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Creativity, functionality both matter in playroom decor

By Kim Cook Associated Press Go bold. Stay practical. Think long-term. These are among the tips offered by interior decorators for creating a fresh, fun — even inspiring — playroom for kids. ——— FOSTER CREATIVITY “I love bold choices in a playroom,” says Mel Bean, a designer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In one client’s theater room, for example, “we used a high-contrast carpet as a real show-stopper,” she says. “Another space uses black and white walls and floors as a backdrop for colorful art supplies, chairs, books and paintings.” Yet another playroom she is ...

Home costs don’t stop at a down payment

By Sara Rathner of NerdWallet If you’re saving for your first home, there’s no shortage of advice out there — some of it questionable, even if you do have an avocado toast habit. Still, it’s true that your down payment may be the biggest check you ever write. But once you move in, it’s also true that the cash tends to just keep flying out of your bank account like that money-with-wings emoji. If you drain your savings on closing day, you’ll have to delay furnishings or repairs, to say nothing of less-pressing cosmetic changes. A sizable cash cushion makes the cost of ...

Natural light sets a nice mood, and builders seek more of it

By Melissa Kossler Dutton Associated Press The first year that Bob Webb Homes used transom windows in the showcase house the company built for a home tour, visitors described the house as bright, warm and inviting. While few mentioned the windows, company representatives said tour participants were responding favorably to the additional natural light provided by the horizontal windows above the home’s more traditionally placed windows. “They couldn’t quite figure out why our house felt different,” said chief operating officer Scott Shively. “It was all the natural light. ...

Small touches create a great master bathroom

By Melissa Rayworth Associated Press It’s easy to design a gorgeous master bathroom if you have a huge budget. But with the right choices, says interior designer Gabriel Anderson, you can have an exceptional master bath without overspending. “Having huge expanses of marble is amazing and wonderful, but you don’t have to have that to have an amazing bathroom,” says Anderson, co-founder of the New York design firm Dean and Dahl. There are “little touches you can incorporate that really bring a master bath to life.” We’ve asked Anderson and two specialists in bath ...

In a sizzling US market, demand and prices for homes soar

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s housing market has grown so overheated as demand outpaces supply that prices keep hitting record highs — and roughly half of all U.S. houses are now selling above their list price. Two years ago, before the pandemic struck, just a quarter of homes were selling above the sellers’ asking price, according to data from the real estate brokerage Redfin. New data further illuminated the red-hot nature of the housing market: Prices rose in March at the fastest pace in more than seven years. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index jumped ...

Creativity, functionality both matter in playroom decor

By Kim Cook Associated Press Go bold. Stay practical. Think long-term. These are among the tips offered by interior decorators for creating a fresh, fun — even inspiring — playroom for kids. ——— FOSTER CREATIVITY “I love bold choices in a playroom,” says Mel Bean, a designer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In one client’s theater room, for example, “we used a high-contrast carpet as a real show-stopper,” she says. “Another space uses black and white walls and floors as a backdrop for colorful art supplies, chairs, books and paintings.” Yet another playroom she is ...