The concept of a home has evolved beyond just being a place to come back from work, eat, and rest. People now seek homes that offer more than just basic comforts; they look for spaces that reflect their personal style and contribute positively to their lifestyle.
In real estate, local trends can significantly impact how we view home luxury. For example, in Tampa, there was a notable 2.5% drop in home prices in October 2023 compared to the previous year. This change highlights the value of investing in your home to not only enhance your living experience but also to potentially increase your property’s market value.
Understanding how to elevate your home into a space of luxury and comfort is more important than ever. Let’s discuss how to achieve this.
Bathroom Upgrade
To create a luxurious bathroom, focus on elements like bathtubs, fancy showers, modern fixtures, and ambient lighting. A well-selected bathtub can serve as a centerpiece, offering both comfort and style.
Fancy showers with multiple heads or steam options can turn daily routines into a spa-like experience. The right fixtures can add a touch of modern elegance, while ambient lighting sets a relaxing mood.
High-quality tiles contribute to the room’s overall elegance and durability. In the Tampa real estate market, where homes often receive two offers and sell within three weeks, a luxury bathroom can be a significant selling point.
This can lead to quicker and more lucrative offers. Working with reliable Tampa bathroom remodeling experts can ensure your bathroom is not only beautiful but also a valuable addition to your home.
Invest in Quality Furniture
When selecting furniture, prioritize both comfort and style. Choose materials known for their durability and elegance, such as leather and solid wood. These materials are not only long-lasting but also contribute to the overall sophistication of your space.
Instead of filling rooms with numerous ordinary items, focus on acquiring a few exceptional pieces. This approach ensures that each piece stands out and adds a distinct character to the room.
Consider the design and functionality of the furniture, ensuring it meets your lifestyle needs while enhancing the aesthetic appeal of your home.
Smart Home Technology
Automated lighting systems enable you to control ambiance easily and can adapt to different times of the day. Heating systems that can be remotely controlled ensure your home is always at a comfortable temperature.
Security systems with smart technology offer peace of mind with features like remote monitoring and alerts to your smartphone. These technologies are designed to simplify daily life, making home management more efficient and convenient.
With smart home technology, you can customize various aspects of your home environment with just a few clicks or voice commands. This not only adds to the comfort and ease of living but also provides a modern, upscale feel to your home.
Outdoor Living Spaces
Adding a well-designed patio provides a versatile area for both relaxation and entertaining guests. An outdoor kitchen extends the functionality of your home, allowing for enjoyable outdoor cooking and dining experiences.
Including a cozy fire pit area creates a warm and inviting space, ideal for gathering with family and friends, especially during cooler evenings. These outdoor additions not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home but also increase its usable space. They offer a seamless blend of comfort and style, making the most of your outdoor area.
Art and Decor
When selecting art or decor, it’s important to choose pieces that align with your taste and complement the overall design of your space. Art can serve as a striking focal point in any room, instantly drawing attention and adding visual interest.
Decor items like vases, mirrors, and decorative cushions can enhance the aesthetic appeal and create a more refined and elegant atmosphere. It’s also beneficial to consider the scale and color scheme of these pieces to ensure they harmonize with your existing decor.
Lighting for Mood and Ambiance
Effective lighting is key to creating the right mood and ambiance in your home, significantly enhancing its luxury and comfort. Layered lighting is an approach that combines different types of lighting to achieve a balanced and dynamic atmosphere.
Ambient lighting illuminates an entire room, creating a base layer of light. Task lighting is focused and brighter, designed for specific activities like reading or cooking. Accent lighting highlights architectural features or artwork, adding depth and interest to the space.
The right mix of these lighting types can dramatically alter the feel of a room, making it more inviting and elegant. Additionally, using dimmer switches allows you to adjust the light intensity according to the time of day or the desired ambiance.
High-End Kitchen Upgrades
Investing in top-quality appliances in the kitchen is a practical move, as they offer better performance and longevity. These appliances not only make cooking and food storage more efficient but also add a modern, sophisticated look to your kitchen.
Marble countertops are another luxurious addition. They are durable, heat resistant, and offer a timeless elegance that can transform the aesthetic of the space.
Additionally, custom cabinetry allows for personalization in design and maximizes space utilization. These cabinets can be tailored to fit your specific storage needs and design preferences, ensuring a seamless integration with the overall kitchen layout.
Luxurious Flooring Options
Hardwood floors are a popular choice for their timeless appeal and durability. They bring warmth and natural beauty to any room and can be refinished over time to maintain their look.
Natural stone flooring, such as marble or granite, is another luxurious option that adds elegance to your home. These materials are known for their durability and distinct patterns, making each installation unique.
High-quality tiles offer versatility in design and are available in various textures and colors. They are easy to maintain and can mimic the appearance of more expensive materials like stone or wood.
Whichever option you choose, it’s important to consider factors like durability, maintenance, and how the flooring complements the rest of your home’s design.
Personalized Spaces
Designing personalized spaces in your home, like a home office, library, or hobby room, is an effective way to enhance its luxury and functionality. A home office, for instance, should be equipped with ergonomic furniture and adequate storage to create a productive work environment.
A library can be a quiet sanctuary with shelves for your books and comfortable seating for reading. For hobby rooms, consider the requirements of your hobby, whether it’s crafting, music, or gaming, and design the space to facilitate these activities.
Conclusion
Transforming your home into a luxurious space involves thoughtful choices across various aspects. From selecting quality furniture and upgrading your bathroom to integrating smart technology, each element plays a crucial role.
Remember, luxury is not just about aesthetics but also about functionality and personalization. By focusing on these key areas, you can enhance your living experience and increase your home’s value. With these tips, you’re well on your way to creating a home that’s both luxurious and uniquely yours.
For over 60 years we’ve stayed committed to our customers in providing quality, care and customer service. We stand behind our products from sourcing materials to manufacturing and beyond with services like cleaning, remodeling, and storage. Our business is about family, and we build relationships that last for generations. To celebrate the Pologeorgis heritage and connections within the industry we’ve created a new space that allows us to celebrate beloved fashion and lifestyle insiders. We are delighted to introduce you to Tina Broccole.
Tina Broccole is a New York-based fashion stylist, digital content creator, and podcast host. She began styling for an upscale retailer 26 years ago and started her personal styling business in 2005. Mentioned in Fairfield County Woman, Greenwich Magazine, and Serendipity Magazine Tina was a contributing Editor of Bella Magazine and hosted a radio show on WGCH 1490 for over a decade. As an entrepreneur of her own styling business, Tina added radio show personality and fashion commentator to her resume. Each notable guest is interesting, they include designers, stylists, influencers, shop owners, and content creators. Listen to the podcast “The Fashion Department” on your favorite podcast platform.
tinabroccole.com @tina_thefashionstylist
“I was thrilled to be invited to partner with Pologeorgis. The brand’s tradition of quality and craftsmanship in each product is truly exceptional, as well as their care and kindness with each and every customer. Designed with attention to detail, each of their luxury furs and shearlings are contemporary and wearable.” – Tina Broccole, Fashion Stylist & Host of “The Fashion Department” podcast.
Eyebrows are a vital part of your face but can be challenging. Unlike tweezing, waxing gives a more predictable result and helps the hairs grow back thinner over time. The first step is to prepare your skin. Exfoliate a few days before your appointment to remove dead skin cells and prep the brow area for waxing.
It’s Painless
Eyebrow waxing does hurt a little, but it’s far better than tweezing. It’s a quick hair-removal method that produces fabulous results and leaves you feeling like you belong on a magazine cover. Unlike plucking, which removes hair one at a time, eyebrow waxing takes several strands of hair in a single swipe. This makes it an efficient technique; the results last longer than tweezing or shaving. A professional technician should perform this procedure, and it’s also essential to communicate clearly with your eyebrow technician about the look you want. This is especially true for new clients since eyebrow growth differs between people. Additionally, the skin surrounding your brows is exceptionally delicate, and it’s essential to protect it after a waxing session by avoiding sun exposure and using sunscreen with a high SPF. You should also avoid over-exfoliating the area and wearing tight clothes that can rub against it, as this can irritate you.
It’s Quick
Unlike tweezing, which involves plucking hairs one by one, waxing removes a large swath of unwanted hair all at once. This saves time and is far less tedious. When waxing the brows, the esthetician should use small amounts of resin to avoid drips and maintain control over the area being worked on. Keeping the resin at a comfortable temperature (around 43 degrees) prevents discomfort and ensures that it adheres to hair effectively. Once the warm wax is applied, a cloth strip is placed firmly over it and pulled quickly against the direction of hair growth. It’s important not to pull the strip too quickly, or it may cause skin irritation. A well-trained esthetician can adequately remove the strip without damaging the skin underneath. In addition to its effectiveness, eyebrow waxing is much quicker than tweezing or threading. The result is long-lasting results that take the hassle out of maintaining on-point brows. The clean, defined look of properly shaped brows takes years off the face and gives the eye area an open, fresh appearance.
It’s Safe
Unlike shaving, waxing removes hair from the root, so it takes longer to grow back, giving you a long-lasting result. It also helps to keep brows looking neat and groomed. However, if you are concerned about getting ingrown hairs, you can opt for threading, as this technique pulls each hair from the roots and doesn’t disturb the skin as much as waxing does. Regardless of what method you choose to use, be sure that your eyebrows are at the right length before you go for a waxing appointment. If your brows are too short, the wax won’t grab onto the hair and will end up pulling at the skin instead. In addition, it’s a good idea to avoid astringent and exfoliating products on the area before your appointment, as they can make your skin sensitive, which may impact how you react to the waxing process. Lastly, don’t take a hot shower after the appointment, which could cause skin irritation.
It’s Effective
The first step is a consultation with your expert to discuss the shape you want. For instance, if your face is round, they may recommend an angular shape to elongate it. Before the waxing begins, they will remove any makeup, oils, or other products on your eyebrows. Then, they will apply warm wax on the areas of unwanted hair. A cloth strip will then be pressed onto the wax and quickly pulled off against the direction of hair growth. This is much faster and more efficient than plucking, which removes each hair one at a time. Waxing lasts longer than shaving, as hair is removed from the root, not the skin’s surface. Doing regularly can result in slower and finer hair regrowth over time. This can help your brows look full and defined for longer.
The lifestyle choices you make today can determine the quality of your health and overall well-being, including what you eat and drink. Although 46% of US adults have a poor-quality diet, not everyone consciously makes poor nutritional choices. There are moments when the hustle and bustle of modern life significantly impacts your diet, resulting in meal choices that affect your body. You may not see the consequences now, but it’s best to know the effect poor nutrition has on your health beforehand, including those below.
- Impaired physical performance and energy levels
Food provides fuel for the body, but you must also be mindful of the nutritional quality of your meals. That is what provides long-lasting physical performance for a few hours until your next meal. Quality food contains all the major and micronutrients to combat fatigue, weakness, and a general sense of lethargy. On the other hand, poor nutrition causes a decline in physical performance and energy levels because your body is deprived of essential enzymes to meet its physical demands. You can binge on a diet high in processed foods, and you will be full. However, you will be hungry again in no time because that meal lacked what has come to be known as dense nutrition. In other words, junk foods provide temporal fuel, which is highly aided by added sugar. It is very similar to a sugar rush that fills you with sudden energy but leads to a crash, leaving the same energy levels in shambles. When this happens over time, you will be exposing your body to a lifetime of impaired physical performance and energy levels.
- Accelerated aging and cellular damage
Did you know that poor nutrition can quicken the aging process? It starts gradually at the cellular level until it starts to show earlier than usual. That is also when your vulnerability to chronic diseases sharply increases. The question, however, is, what is in less-nutritious foods that cause this chain reaction? The first answer is the lack of antioxidants in these meal choices. Antioxidants neutralize harmful free radicals, which are the major causes of cellular damage and oxidative stress. The second answer is the excessive sugar in non-nutritious foods. Sugar is a key driver of aging and bodily inflammation. Their excessive consumption has been linked to many chronic health conditions like diabetes. Avoid cellular damage and accelerated aging by incorporating antioxidant-rich foods into your diet. It’s worth noting that certain hormonal conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome make some women susceptible to poor insulin regulation. That predisposes them to Type 2 diabetes, which also accelerates cellular damage and rapid aging. In such cases, it would be best to consider taking hormone balance supplements to control that.
- Compromised bone health and density
Aside from the impact on the cellular level, your body’s physical structure also takes a hit due to poor nutrition. The bones need calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium to perform optimally, but poor nutrition stifles that. Doing this over time can lead to conditions like osteoporosis, increased risk of fractures, and compromised bone health. It doesn’t help that modern lifestyles favor highly processed foods over nutrient-rich options. Fortunately, you can make a difference in your life by choosing better. Contact a nutritionist to help you make informed food choices that promote bone health and limit your risk of osteomalacia and osteoporosis. The future of your bone health will depend on the healthy choices you make today.
Our homes are the main arena where we play out our lives. From celebrations with families to watching tear-jerking movies not caring how our make-up is running. But it’s not always a smooth performance with uninvited extras (read: pests) waltz in trying to take over the stage. And out of this blooms a love-hate relationship worthy of becoming the next trending Shakespeare drama.
Photo by Prabir Kashyap on Unsplash
Act I: Blissful Ignorance
It all starts with an innocent meet-cute scene like those in romantic comedies. A lonely ant running across the kitchen counter or that spider minding its own business on the wall. So insignificant that we coexist blissfully ignorant of the other’s presence, and the harmony keeps going in our home. But little do we know that it has become the next hot real estate prospect for these insect invaders.
Act II: The Invasion
The next act in our home drama is where the plot thickens and the once harmonious atmosphere turns into a suspenseful thriller. No more a friendly visit from these critters, now it turned into an all-out invasion as the ant army descended in rows upon our kitchen, mosquitoes kept us awake at night with their noises and biting, and the living room corners were draped with cobwebs! These uninvited extras are gunning for our lead roles in our homes.
Act III: The Battle of Wits
But we worked hard to become the protagonists and build our home, so we dug deep for the courage (yes, even those with phobias) to fight back. Gone is the comedy and thriller, now it’s an action-packed war drama! Bug sprays, moth balls, ultrasonic devices for rodent control, and fly swatters become our weapons of choice. We deploy strategies to take down these invaders by clever pest control strategies designed for them – laying out bait for ants and using those nifty ultrasonic devices. No mercy while we repel rodents and swatting flies – but don’t call out victory just yet. You might think the battle is won, but the war is still continuing.
Act IV: Operation Pest Control
With the struggle between sides, you might feel at your wit’s end. Now is the time to call in the specialist for a cover mission. Aptive pest control services are experts in handling these “wannabe” extras. With powerful weapons for insect destruction at their disposal, they not only eliminate them but take out the source (read: nests), bringing back harmony in your home.
The Grand Finale: A Love-Hate Relationship
As the curtain closes on our drama, the feeling of victory might not last long. Pests are a common occurrence in our daily lives, which brings shrieks, tears, and colorful language into our play. While their presence do give us the hibbie jibbies or an annoyed feeling, they do keep us alert and make life excitingly unpredictable. But on the flip side, no one likes to have their privacy invaded – even if it’s a lonely moth. Or inconvenient our lives if the ants descend on the cake that you saved for a midnight snack. Or scared to next Tuesday due to the spider that’s hanging from the ceiling.
Holiday dressing takes a glamorous turn when feathers make their grand entrance. There is something enchanting about the way feathers add a touch of whimsy and luxury to festive attire. Whether adorning a dress, a pair of heels, or even a statement accessory, feathers effortlessly elevate the holiday spirit. The light, airy texture creates a sense of playfulness, reminiscent of snowflakes dancing in the winter breeze. Embracing feathers in your holiday ensemble is like donning a festive plumage, making you stand out in the crowd and adding a dash of elegance to the season’s celebrations. So, why not let your style take flight and embrace the feathered allure this holiday season? Here are some of my favorite feather dressing choices. Click the descriptions below from left to right to order or for more information.
I love the look of these feather boots. How cute with leather pants and dark jeans.
I bought these gorgeous feather slingbacks. They give a lot of bang for not a lot of $$$
Love the look of the blue feathers on this.
For those of you who prefer an off-the-shoulder look, how great is this blouse?
Here is the longer version of the previous pink dress. It’s hard to decide which to choose.
And lastly probably one of my favorite looks. I would pair this with the feather slingbacks!