Green home building has been an issue of great debate for many years. Since the 1970s organizations and environmental groups have tried desperately to bring the many issues surrounding renewable resources and energy efficient homes to light, but their efforts had little impact until recently.

Green homes and green home building practices have been embraced by many civil development companies and home builders across the world. Each practice is designed to reduce the environmental impact of residential construction and the use of natural resources. Read more »

Although wallpaper has been around since 200 BC when the ancient Chinese glued rice paper onto their walls, it was not until the late 1400s that wallpaper appeared in a form similar to what we have today. Wallpaper came to America in the mid 1700s and was soon a fashion hit. Originally hand-blocked, wallpaper was time consuming to make, but the variety of styles greatly increased the patterns available. The choices were only hindered by the imagination of the creator. Read more »

Using green products and materials is a fairly new trend in home renovation, but is becoming more and more popular with each passing day.  When planning a home renovation it can be difficult to choose from the wide variety of building supplies and materials available.

There seems to be an endless assortment of just about everything from countertops and tiles to flooring and paint. Finding the right fit can mean months of shopping, comparing and number crunching. Read more »

For the past several years cottage decorating has remained of the most popular decorating styles. Its light easy look is well suited to people who want to live an informal lifestyle. Cottage decorating is defined by light colors; vintage fabrics, painted distressed furniture, and recycled accessories. The cottage style decor adapts to most any type of home, and has a number of unique versions to choose from including shabby chic, rustic, romantic, beach, garden, country, and English. Read more »

A trend that has grown in popularity over the last few years is rustic home decorating. Many homeowners have chosen to add a rustic look to their homes or decorated a basement, family room, or bedroom in a rustic theme. Decorating with a rustic theme is a great way to capture the attention of family and friends. The style is warm and inviting, welcoming your guests to your home. They will find the rugged decor fascinating, marveling at the objects they find throughout the home. Read more »

Sometimes, finding unique and creative home accessories requires searching in places other than house décor superstores and gift shops. By thinking outside the box and opening their minds to new ideas homeowners can discover many different ways to use ordinary objects in an unusual manner. One of the hottest trends to develop recently is using everyday garden items as indoor home accessories. Read more »