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Your goal is to create a space that the eyes and the mind view as a whole. Try these tips to mix styles effortlessly and create a room that appears cohesive and unified. Choose a Limited Color Palette Too many colors can detract and make each piece in your room feel like it stands alone. A good mantra to remember about color is to “spread the wealth,” meaning that you should repeat the same colors throughout the space to bring items (and the room) together....

While there is no set number of kitchen layouts, there is a handful of basic configurations that can each be tweaked and adapted according to your needs, budget, and the constraints of your space. Below is an overview of some of the most common kitchen layouts—including potential pros and cons for each—to help you plan your renovation or remodel. Open Plan The open-plan kitchen is less a defined layout than a style of kitchen located within a larger living space, rather than a dedicated room that is closed off by walls and a door....

Heated driveways, also called “snow-melting systems,” are a technological alternative to shoveling, salting, snow plowing, snow blowing, and other snow-removal methods. The idea behind them is to have a hot surface waiting for those snowflakes as soon as they begin to fall so that snow accumulation in that area becomes impossible. Just as important is preventing ice build-up on your driveway or nearby walking surfaces, since slipping on ice can cause serious injury....

Benefits of Deadheading Garden Flowers There are four main reasons to include deadheading as part of your routine garden maintenance: Make the plant look neater: Dying flowers tend to turn brown and either dry or mushy. This can detract from the overall look you’ve worked so hard to achieve in your garden. Encourage plants to set more flower buds: Plants flower to set seed. If their flowers are constantly being removed before they mature and go to seed, many plants, although not all, will simply set more....

However, one of the most common ways to plant flowers under trees is also one of the worst. The approach many people take is to cover the area under the tree with a load of loam, then try to grow perennials in that soil. Sometimes they build a circular or geometric raised bed around the trunk of the tree to put a full 8 to 12 inches of extra soil around the tree....

Allowing our dispositions to shine through is one easy way to get things going. The Myers-Briggs Personality Test offers insight into who you are and the type of things you gravitate towards, as well as how you handle making decisions. Take a look at your MBTI below to see how you could decorate your home for the holidays.

To get quick delivery of your sofa, try buying a sofa that is already in stock and does not require any customization. Also, if you are buying from a large furniture company or online retailer, you might be pleased to know, in many cases, you are eligible for free shipping, too. This benefit can save you hundreds of dollars in shipping or delivery fees. Note that there are a few important things you need to consider before you purchase your sofa in addition to delivery: size, shape, fabric, to name a few....

Shop at Second-Hand Stores Second-hand stores are your friends. Whether it’s a local antique store, a consignment shop, or a salvage shop like the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, second-hand stores are great for finding inexpensive accessories. The key is to picture items away from all the other cheap stuff in the store and imagine them in your space. When you take something out of context it can look entirely different....

Even if your collection doesn’t amount to a plant room jungle with hundreds of species, it pays to arrange the ones you have so they fit with the aesthetic and functionality of your living room. You want the space to look intentional and cohesive rather than cluttered and discordant. Check out these practical tips for how to arrange plants in a living room to bring the space to life....

Bees are basically looking for two things when they visit your plants: Many popular flower varieties are hybridized for features that are valued by the gardener, like disease resistance, flower size or color, and bigger, longer blooms. Unfortunately, hybridization has reduced the production of nectar and pollen and sometimes leaves the resulting plant completely sterile and useless to bees and other pollinators. Another factor is that the amount of nectar secreted is dependent on climate conditions such as temperature, humidity, and moisture in the soil....

A building designer is not the same as an interior designer — a building designer is concerned with safe structures that won’t collapse. Building design also is different from what is known as design-build. Although they are both types of processes, Design-Build is a team approach to building and design where the building contractor and building designer work under the same contract. The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) promotes and certifies this type of project management and delivery system....

While copper is soft, it’s not soft enough to bend smoothly and perfectly on its own. Bending copper pipe without special methods or tools usually results in pipe collapse. Instead of a continuous curve, the pipe will crimp and fold at the intended bend point. For crafting, it’s generally not the look you want. For plumbing, it impedes water flow. There are a number of reliable ways to bend copper pipe....

Leotards Leotards today are made from high-performance materials that need a bit of special care to maintain their stretch and texture. Always turn solid color leotards inside-out before washing to prevent snags. Wash them by hand or on a gentle cycle using a gentle or sports detergent. Do not use fabric softeners which can build-up on the fibers and make the leotards less breathable. Use warm or cold water—never hot. Do not dry them in your dryer....

Of course the longer a drought lasts, the more damage is done to the plants. Insufficient water at the start of the growing season can cause the most damage of all because the plants are actively growing and preparing themselves for the summer growing season. When drought and water restrictions are in effect, all we can do is wait it out. Hopefully, our plants were healthy, vigorous and mulched beforehand....

Your shower experience can be greatly influenced by the shower head. This part of the shower connects to the shower arm and redistributes the flow of the water through numerous spray holes. The direction of the spray, water pressure, and even where the spray hits your body depends heavily on the shower head mounting position, spray pattern, and type. This article will help you learn more about shower heads and the important product factors to consider before investing in a new shower head for your home....