Thus the dairy in the meals.

Gluten Free Latkes

Be sure to use high-heat oil, which will help keep things from burning. Pay attention to the temperature of the oil—keep it between 325° and 350° F—

Makes 24 latkes

Frying time: 6 to 8 minutes

3 large russet potatoes
1 large yellow onion
½ cup superfine brown rice flour
3 extra-large eggs
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
32 ounces safflower or other high-heat vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 170° F or your preferred keep-warm setting. Line a baking sheet with layers of paper towels.
Peel the potatoes. Using a grater attachment, grate all the potatoes and onion together. Alternate, if grating by hand, coarsely grate half of the mixture and finely grate the other half, then combine the two mixtures in a large bowl.
Line a colander with a clean dish towel. Place the potato mixture in the lined colander. Squeeze to get the liquid out. It will be messy, but keep going or the latkes will be greasy and not as light.
Place the potato mixture in the bowl and add the flour, eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Fill a skillet with ¼ inch of oil. Heat the oil until a tiny bit of the mixture sizzles when dropped in. Maintain an oil level that is ¼ inch deep with a temperature of 325° to 350° F at all times.
Scoop ¼ cup of batter for each pancake, flatten to 4 inches in diameter, and fry over medium heat until nicely browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more.
Place the finished latkes on the paper towel–lined baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven to keep warm while finishing up the other latkes.
Serve the latkes warm, topped with applesauce and/or sour cream.

Family

Countdown to Christmas Day: Map The Song Of Your Life

Published

1 day ago

December 8, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

How unique is this Spiral Song Lyric with Night Sky Map Clock.

Looking for a way to capture a meaningful day and text in one beautiful design? Grab a Personalized Star Map for you on a clock. Have questions about this design or how to personalize it for you or a gift? Message, as customer happiness is their #1 goal.

You give the company The Artist, Song Title or enter lyrics, a quote, names, address (for night sky) and the date and a spiral print will be printed showing the star map, alignment of the stars and constellations from your special day. Personally I think it is an amazing gift at $53.97 .

Free proofs are provided as well as quick edits to make sure you love your design before it’s printed.

To personalize your night sky spiral print, click here.

Broadway

Head To The The Algonquin Hotel For Some Holiday Cheer

Published

1 day ago

December 8, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

As we head into the holiday season, The Algonquin Hotel’s December event lineup is open to both hotel guests and New York City locals. The hotel will spread holiday cheer with a variety of festive performances, cocktails, and experiences including:

Cocoa and Carols Happy Hour: Daily, 5-8PM, Every evening this December, all are invited to enjoy Specialty Cocoa while Christmas carols chime at the Blue Bar. Drinks will include Mexican Hot Chocolate spiked with mezcal
KT Sullivan Cabaret: December 5th, 12th and 19th, Sullivan will perform her iconic Christmas Cabaret. As noted by The New York Times, Sullivan is a thrilling Off-Broadway performer with over eight published albums
Rocco Dellaneve’s Rat Pack Christmas: December 7th, 14th and 21st, Rocco Dellaneve will perform iconic songs from the Rat Pack Christmas album with special inclusions of Santa with Sinatra, Rocco of the Snow, Rudolph and the Rat pack
The Serafina’s and Broadway Vocalists: December 8th, 15th and 22nd, enjoy the high kicking – precision line dancing Christmas tradition around The Algonquin tree. The Serafina’s will be available for pictures and autographs from 6pm to 7pm, followed by special Broadway vocalists

A portion of proceeds from all events will be donated to Toys for Tots.

Beyond the December events, The Algonquin Hotel is located in a prime position nestled in the heart of Times Square and Fifth Avenue, making it the perfect launchpad for a New York City holiday experience. The hotel is a historical jewel that emphasizes the importance of making unique, storied experiences. Since its opening in 1902, The Algonquin Hotel is famous for its timeless style and desire to honor the literary and cultural elite. The distinguished Round Table Restaurant and Blue Bar offer tasteful dining inclusions and curated cocktails that are sure to excite everyone.

Photo credit: The Algonquin Hotel, Autograph Collection

Events

Celebrate Hanukkah With Manhattan’s Favorites

Published

2 days ago

December 7, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

The Festival of Lights, starts today Thursday, December 7^th and goes through Friday, December 15^th. From classic Jewish foods to fan-favorite chocolates, there are many options to celebrate Hanukkah in New York City.

New York’s iconic Li-Lac Chocolates, celebrating its 100^th Anniversary has been enjoyed by generations of locals and tourists alike. Manhattan’s oldest chocolate house, Li-Lac, has remained true to its tradition maintaining the same single-minded focus on product quality. Its confections are handmade daily in its Brooklyn Factory using many of the original techniques and equipment from 1923.

Li-Lac Chocolates makes for the perfect Hanukkah gift for friends and family. They have a broad selection of specialty molds and gifts, now offering more than 120 items making it one of the largest selections of gourmet chocolates in the world.

All of its chocolates are certified Kosher and gluten-free.

A few gift options for Hanukkah include:

Dreidel Filled with Gelt
20 pc. Chanukah Chocolate Gift Box
Chest of Gelt
Menorah Pop

The full list of Hannukah chocolates may be viewed here.

To learn more about Li-Lac Chocolates rich history, you may view a comprehensive press release here.

Store locations: Industry City/Brooklyn, Greenwich Village, Bleeker Street, Chelsea Market, Hudson Yards and Grand Central Market.

Ships: via FedEx in the United States and Canada.

~~~

The popular Upper East Side Jewish Delicatessen PJ Bernstein will be rolling out a special Hanukkah menu, available for catering, delivery, takeout as well as dining in.

One of the last remaining of its kind, PJ Bernstein has been a staple in its neighborhood since opening its doors on the northeast corner of 70^thSt. and 3^rdAve. Serving the classics since 1965, it continues to be a hotspot for locals and celebrities, attracting the likes of Mayor Ed Koch, Liza Minelli, 2 James Bonds in Sean Connery and Daniel Craig, and Cuba Gooding Jr., to name a few.

Highlights of their Hanukkah menu include the following, but are not limited to:

A Special Prix Fixe Menu with a Mixed Green Salad, Matzoh Ball Soup, Brisket with Mini Latkes, Kasha Varnishka, Gravy, Apple Sauce, and a Mini Danish.

Appetizers: