What better way to refresh your 1st Lake space than with some new and stylish interior design changes! Fresh color palettes, new furniture, and stylish wall art are just a few ways to transition your space into a vibrant, welcoming, and comforting environment for you, your family, and your friends in 2018.
Not only will you be on trend in 2018, updating your living space is a great way to create an inspiring sanctuary that encourages positivity in the new year. Get rid of that hand-me-down furniture, those dated decorative items, and that framed poster you’ve had since college. Use this guide to find the new looks you like, and transform your apartment home into a haven you just might not want to leave!
According to NOLA.com, plant accessories are growing wild in 2018. “Expect to see more houseplants, indoor herb garden and even shower plants — that’s right, plants that live in your shower — this year.”
Plants are a great way to bring nature inside, and their air purifying capabilities create a healthy living environment without the need for unsightly equipment. Herb gardens are also great to incorporate into your home-cooked meals. Check out our recipe blogs for ways to incorporate your herb garden’s bounty this year.
There’s no stronger way to make a statement than with a brightly colored sofa. Bold, rich hues are in for 2018, and many of these loud sofas come in velvet and satin finishes, which gives them and extra level of shine.
“A daring sofa color tackles two common design challenges: adding color and creating a focal point,” says Mitchell Parker of Houzz.com.
The artisan aesthetic has been in style for some time, but none are more prominent now than the woven accessory. Woven accessories can give your space an international feel and add a welcoming warmth to your rooms.
Visit a local art market or international market and pick out some pieces for functionality and style. Use a deep woven basket to store your living room’s throw blankets or assemble a medley of flat, uniquely-shaped weavings on the wall for an eye-catching global gallery.
There’s no need for busy and bulky bedroom furniture in 2018. Houzz suggests you eliminate the loud patterns and oversized items from your sleeping den and replace them with simple, utilitarian-style looks.
“Instead, a pared down, verging-on-minimalist look that incorporates soothing neutrals, soft fabrics and simple, functional pieces is the direction homeowners are heading.” If you really want to be on trend in 2018, incorporate soft, washed out lavender bedding into your look.
Did we miss a trend you’ve embraced for the new year? Have you already decorated with some of these trends and tips? Share your tips and interior looks with us on Facebook or tag your style updates on our Instagram so we can see how you’ve transitioned in 2018!
Our brand-new luxury living community in Elmwood, Clearwater Creek Premier, is loaded with state-of-the-art features and apartment amenities you won’t find anywhere else in the Greater New Orleans Area. One of our goals for this new development was to provide energy efficient options in every single one of Clearwater Creek Premier’s living spaces.
At the center of this effort are the electric convection range and double-ovens located in the kitchen of each residence. The range uses radiant heating elements on its stovetop, which is significantly more energy efficient than its generic electric coil counterparts. Radiant coils are similar to traditional coil burners, but instead of protruding from the top of the range, they sit under a smooth and flat ceramic surface. Heat is conserved better under the ceramic top, which allows for faster heating times and higher heat outputs. Plus, it’s easier to clean!
Just under the range’s sleek stove are two, that’s right, two ovens! The ovens on this range utilize a dual element baking technique, which combines the efforts of the baking coil and the broiling coil for comprehensive cooking. The smaller top oven is ideal for warming or short cooking times, while the larger, convection-style oven offers delay bake and audible preheating capabilities.
If you’re ready to enjoy all of the perks of your Clearwater Creek Premier stovetop and range, put on your chef’s hat and try your hand at a few of our favorite seasonal recipes below!
Warm up when there’s a chill in the air with this rich and creamy Corn and Crab Soup recipe from Bon Appetit:
Reserve 1/4 cup corn. Bring remaining corn and milk to boil in medium saucepan. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes. Puree mixture in blender. Add clam juice, 3 tablespoons green onions, and 1 teaspoon ginger; puree again until almost smooth. Return puree to saucepan; bring to simmer. Mix in 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add reserved 1/4 cup corn; sauté 1 minute. Add crab, 1 tablespoon green onions, 1 teaspoon ginger, and 3 teaspoons lemon juice; stir just until warm. Season with salt and pepper. Divide soup among bowls; mound crab mixture in center.
Good luck starts by pre-heating your state-of-the-art oven. Munch on this recipe from My Recipes:
Preheat oven to 425°. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 17- x 12-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until crispy and dry, stirring every 10 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes.
Mardi Gras will be here before you know it! Parade your new oven’s capabilities with this popular Mardi Gras King Cake recipe from Epicurious:
If you’re looking to make moves in 2018, consider visiting Clearwater Creek Premier today! Not only will you enjoy the cost-saving benefits of our kitchen appliances, but you’ll gain access to a multitude of other living amenities that will make you feel like you’re living in a luxury resort.
Move? In just three days?! With the right amount of pre-planning, it is absolutely possible to move in just three short days. It will take a lot of thought and strategy, but you will feel much better having a plan of action over just tossing your belongings into garbage bags and hoping for the best. With these organizational ideas, moving will be stress-free. Here are our tips for a better packing and moving experience.
Before you do anything, write down everything that needs to be done. If you’re planning on using movers, start with some research! Make a list of local and regional moving companies and use review sites to help determine if they’re a good fit for your needs. If you’re looking at a local moving company, Realtor.com suggests visiting their business in person, which allows you to get a true feel for their standards and capabilities.
Your next list? Packing items. It’s absolutely worth having more boxes, bubble wrap, and rolls of tape than you need. Even if you don’t use movers, they’re a great resource for moving supplies. You can get boxes from personal storage facilities, as well. It’s also worth asking your friends and family if they have boxes and bins they’d be willing to part ways with for your move. Take to Facebook and see who will lend you some goods. That will save you money and probably free up some space for them, too!
So, what goes where? You already know what the movers are going to take, but where are they going to put everything? It’s best to hash out what furniture goes where before they come to collect, otherwise you’ll spend a few more days moving a few things yourself. Mapping it out also helps you visualize where your smaller items might live as well.
Don’t empty those dresser drawers! You’ll just have to refill them again once you’re moved in. Take the items you will need during your unpacking days and fill in the empty spaces with items you can temporarily part with. If you’re looking to save on cushioned packing materials, we suggest using blankets, towels, scarves and other soft fabric materials to wrap fragile items. It’s a “two birds with one stone” way to pack a lot of your possessions at once.
Designate a room in your current space for packing. Bring all of your empty cardboard boxes, plastic bins, tape and markers into one room. It will help you stay organized and allow you to keep track of everything you have left to pack with. Instead of scrambling around your space in search of that marker you put somewhere, having them stored in one room will ease the packing process. Use that marker to clearly label your boxes and bins on each side and make sure you’re explicit about breakable materials. It’ll keep hired movers from carelessly destroying your fragile items.
This might be the hardest part of your move. A lot of people dread asking their loved ones to help them move. It’s a lot of tough work, and it takes a long time. We suggest thanking them with a hearty post-move meal and a meaningful note of gratitude.
Nothing says “moving day” quite like delivery pizza and soda!
They’ll appreciate your immediate appreciation for their help. Plus, the move will be a lot easier for everyone if you follow the steps above!
If you’re looking to update your New Orleans apartment’s decor, there are great furniture stores in the area for you to explore!
And it’s not just in the city center. Kenner, Metairie, and River Ridge all have a great selection of furniture and home decor stores you can shop to find your new style.
Unique, one-of-a-kind pieces? Antique or modern looks? Casual and traditional styles? The Greater New Orleans Area has your look covered. Here are a few of our favorite furniture spots in the area:
Photo by @christianstreetfurniture via Instagram
Christian Street Furniture is a locally-owned, family-run furniture store with two locations, one in Baton Rouge and one in Metairie.
They carry a large selection of unique, reclaimed looks for the artesian aesthetic. You can customize with multiple pieces from Christian Street Furniture, which makes it a fun place to find your perfect look.
Photo by @hurwitzmintz via Instagram
You might get lost in Metairie’s furniture megastore, Hurwitz Mintz. But it’s totally worth it! They don’t call it the south’s largest furniture store for nothing.
Their Airline Drive location is two stories, which means you have plenty of furniture options to choose from. Hurwitz Mintz is another locally-owned store, and it’s been serving this area for over 90 years.
They carry a large portion of traditional and timeless styles, so if that’s what you’re interested in, check out Hurwitz Mintz!
Photo by @worldmarket via Instagram
If you’re going for the Bohemian look, head to Elmwood Shopping Center! Cost Plus World Market is a bright and bold furniture store with styles curated from countries around the world.
Eclectic decor? Check! Eccentric artwork? Check! Eco-conscious furniture? Check and check! If you want your 1st Lake apartment to look like a fabulous hippy hideaway, snag some furniture from World Market.
Photo by @roomstogo via Instagram
Rooms To Go is designed to make furnishing a space easy. The store introduced the concept of “displaying and packaging furniture in complete room settings” all the way down to the accent items, which allows the shopper to literally pick the room they want.
Instead of assembling your room one purchase at a time, why not knock out the whole thing? That’s where this Metairie store comes into play!
Do you have a favorite furniture store in the Greater New Orleans Area? Share your tips with us on Facebook or Instagram!
Your pumpkin is carved, and your seasonal wreath is on the door. But what about your mantel? Several of our 1st Lake Properties feature wood-burning fireplaces, like Sawmill Creek and Willow Creek. The fireplace mantel is a natural focal point of a room, drawing the eye upward and providing an opportunity to flex your decorating muscle. In fact, spruced-up mantels are one of the top fall decor trends.
If you don’t have a fireplace, don’t worry! These fall mantel décor items work just as well anywhere else in the home, whether at the front door or in the living room. (Plus, keep scrolling for even more fall trends.)
Thumbtack Gourds
Gourds and pumpkins are an obvious choice for the mantel, but the addition of metallic thumbtacks can transform a natural design-scape into a totally glamorous one. Add gold or silver thumbtacks to plain gourds, or paint the gourds to match your existing interior design before you add the thumbtacks. Let these awesome designs lead the way for pattern inspiration.
Elegant Upcycling
An easy, cost-effective way to decorate for fall is to use items you already have on hand. Cut paper bags into petal shapes, crease them, and use a bit of hot glue to hold them together. The result is a paper flower that pulls in fall colors and makes a major impact above the mantel, whether alone or in clusters.
An Everlasting Pumpkin
Cinderella’s coach turned into a pumpkin at midnight, but these cute fall decorations won’t turn into a rotten mess after Halloween. Leave these Mason jar pumpkins on the mantel through Thanksgiving, and save them for years to come. The addition of a cinnamon stick lends a fragrant, autumnal touch.
Borrow from Other Seasons
Another way to save on fall décor is to repurpose decorations from previous holidays. Fourth of July bandanas lend a harvest vibe when draped across the mantel, especially in shades of red, rust, and orange. Mardi Gras beads can create a quick garland, and winter holiday decorations like pinecones and acorns look just as appropriate in fall.
Country Living is one of our favorite sources for interior inspiration, so it’s no wonder we’d look to them for all the latest on other fall trends. Here’s a rundown on what they’re seeing this season:
1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
