Home Decorating Articles

There's nothing I enjoy more than getting to go visit my kids and grandkids in Florida, and I'm always interested in what housing trends work for their lifestyles. My son-in-law made a great observation - they built a home that has a large open kitchen with an island, and he said they thought the kitchen was huge when they built it, now they wish it was larger - especially with a more functional island.



Factory built housing has been a trendsetter in this area for years, and the islands that you can find in a manufactured and modular home exceed what you find for the same value in site built homes. Besides being large they are functional and often offer seating, storage for small appliances, bookcases and enough countertop space to be able to cook for a crowd.



SE Homes excels in their island design, and the use of Formica's new 180f/x® laminates look like you have a granite or marble countertop without the price. SE Homes of Texas now offer a backsplash in their homes that looks like tine ceiling tiles - and the mix of these metals with the dark cabinets and granite-look countertops is stunning.

Factory built housing is all about achievable design, and many of the kitchens you find in these homes make you wonder why you would have considered anything else.

This Labor Day weekend I'm laboring - but it's a labor of love. We just got floorplans for 5 new Lifestylist® Designed model homes for SE Homes of Texas so I'm busy looking through catalogs, websites and magazines looking for inspirations.

One of my favorite new places to go and look for new ideas is Houzz - a website that features the work of professionals and proud homeowners as well as showcasing cool new products for the home. Unlike other sites you won't find recipes or beauty secrets here - just great ideas on how you can create the home of your dreams.

I really like the people behind the scenes here as well - they featured a room that we LifeStyled in The New American Home, and afterwards I was fortunate enough to have a phone conversation with some of their marketing team. They won't share exactly how many subscribers they have to their site, but I can personally say I've been thrilled with how many people have discovered the Lifestylist® Brands there and have added some of our images to their Ideabooks.

If you need your own Design Intervention and are looking for some new ideas, take a look at out projects and Ideabook on our Houzz Lifestylist® page and let us know which images inspire you the most.