Use these blogs for a place to begin.  Here you will find many design ideas from objects d’art to entire room designs.  Eclectic to traditional, shabby chic to provincial; there are ideas on how to use everything in one room and make it look good.

1. Chicken wire as décor Using chicken wire as an armature or decoration in of itself.
2. Author and interior decorator How a published interior decorator uses shabby chic as a theme.
3. Freshness and color Using color to inject freshness into your already existing furniture.
4. Your space, your style Taking your home and style and turning it into interior design that you can live with.
5. Contemporary design with a revival feel Combining a timeless feel using furniture from different design eras.
6. Scandinavian style and design Following top Scandinavian fashion trends and designers
7. Decorating with a budget Tips on how to decorate your home without spending a fortune.
8. Provincial France with a Renaissance twist The light and airy feeling of Provincial French decorating with the rich colors of the Renaissance.
9. In depth looks at decorating themes Discussing what makes a particular overall look work.
10. Bohemian in San Francisco Bohemian design done San Francisco style.
11. Elegance, style, beauty and Grace. Paula Grace takes a look at home fashion trends.
12. A housewife big on chic How this housewife decorates with shabby chic finds
13. Primitive home design Using rustic items to decorate the home
14. Decorating with an edge She’s a home decorator with an agenda.
15. Flea market fashions A flea market devoted to decorating you and your home with shabby chic.
16. Sharing, inspiring and guiding you A decorator shares ideas and inspirations with the hope of guiding you in your own design journey.
17. Color and ethnic design Using ethnic designs with lots of color in your home.
18. Green design Tips for living a natural and green lifestyle.
19. Stylish living and easy entertaining Clean and modern design for all aspects of living
20. Highlighting modern interior design Taking a look at contemporary design ideas.
21. The love of second hand Buying second hand items through different venues
22. Beautiful things for inspiration An interior designer shares her love of beautiful things as inspiration for design.
23. Saving the world through green design How to save our environment via designing green.
24. Taking a look inside A designer shares her own home’s interior design.
25. Urban interior design Tips and ideas for making the best of an urban living space.
26. Taking a peek at an eclectic interior How a friend used art and objects to create a unique interior
27. Focus on different aspects of design Articles on how to take an object or a room and change it up.
28. The lifestyles of the glamorous Following how the other half live.
29. Funky and unique apartment tours Documenting how people have turned their apartment spaces into works of livable art.
30. Two designers from Canada Beautifying the world one room at a time.
31. Antiques from Paris Parisian antiques chosen with a designer’s eye.
32. A Bohemian lifestyle Embodying what it means to live like a Bohemian.
33. A designer shares her work Taking a look at the work of Marie Antoinette Interiors.
34. Designing with the Jetsons 50’s retro designer and her ideas
35. Looking at the little things Items that make your house into a home.
36. Design inspiration from around the world Interior design ideas from Europe and beyond.
37. Stamping it up Design ideas using different types of stamps.
38. Design with shabby chic Items for completing a home’s shabby chic décor.
39. Living the inspired life Ideas and thoughts for designs.
40. India design ideas Taking ideas and items from India for design inspiration.
41. Lettering in vinyl Custom vinyl lettering for application on various items and surfaces.
42. Living Southern Ideas for a Southern lifestyle.
43. Clever ideas for living spaces Ferm is Danish for clever, and clever is the idea behind design.
44. Casual and chic Bright colors, white walls and lots of cuteness.
45. Organize your life Tips for making organization simple and decorative.
46. Frugal home design Thoughts on how to be a frugal decorator with great results.
47. Life on the East coast Musings on a family’s East coast home.
48. Sweets and interior design Taking a look at making sweets into a design accent.
49. Shabby chic artist An artist who paints in the style of shabby chic shares her designs.
50. Inspired by design Designs for daily living inspiration.
51. Custom vinyl letter design Unique designs with vinyl lettering
52. Inspired by patina A look at decorative items with a patina of age.

Furniture

There are tons of things you can do with furniture to breathe new life into your home. Sometimes, simply rearranging the furniture can really change things around. You might instead think about buying some pre-owned furniture. Used furniture is a relatively inexpensive solution. Try to go with furniture that comes from a non-smoking home. Make sure you thoroughly inspect any used furniture to make sure it’s sturdy, and smell it to make sure it’s not moldy. A couple of furniture accent pieces, such as end tables or plant stands, can go a long way toward brightening up a room and changing its feel.

Plants

Plants can help your home out in a number of ways. To begin with, they help to purify the air inside your home. They can also add a certain amount of color and as well as ambiance to a dark and drab room. Putting in some flowering houseplants can really give you a peaceful feeling, especially in those colder, drab, dreary winter months. Just make sure that you know what kinds of plants you’re getting into. Some plants may be poisonous to your hose pets, for example. Know which plants should be situated where your pets or small children won’t be able to get to them.

Paint

Paint is one of the least expensive ways to redecorate and improve a room. The process of deciding which colors should go where can be fun, as well, and really lets you express your creativity. Make sure to invest in a good quality paint, as a cheap paint will go on much more thin and require more coats, and in the end it won’t look very good. Don’t be shy about picking your paint colors, either. Consider the fact that a bold color can evoke certain emotions, make a room seem smaller or larger, and even provide a sense of peace.

Photo via veni markovski

Well, there’s good news. There are plenty of things you can do to breathe new life into your home without breaking the bank. Here are some redecorating projects you can start today with a relatively small amount of cash:

• Give it a paint job. Paint is relatively cheap, and it doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment. If you do paint, make sure you clean the walls very well first. Use good paint, which will let you use less paint overall and won’t show your brush strokes. Make sure to do the actual painting from the top down. A new paint job will make your whole house look new.
• Dress it up. Adding a little bit of fabric to your walls can have the same effect as painting, but add some real style, as well. You can cover your walls in fabric. You’ll use liquid fabric starch to help the fabric adhere to the wall. Any time you want a new look, you peel off the old fabric and put up new.
• Light it up. The right lighting will really transform your home. You might add some task lighting, such lighting that comes from behind and is useful for reading. You might add accent lighting that highlights a certain area of your home, such as artwork or some foliage. Ambient lighting will illuminate the room you’re in, as well.
• Give it a new face. You don’t need to replace your kitchen cabinets if they’re structurally sound. Instead, you can just reface them. You can either sand and repaint, strip them and restain them, or even just change your hinges and knobs. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference it makes.

Photo via Rachael E.C. Acklin

Green Plants

Flowers are great, but they need to be repotted. If you want plants with less maintenance, you should consider one of a variety of greenery plants. Here are some of the most common types of plants you might consider adding to your house:

• Aloe Vera. This is a favorite for many homeowners. It’s prickly and green, and its juice has soothing properties.
• Spider Plant. This is a spiky green plant. It needs bright light, but avoid direct exposure to the sun.
• Ficus Plant. This one is a dark green leafy plant. A ficus needs plenty of sunlight.
• Bamboo. This is a larger plant with shoots and leaves. It needs direct sunlight, and plenty of water to grow.
• Jade. Jade is actually a shrub that has thick branches and oval leaves. It stores water in its stems, roots and leaves. It needs bright sunlight, and you only need to water it about once a week.

Flowering Plants

If you want to add colors besides green to your home, consider some of these flowering plants:

• Chrysanthemum. This is a beautiful, common shrub that needs plenty of sunshine.
• Amaryllis. This plant with star-shaped flowers originated in Africa. You should avoid letting these ones sit in direct sunlight while they’re flowering.
• Venus Fly Trap. Thse are always an excellent conversation piece.
• Mauna Loa. The peace Lilly features a single white flower. It needs shade and plenty of water.

Your local greenhouse can give you some ideas about what kinds of flowers and plants might grow best in your climate, as well.

Photo via Juliana Coutinho

Your home in a majority of cases is the biggest purchase of your life.  Once you own your home you want to learn to properly maintain it and also start to add improvements.  Did you know that improving the Kitchen and Bathroom in your home will bring you the biggest return on investment?  There are many things you can do to improve your homes value.  Just to name a few you can update your bathrooms, kitchen, add and addition or improve the landscaping on your lot.  All of these things can improve not only the quality of your life but the value of your home.

1. Apartment therapy Home improvement blog which teaches you how to maximize your apartment one room at a time. This blog has a cool Home tours section which allows you to get ideas for your apartment.
2. Jetson Green Learn how to improve and make your home green. You will not only increase the value of your house but you will also save cost on energy every month.
3. Lets blog construction Construction and home improvement blog.
4. Young house love Follow along with a young married couple as they fix up an older house. Extensive how to videos and a excellent before and after photo section.
5. I can fix up my house Just as the name implies you can learn how to do your own home improvements.  This blog covers all the major categories and also has some more advanced carpentry lessons.
6. Cottage Magpie Angela the blogs founder teaches you how to setup a quaint and beautiful house in the Cottage style. A huge benefit is Angela teaches you how to do this all on a small budget.
7. House blogs Excellent blog of home improvement blogs. There are many different projects to look at and follow progress of.
8. Happy home and family This blog covers everything from cleaning, to Feng Shui to wall coverings.  Interesting home improvement blog with a ladies touch.
9. The Home Masons Home build and improvement blog by the company HomeMasons. With active building and remodeling going on you can learn new things from the team.  This blog also provides a form to ask Mason a DIY or remodeling question.
10. Calfinder Remodeling blog Lets face it sometimes we do need a contractor.  If you feel your home improvement is above your comfort level then Calfinder can find you a local contractor for your project.
11. Do it yourself  guides and blog A whole series of do it yourself guides. Blog is updated frequently and covers various topics such as recycling, plumbing and whatever else needs to be improved.
12. Maries home improvement blog One lady showing the world how to take control of and complete home improvement projects.
13. Learn to remodel your dinning room Learn about different designs and furniture for your dinning room.  Get an idea if you want a plain design or a complex one.
14. Learn to remodel your attic The attic is one area in most homes that can be improved.  Check out some of these unique concepts, furniture and designs.
15. Learn to remodel your basement The basement is often a cold drab area why not turn it into a place where family and friend can hang out together.
16. Chic Tip Blog We all want to add some class and even some flash to our homes check out the newest home improvement and design trends.
17. Are home improvements tax deductible? Many of your home improvements will not only increase your homes value but are also tax deductible.
18. What are the benefits of hardwood flooring? Learn why hardwood flooring can add value to your home.
19. Granite counter tops blog Granite countertops can add value and beauty to your kitchen and home. Learn about pricing, installation and care.
20. Kitchen cabinets blog.  New kitchen cabinets can add color and freshness to your kitchen.  Find out more about different designs, pricing and installation
21. Danny Lipford Home Improvement Veteran Danny has assembled a whole team of DIY experts. You can watch videos, TV spots, even listen to there radio shows and learn about home improvement.
22. Home Décor Blog Follow along as one couple completely update and remodels the whole house.  The blog also has some great technical posts.
23. 1 800 Anytime Blog. Company blog which offers home improvement tips about Plumbing, Electrical, Heating and Air Conditioning
24. The Build Direct Blog. If you want to learn about wood flooring, tile or decking this is a great blog to check out.
25. Renovating in Australia Join Bill and his wife as they go through a second house renovation. This blog contains a full list of categories about home improvement.
26. Luxury Housing Trends If you are going to do home improvements then there should be at least one room you go all out on and pamper yourself with. Learn about all the newest luxury gadgets and trends.
27. Fixr Blog Unique website and blog not only can you learn about home improvement you can also post a project you want done and get estimates from contractors.
28. Direct buy blog and articles Blog of the well know home improvement and furnishings club.  There are some good DIY tips and you can also see if you can save some money on your next home upgrade or repair.
29. The Building Brows Seven children and building a house with no debt. Very heartwarming and informational blog about a family doing all the home improvements themselves.
30. Construction 411 Blog . Home Improvement blog which educates provides a cost value chart and a free pricing tool. These tools give you a realistic idea of what your project should cost if you have to approach a contactor.
31. Bathroom remodeling blog Learn to turn your bathroom into a calm relaxing sanctuary.  Look and size of the bathrooms are very important to the overall value of your house.
32. Learn the right way to build your deck Learn what you should know before you hire a deck contractor.
33. Charles and Hudson home improvement blog A leading home improvement blog and website. Some of the interesting categories include tools and green building.
34. Learn how to design a nursery for your new baby. Build a special palce for your new addition to the family.
35. Do it yourself  woodworking  blog This blog covers most of the home improvement areas but the real gem is different  woodworking sections.
36. Tips to keep your kitchen remodel cost low. The kitchen is the heart of the home learn how to upgrade on a budget.
37. How to improve your lawn and add value to your home. Your lawn sets one of the first impressions for visitors and potential buyers. Learn how to properly take care of it.
38. Moonworks home improvement General home improvement blog, which also has some great information about energy efficiency.
39. Green Life smart life blog Why not go green with your home improvement.  You can not only help the environment you can also save money.
40. Reliable remodeler blog Some jobs are just to big to tackle alone, that is when you need some one you can trust to help you remodel.
41. Energy savings tax benefits.  Did you know you can upgrade your appliances and furnace and get a tax credit?
42. Solar energy house Should solar energy be part of your home improvements? Many experts say yes, learn more.
43. Increase your curb appeal. Curb appeal is a factor in the initial impression of friends, family and potential buyers
44. Winshome Home improvement blog Winshome is an all around home improvement blog. The lessons are simple and straightforward.
45. Home4family blog With over fifteen years in the home improvement business Home4family is a blog you should check out before you invest in any DIY projects.
46. Fresh home blog The most up to date and fashionable furniture, interior design and architecture
47. Addicted2decorating blog Do you find yourself thinking about changing the color of your paint often? How about wanting to revamp the whole house?  If you are into decorating this is a must see blog.
48. Home construction and improvement Very detailed home improvement blog by a civil and structural engineer. This blog covers the technical aspects of home improvement as well it has some great sections and post about the tools you will need to complete your improvements.
49. The Woodworkers blog With simple tools you can build sheds, patios, and decks each of these will increase both the value and pleasure of the house.
50. How to pain the exterior of your home like a pro The Tailored Paint team take us through a three step process to make sure we get it right..

Landscaping your property is the absolute best way to improve the “curb appeal” of your home. Whether you’re looking to improve the property value, or you just want to make your lawn & gardens look nice, it sure isn’t easy. It’s tough enough coming up with inspiration for the look you desire that will work with the challenges of the land you’re working with. What makes it more difficult is the up-keep and knowledge that must go along with it. We’ve compiled a list of our top 50 favorite sites to help you with inspiration and information for making your property the talk of the neighborhood:

Professional Landscaping

1.      Green Bay Nursery: Landscaping and gardens

2.      Backyard Oasis: Designer landscape and swimming pool creations.

3.      Partridge Design: Fine landscaping design since 1977.

4.      Clearwater Summit Group, Inc.: Residential landscaping services – Commercial, Residential, Renovations, Other Landscaping Projects.

5.      Hanselman Landscaping: Garden Design and Installation, Japanese Gardens, Garden Care, and Specialty Trees.

6.      Garden Designer: Landscape and garden design and ideas.

7.      Landscaping Blog | Landscape Design: Landscaping and garden design ideas.

8.      Landscape – Urbanism: Focus is on landscaping and vegetated architecture, urbanism, green roofs, living walls, and ecological planning.

9.      Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping Blog: Santa Cruz backyard landscaping designs.

10.  Elizabeth Carmel’s Landscape Photography Blog: Fine Art Landscape Photography.

11.  House Landscaping Ideas: Ideas for house, front yard, and backyard landscaping and free landscaping software.

12.  Unique Landscaping: Specializes in luxury pools and landscaping designs.

13.  Matt Anders Landscaping Blog: Landscaping guide, Austin, TX.

14.  O’ Connell Landscape: Design and build landscape contractor.

15.  Studio G: Landscaping design products, inspirations, ideas, and destinations journal.

16.  Exterior Worlds: Home and garden landscaping.

17.  Tree Hugger: Green resources.

18.  Land+Living Network: A modern world’s lifestyle and design.

19.  Free Soil: International collection and collaboration of everything landscape and environment.

20.  Plant NJ: Swimming pools and landscaping design and construction.

21.  Our Gardner: Horticulturists working as residential estate gardeners.

22.  Glorious-Landscape: Landscape fine art photography.

23.  Garden Visit: Find gardens, garden tours from around the world, and trip planner.

24.  Great-Landscape-Photography: Great landscape photography guide.

25.  Copy Landscape Blog: Texas landscaping design horticulturist.

26.  Solid Ground: Specializes in high-end commercial and residential landscaping.

27.  Garden Minnesota: Expert outdoor living landscapers.

28.  Digital Landscaping: Landscaping design, land art and training.

29.  All States Landscaping: Transforming Utah’s landscape since 1985.

30.  HLI: Houston Landscape Images uses your vision to design your landscape.

31.  Fine Gardening: Plant guide, design ideas, how to’s, videos, discussion and gallery.

32.  CalFinders: Connecting homeowners with contractors nationwide.

33.  Sounds Green: Landscaping lifestyles blog.

34.  Nations Harvest: Lawn Care Fundraiser.

35.  Green Landscaping: Sustainable green landscaping.

36.  Go Green Tool Shed: Ecological landscaping and going green.

37.  The Greenview Spring: All things green and garden resource.

38.  Lawn Care Landscape: Affordable, Eco-friendly professional lawn care for Ohio residents.

39.  The Lawn Blog: Fun, current information for the lawn and “green” industry.

DIY Landscaping

40.  CURBappeal: Living luxuriously on a limited budget.

41.  Backyard Landscape Ideas: Tips, Ideas, Resources, and How To’s.

42.  Go Green! Blog: Landscape supply helping people beautify the planet and their yards.

43.  Green Industry Pros: Tips, lawn equipment sales and repair.

44.  Farmington Gardens: Front yard and backyard gardening for beginners – vegetables and fruit trees.

45.  Front Porch Ideas and More: Porch and yard curb appeal landscaping.

46.  Savvy Landscaping: Tips, ideas, and tricks for adding curb appeal to your landscape.

47.  Black Forrest Co.: Beginner to expert designs specialized for the DIY landscapers.

48.  Danny Lipford: Home improvement advice.

49.  Great-Backyard-Landscaping-Ideas: Ideas, tips, landscaping information, and news letter.

50.  Landscaping Videos: Landscaping videos, plans, and pictures.

Kick up that entryway
Time to make an entryway that yells out a welcoming feeling. One of the easiest items to do is by replacing old hardware. Replace that drab door handle with something shinny and new.

Take this up a notch and replace the whole door. This is more work, but wait until you see how much a good door can do for your curb appeal. Just take your time with this installation process. You don’t want to spruce up that homeowners insurance with a claim while you are sprucing up your curb appeal.

The last item you can do is install a bit of lighting. This step is often best when joined with symmetry. Installing a new light fixture on both sides of the door will draw the eyes to the door. This helps with that inviting feeling you are looking for.

Add some colorful foliage
Time to get some pots with plants in them. Hanging plants are also worth a good bit of considerations here. Don’t overdo it with the plants that you drown out your entry way though. You want people to feel invited in, not feel like they are walking through a jungle to come drop off your Girl Scout cookies.

You can enhance this feeling a bit by planting some flowers around the front of your home. There are even flowers that will not require you to have a great big green thumb. Pay the neighbor boy to come weed it if you don’t want to do that either. Plants go a long way to making that curb appeal spectacular.

Give your mailman some love
One of the most overlooked items on curb appeal is the mailbox. A pole with a box on it might be functional, but it does nothing to make you happy you have it insured with your homeowners insurance. Time to kick that box up a bit.

Change the post to something decorative. Make sure that the mailbox post accentuates your home and style. If you have a Victorian theme going on with the home, slapping a mailbox post made of tractor tires might now work out so well.

Next up is to tackle the mailbox itself. While there are plenty of choices here, you want something that works well with your overall style. This can be something as simple as spending a bit more on the box than some $20 special. It is impressive how much a nice mailbox can drastically change your curb appeal.

Just a few of these items can go a long way to sprucing up your curb appeal. You just might find that an inviting home is a home you are extremely proud to insure with homeowners insurance. You work hard for that money; your home should welcome you inside with inviting arms!

Photo via Rob Adams

That’s right, I’m talking about spring cleaning.

Now, to be effective, spring cleaning doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. You don’t need to spend all day every day for a week clearing out cobwebs and washing curtains. Instead, you can focus your efforts on some of the items that are most visually noticeable.

Here are a few spring cleaning shortcuts to make your home look sharp:

• Clean your carpets. Your carpets have just been through a full winter of dirt, mud, muck and body oil. Don’t even get me started on the germs that will build up in a carpet. Rent a Rug Doctor, or better yet have Stanley Steamer come in and make your carpets ready to entertain spring and summer guest.
• Wax and seal your floors. Yep, that’s right. Get down and get dirty. Use a bristle brush to get out all the crud that’s built up. If your floor isn’t the kind that uses wax, you still need to spend some time down on your hands and knees scrubbing.
• Clean the doormats. Shake them out. Hit them with a broom, just like they used to do on Leave it to Beaver. Give your doormats the most intense cleaning recommended. They’re your first defense against dirt entering the house.
• Wash the walls. Not just the walls, but your baseboards, cabinets and your woodwork, too. Give it a yearly bath and you’ll be surprised how good it looks.
• Vacuum smart. Don’t move all the furniture off the carpet to vacuum. Just slide it over a few inches in each direction. Trust me, it’ll save time and still look great.
• Make sure your homeowners insurance is up to date. You think I’m kidding, but if you’re about to start entertaining guests for the spring and summer, you want to make sure you’re covered for both damages and liability. Call your homeowners insurance agent, and review your policy to see if there’s anywhere you can shore things up (or if you’ve qualified for a new discount).

Photo via stibbons

Making decorating mistakes.

Look, the odds of you not being paid up on your homeowners insurance on the day the earth opens up and swallows your house are pretty slim. The odds of you falling for a terribly distasteful decorating trend are much higher.

Here are 5 of the worst decorating mistakes you can make:

1. Wood Paneling. Look, I know that wood paneling is sometimes a cheaper and easier alternative to covering a wall, especially if that wall is tucked away in your basement. Trust me, though, paneling doesn’t belong in your basement any more than it belongs inside your minivan.
2. Toilet rugs. Not only are toilet rugs outdated, they’re kinda gross. The get wet, they get yucky, and they just look plain silly when matched with a carpeted toilet seat cover. Don’t even get me started on the mold issue.
3. Traffic jams. Rooms are supposed to flow. If you put your couch in the middle of the path from the hallway, people are going to bump into it. Oh, and it’s going to look bad. I’m not suggesting you need to feng shui it up, but please give us a way to get from one room to the next.
4. Fad decorating. Lava lamps will come back around, I promise. However, it’s going to be a while. Don’t blow a bunch of dough making your house look “contemporary,” because in a year it will be old news. If you do add touches of the latest fad, make them inexpensive and disposable.
5. Matching everything. Your rooms should not look like they came out of a catalog. Catalog photos are decidedly not livable. Your house is not a showroom to be gawked at from a distance, it’s an experience. Be eclectic, and give the eyes something to jump from one item to the next.

Avoid those pitfalls and you’re well on your way to having a nicely furnished and decorated home. For more, check out the 10 worst home decorating trends of all time, and see just how bad it’s been in the past.

Photo via back_garage