Increase Your Home's Value in 5 Easy Steps

Thinking about taking on some small home improvement projects to boost the value of your home? Here are some smart upgrades and fixes that won’t cost a lot, but could help you clinch a deal if you’re trying to sell.

Consider curb appeal

Source: Zillow Digs

First impressions are everything, and potential buyers often decide whether they’re interested in a home within seconds. As they’re walking toward your house, they’re asking themselves, “Could I live here?”

Keep the walkway swept and tidy, and spruce up your entryway landscaping with well-placed shrubs, new plants and trimmed hedges. And don’t underestimate the power of a new front door, fence or mailbox.

Buff up the bath

Source: Zillow Digs

Sure, bathroom improvements can get pricey, but small cosmetic changes can reap big rewards. Consider replacing dated frosted glass with clear glass, updating fixtures or putting up new wallpaper.

Other projects that are worth the effort include re-grouting the tile, replacing an old vanity with a new one and buying a new toilet seat.

Romantic Revival: Tips for Dramatic and Formal Dining Rooms

There’s something romantic about homes with a formal dining room—they’re a key selling point for many home buyers. Perhaps it’s the thought of having a single room completely devoted to eating and entertaining, or the idea of enjoying a sit-down dinner with your family and friends. Whatever the reason, here are some ideas for bringing dramatic style to your home’s dining room and other eating spaces.

Light and Dark

 From the custom metal-front cabinets to the silver nail-head trim on the chairs, this dining room is rooted in sleek sophistication. Overhead, an Italian chandelier crafted from Murano glass anchors the center of the room, where a solid yet sleek dining table stands grandly. Navy blue upholstery with a silver trellis design on the chairs brings dignified color to the space. The gray faux bois-inspired wallpaper bridges the gap between the light and dark tones.

Linear Diversity

Create a casual environment that exudes grand style with a formal dining room that is open to your home’s kitchen. A wide archway in this space promotes mingling from the kitchen to the dining table, ideal for relaxed entertaining. The stone-clad walls and a brick-and-wood beam ceiling in this home emanate old-world Tuscan style, as do the antique-style table and chairs.

Vivid Formality

Formal dining rooms can occasionally come off as stiff and cold, but you can avoid that problem in your home by using bold color as a cheer-giving antidote. In this dining room, emerald green silk wallpaper wraps the space with easy-on-the-eyes color. Tangerine-colored velvet chairs are unexpected, yet make a statement. The high-gloss gray moldings and gunmetal taffeta panels ground the room in sophistication.

Tips & Ideas for Creating Romance in Your Home

Turn your own home into a romantic getaway this Valentine’s Day—or any day—with our tips and ideas to warm up every room and create cozy, inviting spaces throughout your house.

Romantic Getaway

Contrasting textures can imbue your home’s bedroom with a romantic feeling. Here, chenille, satin and linen achieve this effect. Antique furniture and warm accents cozy up to upholstered walls.

Concrete Love

Built with hand-chosen river rocks, this fireplace adds warmth and comfort to the home’s decor.

  Escape into the Suds

Help lessen the tension after a long day at work by relaxing in a romantic bathroom decorated with vintage drapes and accessories.