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Maybe you just downsized from a larger house to a smaller one, or to an apartment in the city from a house in the burbs. Or maybe youre just looking to give your existing space a refresh. In any case, youll want to keep in mind a few key points when decorating a smaller space. From scale to color, here are some tips to help you create rooms that will stand the test of time.

Clear Out Any Clutter
With an expansive home, you can get away with a bit more stuff. When youre trying to make a smaller space feel more put together, clutter is the enemy. Before you bring in anything new, take out anything thats not adding to your aesthetic.

Look for Furniture That Does Double Duty
If a piece of dcor can serve more than one purpose, its a good bet. For instance, an ottoman that is a coffee table can also create additional seating when guests are over. That’s just perfect for a small apartment.

Think Big with Rugs
It can be tempting to buy small rugs to match a petite space, and also save money. But investing in slightly more oversized rugs that help fill a space can actually make it feel bigger.

Install Shelving
Beautiful shelves can serve as both dcor and storage, allowing you to keep things off the floor. This is key, because you can have more things in your space without it feeling cluttered and youll be able to walk through your space more easily.

Blend Big Pieces with the Wall
Matching big items like a sofa to the wall color can help them blend”creating the illusion of a bigger area as your eyes skim over it.

Hide Appliances and Office Supplies
As best you can, invest in cabinets, drawers and smart furniture choices so the unattractive necessities of everyday life, from blenders to printers, arent front and center. Or, choose items (like a beautiful espresso maker, for instance) that can moonlight as dcor.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Whether you love to clean or hate it, everyone can agree that when it comes to keeping your home sparkling, nothing is more exciting than finding the perfect cleaning product. A good cleaning product or tool will lessen your load while offering a deep clean that you can be pleased with. These home cleaning tools certainly deliver, and you wont regret getting them for your next deep clean.

Steam Mop
Perfect for most hard floors, but ideal for use in the kitchen and bathroom, steam mops can offer disinfecting power that a regular mop fails to deliver without additional chemicals. Though a steam mop is a larger investment than a traditional sponge mop, their ability to loosen stuck-on grime is unparalleled and makes it a must-have item.

Magic Eraser
The name doesnt lie with this product”these infused sponges truly do feel like magic. With the ability to remove stains like few other tools or cleaning solutions on the market, keep a box of these around for the next time your toddler decides to create their next masterpiece on the wall or counter.

Sonic Scrubber Brush
For cleaning small areas of grout or caulking full of grime, nothing works better than a toothbrush. If you are tired of using only your elbow grease to ensure a clean bathroom or kitchen, it might be time to invest in a sonic scrubber brush. With a body and design nearly identical to your traditional sonic toothbrush, these are electric powered brushes designed to boost your cleaning power. If you have any title in your home, this is a no-brainer.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Old wallpaper can make a house look dated. If a room in your home could use an update, you should be able to remove the wallpaper yourself. The steps will depend on the type of wallpaper you have.

Before You Get Started
Cover the floor with a tarp and use painters tape to secure it. Cover any electrical outlets with painters tape and turn off the electricity before removing the wallpaper that surrounds them. Have one or more large trash cans ready to toss in sheets of wallpaper as you remove them.

Which Type of Wallpaper Do You Have?
Use a putty knife to loosen a sheet of wallpaper at a bottom corner or seam. If it pulls away easily, its strippable wallpaper that should be easy to remove without water or chemicals. You may be able to simply pull entire strips off the walls. If you encounter some stubborn pieces, you can use a knife to cut them into horizontal strips.

In some cases, you will need to mix a liquid stripper concentrate with hot water. Brush it on the wallpaper, working in sections from top to bottom. After the mixture has had a few minutes to soak in, start using a scraper to peel off the wallpaper. If the wallpaper is old and wont absorb water, use sandpaper or a scoring tool to scuff the surface. Then spray the mixture again and let it soak in until you can remove the wallpaper.

Peelable wallpaper has a top coat that can be removed in the same way as strippable wallpaper, leaving behind a layer of backing. Remove the backing with the stripper concentrate/water solution and follow the same steps.

Since washable wallpaper has a plastic film designed to stop water from penetrating, you will first need to use a scoring tool to cut holes in the paper. Spray water into the slits, wait 10 minutes or so to allow the water to soak in, then remove the paper with a putty knife.

If you have wallpaper that just wont budge, you may need to use steam to loosen it. Rent a steamer and ask someone to help you. Pour water into the machine and wait for it to boil. Place the steamer pad on the wallpaper, wait about 30 seconds, then check to see if the wallpaper is loose. If so, the other person can peel it off, using a scraper if necessary.

Update Your Home
If youre tired of looking at wallpaper from a bygone era, you should be able to remove it fairly easily. Figure out what kind of paper you have, assemble the necessary supplies and get some help so you can modernize and transform the room.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Unlike a second home, where a homeowner lives for a portion of the year, an investment property is property that the homeowner uses to generate income, and in most cases,is not occupied by the homeowner at any time. Trying to figure out if your next home falls under second home or investment home status? Ask yourself: are you using it to make a profit? If the answer is yes, it’s an investment property.

A few examples of investment property include:

A condo at the beach that you rent out to vacationers
A house that you rent to long-term tenants
A home you purchased to flip (buy and resell in a short period of time)

Financing
If you need to finance your investment home, expect higher interest rates and a larger down payment. Most lenders find investment properties riskier, and your rates will reflect that.

Multi-Unit Homes
A popular investment home model is a split-family home or an apartment building; this allows the owner to live on the property and make a profit from renting out additional units. These properties are often eligible for traditional financing and do not necessarily require an investment property loan.

So long as you use one of the units in the home for year-round living, you should be able to finance the property through a conventional loan, receiving lower rates and a lower down payment.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

When decorating your home, one of the most important areas of focus should be the lighting. Inadequate light can make a room look dark and dreary, making it difficult to perform everyday tasks comfortably. But too much light or the wrong types of fixtures can be an annoying distraction.

Types of Household Lighting and Fixtures
Ambient lighting from overhead or recessed lights can serve as the primary source of light in a room. Task lights can be used in specific parts of a room for certain activities. They may sit on a table or desk or be mounted on a wall. Accent lighting is used to draw attention to a particular feature, such as a piece of artwork. Accent lights can take a variety of forms.

Flush and semi-flush mounting lights hang down a short distance from the ceiling. Theyre designed to illuminate a room without taking up too much space.

Pendant lights are attached to a cord, chain or wire and hang down farther than mounting lights. Pendant lights vary in size and are often used in kitchens and dining rooms for task lighting.

Chandeliers are hung from the ceiling. They contain many bulbs and may be functional or decorative, depending on their size and placement.

Floor and table lamps are used for task lighting. They can be placed around a room and easily rearranged.

Sconces are light fixtures that are mounted on a wall, either individually or in pairs. They can be plugged into an outlet or hardwired.

How to Choose Lighting for Each Room
A living room should have multiple sources and types of light. An overhead fixture with a dimmer switch can provide an appropriate amount of ambient lighting. Table and/or floor lamps can allow individuals to relax while reading or playing games.

Having adequate lighting is especially important in the kitchen for safety reasons. The kitchen should have plenty of ambient lighting, as well as task lights in certain areas, such as above the sink and stove.

A dining room should have an amount of ambient lighting appropriate for the space. One chandelier may be ideal, or you may want two or more overhead lights if you have a long dining room table where you host large gatherings.

In a bedroom, you may want ambient lighting or just a series of lamps. Its often a matter of personal preference.

A bathroom should have overhead lights, as well as task lighting over the sink. That will make putting on makeup and shaving easier.

When choosing light fixtures, think about how much light you need and where, the style of your home and decor and the type of vibe you want to create. Select a combination of fixtures that provides an aesthetically pleasing mix of styles and an appropriate amount of lighting for your familys needs.

Published with permission from RISMedia.