Two smart moves when updating your kitchen cabinets include fresh paint and new hardware. But you should also look beyond paint samples or the shape of drawer pulls and think about how you use your kitchen, and whether the organization of your kitchen is doing the best job.

“The best design in any room incorporates how the space is going to be used,” says Karen Gray-Plaisted of Design Solutions KGP.

Case in point, do you still need a drawer dedicated for sippy cups and melamine bowls now that your kids are older—or could that cabinet be better used for something else?

When you are upgrading your kitchen cabinets, don’t be swayed by every trend you spy on Instagram (we’re looking at you, open shelving!). Be brave and create the kitchen that you want to wake up to every morning.

Here are seven design ideas to consider when you’re updating your kitchen cabinets.

1. Try two colors (instead of one)

Photo by Paper Moon Painting

Navy kitchens have been getting all the heart-eye emojis lately, but it can make a kitchen seem dark. Don’t be afraid to use a two-tone color scheme, with a darker hue on the lower cabinets and a contrasting lighter color above, say the pros.

“A deep green or blue paired with a lighter upper is a refreshing look,” says Gray-Plaisted.

2. Open up lower cabinets

Photo by SV Design

Many people flock to open shelving, or they remove their upper cabinet doors to expose their box storage. But revealing the lower cabinets is just as effective and can create an airy feeling in your kitchen.

And if you’ve ever rummaged around in a dark lower cabinet for a Bundt pan or rice cooker, you’ll save time and stress on your back with easy-access bottom cabinets.

Create theme storage by dedicating certain areas to particular needs—think baking dishes and mixing bowls in one section and egg pans and small skillets in another. (This is helpful for open shelving as well as closed cabinets!)

3. Reconsider your storage needs

Photo by Bakken Design Build 

Tastes change over time—and kids grow up and move away. Left in their wake may be storage and other cabinet solutions that don’t make sense anymore.

“Cubbies for wine or certain appliances may not be needed, so consider how you want to live right now and going forward,” says Marty Basher, an organization professional at Modular Closets.

For example, that roll-up, garage door–style cabinet for the standing mixer you’ve stopped using could be replaced with a tricked-out spot for a cappuccino maker. Or the messy dog food bags that live under the sink could finally be stored properly in a pet-feeding station.

4. Skip paint—and add veneer

Photo by Cronos Design 

To rehab kitchen cabinets, think beyond paint. If you have wood cabinets, you might want to sand and stain them a different color. Flat panel doors are a good candidate for new veneer.

“Veneer comes in lots of colors and styles, and it’s actually something you can DIY,” says Basher.

And even if you don’t want to completely cover your cabinets with veneer, you could use it as accent trim, he adds.

5. Pick interesting glass

Ho-hum glass-front cabinets again. Or are they? Look closer, and you’ll notice that these kitchen boxes don’t hew to the same style you see in everyone’s house. Check out the different options for this look, including fluted, wavy, or frosted panels, says Gray-Plaisted.

Bonus: With glass that obscures the insides of your cabinets, you won’t have to work as hard to stack and arrange your cups and bowls every time you empty the dishwasher.

6. Try chicken wire, cork, or chalkboard cabinet faces

Photo by Case Design/Remodeling of Indianapolis

Glass isn’t the only choice when updating your kitchen cabinets. Chicken wire is an unexpected surprise on the fronts as it offers a glimpse of your pretty plates as well as infusing the whole room with a farmhouse vibe.

Or go for cork or chalkboard as inserts on cabinet faces. With handy surfaces like these, you can pin up notices, announce the evening’s dinner menu, or make a to-do list.

7. Consider stand-alone storage

Photo by Davonpor

Sometimes upgrading your kitchen cabinets means adding a separate piece of furniture. A free-standing pantry or larder is an ideal solution for a corner space, whether you buy one just for this purpose or rehab an old china chest or curio cabinet. And if you choose the two-tone theme mentioned previously, you might continue it by painting this item one shade on the outside and a brighter, more exciting hue within.

For this and similar articles, please visit Realtor.com

Are property taxes lower for condos? What about townhouses? If you’re buying your first home, you might wonder how the type of home you buy may affect your taxes and whether buying a condo or a townhouse makes a difference. It seems plausible that a smaller home might come with a smaller tax bill, right? But your property’s square footage is just one factor that goes into determining how much property tax you owe. Let’s look at what goes into that number and if it is, in fact, lower for smaller properties.

Difference between a townhouse and a condo

It helps to understand that the distinction between a townhouse and a condo comes down to how the property is sold to you. The general rule of thumb: If you purchase a condo, you own just the inside of the building. If you purchase a townhouse, you might own the property outside as well per the bylaws of your homeowners association.

“A townhouse has land under it that you own, and a condo does not,” says Joyce Mitchell, a real estate agent with Mitchell & Associates Real Estate in Bigfork, MT.

When you buy a condo you co-own communal property beyond your living space. So will this distinction make a difference in your tax bill? Sort of.

What affects property taxes

There are two main factors that go into the amount you have to pay each year in property taxes. The first is your home’s assessed value that’s determined by an assessor who looks at things like the acreage, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and comparable homes nearby. The other factor is the mill levy, or tax rate for your area, usually expressed as a percentage. Mill levy is based on the quality of the public amenities offered such as your town’s public schools, police force, and number of parks. The more amenities, the higher your mill levy will be.

Taxes for single-family homes, condos, and townhouses are calculated the same way, says Larry Friedman, co-founder and principal of SDF Capital, a real estate investment company based in New York’s Westchester County. “It’s based on assessed value and then multiplied by mill rate to determine tax amount.”

Property taxes: Lower for condos or townhouses?

Because of a number of factors, including square footage and number of bedrooms, you can typically expect to pay lower property taxes on townhouses and condos than on single-family homes.

“A condo or townhouse has less space per taxpayer than a single-family home,” says Richard M. Prinzi Jr., CPA and co-founder of F-Sharp Tax Management Services. “In a condo living situation, many taxpayers will share in the tax due for the land and the common areas” such as hallways, lobby, and stairs, he says.

The owner of a townhouse is usually solely responsible for paying taxes on the home and the land it’s built on, but that square footage, on average, is far less than the typical single-family home. Therefore, the taxes for a condo or townhouse are usually lower.

Taxes vary based on where you live

That said, different states and communities have their own real estate tax rules. For example, in California, Proposition 13 mandates that Mello Roos Bonds (which pay for community infrastructure) cannot be based on a home’s value, says Greenside Properties broker Patrick Morgan. Instead, these rules are usually based on a unit’s square footage, usage, and lot size. You can check with your city’s department of finance to get your local tax information.

HOA fees and other added costs

Of course, living in a townhouse or condo can come with HOA fees, which can offset those savings on property tax.

According to Mary Jo Fiore-Posterli, a Realtor® with Coldwell Banker in Lake Forest, IL, condos and townhouses can come with HOA or condo association fees. These associations are elected boards that manage amenities and maintain standards for your complex.

“Depending on the townhome or condo community, you may have an association that has a pool and a tennis court, and someone has to pay for the upkeep of that,” Fiore-Posterli says. As the property owner, you would pay a monthly fee through the association. HOA fees are typically higher for condos than for townhouses.

Of course, your fees will be lower if you don’t have a pool or other similar amenities. Some communities even have you pay for your heat through the HOA fees.

No matter where you decide to live, make sure you do the math and consider HOA fees and the like before deciding if purchasing a smaller property really will translate into lower monthly or annual costs for you.

For this and related articles, please visit Realtor.com

Cool new choices and YouTube tutorials help resurrect the midcentury trend.

Remember the glory days of patterned wallpaper? We’re thinking 1950s floor-to-ceiling patterns, more-is-more florals, and geometric shapes on every vertical surface. That was before the backlash—for decades, nobody would be seen dead with anything but a flat painted wall as a backdrop, and all the world was smooth.

Well, wallpaper is back, baby, but not like before. From Spoonflower’s peel-and-stick to Flavor Paper’s scratch-and-sniff, lemon-lime-scented iteration, there are countless new and delightful ways to dress up your surfaces.

Mandy Riggar, a Portland interior designer, says the wallpaper renaissance is due in part to a rise in affordable and accessible versions, like self-adhesive wallcoverings that are easy to install and remove. Plus, there are now a zillion styles from which to choose, not to mention custom designs, which make wallpaper “almost trendless,” says Riggar. “It’s just about finding the brands that carry the style you like.”

For one client’s stairway (pictured above), Riggar sourced the wallpaper from Makelike, a Portland-based graphic design collective founded in 2000 by Mary Kysar and Topher Sinkinson, which produces a selection of hand-screen-printed wallpaper featuring botanical, coral, geometric, and abstract patterns in myriad color palettes.

Another Portland interior designer, Vicki Simon, used printed wallpaper with a sketch-like pattern in black and white in a client’s powder room, and found it paired well with hanging portraits by Portland-based artist Gracie Ellison. “For me, using wallpaper is just a fantastic way to integrate, to bring interest to a project, especially in smaller spaces,” Simon says.

For similarly bold designs, with some peel-and-stick options for a low barrier to entry, local wallpaper studio Thatcher (formerly Juju Papers and Avery Thatcher Tile) produces a wide range of products for residential and commercial spaces, with bold motifs and one-of-a-kind styles.

Since it was founded in 2012 by Avery Thatcher, the studio has found a nationwide client base, which Thatcher says grew with the resurgence of DIY home décor during the pandemic.

If you’re looking to install wallpaper on your own, YouTube is a good place for step-by-step instructions. It’s a tool Thatcher says has revolutionized the use of wallpaper and fed its growing popularity. “The first time I installed [wallpaper], I definitely watched a YouTube video,” she says.

Thatcher still encourages people to purchase traditional wallpaper and hire professional installers if they can afford it, but she offers another pro tip for folks who want to go it alone: use liner paper, a heavy-duty paper that smooths out any imperfections. “It makes traditional wallpaper totally removable, and all of it is curbside recyclable at that point,” Thatcher says. “It has a special paste that allows it to be removed, and then you put the wallpaper on top of it.”

For this and related articles, please visit Portland Monthly

Glamming up a guest bathroom is often a lower priority than, say, modernizing your kitchen or replacing your roof. But as the holidays approach—and your regular guests come a-calling—you might be looking for ways to spruce up your spare loo on the cheap.

This week we gathered five trendy decor looks from Instagram—with affordable ways to get these looks—that are sure to inspire your guest bath overhaul. No matter how small or large of a project you’re looking to take on, the following ideas offer something for everyone.

It’s time to put the “pow” back into your powder room—without spending a ton of money. Here’s how.

1. Sectional mirrors

A common decorating trick is to add a mirror to a space to jazz it up, and these sectional mirrors from @bathroom_decor take the concept in a charming and unexpected direction.

“Geometric mirrors can create a focal point in a small space,” says interior designer Amanda Oninski, of FLOOR360. “It’s a bold design choice that creates a look that’s both glam and luxe. Coordinating those shapes with the tile, accents, and wallpaper in the space will make it feel complete.”

Get the look: Arrange a few of these diamond-shaped wall mirrors in your guest bath.

2. Smoky glass pendants

Another quick way to upgrade your stale bathroom is with new light fixtures. We’re in love with these chic smoky glass pendants from @maxis.homestory.

“A glass pendant light is a classic fixture,” says Oninski. “Using the smoked-glass pendants modernizes the look of the fixture and the space it’s in. This fits squarely with the design trend of creating spaces that strive to blend traditional with modern.”

Get the look: Shop this smoky glass pendant for a timeless look in your bathroom.

3. Penny tile

If you’re all in for a big design overhaul, consider redoing your bathroom walls or floor in a penny tile like this one featured by @chairishco.

“Penny tiles have been increasing in popularity in recent years because they are a cost-effective way to add some personality and a touch of vintage to a bathroom,” says interior designer Carla Bast. “The small size gives you an opportunity to get creative with patterns and create a custom look. Their small size also makes them less slippery than larger tiles.”

Get the look: Find the perfect penny tile for your bathroom by shopping this collection at Home Depot.

4. Block-print wallpaper

Calling all grandmillennials! Another way to go all out in your guest bathroom is with brand-new wallpaper like this trending block-print pattern from @mindygayerdesign.

“I love block-print wallpaper in the bathroom because it’s classic and timeless,” says Bast. “It’s not too busy or overwhelming, and has just the right amount of detail, without distracting from other features in the bathroom. Try pairing it with a bright-colored vanity for an unexpected twist or wood-toned cabinetry for a more subtle look.”

Get the look: Check out this block-print wallpaper from McGee & Co.

5. Tub-side gallery wall

Looking to upgrade your wall space without changing the walls themselves? Why not install a gallery wall like this one from @the_interior_lens.

“There’s something about having a gallery wall next to your tub that adds a cozy, lived-in feel to the bathroom,” says Bast. “It feels like a natural extension of the living room into the bathroom.”

Even if your guest bathroom doesn’t have a tub, you can still add a personal touch to the space with an eclectic wall of art you’ve collected over the years.

Get the look: Shop local vintage stores for one-of-a-kind art, or download some ready-made prints on Etsy.

For this and similar articles, please visit Realtor.com

After a real estate sale, there are a lot of documents to organize. But do you have to keep them all? After all, you don’t want to have to file all of it if you don’t have to; but you also don’t want to chuck something crucial.

Your closing company is required by law to keep a record of your closing documents, so that’s a good fallback in case you misplace yours. Still, it’s smart for you to keep important documents on hand—particularly if, later on, you need to file a claim against the seller or your professional representation team (i.e., your real estate agent, home inspector, or mortgage lender). Hopefully, that doesn’t happen, but it’s wise to be prepared.

Full disclosure: I’m a real estate agent, but I’m not a naturally organized person. In fact, until a few months ago, I kept the documents from my home purchase in a folder in my closet labeled “Keep Docs.” (I’m not joking!) But the important thing is, I know what forms I have to hold onto.

So, of the hundreds of documents you’ll encounter during the home-buying process, here are the ones you should keep—and why.

1. Buyer’s agent agreement

When you choose a real estate agent, you sign a buyer’s agent agreement—a contract between you and the brokerage, stating that the agent represents you in the purchase of your home.

This agreement outlines the terms of the relationship with your agent—including who pays the agent’s commission (in most cases, the seller), the length of the agreement (90 to 120 days is standard in most markets), and the terms for terminating the agreement.

Why you should keep it: This contract spells out what services your agent agreed to provide you with—and it can come into play if you have an issue with your agent after the transaction closes.

2. Purchase agreement

Every home sale starts with a real estate purchase agreement—a legally binding contract signed by home buyers and sellers that confirms that they agree upon a certain purchase price, closing date, and other terms.

Why you should keep it: The provisions stated in this contract must be followed to the letter. If you or the seller fails to fulfill these duties, there could be legal ramifications.

3. Addenda, amendments, or riders

These types of documents alter or amend the terms of your purchase contract. For example, if a survey reveals that there’s an encroaching fence built by a neighbor, and you’d like the fence removed, the sales contract has to be formally amended.

Why you should keep them: Addenda, amendments, and riders are often related to home inspections or appraisals, and because they change the original terms of the signed contract, they’re worth holding onto.

For instance, if both parties signed a repair addendum, where the seller agreed to make certain repairs based on the home inspection, you’ll need this addendum if you find issues with the repairs down the road.

4. Seller disclosures

Sellers are required by law to disclose certain problems with the home, both present and past, that they’re aware of that could affect its value. While laws vary by state, these disclosures might include lead-based paint, pest infestations, and renovations done without a permit.

Why you should keep them: If major problems crop up with your home after you move in, these disclosures can be the basis for a future lawsuit against the seller. If you lose them, you might have trouble holding the seller accountable in a court of law.

5. Home inspection report

After your home inspection, your inspector should produce a report with detailed notes on the condition of the home and any potential problems.

Why you should keep it: This document is an extremely detailed list of everything that the home inspector finds, and it typically includes photos of problem areas. By keeping this report, you’ll have a record of any repairs that you may need to make to the property in the future.

6. Closing disclosure

Mortgage lenders must provide borrowers with a closing disclosure (also called a CD) at least three business days before settlement. This document spells out things such as your loan term (typically 15 or 30 years), loan type (a fixed-rate or adjustable-rate mortgage), the interest rate, and closing costs, among other financials.

Why you should keep it: Your CD is an itemized list of all the costs associated with closing and your mortgage, and it’s important to have for future reference. It’s also the document you’ll need when you go to file your taxes, since you can take deductions for things such as mortgage points.

7. Title insurance policy

Title insurance offers protection against any competing claims to a home. As part of the process, the insurer will run a title search of public records, seeking loose ends such as liens against the property or fraudulent signatures on ownership documents.

Why you should keep it: You’ll need this document in the event another party, such as a previous owner, tries to claim the property. Note that there is separate title insurance to cover lenders versus buyers, and you would do well to get a policy for yourself.

8. Property deed

When you take title and become the sole owner of the property, you’ll receive a deed—a legal document that confirms or conveys the ownership rights to the home, says Anne Rizzo, associate vice president of Detroit-based title insurance company Amrock.

“It must be a physical document signed by both the buyer and the seller,” Rizzo says.

Typically, the property deed is mailed to you after the title transfer documents are recorded in your county’s public records office.

Why you should keep it: Presenting a property deed is the only way to show someone you legally own the home you’re residing in. Because the deed is sent to you directly, neither your mortgage lender nor title company is required to keep a copy of it.

For this and related articles, please visit Realtor.com