BULX Blog - High-End Home Improvement, Private Sale Prices

15Dec/100

Bring the Warmth: Fireplace Roundup

Posted by BULX.com

Humans first learned to control and use fire as a heating source some 400,000 years ago. But it wasn't until we moved our hunter/gatherer traditions indoors that the fireplace became a staple of the modern homestead.

For centuries, the fireplace was the heart of the home: a source of warmth, protection, and nourishment (food). Today, fireplaces range from purely decorative to strictly functional and come in a variety of shapes, styles, finished, and heating sources.

Below is a roundup of some of the most unique options available today...

Traditional/Wood Burning: Many homeowners prefer the nostalgic feel of a natural wood burning fireplace in their home.

Gas Fireplaces: A modern take on the wood burning variety, these units utilize a natural gas line and realistic looking replica logs to create a cleaner burning option.

Image Credit: Materials Marketing Stone & Tile

Modern: Brands such as EcoSmart and BioFlame use bioethanol fuel, a natural biofuel derived from corn, sugar can, and similar crops. As a result, it produces no harmful gases, soot, or smoke when burned - just water vapor and natural heat.

Image Credit: FastFireplaces.com

Gel Fuel Fireplaces: Gel fuel brands such as FireGlo help create the perfect ambiance for your decorative fireplace or gel burner. An alcohol based gel fuel, FireGlo provides genuine flames and even a realistic crackling sound. They are soot-free, odor-free, and can be burned safely in any size room. Each can typically burns for 2-3 hours, and can be reused until empty.

A variety of gel fuel fireplaces are available through on BULX through December 22, 2010.

What is your favorite way to warm yourself on a cold winter day?

Tagged as: fireplaces No Comments

2Sep/100

How to Find Inspiration for Your Home

Posted by BULX.com

The primary goal of decorating a room or an entire house is to elicit an emotion. Most homeowners want to be relaxed and comfortable in their home, but other spaces are intentionally designed to be exciting, serene, sophisticated, inspiring, and more.

When it comes to decorating their own space, most homeowners don't know where to start. This post is an introductory guide on where to start to create an original space you love.

As cliché as it sounds, finding inspiration for your home starts from within. Because we all have different associations with the sights, sounds, scents, and tastes we encounter every day, the interpretation of these experiences will never be the same. The key, then, is to identify the things that you like (or don't like) and use them to

Some of our favorite sources of inspiration come from...

Nature, such as trees, wildlife, flowers, foliage and landscapes.

Other architecture, particularly urban planning sketches, modern buildings, or classical references.

Art, such as illustrations, digital art, sculpture or paintings...

and the water.

This is by no means an extensive list, but it should give you an idea of where to start.

Steps to Decorating Your Own "Emotional" Room:

Decide what emotion(s) you want to feel when you enter a room (serenity, excitement, happiness, formal/informal, nostalgia, relaxed,
Write down some places or memories or themes that you have the most positive associations with.
Jot down some descriptive words or items that you most commonly associate with those emotions (" bright colors" or "fast music" for excitement, "English library" for formal, "grandpa's old-fashioned radio" for nostalgia, etc.)
Visit Google Images or Bing Images and type in some of the phrases you have written down.
When you find an image that you like, save it into a folder on your computer. Use the images you save to extract ideas for:
1. Color - for your walls, furniture, fixtures, and accent pieces
2. Texture - smooth vs. textured, plain vs. patterned, one-time vs. repetitive, fine vs. rough
3. Style - which architectural styles do you like the most?
4. Decorative Elements - which images could be used as accent pieces to help fill your space?

In future posts, we will work to translate these inspirational images and concepts into actual spaces.

Until next time, what inspires you the most? Where else do you go to find ideas for your home?

Here's to loving your home,

Tagged as: color, decor, decorating tips, ideas, inspiration No Comments

30Aug/103

Inspirational Resources for Your Home Renovation

Posted by BULX.com

Inspiration comes from many places and in many different forms, but there are still a few sources online that we look to consistently to stay on top of the home remodeling trends. Here are a few of our favorites:

[Photo credit: Jeremy Levine Design]

BULX Trends on Twitter is a great place to start. We've surfed the entire Internet, located our favorite blogs, extracted the top content from each, and compiled it into a daily stream of trendy goodness. Each update is categorized by topic (#highdesign, #shabbychic, etc.) so you have an idea of what you might find before you click on a link.

If you're looking for a more direct source of inspiration, here are some of our favorite Twitter people. Give them a follow and listen to what they have to say...

Erin Loechner of Design for Mankind is a steady stream of all that is cool and fun in the world of design. Her posts are short, sweet, and truly inspirational. She's also a guest blogger for HGTV.
Jonathan Legate is a promoter of "design, style, humour, food, wine, love, books, music, kindness. In any order." He has created some inspirational spaces, which you can view on his website.
DesignMom (a.k.a. Gabrielle Blair) was recently named one of the 'Top 50' blogs in 2010 by Time.com. She's a designer, mother of six, and great down-to-earth resource on what's cool for the home.
SFGirlbyBay (a.k.a. Victoria Smith) "is known for representing ‘bohemian modern style’ and for showcasing the freshest designers, artists, crafters, products and trends." Her website is great as well.
Bruce Baron has made captured many phenomenal spaces as a professional photographer. He is also a published writer, art consultant, and gourmet cook; the man knows style inside and out.
DesignBlahg (a.k.a. Erica Reitman) is a hard-nosed, potty-mouthed design cynic whose insights into the interior design world are not only hilarious, but spot on as well.
The Moggit Girls (a.k.a. Janet and Joy) will make sure your design ideas aren't too far outside the box. Their blog tackles "fugly design and home decor on a regular basis."