HER Home - Design Trends, Articles and Resources

Entertaining (yellow)
De-Stressing (blue)
Storing (orange)
Flexible Living (green)

Livability at a Glance™

Turning the dream of building a home into reality can be a daunting challenge, with thousands of decisions along the way. Choosing a plan can be the most intimidating because it's often difficult to visualize the finished home and how it will live. To make it easy we have created a new way to present floor plans to help you narrow the search for a design that fits your personal lifestyle and needs.

Each Livability at a Glance™ floor plan is shown in a color-coded version that highlights four different categories especially important to understanding 'How a Home Plans Lives':

Read about Livability at a Glance and "How Your Home Plans Lives".

Livability at a Glance™ Home Plan Search - A Better Way to Search for Home Plans

Livability at a Glance ™ Quiz™ Discover Your Lifestyle Profile

Pocket Office Home Plans

Do you find yourself frequently bringing work home to finish because there's just not time enough at the office? Then do you wish that space could be shut off from other household activities? But does a dedicated, full-size home office just not make sense?

You may be a perfect candidate for what we call a "pocket office."

Read Pocket Office Home Plans

Design reveal Desires

"From the myriad choices available, the specific selections you make when you are remodeling or building a new home reveal a lot about you, your values and desires."

Read Design reveals Desires

The Practical Side of Design

beyond the visual and social appeals, it is often the thoughtful, practical side of good design which helps buyers choose one home over others on the market.

Careful study is sometimes required to discover these practical design aspects—precisely because they just make sense and would only be noticed by their absence.

Read The Practical Side of Design

The Three Faces of Design

Her Home Magazine spoke with some unlikely bedfellows: Kohler (plumbing products), ThermaTru (exterior doors,) InSinkErator (food waste disposers,) and Wilsonart (countertops,) to identify the appeals designed into some of their products for the home. Though the ingredients were different, their recipes were similar. . .

Read The Three Faces of Design

The Changing Faces of Concrete!

We all remember the story of the ugly duckling. Oh come on, sure you do – the one where the little ugly duckling is magically transformed into a beautiful swan. Well, here’s a real-life transformation story that has nothing whatsoever to do with ducklings or swans, but rather, with concrete.

Read The Changing Faces of Concrete!

From Drab to Dramatic Decorative Lighting Trends!

Next to new wall color, nothing changes a room’s appearance more dramatically than lighting. And today’s homeowners have more ways to transform their homes with light than ever before.

Layering light remains the most pervasive trend, notes Jeffrey Dross, product manager for Kichler Lighting. “Take the kitchen, for example. Previously, it often had a single lighting fixture in the middle of the ceiling. Today, there’s under-cabinet lighting, above cabinet lighting, inside-cabinet lighting, pendants over the island, a chandelier over the table, rope lighting in the toe kick and recessed lights wherever needed.”

Read From Drab to Dramatic Decorative Lighting Trends!

Home Design Dogma - Creating a Pet Friendly Home

Cindy is an entrepreneurial mother of 4 running two home-based businesses. Lori is a newlywed and substitute teaches. Barb is a corporate accountant and happily single. Other than being neighbors, what do they have in common? They see their dogs as full-fledged family members! So it is with many of the 4 in 10 US households with dogs. Yet for most of these loving pet owners, their homes were not designed with pets in mind. From floorplan layouts to material selections to innovative amenities, pet-centric homes make life better for Snoopy and his owners.

Read Home Design Dogma.

Less is More

Waxing and waning since its beginnings in the latter half of the 20th century, contemporary home design is currently enjoying a renewed popularity. Demanding careers and hectic lifestyles have led many homeowners to embrace its clean, simple lines. Often suffering from “opportunity overload,” they find respite in homes with less fuss and fewer details.

Read Less is More

Creating Intimacy in Open Floor Plans

Over the last two decades, homes have become increasingly open. Improved building products now allow designers to eliminate walls previously needed to bear loads. The resulting floor plans feel considerably more spacious than older homes divided by additional walls.

Adjoining kitchens, dining areas, hearth rooms and great rooms are ideal for today’s casual entertaining, encouraging guests to mingle freely. Open living spaces also allow cooks to interact with family members during meal preparation.

Read Creating Intimacy Open Floor Plans

Quartz Your Hardest Choice In Countertops

Perhaps that’s why quartz surfacing has become the fastest-growing countertop material in the United States. With the distinctive depth and glimmering radiance of natural stone, this material offers easier maintenance than granite, marble or limestone.

Read More. . .

Building Green - As a Nations, We can do Better

According to the U.S. EPA, the average home creates more pollution than the average automobile. It’s not surprising there is increasing interest in building environmentally responsible homes, and today it is possible to build “green” without sacrificing aesthetics or livability.

Minimizing the negative impact homes have on the environment is critical. While home plans themselves are not necessarily 'Green', simple choices in the home’s design and selection of environment-friendly home products can make a huge, positive impact.

Read Building Green

French Country Design Style

Viva la Difference.  Their architecture is no exception. So it's not particularly surprising that French Country homes are becoming as popular as the latest styles from Paris.

Read French Country Design Style

The Craftsman Home

SOLID AND SECURE.  WARM AND INVITING.  Such are the words that describe-what has become the "comfort food" of American residential architecture - the Craftsman home.

Read The Craftsman Home

Garage Door Decor

The biggest doors don't have to be boring.  Not your ordinary door. the architectural styling of each of these homes is greatly enhanced by thoughtful door selections.

Read Garage Door Decor

Carefree Exteriors

Good-Looking, Time-Saving Products for your Home.  What’s behind the trend toward low-maintenance products for the home? We went one-on-one with home buyers and builders to discover the perceptions and values behind the surge. The insights just might surprise you!

Read More . . .

Exquisite Exteriors

What are the most common mistakes homeowners make when choosing exterior paint colors?  What opportunities do homeowners commonly miss when selecting and placing colors on their homes' exteriors?  These questions and others are answered with "Tips for Choosing a Color Scheme."

Read More . . .

An Island of Dream

No item represents the 21st century kitchen more than the island. Whether you’re building or remodeling, your new kitchen will undoubtedly include one. As kitchens have grown in size and importance, islands have also sprung up in increasing numbers and varieties.

Because of the sheer multitude of options available in today’s islands, thorough research and a thoughtful assessment of your particular needs is essential to ensure your finished island is everything you desire. The following questions will get you started.

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The Entertaining Kitchen

Many of the best times of our lives revolve around being with family and friends. Whether it’s hosting a formal get-together, holiday dinners or your children’s birthday parties, the kitchen is the hub of activity. A little extra attention spent planning flow, layout and product selections will reward you with a kitchen that is more functional and efficient.

Due to the popularity of today’s open floor plans with kitchens in full view, designing kitchens is all about zones related to the flow of activity. Kitchen design is being further refined by an emerging knowledge of how layout and product choices can actually help reduce stress, particularly while entertaining.

Read The Entertaining Kitchen

Company's Coming - Kitchens that Ease Entertaining

 
Many of the best times of our lives revolve around being with family and friends. But did you ever stop to think about the influence your home’s design has on your entertaining? Whether it’s hosting formal get-togethers, holiday dinners or your children’s birthday parties, the kitchen is the hub of activity. A little extra attention spent planning flow, layout and product selections will reward you with a kitchen that is more functional and efficient.

Read More . . .

The Organized Kitchen

 
For many years, dishes, utensils, cookware and supplies were organized by groups. Since today’s kitchens are often arranged by zones determined by function (e.g., prep, cooking, baking, serving, clean-up zones), point-of-use storage has become a practical way to save steps and time. Of course, the storage requirements for each zone vary from family to family.

Read The Organized Kitchen

Kitchen Essentials

Creating a kitchen people will want to live in.  Whether it's one person preparing a sophisticated gourmet meal or the whole family pitching in on a hurried supper - enjoying a cup of coffee with the morning paper or casually entertaining a group of friends - paying bills at the computer or helping a youngster with homework ...homeowners are spending more time in their kitchens.

Read Kitchen Essentials

Start the Day Right in an Efficient Bath

Courtesy of Her Home Magazine. What does your bath look like on a typical morning? A place for everything and everything in its place? Or, a floor covered with wet towels and dirty clothes and a countertop cluttered with hair products, lotions, cosmetics and a tangle of cords? If the second description fits your bath – or your children’s bath – this article is for you.

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The Best Bathroom Ideas

Courtesy of Her Home Magazine. Bathrooms were once utilitarian rooms not much bigger than closets. Today, a stroll through a bath showroom or a quick look through a home design book or magazine will prove those days are long gone.

Read The Best Bathroom Ideas

In The Bath

Of all the rooms in our homes, kitchens and baths (especially master baths) have changed the most dramatically over the years.

Read In The Bath

Organized Rear Foyers

Her Home asked women what contributes stress to their daily lives at home. One of the most frequent replies was: “Getting my family out the door on time in the morning, with everything they need.” Another common response was simply: “Clutter.”

Thankfully, an organized rear foyer can de-stress take-offs and provide pleasant landings by eliminating clutter that may otherwise accumulate in the kitchen or family room. Because efficient, practical service entries are emphasized in all. . .

Read Organized Rear Foyers

Garages - The New Flex Room

Evolving from mere auto storage units, today’s garages are often serving multiple roles. The most common is storage. But increasingly, garages are being used for a variety of other purposes, dictated by the activity(s) envisioned. Here are issues and solutions for expanding the usability of your garage, based on what we’ve been hearing from you . .

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Flex Appeal

What makes you feel most welcome when you're an overnight guest? I like being shown to a cozy, tucked-away room with a bed dressed up in catalog linens and a down duvet, adjoining a full bath stocked with fluffy towels and wrapped soaps . .

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Creating the Home Office that is Right for You!

Have it Your Way. It’s no wonder millions of Americans are now working from home.  Unlike a commercial office, a home office can reflect your personality, likes and dislikes. Having a completely individualized work space can make the difference between having to work and wanting to work.  In fact, after moving home, you may find yourself staying at your desk a little longer – which balances out time-wise since there’s no commuting!

Read Creating the Home Office that is Right for You!

Creating the Ideal Workspace

With an estimated 50 million people now working at home, an awareness has emerged that the quality of the home workplace counts - not only for efficiency, comfort, and safety, but for the sheer pleasure of being there.

Read Creating the Ideal Workspace

Hobby Rooms 

 
Creative Get-Away Spaces
You’ve probably heard the saying, “I’m not messy – I’m creative.” You may have said it yourself, but, imagine a home without interesting piles here and there. Imagine a home with a well-laid out hobby room.

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10 Things to Consider Before You Sign on the Dotted Line

Making the decision to build a new home is a thrilling prospect. For many, it is the realization of a dream. But many potential new home owners don’t realize that some of the decisions made after signing a contract would be less expensive and better negotiated if they researched their needs before inking the deal.

Read More . . .

10 Things to Remember After You Sign the Contract!

Lessons From Real-Life Experiences, Part Two. Lisa Albrecht shares more lessons she's learned while building her dream home. In the second part of her journey, Lisa provides advice for the framing stage.

Read More . . .

Setting the Stage for Resale

Sprucing up a home before putting it on the market is hardly a new idea. Most of us have been through the process of repainting walls, replacing carpets, scouring kitchens and bathrooms and meticulously manicuring the yard.

Professional Presentation to Help Sell Your Homes.

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