Small beach style home bar photo in New York

Write your own greeting on this Fall Chalkboard framed wreath with burnt orange sunflowers. Tied up with a chevron and orange burlap bow
Inspiration for an eclectic home design remodel in Miami

Hanging Chalkboard tied with a fall chevron burlap bow. Write your own custom message all in chalk. Change it up as much as you'd like.

Wood cabinetry in master bathroom. photographer Chris Diaz
Inspiration for a mid-sized craftsman brown tile and glass tile travertine floor walk-in shower remodel in Austin with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, granite countertops, a two-piece toilet and beige walls

Lift-up door on appliance garage
Example of a farmhouse u-shaped kitchen design in Other

Courtney Apple Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized eclectic freestanding desk light wood floor home office remodel in Philadelphia with white walls

Transitional Kitchen that opens up to large dining and family room areas. Countertops are polished soap stone slabs. Kitchen backsplash is monarch white carrara with white thassos strips - tile from The Tile Bar Sub-Zero Refrigerator and Wolf Vent Hood and cooktop

Inspiration for a transitional bathroom remodel in New York

Expertly crafted in earth friendly solid bamboo, one of the planet’s most sustainable and rapidly renewable resources; Greenington’s modern Jasmine writing desk pairs a tailored slim profile with beautifully angled legs. A stylish small-space solution, the Jasmine writing desk brings the simple elegance of Mid-Century design. Featuring two large storage drawers which span the entire width of the desk, also offering handy cord management, power and USB outlets, offering convenience and up to date connectivity for your home office. Shown in the Havana finish, variations in grain and color enrich the natural beauty of bamboo furniture and make each piece unique. Slight differences in bamboo shade colors are signs that the furniture has been crafted from solid bamboo and is considered a benchmark of quality. The Jasmine desk makes it easy for you to promote sustainability in a lovely, classic and functional way in your home. Available in classic caramelized and havana finishes, the desk measures 48” x 24” x 30"

US Made Le Bloc Flat screen TV lift cabinet shown in a transitional modern master bedroom. Presented by Cabinet Tronix, specialist in TV lit furniture since 2002 and Best of Houzz 2014 & 2015. All cabinets with TV lift kits comes with a 10 year mechanism warranty. This Le Bloc bedroom furniture is available in 3 sizes to fit up to 65 inch flat screens. Also select from 4 woods and 13 included finishes.

A ground floor mudroom features a center island bench with lots storage drawers underneath. This bench is a perfect place to sit and lace up hiking boots, get ready for snowshoeing, or just hanging out before a swim. Surrounding the mudroom are more window seats and floor-to-ceiling storage cabinets made in rustic knotty pine architectural millwork. Down the hall, are two changing rooms with separate water closets and in a few more steps, the room opens up to a kitchenette with a large sink. A nearby laundry area is conveniently located to handle wet towels and beachwear. Woodmeister Master Builders made all the custom cabinetry and performed the general contracting. Marcia D. Summers was the interior designer. Greg Premru Photography

This walnut stand up desk has a slanted writing area and is ideal for paying bills or holding a guest registry. I was able to re-purpose some sentimental walnut shelving for the customer.

Top Tips for Selling a Home in 2016 Want to sell your house in 2016? It’s a great year to sell your home and if you go about it the right way you’ll get what it’s worth and maybe more. Now I could write this post and do the usual “do this, “do that” type stuff but I wouldn’t be doing you any favors. Because unless you know your numbers and the value of your home, you could wind up leaving money on the table or even losing it. So here you go. If you want tips for selling your house in 2016, listen to me - a guy who has bought and sold hundreds of properties as a full-time professional Real Estate Investor. Before you repair anything or call a real estate agent… ...you have to know your numbers. Tip #1: Know the After Repair Value (ARV) of Your Home If you’re going to get the right amount of money for your house, you have to know the After Repair Value (ARV). Essentially this means that you should know what your home can sell for after it’s is 100% rehabbed. If you have a house that you can sell for $120,000, you need to know that. If it will sell for $350,000, you need to know what you need to do to your house to get it there. At the same time, you don’t want to overdo it. If you have a house that’s currently worth $100,000 as is and it can sell for $115,000 when it’s all fixed up, you may or may not want to put the money into a rehab job. If you put $10,000 in just to make an extra $5,000, it might not be worth the hassle. So whatever you do, know what it’s worth now (as -is) and know what it’ll sell for afterward. If you want to find out how much your house is worth, there are plenty of agents out there who will give you comps (Comps is a term that is short for “Comparisons” that lets you determine an appraisal value for your home by comparing it to recently sold homes in your area that are similar to yours) or advice for free, so ask them. So don’t over do it, but don’t be hesitant to put money into your house if it’ll yield a big payoff when you sell it. TIP #2: Make Your Agent Work For You After you determine your ARV and enlist a good agent to help you sell your home, It might be worthwhile to hop in their Escalade to drive around town and look at some high end houses in your area to see what kind of upgrades they have. And when you see a common theme, you’ll have a good idea as to what kind of upgrades you might want to do to be able to sell your house. Granite? Concrete? Tile? Carpet? Wood floors? It depends. I don’t know your area or market so you have to do the research, ask your agent questions, and exercise wisdom. Every market is different and you don’t want to put money into an upgrade or rehab if it’s not the type of thing people in your area are looking for. So talk to a competent agent, and even offer to pay them a bit more in commissions if they can sell your home for a higher price. This is not a waste of money. A good agent with a proven track record is worth every penny because they know exactly what needs to be done to sell your home for the most money. Tip #3: Interior Improvements So once you have an idea about what your home is worth, have a good agent, and have toured homes in your area to see what kind of upgrades homes in your area typically have, it's time to look at your interior to decide what you should and shouldn’t do to sell your house in 2016. No matter what you do, you need to be wise about it. Maybe you live in non-traditional or funky house. That’s fine. Just go through 2 or 3 times with a notepad, write down the frustrations you have with it, and do what you need to do to make it functional, warm, beautiful, and inviting. Interior must-haves: 1. Make sure your kitchen is functional. 2. Always have (or add) a 2nd bathroom: If you don’t have a second bathroom, build one. Sure it could cost you $5-$6k, but it could net you an additional $20k when you sell. No matter what you do, make sure there is a second bathroom. It’s a must. 1. Open floor plans are huge in 2016: If you don’t have one, first- make sure it’s right for your area, and if it is, create one. This might mean building or breaking down a wall, but it’ll pay off in the end. 2. Stage your house: Just do it. Staging your home means that you hire a home stager and/or an interior design consultant (like the lady on Love It or List It) to set up your home in the most inviting way possible and tell you everything you need to do to make it sell. You’ll pay some cash up front but staged homes are shown to sell for 6% to 10% higher according to realtor.org. Tip #4: Exterior Improvements Just like the interior, you have to make sure the exterior of your house looks appealing if you want to get the most value of your house in 2016. Exterior must haves: 1. Add curb appeal: When people pull up to your house, most won’t even want to go inside or look at it unless it looks good from the curb. So make sure it looks gorgeous. Rake the leaves, plant some flowers, mow the lawn - make it inviting. 2. Make sure the picture on the MLS listing matches what your house currently looks like: People don’t want to look at a picture and pull up to your house, only to be disappointed. 3. Hire a professional photographer: This is crucial. It could mean the difference between someone viewing your house, or someone skipping it because the pictures look like a child took them. Hire a pro - it’s worth it. Ask me how I know. 4. Don’t paint your house diarrhea green or brown: This is just common sense. If you’re going to paint, use a neutral color. You don’t want to make your house unsellable because you chose an odd color or made a bad decision elsewhere. Tip #5: Common Sense, Common Sense, Common Sense No matter what you do or do not do, don’t make any hasty decisions. Ask your agent questions, look around, be observant, and don't do anything extreme. If you need to fix up your house to see a big profit, do it. If you have a modest budget and improvements won’t raise the value or your house (the ARV) anyways, don’t go crazy. 2016 is a great year to sell your house. Do it right and do it wisely. Cheers, Nate --- Nate Pyles is a long term Real Estate Investor who made it through the crash in 2008 and spends his week buying and selling houses for profit in the Boise, ID area. He runs House Flip Mentor, has 4 kids, a gorgeous wife, loves to fly, and even built his own Irish pub on his property.

Photos: Scott Robert Larsen Cabinetry: Sleepy Hollow Custom Kitchens
Example of a classic galley eat-in kitchen design in New York with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, stone tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances

A rounded marble top and playful cast iron base make up the Santiago writing table. Can be accompanied by a slipcover chair as a home office writing duo, or as part of a larger dining collection. Water-based finish with lacquer sealant provides extra layer of protection.

In your kitchen, study or sunroom, this Writing Desk will keep the mood light and airy! Finished in our pale Aspen Court Herringbone Light Rub, the top floats over thin dark metal hairpin legs, which angle up and down the sides in an open architectural design. The roomy top surface gives you plenty of room for working on your laptop or that latest art project, and there are two full drawers to keep all your supplies close at hand.

Expertly crafted in earth friendly solid bamboo, one of the planet’s most sustainable and rapidly renewable resources; Greenington’s modern Jasmine writing desk pairs a tailored slim profile with beautifully angled legs. A stylish small-space solution, the Jasmine writing desk brings the simple elegance of Mid-Century design. Featuring two large storage drawers which span the entire width of the desk, also offering handy cord management, power and USB outlets, offering convenience and up-to-date connectivity for your home office. Shown in Caramelized, variations in grain and color enrich the natural beauty of bamboo furniture and make each piece unique. Slight differences in bamboo shade colors are signs that the furniture has been crafted from solid bamboo and is considered a benchmark of quality. The Jasmine desk makes it easy for you to promote sustainability in a lovely, classic and functional way in your home. Available in classic caramelized and Havana finishes, the Jasmine desk measures 48” x 24” x 30”.

Expertly crafted in earth friendly solid bamboo, one of the planet’s most sustainable and rapidly renewable resources; Greenington’s modern Jasmine writing desk pairs a tailored slim profile with beautifully angled legs. A stylish small-space solution, the Jasmine writing desk brings the simple elegance of Mid-Century design. Featuring two large storage drawers which span the entire width of the desk, also offering handy cord management, power and USB outlets, offering convenience and up to date connectivity for your home office. Shown in the Havana finish, variations in grain and color enrich the natural beauty of bamboo furniture and make each piece unique. Slight differences in bamboo shade colors are signs that the furniture has been crafted from solid bamboo and is considered a benchmark of quality. The Jasmine desk makes it easy for you to promote sustainability in a lovely, classic and functional way in your home. Available in classic caramelized and havana finishes, the desk measures 48” x 24” x 30"

Dual vanity cabinets with center make up area out of vertical grain black walnut with cherry legs. Top Knobs Sanctuary pulls and Hubberton Forge wall sconces.