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The entrance of your home says a lot about your character, from interior design to overall aesthetics. Below are some helpful tips for making sure your space wows you and your guests every time.

Kill the clutter. Clutter is a huge no-no in your entryway, as it impacts the entire vibe of your space from the moment you set foot in the door. However, this can be hard, as the entryway is the space you dump your keys, mail, boots and coat. To remedy this, make sure you have designated, tucked away spaces for everything you store at the entrance of your home. Hooks for coats, baskets for mail and a covered bin for shoes can all work wonders.

Add a statement. Placing a beloved piece of art or furniture in the mouth of your home is a great way to appreciate it every time you enter, and can offer a fantastic conversation starter between you and guests.

Have a seat. Whether it’s a plush chair or a simple bench, a seat in your entryway is great for roosting as you tie your shoelaces, and makes a perfect place for attractive accent pillows.

Light it right. Good lighting in your entryway is a must. Add an attractive lighting fixture, set up a dimmer for mood and a floor or table lamp for added options.

Personal touches. Placing photos of your family and pets in your entryway can add a nice personal element and warm your heart every time you pass by.

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Keep your cherished works of art in pristine condition with these tips.

Create the Right Environment

Remember that artwork is sensitive to factors like sunlight, temperature and humidity.

Security

Its important to take the proper precautions to protect pieces that are particularly valuable. Motion sensors can be installed that alert authorities if a piece is being moved without prior authorization.

Work With Professionals

Dont take chances when it comes to pricey works of art. Work with a professional to install, store or move your collection.

Art Insurance

In the event that a piece does get damaged, make sure youve had your art collection appraised and insured.

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While you might be considering adding heated flooring to your new home, there are a lot of questions to ask before you put your money into this luxury feature. If youre looking for another level of comfort in your home, its a great option"but it does come with a hefty price tag. Heres what you need to know:

Pros

• Durable and reliable. This method of heating lasts longer than a regular home furnace"with proper care it can last up to 35 years.

• Comfortable. Theres no better feeling than a warm floor on a cold day, especially when you first get out of the shower. No one enjoys stepping on cold tile, so bathrooms are particularly popular options for heated flooring.

• Saves you money in the long term. Since radiant floor heating warms from the floor up, youll be able to set your thermostat at a lower temperature to feel just as warm.

• Quiet. Because it does not require a blower, there is no extra noise produced when running it.

• Distributes heat evenly and consistently throughout each room.

• Better for allergy sufferers, since traditional central air heating pushes dust, dirt and pollen through the vents and around your home.

• Customizable. Electric floor heating allows for the option of only having heated flooring in certain rooms"so you can customize where you want it.

• Hidden, so your home has more space and less unattractive radiators.

• Versatile. Can be installed under any flooring.

• Profitable. Increases the value of your home.

Cons

• Costly. Installation will cost more than replacing a furnace, and hydronic systems are more expensive than electric.

• Not ideal for older homes as you will have to tear out existing flooring in order to install them. Wait until its time for a remodel before considering it.

• Repairs are costly. Because the system is under the floor, this also means repairs to the system are more costly as well. Since heating elements are out of sight, it can be hard to find the problem area.

• Slower to warm up the house than traditional heating. Especially true for water heating, which can take a few hours to circulate enough hot water to warm the home (but since they retain heat well, this allows for use in off peak hours, saving your utility bills).

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In your home or in your vacation cabin, a handsome stone hearth is often the gathering
place for comfy family evenings. But accumulations of dirt, soot and ash can make your
fireplace less efficient and ruin the lovely patina of natural stone.

You can help maintain its beauty and safety with this once-yearly facelift routine:

Clean the firebox. At least 12 hours after extinguishing the last fire, or preferably
before lighting the first fire of the year, lay drop cloths around the fireplace area to
protect against airborne particles. Put on gloves and a dust mask and use a small
shovel to scoop any remaining ash from the firebox. Place the ashes in a metal
container with a tight-fitting lid and store it outside, away from flammable materials,
until youre ready to discard it. Run a small vacuum cleaner in and around the firebox
and surrounding area.

Scrub the stone. Dilute a quarter cup of dish soap with hot water in a bucket and
use a small scrub brush dipped in the solution to clean the stone surface from
top to bottom. You may be surprised at how much trapped dirt and grit you can scrub out.

Gauge the need for deeper cleaning. If the fireplace has not been used for a long
time, you may find that soapy water is not enough to remove old smoke stains. In that
case, dissolve a half-cup of TSP cleaning powder in three-quarts of hot water and try again
with a stiff brush. TSP is both a de-greaser and a heavy-duty cleaner, making it more
effective than soap alone for eliminating stubborn stains and creosote.

Rinse it down. Empty the soapy water and refill the bucket with cold water. Use a
clean rag to make one or two passes over the entire stone surface, wiping away any
soap suds and loosened dirt. Go over it again with a dry rag, then let the surface air-
dry before lighting a fire.

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