The entrance to the home should set the style tone for the rest of the house. If you like minimalist design, create a sleek, uncluttered foyer space that will welcome visitors with the right vibe. 1. Earth Tones and Photo Art Wood flooring and a tasseled rug lead the way into this minimalist foyer that’s …
The rich wood and modern look of northwest style looks amazing in any geographic region. You don’t have to be from the northwest to enjoy these minimalistic foyers. Each one makes use of common northwest-style elements to create unique, photo-ready spaces. 1. Upstairs Downstairs This beautiful home is a Craftsman design with a northwest design …
Minimalism isn’t just a design trend, it’s sort of a way of life. Many design experts advocate getting rid of clutter, cutting excess items from your life and focusing just on what you utterly love. And if you utterly love minimalist design, this eye candy is going to fill you with ideas for decluttering and …
What’s the sense of having a pick up truck if you can’t store a bunch of stuff in it? That big, open truck bed is really just beginning for containers and boxes that allow you to store the items you really need. The type of storage container or truck toolboxes you get depends entirely on …
You’ve most likely seen all the standard roof designs and you’ve probably looked right past them. You probably don’t think a whole lot about roofs until you see one that really stands out as a design that’s actually interesting and unique. And if a roof is ever going to seriously turn your head, it’s probably …
Almonds are a little bit like the nuggets of gold in the cocktail nut mix. You’ve always got your usual peanuts, walnuts, maybe cashew here and there. But when you find that almond, you know you’re in for a treat. These sweet, delicious nuts have their own distinct shape and their own unique look. They …
Most nuts have a reputation for being a healthy snack, even though many nuts are somewhat high in calories and fat. But Brazil nuts are superstars in the nut world, famous for being packed with good stuff your body needs. Is this claim to fame really well-earned, or is this just a nutty observation that’s …
Peanuts are that snack that’s always just around. They’re at the ballpark, at festivals and fairs. They’re in your pantry as peanut butter. You can get boiled peanuts, roasted peanuts…heck, you can even get circus peanuts if you like. But how healthy are peanuts, really? If you had to give up peanuts…could you? Related: Brazil …
Cashews are one of the most recognizable nuts in the world. They have a distinct shape and a distinct flavor. They’re salty and savory, great in desserts or in trail mix…and they’re all a huge lie. That’s right. Because cashew nuts aren’t nuts at all. They’re seeds. And the nutritional benefits and health benefits you …
Before Coronavirus changed everything, many people didn’t spend a whole lot of time at home…at least, not weeks and weeks at a time. But during times of quarantine, even the nicest home can start to feel like a prison. You may have felt the walls closing in on you. Outdoor living spaces give you all …
Ever wonder why so many things in this world are improperly named? After all, strawberries aren’t berries and koalas aren’t really bears. Heck, Bostom cream pie isn’t a pie — it’s a cake! Storm windows are no better. They sound like something you need to put on your home ahead of hurricane season but storm …
Pine nuts are an expensive ingredient, something you may have noticed if you’ve experimented with a lot of different recipes. This may make them seem like an exotic ingredient or one of those cool, trendy new foods that everyone starts freaking out about. But the truth is, pine nuts have been around for thousands of …
Roasted chestnuts are so associated with winter and the holiday season, there’s a famous carol that mentions them. But do people really eat roasted chestnuts as a holiday treat? When did this tradition start and are chestnuts any good for you, anyway? Once you know more about roasted chestnuts, you may be glad this holiday …
If you’ve ever owned a bird, if you enjoy feeding birds or if you’re simply a fan of bird culture in any way, chances are pretty high that you’ve already heard of black oil sunflower seeds. This is the most popular bird seed out there, attracting many different species of birds. If you fill your …
You may hear that a certain neighborhood has Queen Anne architecture, or hear someone say they have a Queen Anne house. It sounds incredibly regal and important, but do you know what this architectural style looks like? Queen Anne architecture was trendy during an era named for a whole different Queen of England, but this …
To lots of people, the word Gothic conjures up images of Dracula in a dusty old castle, or maybe disgruntled youth wearing a lot of black clothing. It’s something dark and disturbed, spooky, and surreal. But for architecture enthusiasts, Gothic means stained glass windows, beautiful churches, lots of natural light, and stunning detail. Gothic architecture …
Choosing the windows of your home is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. Windows can completely change the look of the house and they dictate how you’re going to live in it. Different windows open in different ways. Some are more energy-efficient than others, which affects how much you’ll pay on your utility …
You’ve been to houses before where all the faucets were bright and shiny. Then you’ve been to others where the metal was less shiny with a smooth, elegant look. You’ve seen faucets in silver and in gold. But they’re not all made with different metals. They’re just treated with different metal finishes. You need to …
The name is a little misleading, but the Italianate style isn’t really Italian. This is really a distinctly American architecture style. In fact, Italianate architecture is so common to the U.S., it’s also known as the American style. What sets this style apart from actual Italian architecture and where can you find examples of this …
If you find yourself throwing away a lot of old leftovers, expired items, and other food every single time you clean out your refrigerator, you’re not alone. Food waste is a huge problem with a big environmental impact. Start investing in some gadgets that will greatly reduce your food waste and eventually, all these items …
It always seems like the homes you see on TV are just so perfectly coordinated, so dazzling. Rooms that interior designers set up, those show homes with staged areas…if you see them and think “I could never do that in my home,” you’re not alone. Knowing how to mix and match the right colors and …
Baking is really just chemistry. Like a scientist in a lab, you have to mix the right amount of ingredients together in the proper order, use heat or cold in a specific way and you end up creating something brand-new. Recipes may have eggs, or not. They may contain flour, or not. They might have …
Sometimes, windows are styled to be a main feature of the home. There are some designs that stand out and become a big part of the overall style of the house itself. But then there are windows that remain simple and elegant so that what shines is all the sunlight coming into your home. Slider …
Quicklist: Showerheads Fixed Showerheads Handheld Showerheads Dual Showerheads Energy-Saving Showerheads Different Showerhead Finishes Body Spas Rain Showerheads Slide Bar Showerheads Low-Flow Showerheads Voice-Activated Showerheads Filtered Showerheads Lighted LED Showerheads Two out of three people in the U.S. take a shower once a day or even multiple times a day. Those people probably don’t spend a …
They’re both root vegetables and when you cut them open, they may be the same color. Their names are often used interchangeably, but yams and sweet potatoes are not the same things at all. In the foodie world, there’s a bit of a battle between yams and sweet potatoes. And when you’re around a foodie, …
You may know them as those pretty, nearly white nuts that show up sometimes in cookies. But macadamia nuts have a reputation for being super nuts. They’re loaded with health benefits, but these nuts are also loaded with some not so super qualities. Macadamia nuts are associated with Hawaii but they actually come from much …
Pecans are one of the most recognizable types of nuts. They have a distinct look and a distinct taste. They can be roasted, chopped, glazed, baked, and candied, among other treatments. You can put pecans in pies, cakes, sweet treats of all kinds. But until you know how to candy, toast, spice, and glaze pecans, …
People say that windows are the eyes of the home. They talk about how important curb appeal is. And you always have to think about window treatments when you’re moving into a new place. But there’s a lot more than looks for homeowners to consider when it comes to windows. What makes some windows better …
It’s hard to say for sure, but windows were probably one of the first architectural elements ever invented. Let’s face it, after you create a wall it’s just where you’re naturally going to go. Windows add light to any space, they provide a view of what’s outside and they make walls a heck of a …
When you break it down to its simplest terms, windows are really just holes in the wall. At least, this is how the very first windows started. From this simple design, windows evolved into all sorts of different styles. They’re made in single-pane, double-pane, single-hung, double-hung designs and a whole huge range of different looks. …
Any house that has bow windows, or even just one, immediately draws attention and gets noticed. You’ve definitely swiveled your head to look at a bow window before, even if you didn’t know the name of what you were looking at. Bow windows are an amazing architectural element that also serves a really practical purpose. …
Winter is known as a time for the death of plants. Everything turns gray or brown and you look over the sad remains of your landscaping and garden feeling down. But you don’t have to rely on berries and evergreens to add color to your outdoor areas. There are many winter flowering plants that can …
Double-hung windows just sound like a lot more work than single-hung windows. After all, why the heck would you need to hang windows twice? Lots of people don’t know the difference between these two window types and can’t tell you exactly what double-hung windows are. The first thing you should know is that double-hung windows …
Fudge is the classic treat that makes everyone light up. It makes a great gift and it’s too tempting to resist for anyone with a sweet tooth. But it’s also deceptively simple. Actually trying to make fudge can be a bit of an experience. You have to use a double boiler and get everything to …
For a long time, water heaters were pretty much just a big tank with a bunch of pipes and a gas burner keeping the water hot. That’s the simplified version of a hot water heater, anyway, though professional plumbers might groan at that description. Nowadays, however, you have several different options for heating up your …
You’re used to it, so you probably don’t ever even think about it. But it’s actually really amazing that you can go into any faucet in your home and turn a certain knob to make hot water come out of it. This is truly a marvel of modern engineering. Tankless water heaters are even more …
Every homeowner has to make a decision about the type of water heater they want to have. Water heaters that run on gas or electricity are considered to be pretty standard, but that doesn’t mean you have to choose this option. Heat pump water heaters are more energy-efficient and they may be the better option …
Stone, synthetic, marble, granite…when you’re looking at different counter options and home design materials, things can get pretty overwhelming pretty quickly. You probably don’t know a lot about counter materials other than what you’ve heard from friends and on snippets of home design shows, just like most people. But if you’re going to make the …
Have you ever felt like maybe you didn’t want turkey for Thanksgiving? If you ever have, you probably didn’t tell anybody…because what would they think? After all, what else besides turkey is there for Thanksgiving? There are lots of reasons why turkey might actually not be on the table at your big meal. Explore all …
It seems like some kind of Hollywood requirement that every movie and TV show set in the 1970s or 1960s must have shag carpeting in it somewhere. This is a look that you probably recognize instantly and spot easily. Shag carpeting is one of the most distinctive styles of floor covering available. Everyone’s seen it, …
They say that turkey is the star of Thanksgiving, but everyone knows it’s really the stuffing that makes the table. The holiday just doesn’t feel complete without a generous helping of this bready, herb-covered treat. But the stuffing you eat at Thanksgiving probably depends on the region of the U.S. where you live. This year, …
Thanksgiving is a special holiday for those of us who live in the U.S. This holiday is celebrated nowhere else in the world, which makes it distinctly American. Even the menu is comprised of many foods native to North America. Turkeys are indigenous to the U.S., along with veggies like squash and corn. It’s always …
Onyx is huge in home design right now. If you’ve been noticing a gorgeous stone that looks like marble but isn’t marble that’s suddenly everywhere, it’s probably onyx. This stone has literally been around for millions of years but it’s suddenly the hot new look in home design. Onyx is a gorgeous natural stone with …
Pumpkin spice latte. Pumpkin doughnuts. Pumpkin ice cream. Pumpkin bagels. You can even get pumpkin spice butter. Seriously. In November, suddenly everything becomes pumpkin-flavored. Pumpkin is considered to be the signature pie of Thanksgiving…but is it? The truth is, plenty of people don’t like pumpkin and this isn’t the most popular Thanksgiving pie in lots …
Do you think marble counters look pretty amazing? How do you feel about granite? What about quartz? What if you could have them all at the same time…all in the same tile? Terrazo is a mixture of all these materials and more. If you want a stone that’s highly durable and beautiful, you’re going to …
If you were one of the many people who read the “Game of Thrones” books, or maybe “Lord of the Rings,” then you’re already familiar with the word “parapet.” Pretty much every single book set in any sort of medieval-like era mentions this word. The thing is, parapets aren’t just for thousand-year-old castles in Europe…or …
Jerkinhead actually sounds a bit like a sick burn. In fact, you may want to try it out on that annoying guy who’s always on your nerves. Unless he’s a roofing contractor, an architect, or a truly avid DIYer, he probably won’t know that this is actually a roof style and not a great insult. …
If there’s one thing people notice, it’s a fireplace. You can decorate for the holidays, show off your favorite family photos, and pretty much just sort of lord it over your friends that yes, you do have a fireplace. Everyone always wants a fireplace until they have a chimney. Then, you start to learn a …
So, it sounds like “shed roof” is really just any roof you slap on top of a shed. And by one definition, that’s exactly what it is. But if you’ve got a shed with a roof, that roof has a specific name that refers to the design. As imprecise as “shed roof” may sound, this …
If you’re familiar with architecture in New England, then you’ve heard of a saltbox house before. This style was all over New England in the 1800s and you can still find saltbox homes all over the area to this day. But it’s not so much about the house itself. It’s really the roof that makes …