The new year can offer many new beginnings and opportunities, so why not focus some of that positive energy on your home? By resolving to give it extra TLC over the next few months, you can create a much more pleasant living environment, helping to foster a sense of tranquility in your everyday life.
Clutter can zap a good mood just as easily as it can attract dust, so make limiting yours a priority. To help the task seem less daunting, break it into small pieces, such as by spending ten minutes a day tidying your spaces. You could use bins to corral your belongings as you work, perhaps designating separate ones for items to keep and others to get rid of, allowing you to speed up the cleanup process. As weeks pass, you’ll likely see your results grow, and your spaces will look better for it. Give some of your clutter away to charity, and you’ll also benefit from contributing to a good cause.
Your home is your castle, a place where you can relax, create memories, and recharge. But you don’t need to fortify yours with a moat to make it more secure—there are several easy and relatively inexpensive tactics you can employ instead. For example, upgrading to a video doorbell would help you keep an eye on your visitors and packages, while putting up motion-sensor exterior lights would likely deter any potential intruders. You could also add an extra layer of protection with a smart security system, such as one from SimpliSafe or Vivint, which offers security measures like cameras, a siren, additional sensors, and 24/7 professional monitoring.
Once you’ve taken steps to protect your home from exterior threats, turn your attention to safeguarding it from possible interior ones like house fires. Working smoke alarms can prevent costly damage and, per the National Fire Protection Association, cut the risk of dying in a home fire by 50 percent. So if you haven’t done so already, position one in each bedroom and on each level of your house. Equally dangerous is carbon monoxide, a gas you can’t see or smell, making it important to place a carbon monoxide detector close to your main living spaces and bedrooms as well. Also test your home for radon, an odorless and colorless gas that’s been linked to lung cancer, particularly if you have a concrete slab or a basement.
After upgrading the safety of your home and removing clutter, you can make it sparkle, too, by drawing up a cleaning schedule. Follow it faithfully, and your regular chores may eventually become second nature, making them seem much less taxing. For example, consider dusting on Mondays, mopping or vacuuming the floors on Wednesdays, scrubbing the bathroom on Thursdays, and straightening up your kitchen nightly after dinner. Use time-saving helpers like a robotic vacuum and cordless scrub brush to give yourself a few extra minutes of relaxation at the end of the day—a just reward for all you’ve accomplished.
Almost nothing expresses the comforts of home like a fireplace—the perfect cozy spot to retreat to after coming indoors from a chilly night. Such a feature allows you to set a romantic ambience, enjoy treasured gatherings with your family, and savor the natural glow of a flame flickering safely in its hearth. If you’re looking to install one in your home, the following tips can help you select and style a truly heartwarming centerpiece.
You’ll first need to decide which basic fireplace type to install. Each one is designed to consume a specific fuel source and may vary in price, visual potential, and maintenance needs. Here are the most common options:
Wood-burning
Pros: Excellent scent and classic charm
Cons: Necessitates replenishing its firewood often, demands more extensive maintenance due to the debris it creates, and utilizes a broad chimney, which may be complicated and expensive to add to an existing home
Gas
Pros: Quick to install, especially if you opt for a ventless model, and more efficient than a wood-burning fireplace
Cons: Requires a potentially risky gas connection and may be costly to set up if your chosen model needs a ventilation system
Electric
Pros: Simple to install, doesn’t require ventilation features—which makes it extremely energy efficient—and is available in built-in or portable models
Cons: Doesn’t burn a pleasantly authentic flame and cannot provide much-needed heat during a power outage
Ethanol
Pros: Offers the same advantages as electric, plus produces a smokeless flame due to the fuel type
Cons: Generates less heat than the prior options, uses somewhat pricey bioethanol fuel, and is potentially less safe than gas and electric
If you’re unsure of which to choose, contact a fireplace contractor to go over the various models and finishing features available; they can also give you a better estimate of the total price based on factors like materials and dimensions. Per the home-improvement site Angi, the average installation price is about $2,500, so to mitigate your costs, you may want to build the surround (the frame encircling the fireplace opening) out of simple brick or go with a more affordable prefabricated model.
In addition, be mindful that some states have banned certain models, such as ventless fireplaces, due to air-quality concerns. To be safe, discuss your planned upgrade with your local zoning department before you decide on a structure.
Once you choose a fireplace, you can then design the decorative elements for enclosing it, including the mantel and hearth. For a seamless style, take inspiration from the surrounding room, pulling from a single motif—such as contemporary clean lines or traditionally ornate woodwork—that would complement it nicely. For example, while an intricate wooden surround and mantel with ornate trim beckons thoughts of fine estates, such pieces would appear out of place in a midcentury modern home.
To enhance visual impact, select a quality material like flagstone or brick for the fireplace surround, hearth, and chimney breast (the structure around and above a fireplace that projects into the room). You can even affix a ventless fireplace into the latter for an old-fashioned look. Further, installing a prominent mantel can set the stage for displaying goods like electronics above the firebox. Making these thoughtful style considerations will help you create a truly stunning centerpiece.
Working closely with a fireplace contractor is ultimately the key to devising an attractive yet practical model that suits your tastes. Just as important, they can provide ongoing maintenance advice about cleaning debris, inspecting the fuel source often, and more based on the variety you choose. Stay on top of these tasks, and you and your loved ones can bask in the welcoming glow of a fireplace for years to come.
Is there any greater comfort food than pasta? Based on these recipes from the Pasta Night cookbook, the answer is a resounding “No!” Whether you opt for the filling meaty casserole or pleasantly peppery noodles (or both), you’re sure to make loved ones feel like they’re being wrapped in a warm culinary embrace this winter.
The traditional dish is upgraded with this version, which includes fennel, garlic, onion, and chili flakes in its meat sauce and is topped with three cheeses.
This dish combines pecorino with fresh peppercorn for a dynamic sauce—and with only three ingredients, meal prep doesn’t get any easier.
Recipes excerpted from Pasta Night by Deborah Kaloper. © Smith Street Books 2022. Photography by Emily Weaving.
Serves 8+
Serves 4–6
Becoming a first-time homeowner is an exciting milestone, whether you’re in your twenties, thirties, forties, or beyond. But amid the thrill of the experience, there are inevitably many lessons to be learned and challenges to overcome along the way. As you take your next steps into homeownership, consider these five insights to help make the process easier.
You might expect that you’ll be able to simply move in your belongings and have a house you’re happy with right from the start. However, transforming your new space into a home that truly reflects your personality takes time. You’ll most likely need more furniture and decor like rugs and pictures to enhance both aesthetics and functionality, and you won’t necessarily know how much or which ones you’ll have to acquire until after you move in. Resist the urge to go on a large shopping spree as soon as you’re in your new house. Instead, take the time to unpack all your items and live in your spaces so you can get a feel for what each one needs. Maybe it won’t look like your Pinterest board right away, but that’s OK—by being thoughtful and deliberate with your choices, you can better ensure that you create a home you’ll love for years to come.
Many people love a good DIY project, at least until they’re halfway in and begin to question why they thought it was a good idea in the first place. While such renovations are a great way to save money and personalize your home, online tutorials don’t always portray the realities of what it’s like to redo your cabinets, flooring, or bathroom. These projects, especially large-scale ones, can be challenging, frustrating, and time-consuming—but also incredibly rewarding. The key is simply to be well informed about the process and mentally prepared for what it entails. Then, when the project is finally done, you can take a step back and say, “Yeah, I did that.”
It’s relatively common knowledge that air filters need to be changed regularly, at least once every two or three months. One thing that may catch you by surprise when buying new ones, though, is that they come in very specific sizes; that seemingly insignificant half an inch can make a huge difference on the efficiency of your HVAC system and the air quality in your home. Take the time to check the measurements on the filter currently installed before buying a replacement, and do yourself a favor by planning ahead: buy a multipack so you have extras on hand for the future. Just as important, be sure to write the replacement date on the filter so you don’t keep thinking you changed it two months ago when it’s really been almost a year.
Are you dreaming of a beautiful lawn that’s weed-free and the envy of the neighborhood? Don’t expect it to be easy—maintaining a lawn comes with a big learning curve if you’ve never done it before. Weeds can be stubborn, soil conditions are often temperamental, and weather is unpredictable. On top of that, yard work can simply be exhausting. (Take it from someone who spent a week manually dethatching her lawn in the heat of summer.) However, your efforts and hard work will be rewarded over time. Sure, you may not be able to get a perfectly sharp edge around your yard initially, but with more practice, you can improve your skills and create the yard of your dreams.
Just because you closed on your home doesn’t mean your relationship with your real estate agent has to end. Beyond helping you find the perfect property, they offer a wealth of knowledge and resources you may want to tap into in the future. Need to upgrade your flooring? They likely know a reputable contractor. Considering an addition to your home? They can recommend a reliable builder. Agents understand what it takes to maintain a home or transform it into a dream space, so don’t hesitate to reach out for advice or referrals when you need assistance with repairs or renovations. They’re often more than happy to help.
Becoming a homeowner is a journey filled with numerous learning experiences, but it’s a thrilling one to embark on. Embrace the process, and you’ll enjoy every step of making your house a home.
