Highlight Homes

With the kids back in school and the holidays just around the corner (gulp!), you might be in the mood to make a few changes around the house.  But where do you look for ideas and inspiration?  Why not look to some of the same sources of inspiration that professional renovation companies – like Highlight Homes – occasionally look to for ideas and industry insights?  Below are just a few of the people, places and companies that have motivated our work this month:

The Nest

Brought to you by the same folks who publish The Knot and The Bump, The Nest is a website devoted to all things “home” – from helpful tips like “How to Prepare for a Renovation” and “How to Finance Your Renovation” to a treasure trove of décor photos intended to enlighten you to the latest trends and inspire your own unique interior design. Be sure to flip through the pages of the digital magazine and check out their articles devoted to green living, organization, and (of course) renovating.

Decorative Lighting

This oft overlooked item can add quite a bit of a homeowner’s distinctive taste and personality to a room. If chosen properly, a great fixture serves as far more than a source of light – it can moonlight as an eye-catching work of art! Highlight Homes has several wonderful vendors to whom we look for extraordinary fixtures.

Sophisticated Man Caves

Listed among the “10 Home Decorating Trends That Will Be Hot in 2013” by House Beautiful’s Mimi Read*, modern man caves with a hint of sophistication are a far cry from a dark, dank unfinished basement sporting furniture from your college days or a garage with a dart board on the wall, a cooler within easy reach, and cornhole on the floor. Envision instead a full-size bar with beer taps and flat panel TVs hung overhead, a supreme “sky box” with an enormous big screen TV at center stage and huge overstuffed sofas on which to watch sporting events to your heart’s content, or a veritable sound stage with lighting and speakers where you can revisit your garage band days in style.

Pantone Color Report: Fall 2013

The sight of school buses ambling along country roads and the sound of drums echoing from high school stadiums on Friday nights reminds us that fall is just around the corner. The recent release of the Pantone Color Report for Fall is a colorful reminder, as well. We are particularly fond of bright and happy shades like Emerald Green 17-5641 (Pantone’s Color of the Year), Mykonos Blue 18-4434, Acai Purple 19-3628, Samba Red 19-1662, and Koi Orange 17-1452.

To learn more about Highlight Homes and the services we provide throughout the Metro Atlanta area, visit us online at www.highlighthomesga.com.

We all have that one room (or two or three…) that feels smaller than it really is or actually IS a tighter space, but still must serve a purpose to fit your family’s needs.  To that end, Highlight Homes has compiled the following list of Five Ways to Make a Small Space Seem Larger:

1. Lighten Up: The use of light colors and natural light creates an optical illusion that makes a small room seem larger. Pale neutrals and stark whites in your furniture, accent pieces and wall paint selections will lend a hand in transforming a room from cramped to cozy. The use of sheer curtains or no window coverings to let the natural light into the room will also help to add to the impression of a “roomier” room.  If the room has no windows, consider incorporating recessed lighting to mimic the look of natural light and brighten up the space.
2. Combat Clutter: Some homeowners must fight the desire to “overdesign” a living space. Too much clutter can make even the largest room in the house seem small. When dealing with a diminutive  domain, keep the décor as simple as possible.  Use wise organizational options – such as a coffee table with lots of drawers or a storage ottoman, along with minimal yet impactful décor – such as an incredible piece of artwork on the wall, throw pillows on the sofa, and complementary floor rug that pulls the whole room together. Avoid the urge to add too much in the way of accessories.
3. Smoke and Mirrors: One of the most popular ways to make a small space seem larger is through the use of an exceedingly well-placed mirror. Light will bounce off the mirror and add to the appearance of depth in the room, particularly when placed opposite from a window. At night, make certain a lamp is angled toward the mirror to replace the loss of natural light.
4. Minimize to Maximize: While overstuffed seating most definitely lends itself to the cozy factor, large furniture can seem oddly out of place and make a small room seem much smaller. Plot your furniture selection and placement carefully to complement the space. A sleek set of slipper chairs set around a side table in front of a wall of bookcases can transform a rarely used space into a beloved “book nook”.
5. Seek Professional Help: A cramped kitchen or bathroom space could benefit greatly from a new floorplan that incorporates a wall or two being knocked out. But before you go and grab a sledgehammer – you may want to call in professional help. An excellent contractor with a focus on structural engineering is worth his or her weight in gold! They can tell which walls are load bearing, and can move electrical wires and plumbing, if necessary.

The talented design-build team at Highlight Homes welcomes the opportunity to help you take that small space from puny to palatial. Contact us today to schedule your no-obligation consultation. We can be reached by calling 678-873-9234, by e-mailing info@highlighthomesga.com, or by filling out our convenient online contact form. To learn more about Highlight Homes and our extensive list of services, please visit us at www.highlighthomesga.com.

With all of this talk of rising interest rates, low housing inventories and climbing home prices, prospective home buyers have gotten themselves whipped up into a feeding frenzy – desperate to find a decent home at a decent price before interest rates are through the roof. On the other side of the coin, volume homebuilders who have been careful about production leading out of the recent housing market crash now see their inventories shrinking at a pace that is difficult – if not downright impossible – to keep up with. So what’s a home buyer to do when what used to be the simple task of house hunting suddenly becomes a downright treasure hunt?  We’ve compiled a list of three fairly palatable options:

1) Draw a Treasure Map

Home buyers today must do their homework in order to find a builder or builders they trust, who build houses that fit their family’s individual tastes and design needs. Next, they should figure out which areas of the city work best for them with regard to school district, commute to work, proximity to family members, etc… Third, they should map out those areas and see if the builders they prefer are currently building there – within a price point they can comfortably afford. The laws of supply and demand dictate that they may need to snap up a home site quickly in order to get in the ideal neighborhood built by their preferred builder.  If they are fortunate enough to find a “hidden gem” – a newly completed ready-to-move-in home by their builder at a palatable price point – they should consider themselves lucky.

2) Make Your Own Destiny

A growing trend in Atlanta homebuilding is the sudden infill development boom that’s taking place in some of the city’s most sought after neighborhoods such as Buckhead, Chastain, Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, High Point, and more. Highlight Homes is thrilled to be building our first new construction home in 6 years as a result of this latest movement within our industry. Located in the highly desirable Brittany subdivision in the heart of Buckhead, our semi-custom 5 BD, 4.5 BA home is in the beginning stages of construction – an excellent time for a potential home buyer to come on board and customize the design details to their specifications. Highlight Homes has 3 to 5 more of these projects in the works over the next six months.

3) There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills

Sometimes the best answer is simply to stay put. There are plenty of currently owned homes out there that have awesome potential, just waiting to be realized. Treasure abounds right there at home, and a skilled remodeling company can sense it right away. Homeowners who are on the fence about moving may want to consult with a respected design-build team like Highlight Homes to learn what their options might be. The blueprints their designer comes back with may just be beyond the homeowner’s imagining – transforming their house into a home they can fall in love with all over again, without the need to call a moving company.

To learn more about Highlight Homes and the services we provide, please visit us online at www.highlighthomesga.com.  Be sure to like us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on all of the latest Highlight Homes news!  To schedule a no-obligation consultation for an upcoming home renovation or to inquire about the Brittany subdivision home currently under construction, call us today at 678-873-9234 or fill out our convenient online contact form.