If you’d like to give a masculine touch to your home décor, consider leather furniture. Leather will give any room a richer look. The comfort and style provided by leather can’t be matched by vinyl or other synthetic leather substitutes. There’s nothing better at the end of a long day than sinking into a luxurious leather chair. Besides looking good and feeling great, leather is easy to care for and durable.

Leather furniture usually requires a significant investment, so it’s important to buy from a reputable dealer. The softest and most durable type of leather is called top grade (it’s made from the outer layer of the hide). The best finish for top grade leather is called aniline. It brings out the natural beauty of the hide without adding stiffness.

Two of the more popular leather furniture manufacturers are Bari Leather Furniture and American Leather Furniture. Visit the company websites to get an idea about what type of leather furniture is available. Bari Leather sells leather furniture online while American Leather is sold through furniture retailers.

For many homeowners, ample square footage is a high priority. Jay Shafer of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is trying something different – he lives in a 95 square foot house in Sepastopol, California. Shafer grew up in a 4000 square foot home but decided that his simple lifestyle requires something much smaller. His tiny wooden house features beautiful craftsmanship throughout. Check it out in this YouTube video and find out more at the Tumbleweed Tiny House website.

Todd Selby is one of the hottest interior designer bloggers. At TheSelby.com, he displays his photographs of the home environments of creative people. Some of his recent subjects include designers Luis Vuitton, Karl Lagerfeld and Christopher Nemeth. The photographers are accompanied by hand written interviews and original artwork by Selby.

The blog gets about 45,000 visitors a day. There is also a new book with pictures from the blog called The Selby is in Your Place. Selby began his career as a magazine journalist and photographer but soon expanded to blogging for an increased audience. You can see his photographs at TheSelby.com. His book is available on Amazon.

Apartment dwellers may think that adopting green living habits won’t make a difference, but they are wrong.  Every effort in the area of recycling has an impact on overall energy consumption.  Here are some tips for recycling in an apartment complex:

 For more information, see the Green Living Guide.

If you’re thinking about garage organization, why not take it to the next level? The Gladiator Garageworks System provides a system of modular components that will let you design a customized space for storage and work. A variety of functional pieces, from workbenches to gearboxes to storage cabinets, can be put together any way you choose. There’s even a matching refrigerator. You can start with one or two pieces and then expand your system later. For complete details, see the Gladiator Garageworks website.

Window treatments are one aspect of interior decoration this is both functional and aesthetic. Besides provided needed privacy and insulation, window treatments can be used to make a bold statement or to convey the mood of the room.

Like clothing, window treatments are subject to changing fashion. Window swags and country curtains that were popular in the past now just look old-fashioned. These are some of today’s top window treatments:

1. Natural shades made from bamboo, wood or other natural fibers. Shades are a flexible option that allow you to let different amounts of light into a room.

2. Simple drapes made from luxury fabrics like velvet and damask. Opulent fabrics and trims can be used to add a touch of elegance to a room.

3. Silk curtains over sheers. The soft flow and rich surface of silk is perfect for many rooms. Sheer curtains underneath allow you to let light in while still maintaining some privacy.

See more here: Top 10 Window Treatments.

Hanging framed artwork, photos and mirrors is one of the best ways to personalize your living space and add a touch of originality. Grouping similar frames together to create a mini-gallery is currently a popular look in interior design. Achieving the gallery effect is not always easy, especially if you want the frames to line up symmetrically. This YouTube video provides a valuable tip for hanging a gallery of frames.

Small rooms can give a feeling of being cramped and will make some people feel claustrophobic. Luckily, there are some decorating tricks you can use to make a small room feel more roomy.

    
Visit HGTV.com to see pictures of some beautifully decorated small rooms.

One of the biggest problems with home remodeling projects are budget overruns. Runaway construction costs can cause stress and disrupt family life. Here are some tips to help keep your remodeling budget on track.

The concept of a modular home is not familiar to everyone. Modular homes are partially constructed in a factory and then fully assembled on the building site. For areas where year-round construction is not possible due to weather conditions, the modular home building process allows construction to take place indoors throughout the year.

Modular homes do not always resemble mobile homes. Many are built from wood and when assembled onsite are indistinguishable from traditionally constructed home. To learn more about modular factory-built homes, see this YouTube video about Westchester Modular Homes or visit their website.