Home Improvement

Whatever a person’s taste, “I think almost everybody wants to maximize the light in their living space,” said HGTV host Genevieve Gorder.

Repurposed rooms, recycled materials and an increasingly relaxed decorating style characterize the end of a decade that began as a party on a grand scale.

When we decorate our homes, we express ourselves through the furniture we buy and the colors we select. But perhaps no element of decorating says more about us than the personal photographs we display.

Clutter, distractions, poor workflow — sometimes a kitchen’s layout can hinder the cooking process more than it helps. Decorating can create similar pitfalls. “We get too caught up in color palettes and soft fabrics, and we over-think it,” said Genevieve Gorder, co-host and judge of HGTV’s Design Star.

But for many folks, who are more self-critical than self-confident, the journey to the ideal wall color or room style is fraught with angst. What if you choose wrong and visitors to your home snicker? What if you spend all that money and don’t get it right?

If your home was built within the last decade, odds are it was designed with an open plan. The kitchen flows seamlessly into the family room, and few walls separate the living and dining areas.

Goodbye, Paris. Hello, London! While the French capital’s been dear to home decorators for several years, we’re seeing the look of London more and more in the newest furnishings and accessories.

Koehl, a master gardener from Waller, Texas, bought secondhand windows and doors to construct the building that houses his roses and vegetables. Using old materials saved him money, and added interest to the structure.

Whether it’s clearing out clutter, catching up on small repairs, bringing fresh style to a favorite room or organizing closets, many of us have home on the brain as the new year begins.

Ask William Carter about expanding your home and he’s going to be blunt: It will be expensive. It will be messy. And it will take time.