After seeing how you can transform your attic into an additional room with more storage space, it’s time for the underutilized basement to get attention. There are so many potential uses for a basement, that only your desire, needs and budget can help you choose the best solutions for your basement’s transformation.

Begin by imagining yourself in your new basement – what would it look like?

The bridge between a cluttered old basement and a brand new room must be built, but once you deal with usual problems like humidity or noise and other problems that you might encounter on a close inspection of the premises, you should listen to expert advice that can help you decide what modifications are necessary to transform the rarely used basement into an extra space for your favorite activity. A long and narrow basement would make a fantastic place to install a bowling lane – why not enjoy your favorite game in the privacy of you own home?

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Modern basements can become an extension of your home that houses any type of service you might think of – from children’s playrooms to wine cellars, workshops or gyms – we can all be attracted to a certain kind of recreational necessity. But why stop there? Imagine turning the basement into a dance studio, a media room, a recording studio or go even further with personal choices and imagine it as an emergency shelter or a hydroponic garden – the possibilities are endless.

There is even the possibility to make money with your basement. It requires an investment, but a basement can become a rental apartment that can bring in some extra cash. This idea brings additional costs and work – like building walls to separate the bathroom, kitchen (or kitchenette) and actual room/s – but the results will be satisfying. Maybe you should even consider adding a separate entrance so that you and your tenant have the required privacy.

Reclaiming a cluttered basement as your hard-earned recreational room can seem at first a project too large to take on. But even this challenge will add precious relaxation moments once the former basement acquires a new and upgraded status.

Move out then move in

Unravel the basement’s hidden potential by opening the windows to let the air inside and storing all those forgotten boxes in dedicated storage spaces, like the attic. Clean, organize and remove any unnecessary stuff, repair what needs to be repaired and then take a look around to see how much space there actually is. Can you imagine how you would like to use this additional square footage? If you can’t think of anything after this, then at least you have a clean, organized basement that awaits your inspiration.

The secret to more storage is in the way you define storage space – cold, forgotten spaces sprinkled with dust or organized, clever and creative places for each thing you own. Appreciating what you have is key to a happy life, as your attic is key to your storing needs.

Depending on passions, everyone has things associated with that hobby to store, so why not make it a dedicated space with additional storing solutions integrated in the attic’s new design? Try thinking about the attic as your new attic closet, workout space or lounge area – that will put a spin on things.

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Storage space or a new room? Both!

Attics are always present in our dreams as additional spaces where storage meets style and function in a complementary design. By integrating the attic storage space into a larger concept of your favorite room, the brick-a-bracks stay elegantly hidden and you get to use your attic as a new room. Imagine all the possibilities!

Attic media rooms perfect for enjoying a movie with friends, dreamy attic bedrooms with windows to the stars, an attic playroom for your children or even a multifunctional space for one of the more independent family members – that is what an unused attic can become!

Behind carefully integrated doors, storing spaces can become home to all kinds of things – from sports equipment, coats and shoes to children’s pushchairs and bikes, all can find a corner especially designed for them. Clever and inexpensive storage built under attic sloping roofs can help you reduce the clutter and leave room for an open space to use at your discretion.

Sloping roofs defining the bookcase

A tall attic allows you to build a mezzanine and vertically distribute storing spaces. Whether you disguise the stored items behind cabinet doors or leave them out in the open – as you would do for books – a vertical storage space in the attic proves very helpful and gives the space character.

Make use of the triangular space under the sloping roof by adding cupboards or drawers in the recessed spaces and creating a very personal feel all around. Custom-designing an attic is the best solution if you think about personal storing needs as well as dreams of a dedicated space and combine them into a room that will captivate you every time you enter the remodeled attic.

Inspiration from nature for storage space customization

Imagine a creatively hidden storage space right under the sloping roof – made to look like a huge pile of firewood, this would definitely solve storing problems while looking intriguing and edgy. The Facecord Cabinet by Mark Moskovitz (seen in the photo below) inspired me to think about a custom-built woodpile storage unit running across the attic’s length that would do wonders for both the design and the storing capacities of a modern attic.

Romantic attics don’t have to be spacious – the idea of a corner above your beloved childhood home from where you can enjoy the surroundings can curl up in your head and stay there until the moment is right in front of you – an opportunity to turn your uncomfortably forgotten attic into your rediscovered teenage dreamworld. An intimate atmosphere interrupted by the subtle movement of curtains in the breeze quenches the thirst for stand-still happiness and daydreaming.

Right near the window could be a lounge zone where thoughts are free to run wild through the maze of imagination. Reading a book or immersing into memories of the past through family albums becomes an almost divine experience that you can keep to yourself. Make the most of your attic and it will surprise you with the infinite possibilities pinned down with a customized final design of your choosing.

Photo images: 1,2,3,4,5

How to Make Cork Wreaths and Christmas Decor

How to Make A Cork Christmas Wreath

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Creative Cork Christmas Crafts

It is worth recycling corks all year just to get to enjoy their versatility as a building material in December. Using wine corks as creative outlets, you children will grow with a healthy idea on how to recycle and reuse objects around them. Valuable not only as a fun material, but as a set of building blocks – I have seen amazing bathroom mats made from cork – cork has also inspired designers to use it for building modern furniture, like the Pushpin by Kenyon Yeh.

Miniature Cork Christmas Trees

Cork Christmas trees are a joy to look at – their simplicity adorns any corner of the house and choosing differently colored corks (or paint them yourself), the mini Christmas trees will look like adorned with Christmas tree globes. A small branch at the base will give your miniature trees that earthy edge and the perfect excuse to go look for the branch in the nearest park or forest. Scavenger hunts with your children will be greatly appreciated before the start of the holiday season.

Cork Christmas Wreath for a Welcoming Home

Instead of buying more and more decorations that follow each year’s Christmas trend, mind as well create our own Christmas decorations. This activity saves money, encourages creativity and co-work, not to mention it’s an eco-friendly way of decorating the home this holiday. Cork Christmas decorations can be enjoyed especially by children – this is how they learn that our endangered planet is theirs to save for their own children.

Miniature Reindeer in Herds

A small wine cork reindeer herd can decorate your mantel, the stairs or a strategically placed side table. Cork craft is easy and fun and can successfully be the original elements you change each year for the holidays. These wine cork ornaments can be displayed alongside treasured inherited ornaments – they are be as artistic as you are.

Corks and family

Around Christmas, the home becomes a playground for the whole family, regardless of age. Wine cork Christmas crafts can be introduced as part of a special social time among family members. Use recycled corks to write a welcoming message in tone with the holidays. “Merry Christmas” sounds like a good start. Each letter will be worth the patience and you will definitely want to teach someone how to work their way around cork lettering after you’ve done this project. The impermeable letters can be used to decorate the outdoors, too – imagine a special message for the whole neighborhood to see.

A small army of wine cork snowmen

Chances are your kids will fall in love with this easy to make Christmas project. Painted corks can become a small snowmen army – use your imagination and stuff you have around the house to compose your own snowman design and multiply it in assorted details.  This will keep you entertained and spark up a conversation with every visit. Have fun and enjoy the holidays!

Using natural colors to shape a picture-perfect Thanksgiving table is the best solution for entertaining with style. Crisp colors or soft hues have the power to transform this year’s Thanksgiving Holiday into a cheerful, family-connecting rendezvous. This Thanksgiving dinner should be your best one yet – choose the perfect color combination and remember to match it with your dining room to create a stunning effect on your guests. Give them another reason to give thanks – their part in your perfectly planned Thanksgiving dinner!

Pure white and golden details

Colorful decorations can become themes for this year’s thanksgiving table: imagine a Thanksgiving dinner table lined with red tablecloth only to contrast the cornucopia overflowing with seasonal produce like golden pears, apples and beige pumpkins, as you can see in the photo below. Candle light is preferred to give the Thanksgiving tablescape a magic twist, while the table’s abundance is mostly edible, conferring an extra dimension to this special table arrangement.

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Soft orange and green traces

Decorating the Thanksgiving table with soft colors on a white background brings calmness and a joyful atmosphere to the table. Gourds and tall candles resting in the center of the table can be mirrored in orange plates, while a green garland breaks the monotony. Nuts and leaves shape an autumnal design, a rose here and there softens the seasonal inspiration and guests gather around the table to give thanks – an inspiring Thanksgiving scene.

Bold red mixed with orange

Enjoy a late autumn outdoor thanksgiving in a simple, rural setting – just a few hay bales can sum up to a spacious dinner table and comfortable seating. The table cloth will not be a problem in the soft wind if you tuck it under the tabletop of your choice. Place an orange centerpiece cloth to match the autumnal decorations and choose red tableware to contrast the green surroundings. Having Thanksgiving dinner outside is the weather permits it is as close to your natural surroundings as they come.

Pink and red details on a wooden table

No need for formality if your style speaks a welcoming language – your elegant white tableware can adorn a wooden table without a tablecloth present. Chinese lantern plants alongside pumpkins generate an autumnal feeling of plentiful and beautiful harvest. Place cards can come in the shape of moss plates while lit candles welcome each guest to the dinner table in an intimate setting.

Pristine white tableware and mouth-watering recipes

A white Thanksgiving dinner table contrasting the aromatic recipes is the perfect choice for an elegant dining experience. White-painted pumpkins and sculptural vases scream for soft patterns on the tablecloth, constructing a fairytale background for the main attraction – the traditional Thanksgiving turkey. Food presentation becomes even more important on a white background – if you want to accentuate the look of your tasty dishes, a white Thanksgiving dinner table will serve as your canvas.

Ada Teicu is a dedicated writer sharing finds about architecture, design and creativity. Inspired by the new and exciting things she sees daily, Ada puts pieces side by side to offer the landscape of modern architecture, sometimes entangled with personal experiences on her blog.

For more Thanksgiving ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

A wonderful Thanksgiving table is the outcome of all detailed preparations – family and friends gather around the dinner table to express their gratitude for this year’s happiness and challenges, creating an atmosphere filled with love and gratitude.

Your dining table should compliment the dining room’s decor, combining colors, textures and shapes in a very special reflection of what you yourself are thankful for. Attention to details is as important in the table arrangement as it is with the recipes. Each element shaping the perfect Thanksgiving table should reflect your style and make guests feel at home. Neutral colors and simple materials can reunite to compose a fascinating Thanksgiving tablescape. Mixing modern and traditional will give this year’s Thanksgiving dinner a charming nuance, helping you focus on the good things rather than the bad.

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Thanksgiving Table Centerpiece Ideas

This year’s Thanksgiving is right around the corner, giving you many reasons to be grateful for. Rooted in longstanding tradition, Thanksgiving has seen quite a few changes over the years – it has become a modern way in which we present our gratitude for everything we have and spoil our guests with attention, carefully designed spaces and exceptional recipes. Ceremonies have become more informal, harvesting is no longer visible in our recipes especially if we live in urban developments and oven roasted turkey comes no longer from our own poultry patch. In spite of all these things, Thanksgiving is a beloved holiday reminding us of the good things in life and encouraging us to give thanks while bonding with family and friends over a beautifully prepared diner. An elegant table arrangement can be set in a surprising combination of chocolate brown and crisp white, creating a cozy and relaxed atmosphere, sprinkled with elegant details, as you can see in the photo below.

Take advantage of the beautiful weather if you can by organizing an outdoor Thanksgiving dinner – fall will definitely add to the charm and remind you what you are so grateful for. Reflecting your personal style and making guests feel special lies in the space arrangement, recipes you will be serving and memories guests will be taking with them when they leave. Pumpkins, gourds, pears, acorns, autumnal flowers, wheat bouquets, or any other thing that reminds you of the fall’s harvest bring a traditional edge to your modern Thanksgiving.

As table place cards, a few handmade decorations can be the thing your guests find a personal attraction to. Embellish your Thanksgiving table with colorful elements exposing your love for the family and good things that happened this year. Warm colors can be beautifully softened by ice-cold blues and patterns can create sophisticated space arrangements you will be proud of. Guests will admire your dedication to making this Thanksgiving dinner a very special one.

Using natural colors that imitate the outdoor surroundings – nuances of brown, yellow, orange, purple and green creates an atmosphere in perfect harmony with this time of the year. When you’re content with your table arrangement and cooked food, you should switch your attention on the feeling – does the room induce a relaxing, comforting atmosphere or does it need any last minute updates?

Photo images: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ada Teicu is a dedicated writer sharing finds about architecture, design and creativity. Inspired by the new and exciting things she sees daily, Ada puts pieces side by side to offer the landscape of modern architecture, sometimes entangled with personal experiences on her blog.

For more Thanksgiving ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Halloween chair decorations should be on the top of your list if you’re planning to host a Halloween dinner or party. This is one of the easiest ways to welcome the holiday into your home and enjoy it with family and friends gathered around the table. After you choose the Halloween centerpiece, tablecloth and table decorations, turn your attention to the seats around the table.

Ghoulish Idea: Dress Up Your Chairs For Halloween

Halloween chair covers – mini or maxi?

Don’t overdecorate or you will end up with a crowded room where no decorations will pop out  – just one or two chairs out of a 6 or 8 suite is enough to spark up the atmosphere. Take as example the photo below, seen on HammersAndHighHeels. This is a DiY project perfect for the days remaining until our favorite holiday, just follow the instructions and you will display a sophisticated chair cover with a customized stenciled gravestone – maybe even personalize it to display the name of the person sitting in that place, creating a different kind of place cards.

Halloween chair covers can embrace the backrest or they can cover the whole chair. A skeleton chair cover that completely hides the chair behind the material can be an ingenious way of decorating for Halloween and completely changing the look of a room.

Halloween chair painting projects

If you have painting skills, a Halloween painting project can be just the thing to unleash your creativity. Paint ghouly scenes, cats or brooms, use skull representation or any Halloween motif you might be attracted to. These two painted chairs below acts as inspiration for a Halloween-inspired painting project, but if you can’t paint that well, a few bat or dark houses silhouettes can do wonders on an old chair.

Sewing/gluing cute Halloween backrest decorations

If you’re into a cute Halloween style and your children love Do-it-yourself projects, an easy Halloween sewing/gluing  project will not only create a buzz, but help your kids learn how to create their own decorations. Using felt and glue is the easiest way to go, with spectacular result, while sewing takes a little more practice and supervision.

Finding Halloween-inspired designer chairs

Maybe you can include buying a skull chair in your Halloween budget – this would be an impressive acquisition that you can use for each year’s party. This fiberglass skull chair from the Nouvelle Vague collection by the French company Pool is just one of the creative skull chair design out there. Named Souviens Toi Que Tu Vas Mourir (meaning Remember That You Will Die in French), the creepy modern chair “shows the emblematic monobloc chair reinterpreted as an expression of vanity”, constructing the idea of transience so well seen in this special holiday.

Ghostly white, eerie orange and deep black are the perfect colors to choose for a traditional Halloween. A black chair wrap with spider web motif can add elegance to your Halloween decor, while a carefully crafted electric chair would keep you busy for a few hours.  A simple cheesecloth thrown over your favorite armchair is enough to get your heart rate up – add a pumpkin or a representative Halloween pillow and you have a creepy but comfortable reading corner to enjoy this autumn’s upcoming Halloween!

Ada Teicu is a dedicated writer sharing finds about architecture, design and creativity. Inspired by the new and exciting things she sees daily, Ada puts pieces side by side to offer the landscape of modern architecture, sometimes entangled with personal experiences on her blog.

For more Halloween ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Halloween is only weeks away – have you planned your Halloween night yet? Preparing for Halloween, the dining table will be the first one to get all the attention – it is a central part of your public space, yet an intimate place where family and friends get together to share meals.
Traditional orange and black meet in a fascinatingly simple table arrangement that features trio-colored candles, dark branches that confer elegance and small snakes contrasting the orange tablecloth. Choosing a mirror to double the impact of such a scene also offers a gloomy atmosphere once the night sets.

Unleash your imagination with Halloween candle centerpieces that combine unusual materials and favorite decor around the house. If you live by the beach, find broken shells and algae to support your creepy Halloween centerpiece.

Feathers and black textile roses pleasantly adorn  a bunch of black candles – an illustration of a non-traditional Halloween you can use to create a different centerpiece this year. Think unusual materials and textures, add the perfect candle (be it black or shaped like a mummy) and create stunning arrangements you can be proud of.

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How about choosing wood to describe this deadly season, when trees die a bit every day and you can clearly see this in their bloody-colored leaves. Orange nuances throning over the little green left, multiplying in pumpkins and succumbing in yellow tones remind me of sickness. A log pierced with candles accompanied by small pumpkins and dead leaves would be a reminder of this decay, but it will not instigate a thought like the one I just described – it’s too elegant to scare jolly people, it might not match cute mummies or plastic spiders either. This log centerpiece can be your DiY project for this upcoming Halloween.

A single carefully chosen Halloween candle can make or break a table. Take as example this brightly colored candle picturing an animal leg – it’s perfect for a very chic, modern and youthful Halloween, where vivid colors throne over interesting patterns and extend the holiday into the age of fashionable home accessories. This last photo is part of the Haunted House Collection by Debbie. The collection encompasses a whimsical set of decorations that create a glamorous atmosphere, perfect for those looking to have a charming Halloween. As you can see, there are plenty of ideas you can choose from to have the most beautiful Halloween ever. I strongly encourage you to come up with your own ideas on creating this Halloween’s atmosphere – it’s all about magic for one night, so why not take advantage?

Enjoy your time at home surrounded by family and friends and have a Happy Halloween!

Photo images: 1,2,3,4.

Ada Teicu is a dedicated writer sharing finds about architecture, design and creativity. Inspired by the new and exciting things she sees daily, Ada puts pieces side by side to offer the landscape of modern architecture, sometimes entangled with personal experiences on her blog.

For more Halloween ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Happy DIY Saturday! If you are getting your Halloween home ready for a ghoulish party or you just enjoy transforming your home – here are some great ideas to incorporate into your home.

Employing every creative resource you have to throw the best Halloween party gives you a chill, right? Documenting and finding the best solutions to decorate your home for Halloween is a fun activity – from home décor to recipes and drinks, family costumes and Halloween pet costumes, the internet offers plenty of new ideas gathered from all over the world.

This October is dedicated to amazing ideas to give your guests that chill we all look for on the 31^st.  Distresses cheesecloth, pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, witches, spider webs, bats, candles, black cat silhouettes, all of these and more can be used to decorate a very important part of the house – the staircase.

Halloween Stair Decorations

You Tube Video – How to Decorate your Stairs for Halloween

Link to video –> How to Decorate your stairs for Halloween

This space can be exploited in many ways – a themed Halloween party will guide your decorating frenzy, composing a uniform design. Imagine a creepy staircase lined with distressed cheesecloth hanging next to a mummy lying on the stairs; or spider web matched with dark-colored pumpkins, or even a collection of frightful chains promising that the worst is yet to come. Finishing off with carefully placed candles giving that Halloween glow while casting shadows on the walls, your home party will become the best one yet.

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A simpler way to decorate is using wall decals – cats, mice, spiders, bats or a broken-down man silhouette creeping up the stairs can become part of a temporary design. Even the walls around can become a landscape of bloody hand prints and blood spatter, reminiscent of our fear of following a trail leading to something horrible for sure.

Pumpkins adorned in any imaginable style – from cute buttons to professional ghostly carvings – can easily be matched with any theme you might have chosen. Try gathering friends and family around a Halloween-carving table and challenging them to design their own creepy vision of this year’s Halloween party – then, display the finished pumpkins on your stairs for everyone to admire.

How about using glow paint to create an alien-like bloodbath running down your staircase? Either break some glow sticks after cracking them to activate their magic or buy glow-in-the-dark paint to offer guests a stunning effect perfect for a minimalist home.

If you are hosting a Halloween Party, the best way of keeping the upstairs off limits is to decorate the staircase with a police tape or Halloween fright tape. Behind this clever decoration, candle clusters or Halloween pumpkins will look hellishly tempting, but social courtesy will have your guests admire without stepping out of bounds. Maybe you can print a ghostly screen you can use at the top of the stairs, adding a not so subtle hint to the boundaries while keeping your decoration in the same theme and closing off the upstairs rooms.

Be sure to use fireproof cloths to avoid any accidents and never leave the candles unsupervised – after all, you don’t want Halloween to become a commemoration of your last Halloween party.

For more DIY ideas on Stagetecture, & Stagetecture’s YouTube Channel, click here.

Need more Halloween ideas, look here!