5 Ways to Add Luxury to Your Regular Home
Posted under: Home Buying,
Home Selling,
Remodel & Renovate
|
May 11, 2011 5:36 PM |
78,012 views |
90 comments
Real
estate eye candy is everywhere. And if you love window shopping for
homes online, there's a seemingly endless influx of massive mansions
listed in the tens of millions of dollars. While their trillion square
feet might not tempt you, and their manicured grounds seem like an
eco-nightmare requiring a lifetime of landscaping, the luxury amenities
and highly customized features do make the living seem easy, right?
Whether you're buying, prepping to sell or simply trying to live the good life in your current home, here are 5 inexpensive ways to add some luxury to your regular home:
1. Spa bathroom upgrades. I’m not saying you have to have a toilet like Whoopi Goldberg’s or anything. Her flusher has been featured on the View, Oprah and all over the web - one site even made up a song about it (the ditty is a bit blue, though, so I won’t link here. The curious can find it online.) But her toilet - yes, the toilet - runs around $7,000!! (No typo, folks.)
In
all seriousness, though, spas tend to have a clean, bright look and
feel and luxurious stress-busting features that just flush the tension
right out of you (pardon the pun) - many of which can be installed in
your own home for a fraction of what the dreadlocked one paid for her
porcelain potty. For example, pedestal sinks instantly - and
inexpensively - open up a bathroom, especially when replacing a dark
vanity and wall-to-counter mirrors. I recently put a new pedestal sink
in my bathroom for less than $600 - top of the line, including faucets
and installation!
Similarly, you can get more of the spa look and experience at home, with a relatively modest investment - especially compared with the lifestyle upgrade for your buck - by installing granite counters (the tiny slab most bathrooms take can run a few hundred dollars), a basic bathtub with jets or river-rock shower floors for under a thousand dollars!
2. Custom, decorative paint treaments. Sponge painting? Trè
s
1990. Murals in your kids’ rooms, entry hall inspirational mantras
that greet your guests - paint is one of the least expensive “edits” you
can make to your home, and homeowners are upleveling their home’s
aesthetics with custom paint in lots of luxe-ey ways.
From harlequin diamonds to chair rails, crown moldings and wainscoating, decorative paint treatments are a simple, cheap and chic method for upping the luxury in your home life.
3. Built-in anything. Part of what makes uber-luxury homes, well, uber-luxurious is the fact that it seems like living life in them would be so neat and clean and easy. One way to get that feel in your very own home is to build in some of the necessities, optimizing the way you use your space and takes great advantage of otherwise unusable areas, generally creating what the feng shui set would deem free-flowing chi.
Consider building in:
4. Dedicated spaces for anything. There’s no need to go all Candy Spelling and dedicate multiple rooms to gift wrapping. But space is a luxury in and of itself, so dedicated space for your film-watching (a theater room), gardening materials, crafting supplies or even the kids’ homework is an extra-special, super-duper luxury, especially if it’s equipped with the right equipment for the activity to which the room, half-room or even corner or nook is dedicated.
5. Automation. Remember the Jetsons? The vision for this century was a fully automated, robotic home that did all the work of life for you, so your time would be free to shop at Mooning Dales or work for Mr. Spacely building sprockets. Most of that hasn’t happened, and that’s probably for the good. But injecting small touches of automation into your home can give it a decidedly high-end feel - for very, very little cash.
(And they're also gadget-ally delicious!)
I personally just put a couple of these
automated trash cans- $60
each! - into my own kitchen. They’re hands free, so eliminate the
germiness and clunkiness of opening a lid with your hands or feet, and
they were the hit of a recent dinner party! (Okay, it was the food,
then the trash cans that guests admired. But still.) Many hands-free
or automatic household items are available at very low prices, like
automatic soap pumps, paper towel dispensers and robotic vacuum
cleaners.
And if you want a built-in recycling center with a techie feel, here’s one that should really float your boat - $100 bucks for in-home, eco-chic luxe!
Whether you're buying, prepping to sell or simply trying to live the good life in your current home, here are 5 inexpensive ways to add some luxury to your regular home:
1. Spa bathroom upgrades. I’m not saying you have to have a toilet like Whoopi Goldberg’s or anything. Her flusher has been featured on the View, Oprah and all over the web - one site even made up a song about it (the ditty is a bit blue, though, so I won’t link here. The curious can find it online.) But her toilet - yes, the toilet - runs around $7,000!! (No typo, folks.)
In
all seriousness, though, spas tend to have a clean, bright look and
feel and luxurious stress-busting features that just flush the tension
right out of you (pardon the pun) - many of which can be installed in
your own home for a fraction of what the dreadlocked one paid for her
porcelain potty. For example, pedestal sinks instantly - and
inexpensively - open up a bathroom, especially when replacing a dark
vanity and wall-to-counter mirrors. I recently put a new pedestal sink
in my bathroom for less than $600 - top of the line, including faucets
and installation!Similarly, you can get more of the spa look and experience at home, with a relatively modest investment - especially compared with the lifestyle upgrade for your buck - by installing granite counters (the tiny slab most bathrooms take can run a few hundred dollars), a basic bathtub with jets or river-rock shower floors for under a thousand dollars!
2. Custom, decorative paint treaments. Sponge painting? Trè
s
1990. Murals in your kids’ rooms, entry hall inspirational mantras
that greet your guests - paint is one of the least expensive “edits” you
can make to your home, and homeowners are upleveling their home’s
aesthetics with custom paint in lots of luxe-ey ways.From harlequin diamonds to chair rails, crown moldings and wainscoating, decorative paint treatments are a simple, cheap and chic method for upping the luxury in your home life.
3. Built-in anything. Part of what makes uber-luxury homes, well, uber-luxurious is the fact that it seems like living life in them would be so neat and clean and easy. One way to get that feel in your very own home is to build in some of the necessities, optimizing the way you use your space and takes great advantage of otherwise unusable areas, generally creating what the feng shui set would deem free-flowing chi.
Consider building in:
- Storage systems. From shelved nooks to closet organizers to garage grids for sports equipment, storage systems eliminate clutter and make sure there’s a place for everything, and that everything has a place. If you can afford a custom cabinet installation or custom closets, they certainly offer the fancy moldings and modules that create luxury appeal. But many home improvement stores now offer much less expensive versions of these systems that look and work great.
- Desks and bookshelves. Like storage, but activity-specific, built-in office equipment maintains order and can turn a dead corner of a room into a highly useful workstation. To replicate this functionality on the cheap, find a corner or nook and put in an armoire-style workstation that closes and folds up when you’re not working. And built-in bookshelves are a time-tested selling point when your home is being sold, by the by, so, if you have an empty area from old-school built-ins which were removed, installing inexpensive shelving might be a great way to go.
- Wine storage. Dead space under the stairs can easily be transformed into a wine cellar or storage space. My own personal wine cellar is where I store my kid’s chocolate milk, my electrolyte water and a bottle or two fish sauce, but it’s a great feature to have at home, no matter what you’ll use it for!
- Recycling/compost/trash centers. Try as we might to minimize it, we all generate trash. Built-in centers with clearly marked waste receptacles make this dirty part of life less messy and more manageable.
4. Dedicated spaces for anything. There’s no need to go all Candy Spelling and dedicate multiple rooms to gift wrapping. But space is a luxury in and of itself, so dedicated space for your film-watching (a theater room), gardening materials, crafting supplies or even the kids’ homework is an extra-special, super-duper luxury, especially if it’s equipped with the right equipment for the activity to which the room, half-room or even corner or nook is dedicated.
5. Automation. Remember the Jetsons? The vision for this century was a fully automated, robotic home that did all the work of life for you, so your time would be free to shop at Mooning Dales or work for Mr. Spacely building sprockets. Most of that hasn’t happened, and that’s probably for the good. But injecting small touches of automation into your home can give it a decidedly high-end feel - for very, very little cash.
(And they're also gadget-ally delicious!)
I personally just put a couple of these
automated trash cans- $60
each! - into my own kitchen. They’re hands free, so eliminate the
germiness and clunkiness of opening a lid with your hands or feet, and
they were the hit of a recent dinner party! (Okay, it was the food,
then the trash cans that guests admired. But still.) Many hands-free
or automatic household items are available at very low prices, like
automatic soap pumps, paper towel dispensers and robotic vacuum
cleaners. And if you want a built-in recycling center with a techie feel, here’s one that should really float your boat - $100 bucks for in-home, eco-chic luxe!
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Comments
Of course whether adding luxury to your existing home or your new home, the 203K Renovation loan is one way to make it possible. The 'K' doesn't just limit you to work that 'must' be done but can be used to add just about anything but a pool.
I especially like the idea of dedicated spaces as a luxury in and of itself...with two dogs, teens and husband I could really use this in my own home!
It sounds from the article that the "wine cellar" is actually a wine fridge. So no probs w the chocolate milk, John.
I like most of these ideas. Pedestal sinks are great in small guest bathrooms or powder rooms that don't need much storage. Master bathrooms and children's bathrooms need cabinet storage underneath but first floor guest bathrooms usually don't. Granite is still the stone that says "luxury" to most people. Personally, I'm not into polished granite. I like granite to be honed to a matte finish, not polished, for a modern and industrial look. I prefer kitchen trash cans to be hidden away. SimpleHuman makes a great under-counter pullout system with dual bins for trash and recycle. I do use the Simple Human automatic trash cans similar to the one linked above in both the garage and in the laundry room for lint, and they work great. For other home automation, try adding some lighting controls. There are many DIY systems available. Insteon makes a good system that's inexpensive and infinitely expandable. You can set lighting scenes and dim levels via a secure web interface. Or if you have a bigger budget, try a Control4 system that will tie-into your home audio, heating, door locks and security system. You'll be able to control your entire system from your iPhone while you're away. I have this and it's great. But, admittedly, Control4 falls outside the "budget" part of this discussion because it requires custom installation.
I feel sorry for Mr. P. Nothing seems good enough, everything's negative, and not ONE positive note to offer. I LOVED the article and enjoyed her writing style, too. And I would certainly hate to be saddled with the kind of thought process that occupies poor Mr. Potter's widdle head. Kinda sad, really. Wake up and smell the roses! They're really out there!
By John Potter, Thu May 12 2011, 05:34
Bathroom pedestal takes away storage space. As does the vanity that now has no storage for simple items such as toothbrushes that are easier to access from the vanity than a closet. Your picture of decor after 6 months now becomes a cleaning menace full of dust in all of the little crevices. Looks nice for three months than a mess after that without added maintenance. What you say on the one hand you contradict on the other. Your automated devices are handyman delights in a years time. Fix it man will be at your house. Granite counter tops are old style now. There must be something more elegant you can recommend. Does not sound like your dead space under your stairs is a wine cellar. Storing chocolate milk outside a refrigerator is not wise. Will not last very long. The area under the stairs probably is far from the temperature in a refrigerator. Even a wine cellar is probably not cool enough for milk storage. Needs ice. Your economic life of your house appears to have diminished with these changes to a vanity fair with high maintenance.
However, luxury may be in the eye of the beholder.....if one doesn't drink, a wine storage area may seem like a waste of space.....(but since I do love wine - bring it on!!)
In regard top Whoopie's fancy commode (sounds nicer than calling it a toilet!), my friend has one of those (I think the company that manufactures it is called Toto?)........and that amazing contraption does everything except read you a bedtime story! haha
Just one little cute feature is - you wave your hand in front of it, and the lid automatically rises or lowers!
Countertops should be seamless for ease of cleaning, Although one might prefer a synthetic solid surface like Corian or Silestone, I wouldn't pull out slab granite to make the change.
Concrete floors in the basement or garage can coated or covered to make them more attractive and easier to clean.
Don't forget to do landscaping with special regard to firm scaping (putting in retaining walls, paths, decks, patios) to make the outside more livable.
Safety items like hand holds in the bathroom are always a good idea.
A picture rail is the most attractive way to hang pictures.
I abso-freaking-lutely HATE the pedestal sinks! I would NEVER be looking for a new home with "those things" and I'm like Lindapwg would calculate how much it'll take me to "fix it" OR 99% I would walk away.
Pedestal sinks scream - limited space & most of the time cheap upgrade! So, congrats you contradicted yourself.
And about other permanent apgrades - you need to be very careful as well. You have now idea what for or how potential buyer wants to use that spare space in your home. Less is more if it's not a 6,000 sqft mansion.
However, built-ins are a great idea for luxury, if it can work for you. If it will turn into another corner that will collect dust, do without it. Less is more and the feeling and knowing that you have extra and open space is actually alot more luxurious than most people understand or realize. If you find that you need more storage, its probably that you need less things. The book, "One Year to an Organized Life" by Regina Leeds is EXTREMELY useful because she ACTUALLY breaks it down for you week by week, month by month so that you have the luxury of having an organized home.
By the way about sinks, there are now sinks that have a top drawer that goes around the main drain. And they come in so many different colors and finishes. Okay, sorry this post was so long. I never posted before and I am sure I violated some posting code of etiquette. (chuckle). Sorry about that. Thanks for the article.
Your comment was right on, you don't have to spend a whole lot to make your home appealing to a buyer. Be original bake a cake or some cookies nothing is more welcoming than the smell of something just out of the oven.
The Virtual Staging is not a good idea in the long run because it could be construed as a "bait & switch" tactic. Changing the way a home really looks online with technology will only disappoint and possibly alienate a buyer because what the person saw online is vastly different from reality. I know if a house had a certain look and feel to it online and I then went to view the home and it was different from what I viewed online I would not be happy. I think the virtual staging idea was good in thought, but not appropriate in practice. Besides, you could always do a cheaper version and "redesign" your space to update the look for a sale. There's sometimes no way of getting around spending money to prepare your house for going on the market. You can only cut corners so far.
I am trying to find a condo in Deerfield Beach 33441 2 bed, 2 baths, washer and dryer in appart., condo fees under $300...... 2nd level...... for under $50,000.00 Would pay cash......no financing
P.S. Also I am interested in Meadows Lakes on the 15th street or Ave 33442 only.
I am trying to find a condo in Deerfield Beach 33441...... 2 bed, 2 bath, washer and dryer in appart... condo fees under $300.00 .... 2nd level..... for under $50,000.00 No financing, would pay cash..
P.S. Also interested in Meadows lakes on the 15 th street or ave 33442 in this zip the only place...
Thank you
___________
http://www.southptc.com/title-company-miami.html
And making it like that of the Jetsons.
Ruth
http://www.efortmyershomes.com/
http://bannister.edu.ph/
Live Green
executive office furniture
You can call granite old-fashioned, but it's still a head-turner and much desired by buyers. A newer twist could be to select a different surface for the kitchen island - like stainless steel.
Paint is still the best bang for your buck. Neutral & Flat with white or off white trim. Nothing transforms a room faster and for less money. Please don't sponge - that look is OVER.
And if you have no money left in the decorating coffers - CLEAN IS KING!! Nothing is more appealing than a clean house. Period.
this report is for each writer to give their own personal opinion and NOT to criticize others' opinion. It is not a GOP debate for god's sake!
And for those critics, I also will add that I do not like pedestals sinks, they are very impractical for storage and especially in small bathrooms.
luxury office furniture
http://www.lamercanti.it/categoria/poltrone-manageriali-65/