Stainless Steel Kitchen Countertops

Image credit: HGTV

Stainless steel countertops are great for prepping food and really easy to clean. Plus they are durable and heat resistant. We came across a really good article from HGTV on stainless steel countertops. This is our overview of the article.

Stainless steel countertops are usually custom fit to any area of your kitchen. There are many different finishes from polished to brushed to hammered. Stainless steel countertops can make your kitchen appear larger because of the reflective surface. 

Image credit: HGTV

Pros: The material is durable, long-lasting, eco-friendly, won't fade in color or chip. It won't hold any stains and heat won't damage it.

Cons: It will show fingerprints and can be noisy, scratched or dented. It also requires a certain cleaner.

If stainless steel doesn't appeal to you, there are other metals available. Other options include copper, pewter, zinc and bronze.

Read the full article on HGTV here.

Coloring Your Walls

Image credit: Lowe's

Deciding on a color to paint your walls can be difficult. Take into consideration the room, the feeling you want, decor, and size of the room when choosing. Certain color schemes can make the room appear smaller or larger and each color scheme triggers different emotions. 

Bathrooms are mostly painted white or with some pale versions of pink, yellow or blue. The brighter the color may make the room appear smaller or gloomy depending on how much natural light it receives. Bedrooms are where your creativity in color can really come out. You can mix a match colors to create your dream room. Living rooms are usually painted with neutral colors, white, brown, tan schemes. These colors can go with any style and decor. In a Kitchen you can play around with different colors but it all depends on you cabinet color and flooring style. 

Below is a description of each color.

Blue is known for tranquility, trust and smart. Green is known for balance, natural and eco-friendly. Purple is known for luxury, creative, and royal. Pink is known for caring and love. Orange is know for happiness, health and attraction. Yellow is known for fresh, energy and warmth. Red is know for passion, energy and love. Brown is known for friendly and earthy. White is known for fresh, clean and purity. Black is known for rich, power and mystery. 

What color(s) will you decide on?

Your Checklist to Buying a Home Ceiling Fan

In Hawaii ceiling fans are a must have element to your home decor. Whether it’s the middle of a hot Summer night or a humid Winter day, ceiling fans help to cool the space or area. A wide variety of styles and functions of ceiling fans are available.

1. Decide what area of the house will need a ceiling fan; outdoor lanai, kitchen, living room, bedroom.
2. How much space do you have between the ceiling and floor? This will help to determine if you need a small room, low-profile, or large room ceiling fan.
3. What type of design or finish fits your homes décor? Bronze or silver finishes, white fans, five blades or three blades. 
4. What amenities? With lights, energy-efficient, or with remotes.

Bathroom Flooring Ideas

When deciding on the material of your bathroom floor there will be the same considerations you have for the rest of your home. Is it durable? Is it appealing? The most important thing to think about is moisture. Below are different options for your bathroom floor.

Ceramic Tile: It’s fairly inexpensive, has an appealing look, and is waterproof. There are many different types, sizes and shapes of ceramic tiles. It can be slippery but size of the tile and texture can help reduce a slippery surface.

Stone: This is the most expensive flooring option. It can be slippery but there won’t be any issues with the moisture like other types of flooring. There are many different types of stone flooring but a few popular are granite, limestone and marble.

Wood: Solid wood would not be the best choice for flooring in your bathroom. However there is engineered wood, which will hold up to moisture and it will give you the look of wood.

Laminate: There are many different styles of laminate available: oak, slate, travertine, pine and tuscan stone terra. These all are laminates but each will give you a different look and feel.

Sheet or Tile Vinyl: Vinyl is a popular choice for bathroom floors. It comes in sheets or in tiles. Vinyl is inexpensive and is available in many different style options. After awhile vinyl tiles can start to come up.

5 Ways to Save Energy & Money

Here are five ways you can save energy and money starting today.

1. For those of us that have dishwashers in Hawaii, don’t rinse your dishes before you place them in the dishwasher. Simply wipe the excess food from the dishes. Pre-washing your dishing can easily waste a lot of water. If the dishes have been burned or stuff is dried on it, then it may need soaking or prewashing. Only run your dishwasher when they are full.

2. Keep your refrigerator coils clean. Every so often clean behind your fridge and underneath. This will help to keep the fridge from over working itself.

2. Reset the temperature of your air conditioner. Whether you have a central ac or a window ac, setting it at a comfortable temperature.

3. Most water heaters have adjustable thermostats. Turn your thermostat between 95 degrees ferinheight and 120 degrees ferinheight, depending on the amount of people in your household.

4. Take shorter showers. Just by shortening your shower time by three minutes can cut your water usage.

5. Switch your lighten to energy-efficient. This is one of the fastest ways to cut your utility bill.