When remodeling a kitchen that’s small or moderately sized, it’s important to make every square inch count. For a kitchen makeovers refacing cabinets, introducing lighter color palettes and boosting storage to create spaces that are updated, brighter and more user-friendly .

Check out the before-and-after photos of these three kitchen makeovers that are 185 square feet or less, then let us know which one you think saw the biggest gains.

Refacing Cabinets

If you like your kitchen layout, but feel the finishes need updating and want to give the kitchen a fresh look, refacing the cabinets rather than doing a full renovation maybe the way to go. Along with new countertops, flooring, backsplash and a new fridge and dishwasher can transform your kitchen.

To be good candidates for refacing, cabinets should have solid wood boxes in good condition. If the existing boxes are made of birch, then the wood grain won’t show through paint so they can just be painted. But if they are made of oak or another wood that paint won’t hide the wood grain, you will have to do some prep work, like sanding them, before painting. 

If the cabinet boxes are in good shape, remove the doors and drawer fronts and pick the style you prefer. Paint the box frames and exposed sides to match the new cabinet doors.

Refacing is much more cost-effective. Yet, you still get all the benefits of a new kitchen without a huge renovation. 

Create a more cook-friendly layout with new appliances and a fresh color palette.

A single small window over the sink doesn’t let in much sunshine increasing light always helps to brighten and expand a space. 

A u-shaped counter can divide a space, creating a narrow kitchen and a tight dining area. By eliminating a u-shaped counter a kitchen can be extended by adding cabinetry and countertop space along the wall, increasing the size of the existing kitchen.

Putting in an island with the ability to eat on, can help increase the feeling of space while doing double duty - more cabinet and work space.

Whether you’re building, remodeling, downsizing or daydreaming, chances are an open-plan layout is high on your wish list. And it’s easy to see the appeal. Open-plan kitchen, living and dining areas feel relaxed and contemporary, and they make smart use of space and light. But with no defined borders and an unobstructed view through the space, open-plan rooms can be surprisingly tricky to decorate. Here are the most common mistakes people make when decorating an open-plan — and how you can steer clear of them.

No Zoning

To be functional and visually appealing, an open-plan space needs to be zoned into separate spaces — for example, cooking, dining and relaxing areas. These zones essentially act as individual “rooms” within an open-plan space. At the same time, you want to have a sense of visual continuity among the zones.

Homeowners, often forget to include those essential anchor points that ground the individual areas within an open-plan space. As a result, an open-plan space can end up feeling like a giant hall.

Solution: 

A simple way to define the individual areas is to move the sofa across the room to split it in half. Adding a rug under the sofa and a floor lamp or table lamps beside the sofa will give more definition to the living zone. Then, you can, create a sense of continuity among the spaces by using the same flooring throughout.

Tip: 

Add interest to your open-plan scheme by incorporating vertical layers. The best way to do this is to create different layers of height using floor lamps, pendant lights and potted plants.

Too Many Different Styles

Mismatched furniture and decor items can easily overcomplicate an open-plan space and make it look busy. The different elements in an open-plan space need to “speak” to one another as though they’re from the same family, without being too matchy-matchy.

Solution: 

Choose a style you love and that will work throughout your open-plan space. Select furniture and accessories that vary in color and material yet still speak to one another visually, such as different shades of the same color.

Tip: 

Open-plan rooms tend to be noisier than closed-off rooms. You can help reduce noise levels by adding in softening elements such as curtains, rugs and throws.

Taking a Blanket Approach to Lighting

Lighting plays a important part in setting the mood in a room, yet it’s often not considered early enough in the design process. As a result, it’s often not located where it will actually be used. This makes it difficult to create ambiance within the individual parts of an open-plan space. It’s harder still to create atmosphere when lights aren’t on dimmers or can’t be turned on and off individually.

Solution: 

Plan lighting and electrical elements at the start of the design project. Think carefully about furniture placement and make sure lighting is positioned where it needs to be. For example, if the sofa is in the middle of the room, an electrical outlet may need to be installed in the floor.

Remember, there are fewer walls in an open-plan kitchen, living and dining space than in individual, closed-off rooms, so you need to be far more deliberate in your planning for elements such as electricity, lighting and television connections.

The Kitchen Doesn’t Suit the Space

You’ll often see open-plan spaces where the kitchen has no style relationship to the architecture of the house or the adjoining living area.

Solution: 

Make your kitchen a considered part of the architecture of your home and the style of the living area right from the planning stage. When choosing elements for your kitchen — such as colors, cabinet styles and countertop and backsplash materials — ask yourself if they suit the design era of your home and the decor in the adjoining spaces.

Repeating the same colors and finishes in your kitchen and living spaces can help create a sense of cohesion between the two areas.

Too-Large Furniture

Furniture that’s too big for an open-plan space can inhibit the sense of flow and make the area difficult to walk through. Ideally, walkable areas should be around 35 to 40 inches wide.

Solution: 

Before you purchase furniture, see how it will look on a floor plan and make sure it gives you enough space to move around. If the open-plan room is small and you can’t find furniture to fit, consider having pieces custom-made by a designer to suit the dimensions of the space.

Also, seek out furniture that does double duty; a large, round ottoman, for example, can be used as a coffee table and provide storage, freeing up precious space.

Following the Same Old Rules

Often when people downsize and move to open-plan living, they take their old furniture and decorating ideas with them. Many people don’t take into account the fact that open-plan layouts are quite different from closed-off rooms and that the space may be smaller than what they’re used to.

People often use the same color schemes they had in the kitchen, living and dining areas in their old home, despite the fact that these areas are now part of one continuous space rather than separate rooms. As a result, the new space can feel cluttered and uncomfortable and the decor can clash.

Solution: 

Rather than trying to re-create the look of your previous home in your new open-plan one, look at the new area with fresh eyes. Start by applying a neutral color to the walls in the living, kitchen and dining areas, which will give you a solid base and create a sense of flow among the zones. Then add in one or two supplementary colors, which you can use in different strengths and shades for the finishes and furniture in the three areas.

Poor Furniture Placement

Badly positioned furniture is an all-too-common mistake in open-plan spaces. The issue comes down to decorating principles. The rules for decorating an open-plan space are different than those for closed-off rooms.

Traditionally, a sofa or storage unit would be pushed up against a wall to maximize floor space. But doing this in an open-plan space can make things feel cold and sparse — a bit like an open sea.

Solution: 

Be open-minded about the placement of your sofa, which is generally the main piece of furniture in an open-plan living space. Try putting it in a spot where there’s no wall behind it, such as the middle of the room. Or consider having two sofas opposite each other or one sofa and an armchair or two rather than the traditional three-piece setting. If you’re buying a new sofa, consider choosing one with a low back that will allow for a clear sightline through the space.

If you’re using your existing furniture, consider paring it back to the essentials so things don’t feel cluttered. If space is tight, consider swapping some pieces out. You might choose to replace your second sofa with a slender armchair or two, or swap a large coffee table for compact side tables that won’t swallow up space.

Using Too Many Different Materials — or Not Enough

Finding the right balance for the types and number of materials in an open-plan room is tricky, and it’s something a lot of people get wrong. They’ll often use too many different materials and finishes in an open-plan space, making the area look busy; or they may not use enough, which can leave the room feeling dull and flat. You want an open-plan space to feel simple and cohesive in its aesthetic, but interesting too.

Solution: 

Space planning is the key. Spend time getting the setup right and visualizing how the room will work and look before you decorate. Start with a plan, then an elevation or a three-dimensional model. When it comes to the right number of finishes for an open-plan room, it’s generally wise to use no fewer than three and no more than five.

And remember, when choosing finishes it’s important to create a balanced look. If, for example, you have a lot of hard materials, such as stone, in the kitchen, balance them out with curves and warm materials, such as wood, in the dining and living areas.

Tip: 

Don’t plan for open shelves in an open-plan space unless you love styling.

A central theme in decor, design and lifestyle is “Desirable Development,” highlighting consumer interest in ethical products and solutions. What are the key features of this core trend?

What Is Desirable Development?

This theme reflects a basic premise: Consumers want solutions that are simple, positive, fluid and do them good. Until now, sustainable development was often a moralizing injunction. Desirable development gives pleasure pride of place, while respecting nature in a beneficial approach. It’s an idea that is at once positive and creative.

Today, consumers are conscious of global warming, of the need to limit their consumption and its waste and carbon footprint…. From now on, the idea is to place desire once again at the heart of these environmental stakes, by avoiding catastrophizing discourse or assigning blame.

Desirable development responds to a subtle equilibrium that translates to a lifestyle in harmony with nature, by leaning on technologies while preserving traditional know-how. From now on we will talk about alternative consumption rather than de-consumption.

How Does “Sustainable” Transition into “Desirable”?

The need for desirability and the quest for meaning is already part of the trend. The pandemic overturned what was fundamental to us and placed many of our patterns in question, accelerating the need for humanity, simplicity and solidarity.

2021 is marked by resilience, just as 2022 will be synonymous with rebirth, re-creation and reinvention marked by positive energy — redefining our manner of living, consuming and inhabiting. It’s time for optimism!

What Are The Key Ideas?

Redefining Geography

We are noticing a need for proximity, the new development of connections over shorter distances, in reaction to globalization and internationalization. This implies a new relationship to space, a relocalization, a redefinition of geography and a new closeness.

While more and more city dwellers are leaving the large urban areas, we are seeing at the same time an urgent need to re-tame the city, to appropriate the urban, by placing value on proximity and restoring the life of the neighborhood. Local manufacturing, deliveries by bicycle, urban farms or terraces with edible plants illustrate this trend.

Retraining The Senses

The senses, sensation and sensitivity are at the heart of the desirable. The pandemic made us lose our benchmarks and restricted our senses: our relationship to taste, smell but also to vision and touch.

During the lockdown, we were deprived of the people close to us, of everything that surrounds us. The idea emerging from this crisis is sensitivity, even hyper-sensitivity. We must also retrain these senses, which have been undermined by the digital, by placing the human once again at the heart of our lives.

Valuing Learning

At the same time, we need to place learning and knowledge back at the heart of production and manufacturing processes. Now, consumers inform themselves about the materials used and their orgins, the different stages of production, the packaging or the transformation of a product.

Reinventing The Artisan

Removing the inhibitions around consumption and injecting fantasy, audacity and fun into the artist, recycling and upcycling are part of the central tendencies of desirable development. The result: pieces that are unique, spontaneous and creative in new ways, committed and sensorially rich.

The success of recycling studios, creative ateliers, needlework like crochet or macramé, along with objects with pictorial dimensions and totemic furniture pieces, demonstrate the resurgence of artistic reference points in the world of decoration.

Great design often starts with a spark. It could be a color, a material or even a feeling of what you want your life to be like at home. And that initial inspiration is different for everyone. But if you’re looking for ideas to start a home renovation or new-build project in 2022 or beyond, here are some trends that will provide plenty of inspiration.

Kitchens

Multiple Window Banks

Many homeowners dream of light and bright kitchens. One way to get that is with plenty of windows that let the natural light stream in. Long banks of multiple windows, sometimes on two or even three walls, create a space full of light, fresh air — if the windows are operable — and views. Thanks to the rise of hardworking pantry walls, storage-optimized island bases and lower cabinets that allow homeowners to skip upper cabinets.

We are seeing a long-term trend in kitchen design toward connectedness to nature. With stress levels at all-time highs and people spending more time indoors, people are craving a connection to the outdoors and nature. And larger windows in the kitchen help achieve this goal.

Casual Collected Look

While all-white kitchens remain dominant, layered looks are gaining in popularity. A dressed-up, collected style caught on in 2021, but for 2022 a more casual, less-polished approach looks to be taking hold.

The look features softer, lighter paint colors, raw wood tones and a mix of cabinet fronts and styles. This light, layered design keeps the eye moving, provides visual texture and nuance and delivers a style that appears put together over time in a relaxed way.

Islands

The kitchen island has been rising in popularity for years but has practically become ubiquitous lately. If the kitchen is the hub of the home, then consider the island the hub of the hub of the home.

Many homeowners are working with design and remodeling professionals to rejigger layouts to fit an island, large or small. Plus, kitchen islands seem to be taking on more duties these days. In addition to providing extra counter space and storage, many now include the dishwasher, trash pullout, prep sink and seating.

Appliances in Islands

Speaking of islands, another trend is homeowners choosing to locate a beverage fridge on an island end. This allows guests and family members to grab a drink without getting in the way of the cook. A microwave on an island near an end can solve the same issue, letting someone heat up a drink or snack without blocking the main traffic area.

Hardworking Kitchen Storage

The right storage strategies can create a highly functional home. And while the general function of cabinetry hasn’t changed much over the years, the inside of cabinets has dramatically shifted. Pullouts bring pantry items from the back of cabinets to the front. Special shelves lift heavy appliances from a lower cabinet to countertop height. Drawer dividers organize plates and bowls. You can now have designated storage space for a paper towel roll, or aluminum foil, baking sheets or almost anything else you can think of.

Long, Linear Backsplash Tile

White subway tile is a classic look for a kitchen backsplash, but many homeowners are searching for a modern twist on the material. White ceramic 4-by-12-inch tile appears to be the answer. The rectangular shape lends a timeless feel, while the elongated form creates a fresh, updated style.

Backsplash tile with a subtle wavy or crackle glaze finish will add texture, while a herringbone pattern can give even more spin on the design.

Light Marble-Look Quartz Countertops

Marble remains a classic material. But as a countertop in a high-trafficked kitchen, it can be a pain to maintain. Many homeowners have instead turned to durable engineered quartz in a light marble-look style. It helps keep a space feeling bright, picks up common colors found in many of today’s kitchens — whites and grays — and provides a scratch- and stain-resistant surface.

White Kitchen With Classic Details

A mostly white kitchen continues to be the most popular palette. It creates a bright, uplifting mood; provides a fresh, clean feel; and helps illuminate tasks. But an all-white kitchen can sometimes veer too cold, too sterile or too stark for some people’s liking.

That’s why designers are always looking for ways to add character, softness and balance. One way to do that is by incorporating classic details like shiplap, beadboard, handmade tile, raw wood accents and cabinetry details.

Lantern-Style Lighting

Oversize lighting can certainly make a statement. But when unobstructed views are important, something like a large drum shade can work against that goal.

Large lantern-style lighting can make the big statement without blocking the sightlines. 

Bathrooms

Marble

While marble might be considered too precious for modern-day kitchen countertops, it’s rapidly becoming a go-to bathroom choice for creating a soothing, timeless look. Its use is on the rise for floors and walls both inside the shower and out.

Hardworking Storage

Similar to kitchens, targeted storage in bathrooms has become a burgeoning focus of design attention. Consider a drawer that can house a blow-dryer or other device next to an in-drawer outlet. Or try a linen storage tower. Or a hidden pullout for a laundry hamper. Whatever you do, pros recommend a mix of open, closed, drawer, cabinet, niche and other storage solutions.

Dressed-Up Style

In 2021 we saw elegant, sophisticated style showing up in many kitchens. This year the tailored look is moving into bathrooms. The look often includes rich woods, dramatic black accents, jewelry-like lighting and classic finishes such as marble and polished nickel. Custom features are being celebrated as well, such as cabinetry and handmade tile.

Multiple Shower Heads and Sprays

A comfortable shower is an important bathroom feature, but including multiple shower heads and sprays can elevate the shower experience from simple washing to luxurious pampering. 

In addition to multiple shower heads, bathroom design pros recommend installing a handheld sprayer. These can be used for rinsing shaved legs, cleaning the shower walls or washing pets and kids.

Low-Curb Showers

Many homeowners desire a curbless shower entry, but creating the feature during a renovation can sometimes be tricky and expensive. A low-curb design, however, is more attainable and offers many of the same benefits as a curbless entry.

A low-profile barrier creates a safe entry point to a shower. And it can help lighten the look and feel of a space, which is especially important in a small bathroom. Plus, the airy look allows tile and other stylish details to stand out more.

Shiplap

Shiplap has been showing up everywhere in bathrooms. It adds charming character and visual texture to a space and can help accent the height, width or length of a bathroom depending on the direction it’s installed.

Freestanding Bathtubs

In recent years there’s been a lot of hand-wringing over whether or not to keep a tub in a main bathroom. But it seems the debate has mostly been settled. Those who enjoy taking baths wouldn’t give theirs up for anything, nor should they.

A freestanding, flat-bottom acrylic soaking tub is by far the preferred choice. 

Stylish Shower-Tub Combos or Alcove Tubs

As mentioned, freestanding acrylic soaking tubs are by far the most popular bathtub style, material and type. But alcove tubs, such as those found in the common shower-tub combo, are rising in popularity.

Stylish Design for Aging in Place

Many homeowners embark on a renovation to create their forever home, and that means incorporating universal design principles that will assist with accessibility in the years ahead. These days, universal design prioritizes products and features that are as attractive as they are functional.

Some grab bars, for example, come in trendy finishes like champagne bronze or matte black and camouflage their function as a towel bar, doing double duty while still meeting the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. Other accessible design features like curbless showers, nonslip flooring and shower benches have become desirable and stylish features for homeowners of all ages.

Heated Floors

What bathroom feature do most designers recommend to homeowners? one element stood above the rest: heated floors. A cold tile floor can ruin a spa-like experience, and heated floors are relatively inexpensive and easy to install during a renovation, making this feature a no-brainer.

Green

Consensus on color is often rare, but this year things are a bit different. All the attention seems focused on green.

Almost every major paint company chose a shade of green for its 2022 Color of the Year selection. 

Blue

Blue is a calming color that pairs beautifully with popular neutrals like whites, grays and blacks. Blue can be integrated into a bathroom with stunning results. A blue vanity and storage tower (Smoky Blue by Sherwin-Williams) add a b

Laundry Rooms

Compact Laundry Spaces

A full-size laundry room is on many homeowners’ wish lists, but it’s not always attainable. Many people are discovering that smart space planning and hardworking storage can give them a high-functioning laundry area in a more compact corner of a mudroom, entryway or garage.

Dining Rooms

Return of the Formal Dining Room

The pandemic disrupted how many homeowners saw their dedicated dining room. Without the ability to host dinner parties, they used these spaces for home offices, gyms or other activities.

But now, with safety measures in place, many homeowners are returning to hosting formal gatherings with small groups of people. 

Bedrooms

Bench

It’s becoming rare to find a bedroom that doesn’t include a stylish bench. And perhaps that should come as no surprise. A bench at the foot of the bed can add a bit of adornment to a bedroom while also providing tons of function. It’s a place where you can sit to put on or take off shoes or slippers, or use it to pack a suitcase.

Other Rooms

Dedicated Activity Spaces

Perhaps more than any other time in recent memory, the past two years have put our focus and attention on our homes. And that will have a profound impact on home design for years to come.

Many homeowners molded their homes to accommodate exercise, work, entertainment and creative activities. 

Flexible Design

For many homeowners, adding square footage isn’t an option. But creating spaces that do double duty can greatly increase the function of an existing footprint. Multipurpose furniture and other design details can give homeowners that kind of flexibility.

Murphy-style beds and sleeper sofas can transform a home office or living area into a bedroom. 

Design Elements

Decorating

Major renovations steal a lot of home design attention. But updates to furniture and decor are booming. Accent pieces, decorative accents and accent pillows can create a new feel without a huge expense.

Velvet

Velvet is one of those materials that cycles through periods of popular and really popular. Right now we seem to be in an era of the latter. And why not? It’s soft, has texture, and who doesn’t like rubbing a hand back and forth on a velvet surface to create patterns?

Curvy Furniture

Furniture with rounded contours showed up everywhere at the 2021, signaling a curvy trend for sofas, sectionals and chairs that will keep rolling in 2022.

Swivel Chairs

A swivel chair gives users the option to shift position toward or away from elements in a room. 

Neutral Sofas in Performance Fabric

There was a time when few homeowners took the gamble on having a white or other light neutral-colored sofa in a living room. The inevitable spills and stains were too much of a deal-breaker.

But with innovations in stain-resistant fabric, that’s no longer the case. Durable, easy-to-clean fabrics from companies like Sunbrella, Crypton and Perennials mean homeowners can now more confidently embrace light upholstered furniture.

Outdoors

Outdoor Living Rooms That Look Like Indoor Rooms

Homeowners want their backyards to be relaxing extensions of their interior living spaces. And one of the best ways to achieve that is by mimicking interior space outdoors.

There have been major advances in outdoor materials in recent years, allowing manufacturers to create stylish and durable outdoor sofas, tables, rugs, chairs and decor. Add an outdoor fireplace, maybe a TV, and the line between indoors and out all but disappears.

Privacy

As homeowners increasingly expand their available living space to the outdoors, many are hiring landscape pros for screens, fences, plantings and other strategies that help create intimate spaces and separation from neighbors or block an undesirable view. These might take the form of a vine-covered pergola, an outdoor screen around a private dining spot, or fencing for an outdoor shower or hot tub.

Wildlife-Friendly

Many people who found themselves spending more time at home during the pandemic witnessed the pleasurable rhythms of wildlife surrounding their homes. Rambunctious squirrels and birds, a curious fox, a family of deer, a mischievous raccoon — these creatures became extended family. The desire to attract more wildlife — and make nice habitats for them — has become a goal of many homeowners.

Adding native plants and trees that benefit birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife helps facilitate a deeper connection to nature.

Decorative Tile Patios

Patterned floor tile is commonly used to spiff up a bathroom or laundry room. But why not take the idea outdoors? Tile makes a durable waterproof surface for a patio and, given all the style options, offers tremendous opportunity to add color, pattern and texture. Be sure to determine the right material and finish for tile that will provide a safe, nonslip and durable surface.

Swimming Pools

Many homeowners have been looking to their backyards to create fun and comfortable outdoor experiences at home. And what better way to do that than with a swimming pool? 

Keep in mind that bigger isn’t always better. Some pros report seeing an uptick in requests for smaller, more manageable pools.

These smaller designs typically range in size from 4,000 to 7,500 gallons and can be heated to hot tub temperatures or cooled to plunge pool comfort. They can also feature powerful swim jets that allow a user to tread water to mimic swimming laps.

Emotion and Action

Sustainability and Efficiency

Sustainable building practices have long been a focus of environmentalists, but recent shifts in the global dialogue have brought the idea to the forefront for the average homeowner, sparking a new wave of adoption. High-performance windows and solar panels help reduce energy use, which can also help save money. Native trees and grasses can help create water-efficient landscapes and also attract pleasing wildlife. When personal benefits have a positive collateral impact on the world, everyone wins.

Patience

The term “supply chain” became the topic of numerous conversations in recent years. Shipping delays for products and material shortages for things like lumber, as well as backlogs for professionals, slowed many home design and remodeling projects to a trickle.

But while succumbing to frustration and knee-jerk reactions might get your project finished faster, it won’t necessarily give you the home of your dreams. So consider taking a deep breath and going with the slow flow. It’s better to be patient and wait for the right product or professional to become available than to settle on something you’re not going to be happy with in the long run.

Comfort and Well-Being

Our environments have the ability to shape and influence our emotions. And a home should be a place that restores, calms, rejuvenates and replenishes our minds and bodies. Attention on soothing colors and pampering features that reduce stress at home will be a big focus in 2022. 

More people are making small, daily changes in their homes to live a more eco-friendly life. These greener-living ideas are driven by concerns of global warming, pollution and habitat loss.

Here are some simple ideas for making your household greener.

Laundry: 

Some simple changes will be healthier for you and the planet, and might save you money. Use cold water as much as possible. Don’t overdo the detergent — consult your washer manual and the detergent package.

Try using your dryer less, hanging clothes on a rack indoors or outside in warm weather. If you are using the dryer try using wool dryer balls.

If you wash lots of fleece and acrylic items use a washing bag that collects microfibre particles that are released during the wash, so they don’t go into the water.

These are just a few simple things you can do and know that you are doing something good for the environment.

Cleaning: 

Check under your sink and in your cleaning closet. Are there rows of cleaning products in plastic bottles? How much do you know about their formulas?

Some people are passing on harsh chemicals and creating their own cleaning solutions using baking soda, vinegar and lemons. You can also seek out brands with plant-based, natural or nontoxic ingredients.

People think cleaning in an eco-friendly fashion will be less effective, more expensive and more work, but that is just not true.

Organizing: 

Recycling, repurposing or donating clutter is a worthwhile project. But don’t buy unnecessary organizing supplies. Look through your house first. You maybe amazed at what you find. Spray-paint glass jars and cans, or dip them in paint, to make them into decorative storage containers.

When sorting, use a colour-coding system to mark items and bags — for example use red for trash, yellow to donate, blue is sell and green to keep.

Rugs: 

When shopping for a rug, look for those made of wool or other natural materials such as jute, sisal or linen; padding made of wool or felt; and no stain or waterproofing treatments.

Try choosing rugs free of PFAS (per/poly-fluoroalkyl substances) — a category of chemicals that do not break down in the environment and can cause health issues. Try rugs with backings made of natural rubber, and not PVC.

Furniture: 

Cheaply made plastic or particleboard furniture (fast furniture) is likely to end up in a dump before long. Instead, consider giving an old piece of furniture a new life.

With old furniture, you can get a lot of bang for your buck and you get your own signature look, instead of the same style everyone else has.