Specifically, bedrooms are not ideal for living plants. While a great deal of your life is spent in your bedroom, it is mainly for the purpose of slowing down, indulging in romance and relaxing. Thus, the energetic vibe that plants, and the water you give them, produce is misplaced in that space.

Then, you should also take note of the types of plants, and trees you introduce into your home. The bonsai is one to skip all together, so as adorable as they may be pick something else. Also, pay attention to the types of leaves you choose: spiky or round can make a huge difference.

In the alternative, if you pick things that work with you and not against you, then you will probably be much happier. A great idea that represents this approach is floors made of brick. Not only will the brick be kind to you when dirt is tracked in,  but it serves as a lovely continuance of what is going on right outside the door. If you have brick surrounding your house, or incorporated in the exterior itself, then brick floors tie in perfectly.

In sum, make wise choices when building this space that is intended for mess of one kind or another. This is the place that being practical can really pay off.

Case in point, I have a good friend that lives in New Orleans, Louisiana and after hurricane Katrina she was elated to have standard garbage pick up reinitiated after a month. While she has been a recycling die-hard for a long time, her metal and glass waste were seriously piling up in her garage while she waited for the return of the former garbage service which included recycling.

Needless to say, one day while she was out running errands her husband collected the metal and glass and brought it to a generic bin for disposal. It nearly made her cry when he told her, but the option was to drive it across the state line to Texas for recycling. Some of us, including myself, take for granted the collection programs that exist in our communities. Therefore, this is a simple little reminder to recycle, because for us it is relatively easy. We should be grateful for the recycling programs that exist, and avoid making excuses for not participating to the fullest.

At first blush, you may think to yourself that you are perfectly capable of making your own menu and whipping up the appetizers, salads, entrees and deserts. And nobody doubts you. However, personally I would prefer not to run the risk of an unexpected blunder. This is simply insurance for the important dinner.

To ensure that you have your bases covered, because inevitably someone will ask you how you made the items, review a recipe for the selections prior to serving them. Then, if you feel the slightest tinge of guilt, you can make the same meal yourself for your family, or another batch of guests. In the end, everybody wins.

Personally, I enjoy doing my exercises in private. Therefore, when I was given the chance to add a personal workout area in my new house I jumped at such a prospect. Then I immediately reverted to finding an inspiration room to use as my template. I pulled from a couple of sources, including the setting in a Tracy Anderson workout DVD, and an Asian based spa room.

I am ecstatic to say that after being in the house for 5 days, I have already used the exercise room 4 times. This is already a record of sorts for me, so I am perfectly delighted.

The Taoist tai chi yin and yang symbol represents how the passive energy, dark yin and positive energy, white yang are united within a circle. The picture signifies how nothing in the world is ever completely passive, nor positive. The white within the dark, and the dark within the white represents how there must be a bit of opposite involved in both to give them energy.

A modern interpretation of this is applied to the decoration of homes and offices. In feng shui, the premise is that the home is where we recharge and relax so it should be more yin than yang. The opposite applies to the workspace because it is where we conduct work and need to be energized. Therefore, it should have more yang involved.

Therefore, this leads us to a potential compromise of sorts. Although originally created for individuals really short on space, the combo washer dryer offers an alternative to big energy guzzling traditional dryers. The majority of the washer dryer combo appliances require you to take out a portion of the laundry once you have dried it. The machine is not capable of drying the whole batch that it just washed. Hence, some of the wash must be removed and either set aside to be dried later, or hung out to dry. Thus, the portion that is deducted from the machine and line dried is an effort in the energy efficient direction. Any effort at all is a gift, so this is definitely appreciated by mother earth.

In conclusion, those not familiar with line drying get to ease into the practice. In the meantime, they are still comforted in the knowledge that the dryer is still there should they need it. Of course the hope is that over time, owners will cross over to become die hard line dryers. After all, hope springs eternal.

In fact, the existence of such specifics in some cases can barely be ignored. Thus, one designer’s blessing can alternatively play out to be another’s burden. Without a serious renovation, what exists in the space will often dictate, as well it should.

In the February edition of Architectural Digest, this premise is well depicted. A Fifth Avenue, New York City, apartment received a makeover and the description of the entryway identifies the influence that the staircase had in the revision. The designer worked closely with contrasting lines and bursts of colour. The technique rings true in both large and small spaces, and worldwide.

Yet, when it comes to setting the tone in one’s own home, even simple touches of items like dimmer switches are omitted. This is particularly disappointing due to the fact that dimmer switch is a very easy article to install, and ridiculously inexpensive in the scheme of things. As such, I cannot recommend strongly enough that this one small detail be included in each and every home interior design.