COST Ideas, Tips & Guides

“Virtually all of the products I buy on the regular have experienced some degree of shrinkflation…The practice is intentionally based on deceiving the customer. It’s unethical.” 

From outdoor entertaining to improving curb appeal, it’s that time of year when a home’s exterior is front and center. But before you embark on any exterior updates, learn what the pros have to say when it comes to home exterior mistakes, so you can avoid making them in the first place.

If you’ve owned a TV set, chances are you’ve come across QVC before.

Not everyone has the fortune of living in their ultimate dream home the first time around, and even if they do, their tastes and needs may change over time. So, it’s more likely that homeowners will find elements and spaces in and around the house that they feel can be improved and updated.

Renovating your home is a rollercoaster—between deciding where to splurge and where to save, remembering every project that needs doing, and picking a room to start with, there are so many factors to consider.

Airbnb

It's no secret that lighting can make or break a room, and one of our favorite ambient lighting options is wall sconces, especially for bedrooms—any bedroom with a bed flanked by two beautiful wall lights is instantly elevated from drab to fab.

Decorating your living room on a budget doesn’t mean downplaying your style. In fact, there are plenty of ways to give your living room that wow factor without spending a ton.

Introducing Roots, Shoots, and Share: A Green Revolution for Gardeners

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Gardening and landscaping can be a rewarding endeavor—transforming outdoor spaces into beautiful and functional retreats. However, without proper planning and consideration, common mistakes can detract from the overall beauty and functionality of your landscape.

If you feel it’s time to refresh your home, but fear the cost and work involved, think again: you don’t need to break the bank or hire a professional to revamp your home or a single room. Nor do you have to go on a shopping spree to completely overhaul your home’s decor.

A couple of years ago I had an exhausting spring planting season. I started everything from pansies to parsley from seed, and for weeks all I did was run from one windowsill to another with a watering can.I worried constantly about damping off disease. After I put the seedlings outside to harden off, I brought them back in again on stormy nights. Finally, when the last little peat pot was safely stowed in the ground, I resolved never to buy another seed packet again.

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Your entryway is a small but mighty part of the home, and you'll want to make sure that you're designing it so that it lives up to its full potential. As a result, you'll want to be sure to steer clear of these common mistakes that pros often notice in other people's homes!

Ah, the bathroom. This lowly, often overlooked spot in our homes is actually one of the hardest working rooms. If your bathroom has seen better days—we’re talking chipping tiles, constantly-running toilets, vanities with loose, grimy knobs—then we see a bathroom renovation in your future. 

A solar water feature is a wonderful addition to the garden, bringing the relaxing sound of a babbling brook into a residential space. Solar water features also have the added benefit of being much better for the environment than their mains-powered counterparts, using clean energy that won’t cost – or harm – the earth.

Christina Collection Flooring

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Is it true that concrete sleepers are the best choice for your landscaping needs?

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Polyester was once thought to be a wonder fiber. Both durable and efficient, with no need for farmland or vast amounts of water, it threatened to leave natural fibers like cotton in the dust.

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Every homeowner knows a thing or two about how flipping certain spaces—namely the kitchen and bath—can help sell the home. However, prospective sellers should also pay attention to the minute and unobservable details and repairs that can slow down or cancel a sale.

When major sales roll around, designers know what kinds of items are worth scooping up and always make it a priority to invest in certain essentials for the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and more.

When it comes to bathroom design, striking the perfect balance between functionality and aesthetics can be a big challenge. Everyone wants their space to look beautiful, but as one of the smallest and most frequently used rooms in the home, practicality plays a huge role too.

Candles can be necessary in any home you want to smell fresh, delicious, and homey. But there are a few issues with lighting candles throughout your house: they can get expensive, you shouldn't leave fire unattended, and some candles may have toxic materials in them. 

If your basement just isn't serving you but you're not looking to invest a ton of money to make over this space, note that there are many budget-friendly hacks you can take on to make this room of the home feel brand new.

Galanthus x hybridus ‘Robin Hood’ at Thenford Arboretum

Are you looking for garden ideas for a difficult part of your garden?

Often, these are timeless items that have truly stood the test of time, but there’s also room for innovations that have transformed the way we garden – battery-powered tools that have done away with electric cables and noisy, smelly two-stroke fuel, for example. We asked the country’s top head gardeners which tools they couldn’t contemplate gardening without.

When it comes to sculptural form in the garden, it’s hard to compete with a well-grown agave (Agave spp. and cvs., Zones 7b–11). With sizes ranging from 6-inch rosettes to hulking 12-foot giants, there really is a perfect plant for every garden or container. Most are striking enough in their natural tones of green to blue, but some have raised the bar a bit higher, adding highlights of white and gold to the palette.

Tool maintenance is often regarded as a chore to be done only when other gardening jobs are exhausted, usually on rainy or bitter days when the great outdoors is less than inviting. Sometimes it is avoided altogether, although deep-down most gardeners know their tools deserve better treatment. Modern tools are made either from carbon steel or stainless steel. Carbon steel tends to be stronger but can suffer from corrosion; stainless steel tools have gleaming blades that remain rust-free and prove easy to clean without need for oiling, although they are not suited to the toughest jobs.

These days, it's certainly acceptable to think beyond the traditional all-white kitchen, but you should be mindful when making your color selection.