Chitownproperty

This great post at Design Sponge shows how color isn’t just about the paint on the walls. You can spice up a room with little pops of color in the furniture and decor, like that red teakettle in the picture.

Sure, you’ve probably gotten lazy and wrapped a few presents in newspaper, but would you put it on your walls too? Newsworthy wallpaper isn’t really the same as pasting the funnies on your dining room walls. It’s real wallpaper made from strips of recycled newsprint woven together. The texture and serendipitous placement of words could [...]

The passing of another year may seem mundane, but back in 1972 the year 2010 seemed like the distant future. Follow along with Dan Sinker as he posts excerpts from a book called “2010: Living in the Future,” published just 38 years ago. How does your home stack up to these predictions? Some, like an [...]

A few cans of paint will refresh your rooms Redecorating might be the last thing on you list on a tight budget during the holiday, but the Tribune reminds us that there is one quick and cheap way to drastically change a room: painting. It’s the easiest, thriftiest and least risky way to update a [...]

Here’s something to think about in the coming weeks, and your family collects holiday gifts and all the packaging that comes with them: what do you do with the boxes? Some of those decisions are easy; of course you throw away boxes from toys, clothing, etc. But what about fancy electronics and gear that you [...]

If you need more ideas for decorating your loft condo, Apartment Therapy takes a peek inside 10 Chicago lofts, each with their own unique style.

So maybe we’re jumping the gun a little on the holidays, but this kitchen gift guide from Dwell would do the trick any time of the year, either as presents for others or yourself. It has great ideas for sprucing up the most important room in your home, including the fabulous Chicago city plates from [...]

So maybe Chicago’s homes aren’t as squished for space as London’s, but this book-lined staircase is an ingenious and beautiful solution for storing bulky tomes. What other nifty ways could you squeeze in extra space in your home?

Tired of paying utility bills? You could build a net zero house–one that generates as much energy as it consumes–like this Ravenswood home. Designed by renowned green architects Farr Associates, it features solar panels, a gray water system for recycling waste water, a geothermal heating system, and carefully placed windows, nooks, and crannies that keep [...]

Is it worth it to redo kitchen? — chicagotribune.com One of the most common questions sellers ask us is whether or not they should remodel their home before putting it on the market. The kitchen is an obvious target because it has the most features that are susceptible to changes in style and taste. Trends [...]

Best Home Staging Tips – Homescape Making your home look its best for potential buyers is somewhat of an art form, subject to personal tastes and the home’s characteristics. But there are a few common sense tricks for sprucing up a lived in space that apply across the board. The Homescape blog offers 10 tips [...]

The best way to organize and declutter your home is to not let things accumulate in the first place. The most extreme version of this practice goes like this: for every new thing you buy, you should throw out or give away something old. But if you must squeeze more stuff into the space you [...]

Getting your home in top shape to sell doesn’t necessarily have to involve expensive renovation projects. As this article in the Tribune shows you, inexpensive fix-ups and staging can make a major difference in your home’s appearance. For example, a fresh coat of paint throughout (done by yourself, to save money, of course) can dramatically [...]

Design blogs and websites are springing up like Starbucks in a gentrifying neighborhood, but finding the good ones to help with ideas for sprucing up your home can test your patience. The Tribune points out the good ones, some of which have been featured here, including: Apartment Therapy Design Sponge Dwell HGTV

Unclutterer has a great idea for tidying up your kitchen for the holidays: donate all those extra canned goods hiding in the back of the cupboard. The same goes for wardrobes and coat closets too.