12 Delightful Ways to Make Your House Brighter in Winter!

December 15, 2017

By: Leanna Potts

Meet you under the skylight, on the white sofa, with a cream cheese brownie.

Fall and winter start cozy — who hasn’t used the colder temperatures as an excuse to binge-watch Netflix while swaddled in a couch blanket?

But come January, staying indoors can feel less like a treat and more like you’re living in a cave.

Here’s how to make your house lighter, brighter, and cheerier.

#1 Take the Screens Off Your Windows:

You’ll get 30% more sunlight shining indoors without screens on your windows.

Here’s the best part: Sunlight warms your room and saves you money on your heating bill. It’s solar power — for you!

Be sure to store your screens in your garage or basement where they won’t get damaged. In the spring you’ll want to put them back on so you can keep that 30% of the sun out and run your cooling system less.

#2 Hang Outdoor String Lights Indoors:

They don’t give off a lot of light, but they’re cheerful as heck.

Drape them around a window or a mantel, or hang a string of LED glimmer lights in a tall potted plant. They’ll add a layer of soft light to your room and remind you of fireflies, flip-flops, and patio parties.

#3 Steal a Little Swedish Chic:

Scandinavians excel at making a home light and airy because they’ve got places where the sun doesn’t rise at all from November to January.

And you thought you had it bad.

To adapt to weeks and weeks of polar night, Swedes keep interiors pale to reflect and amplify light.

Think white walls, light woods for furniture and floors, and light upholstery. To get the look without getting rid of your dark furniture and floors, put white or light gray slipcovers on your sofa and chairs, and put down light-colored rugs.

The fastest way to bring a little Sweden into your room is to paint it. Try creamy white, pale blue, or dove gray.

#4 Change Your Bulbs:

Replace those incandescent bulbs and their yellowy light with LEDs, which produce a brighter, whiter light.

But get your bright right:

•The higher the K rating on the bulb, the cooler and whiter its light.

•For cool, white light, opt for a bulb rated 3,500K to 4,100K.

•For blue-white light that’s closest to natural daylight, use a bulb between 5,000K and 6,500K.

Unless you live in Sweden (see above) you may want to leave the uber-high K bulbs for grow rooms and seasonal affective disorder therapy clinics — because they’re as bright as real sunlight on a hot summer day at noon. You’ll need sunglasses to read.

#5 Hang Mirrors:

Make the most of that weak winter light by bouncing it around the room with mirrors.

If you don’t want the distraction of seeing your reflection all the time, use a large, convex one — also known as a fish-eye mirror. It will amplify light better than a flat one. Another option: Hang a gallery wall of small mirrors.

#6 Replace Heavy Curtains With Blinds or Roman Shades:

Fabric curtains, while quite insulating, block light and make a room feel smaller and more cramped, especially if they’re a dark color or have a large print.

Try Roman shades or a simple valance paired with blinds to let in the maximum amount of natural light.

#7 Trim Branches and Bushes That Block Light:

If you look out your windows and see the tops of your bushes, grab your pruning shears and get whacking.

You don’t want anything blocking that precious natural light. Same for tree limbs that may be arching down and blocking windows. Cut them off.

#8 Clean Your Windows:

Dirty windows block a lot of natural light.

Admit it, yours are kind of cruddy because who remembers to block out an afternoon to clean the windows?

So get it on your list. Clean the glass inside at least once a month and the glass outside once a year. Your serotonin level will thank you.

#9 Swap Your Solid Front Door for One With Glass Inserts:

A solid front door can make your house look and feel as dark as a dungeon.

Get rid of it and install a half-light or full-light door that lets the natural light stream in. For even more natural light, add glass sidelights and a glass transom.

The median cost of a new door is $2,000 for steel and $2,500 for fiberglass, before any extras, but a new door will add curb appeal.

Curb appeal equals higher resale value. And coming home in the evening to the warm glow of light radiating out the glass panels in your front door is an instant mood lifter.

#10 Add a Skylight:

It’s the ultimate way to bring more natural light into your house. A window only catches sun for a couple of hours a day, but a skylight lets in the sun all day.

An indoor view of the sky makes deepest January more tolerable. And feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin, light streaming from above, is liberating. A skylight, installed, can cost as much as $3,000. A cheaper alternative is a tubular skylight, which costs around $1,000.

If you’re really good with tools, you can install a tubular skylight yourself. Don’t even think about installing a full-blown skylight yourself.

#11 Add Plants:

Putting pots of plants around your room will remind you that spring and green will return.

Match plants to the amount of light you have, because dead and dying plants are depressing. Tropicals that thrive in indirect light are usually the best choice. If you have a sunny window you’ve got more plant options.

Bonus points for adding a plant that blooms in the winter, like a kaffir lily or anthurium.

#12 Celebrate National Cream Cheese Brownie Day:

February 10 is National Cream Cheese Brownie Day. Really. Since February is when winter is feeling longer than a seminar on insurance underwriting, this is exactly when you need to make cream cheese brownies.

Chocolate won’t make the sun shine longer or your house brighter, but it will make you feel better because… endorphins. Besides, you spent a ton of money on that marble-topped kitchen island and those double ovens, so get baking.

6 Home Projects That Cost Less Than a TV!

December 13, 2017

From: HomeAdvisor.com

Giving your home a little extra “umph” doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars. In fact, you can dramatically improve the looks of your home for less than the cost of a new TV. Ready to find out how? Keep reading to discover the six projects that are sure to make your home pop — without busting your budget.

1. Revamp your entryway:

A stylish entrance is an important part of any home’s decor. Begin your upgrade with a new welcome mat and house numbers. These simple upgrades are cost-friendly and have an immediate impact on your home’s entrance. You can also arrange potted plants — like easy-to-maintain succulents — around your entrance for an eye-popping aesthetic. Flowering plants, while slightly more difficult to maintain, can complement the color scheme of your entrance or act as a standalone focal point. You can also spruce up your home’s entrance with a quick color update to your front door. A new shade will complement your entryway décor and spruce up the overall look of your home’s exterior. Chic doorknockers, updated doorknobs and alluring porch lighting are the perfect finishing touches for your home’s entrance.

Expected costs:

Welcome mat: $2

House numbers: $6 per number

Succulents: $37 for pre-potted kits

Flowering plants: $30

Door knockers: $35

Doorknobs: $125

Porch lighting: $50

Front door color updated: $100-$300

2. Modernize your bathroom:

Major remodels aren’t the only way to revive your tired bathroom. Start by updating your paint. A new color will open up small spaces, rejuvenate your aesthetics and inspire chic décor. Next, upgrade your linens. New towels, shower mats and shower curtains can hide dated features and improve the overall panache of your bathroom. As a finishing touch, add candle sconces and alluring storage solutions like towel-hanging ladders and toiletry-stowing reclaimed crates.

Expected costs:

Painting: $200

Linens: $45

Candle sconces: $7

Reclaimed ladder: Less than $50

Reclaimed crates:0-20 per crate

3. Repaint your interior walls:

Repainting an entire room or just sprucing up a dated space with an accent wall will boost your home’s appeal. Lighter colors are perfect for opening up small areas and enhancing your home’s serenity. You can also paint your walls and trim — or other architectural features like mantles and built-in bookcases — subtly contrasting colors to give your room a dynamic pop. Accent walls are perfect for reviving dull spaces without the cost and work of a large painting job. Darker shades are perfect for studies, home offices and other areas of contemplation.

Expected costs:

Interior paint: $200-$300

4. Update your cabinet hardware:

Installing stylish cabinet hardware is a quick and cost-friendly way to jumpstart your kitchen. Before you begin your update, it’s important to pinpoint your kitchen’s style — you don’t want to mismatch modern pulls and knobs with traditional cabinets. If your kitchen has a contemporary design, go with sleek, understated hardware. Ornate, classically inspired aesthetics work best for traditional cabinets.

Expected costs:

Cabinet pulls: $3-$15 per pull

Cabinet knobs: $3-$15 per knob

5. Rejuvenate your light fixtures:

Dated light fixtures not only look bad, but they can also make day-to-day activities difficult — ultra-low lighting is great for a romantic night in, but not so much for chopping vegetables. Before you install new fixtures, it’s important to consider your décor. If you have a flair for the modern, go for the subtle-but-stunning aesthetics of pendant lighting. If your home has more of a traditional design, consider the lavish ornamentation of baroque-inspired chandeliers or candle wall sconces. Do-it-yourself electrical jobs can be dangerous. Hire a pro if you’re unsure about tackling this project yourself.

Expected costs:

Light fixture: $88-$230

6. Clean your carpets:

Unblemished carpets make a huge difference in the appearance of your home — especially if you experience a lot of foot traffic. Spot cleaning small stains is a simple do-it-yourself job, but it’s best to leave larger jobs to the pros.

Expected costs:

Professional clean: $174