Tag Archives: decluttering

5 Hacks to Make Your Studio Apartment Look Bigger

Do you live in a loft? studio apartment? Do you see yourself living there for a while, or do you just like that style and can’t see yourself leaving it? Well, we totally understand, and we’ve got tips for you to make every square footage of that room count. Here are five hacks to make your studio apartment look bigger than it actually is:

1. Lighten up the floors

Yep, that’s right. Make your floors a lighter color. Paint them, or if you’re renting the place and your lease won’t allow it, then a wide bright rug will do the trick just fine, as well.

2. Clear it up

By this we mean, clear, see-through furniture is your best choice. Side tables with see-through legs. All these help into making it seem there is less space, or clutter. Try it out and tell us what you think!

3. Two-for-One

To some people this idea never seems like fun, but then again some people love the efficiency of it. Think of buying one furniture that doubles into something else. For example, your side table could also double as a bar. These not only save you space, but also keeps you and almost forces you to keep the space less cluttered and more organized.

4. The walls are your friends

Well, it might sound silly but they are! They become extra space you can occupy. For example, hang your necklaces, towels, etc. Have that become another space that you can use. Here’s a tip: make sure everything has at least 5-8 inches of space between each other. The trick is to never make it seem like it’s cluttered.

5. Higher Up

Ok, so now we’ve used up your walls, floor, and even doubled-up some furniture use. Now, look up. Yes, the ceilings. No, we’re not hanging anything from there today (although we recommend you do—some interior decorators suggest hanging plants gives it a sense of more space to a room), but we will be painting it. If you are lucky enough to have a high ceiling, then feel free to paint it! We suggest you do the same color as your floor to lighten up the place even more.

Well reader, here is where we end our post. Hopefully, you’ve find it informative! Feel free to tell us if you’ve tried any of this and it’s worked! Or, if you’d like to add some more tips, feel free to do so in the comments below!

Find the original article here.

De-cluttering Your Home for a More Successful Sale

All real estate experts will agree that preparing your property prior to putting it up for sale is an essential step that will sufficiently augment your chances of a quick and successful deal. A presentable home is far more appealing and will blow out the competition. Keep in mind that emotion plays a high role in the purchasing process. One can fall in love with the design of your place and therefore be willing to dismiss minor flaws. Your goal is to help buyers envision themselves living in this exact home. Selling an estate is not an easy task, so it’s best to take care of the things that are under your control such as clutter.

First Things First

Let’s be honest – there are a lot of things on your agenda. Creating a list of all the tasks you need to tackle is extremely useful. This way, you will avoid the risk of getting lost in the process. Get equipped with enough storage options. Put yourself in the shoes of the potential buyers and mark certain areas that you think might have an influence on their decision. Small improvements might raise the value of your home and help you seal a quick deal. In terms of the interior, you can repair leaking faucets, fix wall cracks and other appliances. You might also consider repainting or replacing old fixtures. Don’t forget the exterior of your home. It is the thing that visitors will spot first. Remove the lawn appliances and furniture from the yard and find them a proper storage place.

Clean The Clutter

The fastest way to get your home ready for prospective buyers is by de–cluttering. This will also help you when preparing to move out of the house. Pre–packing is a perfect way to get rid of the unnecessary items around your home. It will also minimize your stress level. De-cluttering is the time for reconsideration of what things are actually essential to your daily life. Chances are in the process you will find things that you no longer use or that are damaged. It might be easier to deal with one room at a time. The next step is to go through all your possessions. Put some of the bulky or less appealing furniture in storage before showing your home. This way you will free up additional space and make your place look larger. Put your seasonal clothes in boxes. Decide what you want to keep and what you will throw or donate. If you don’t have enough storage space in your home, get a self–storage unit, but make sure it is out of the way when potential buyers come around.

Before Showing Your Home

After you are finished with most of the work, now you just need a few finishing touches. Be sure that your home is clean and tidy. Vacuuming, mopping and dusting as well as window cleaning are the basics. If you have pets that live indoors, send them to relatives or neighbors before the open house so you will have time to get rid of the unpleasant odors and fur that you now realize covers everything in sight. Set a small storage space in the house where the potential buyers don’t have access. You can display valuable items and accessories that add to the overall decor. However, you need to remove pictures and personal belongings such as children’s drawings that will hinder potential buyers from envisioning their own families in the space.

About the Author: Heather Roberts is a content writer from London, UK. She lives in Balham, London with her husband and two sons, and loves planning family trips and exploring new places.

House Cleaning Facts: Men vs. Women

As homeowners, couples often get into arguments about who does the most cleaning? Often times people want to divide it 50/50 but it’s not always the case. Here are some numbers that finally tell us the truth. Take a look.

So dear reader, after looking at these numbers, would you say you agree? Do you do most of the cleaning or the least? Let us know!

Downsizing a Home for Moving

If you happen to be moving to a smaller place, then you will likely have to find a way to remove some of your possessions in favor of a more lighter solution. The longer we live in a single place, the more time we take to gather up quite a few items. Moving can however be quite expensive so you need to consider these expenses beforehand. The article ahead will give you a few tips on how you can downsize your belongings to a more manageable size, reducing things and making them cheaper to move:

Think about your needs

A lot of the exercise equipment or furniture you have around your home is likely not used for the most part. If you happen to have any furniture in storage or if you think what you own can go for a change, then you may want to do something about it so you’ll find them a new home. This will be a good opportunity to make use of them by either selling them, making some money in the process, or to donate them somewhere where they can do more good. The same goes for any clothes you may have around your home that you can donate to a thrift store. Some books you believe you will never read can also be given away to your local library, so someone can read them instead or you can find a way to sell them online.

Check all locations

Going right through every spot you have around your home and removing what you don’t need is a must. Check the contents of each drawer, container, cabinet, closet and anything else you can find. Lay things out in the open and reconsider what you don’t need and what you do so you’ll have an easier time ahead.

Make a good floor plan

Measure the furniture you own, as well as the size of the doorways in your old and new home. Mark these down and make a floor plan so you can decide what you can do to place it there and move it. Without a plan like that you will have a much harder time dealing with things.

Check out for storage

It’s likely the storage containers and boxes you own may have not seen daylight in a long time. When you’re moving your things, make sure you move the larger items first so they can go at the end of the truck. These will be much harder to deal with if you’re not ready for them once moving day arrives.

Donating excess items

You can always make a yard sale to make some quick money out of the whole thing. In most cases this will help with your taxes or give you more money in the process so you can spend it on your moving expenses or any other thing you need.