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Til decor do us part? How couples can decorate together

By Melissa Rayworth Associated Press Sharing a home with someone you love can be wonderful. But decorating together isn’t always easy, especially when your tastes aren’t the same. If one partner loves filling every space with mementos and the other is clutter-averse, who gets their way? It can be hard to find good compromises when one loves bold colors and patterns, while the other favors calming shades of gray. Interior designer Penny Drue Baird draws as much on her doctorate in psychology as on her design training when she works with couples decorating a home. “I’m ...

Getting creative: Designing personal spaces that inspire

By Katherine Roth Associated Press Spaces where creativity happens are utterly unlike other rooms, artists and designers say. Whether at home or elsewhere, these deeply personal spaces often feel like they’re in flux, with interiors more curated than decorated. They often feature natural objects and personal totems. They can feel messy, but also like a window into an artist’s mind. “I am always mesmerized by what goes on in these creative spaces. They are very special and often very private. The hardest part is convincing people to let you in,” says Paul Barbera, who has ...

Home improvements that may not pay off when you sell

By Kate Wood NerdWallet You spent the holidays binging on HGTV, and now visions of shiplap accent walls and freestanding soaking tubs are dancing through your head. Donít let your desire to upgrade your home downgrade your home’s market value. Before you make a renovation fantasy a reality, consider whether the project will pay off when you’re ready to sell. Plenty of home improvements add value, but others — like these five — can hurt it. 1. A CHEF-QUALITY KITCHEN If you love to cook, a high-end kitchen could be the ultimate gift — for you. But if you think a massive ...

Right at home: Ceilings with something to say

By Kim Cook Associated Press The ceiling — sometimes referred to as a room’s fifth wall — often gets short shrift in decorating schemes. Walls and furnishings take center stage while the acreage overhead receives a coat of neutral white paint, with perhaps a snazzy ceiling fixture. That wasn’t the case historically. Plaster ornamentation and murals were used centuries ago, and the Victorians really went to town on the ceiling, with elaborate moldings and stamped tin sheeting. Ceiling medallions graced more formal spaces like dining rooms and parlors, while timber beams and ...

Buying a home by age 35 is worth it now – and later

By Beth Buczynski NerdWallet Nicole Christianson, a 26-year-old sales rep, was tired of writing big checks for tiny apartments. And she wanted to do more with her cash than stash it in a savings account. One night, she and her husband Thure, 28, took a look at their newly combined finances and uncovered a pleasant surprise: Together, they had saved enough for a 5 percent down payment on the affordable fixer-upper right across the street from their Milwaukee apartment. They closed in December 2017, and Nicole Christianson says they’re happy to finally be “making something ...

Salvage, thrift shops offer sustainable decor with a story

By Katherine Roth Associated Press Two of the hottest trends in home decor are sustainability and authenticity. No wonder architectural salvage shops are busy. Homeowners love features that come with a story, says Rich Ellis, publisher of Architectural Salvage and Antique Lumber News. “When you can point to your floor and say it came from an old shoe factory in Connecticut, for example, that’s a big attraction,” he says. There are between 500 and 700 architectural salvage businesses across the country, and business has been good, he says. “It’s about both history and ...