home decorating: Affordable Home Improvement Tips: What You Need to Know - 05/06/12 10:34 AM
One of our favorite parts about spring is the opportunity for a fresh start and to clean house, so to speak. As the spring selling season kicks into high gear, it is an excellent time to encourage your sellers to make a few low-maintenance home improvements to help speed up the selling process. While being mindful of a budget, keeping the home up to date is an important component when it comes time to sell. We have compiled some ideas (so feel free to pass along to your clients and take the credit!) to guide homeowners to make the right changes … (8 comments)

home decorating: Help Cut Cost at Home with Energy-Efficient Shades - 02/06/09 12:53 AM
OK, so maybe with the stock market in the toilet and your 401k plan not looking so hot as of late, it might not be the best time to take on challenging remodeling projects for your home. But even as you tighten your wallet, sometimes you just gotta get your decorating fix on. And the best fix is something that actually fixes something, like a sky-high heating bill.
Cellular shades feature soft light diffusion, while providing privacy and increased insulation.
If you're looking to help make your home more energy-efficient and cut down on that dreaded heating bill, you should think … (6 comments)

home decorating: Home Furnishings for the Eco-savvy Homeowner - 10/15/08 02:23 AM
I'm a bit of a shopaholic, but a reasonable shopaholic. I have my price limits, and I have my niche of things I enjoy buying. So whenever I come across some fun accessories, I like to share my findings with my readers. But I can't take credit for this week's fabulous find. Mark Tepper, Homescape's vice president of business development, and Frank Breithaupt, vice president of marketing, both sent me some links to some eco-friendly furnishings that are must-haves for your home this fall.
Greenington
Bamboo is not just for pandas. Check out Greenington's large collection of bamboo-manufactured furniture. Since bamboo … (9 comments)

home decorating: Eco-Friendly Bath Designs Get Recognition - 06/20/08 03:16 AM
Do you live in an eco-friendly designed home and want to give props to the designer behind your masterpiece? The National Kitchen & Bath Association will be recognizing innovative approaches to water and energy savings in the bath with a new Best Sustainable Bath Award category in the 2009 NKBA competition.
Formerly named the Smartest Hot Water Award for its 2008 competition debut, organizers have decided to go beyond hot water delivery to recognize the expanding array of sustainable solutions being applied in today's new and remodeled bathrooms. Designers entering any of the competition's bathroom design categories will be invited to … (1 comments)

home decorating: Educating Yourself on Green Housing - 05/20/08 02:52 AM
This past weekend I flew out to Newport Beach, CA, to meet up with some old friends from high school. One of my friends is now an energy consultant and runs his own company, Azlan Energy Solutions, which provides existing businesses and homes with energy-efficient technology to cut down utility costs and reduce carbon use. As we sat out on the deck of our beach house overlooking the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, RJ and I got into a discussion about the environment. The conversation eventually got us talking about home buyers "going green," and the struggles that come … (2 comments)