Smart Living
Get practical advice and inspiration on organizing, home décor, lifestyle and personal finance for everyday living.
5 Steps to Safely Store Your Guitar Collection
Whether you are an avid collector or you’ve recently discovered a passion for playing these iconic musical instruments, you’ll surely want to keep your guitars in pristine playing condition, which is why leaning how to store them properly is absolutely essential. Unfortunately, guitars far too often tend to suffer from permanent damage due to carelessness, with the most common issues occurring at the fret, their most sensitive component. However, if you follow a couple of ground rules when you decide to put your guitars in a storage unit, you can easily keep them safe. Take a look at the list we compiled below and make sure you keep them playing like new for years to come.
Top 10 Mountain Towns in America That Are Perfect for a Summer Getaway – or Relocating to For Good
This summer, probably more than ever, we all dream about a peaceful vacation, away from crowded beaches, museums, city centers and other tourist hotspots that see thousands upon thousands of people each day. And what better places to enjoy fresh air, outdoor adventures and unspoiled nature than America’s charming, peaceful mountain towns?
Top 10 Best Plants to Grow on Your Balcony
A balcony garden comes with a whole set of perks: you create your own little nature corner that you can enjoy anytime, and you get to add delicious ingredients you grew yourself to your culinary dishes. More than that, you’re doing a favor to the environment, as bees and other pollinators that have a hard time surviving in cities will find a little bit of respite in your balcony garden.
Lockdown Hobbies That May Be Worth Exploring Even After the Pandemic Is Over
The last few weeks were pretty stressful, to say the least. The lockdown we went through was an unprecedented event, and most people were caught off guard as the rapid spread of the virus was hard to believe. All of a sudden, we found ourselves needing to look for ways to cope with this new reality and more attention was given to finding agreeable and constructive ways to spend time while being cooped up indoors.
A Decade of Colors and How They Shaped Home Décor
Color is fun, and if you choose the right one, it may give a boost to your home’s look in an instant. What are the color trends that defined, refined and shaped home décor in the last decade? We’ve turned to the front-runner in all things color-related, The Pantone Color Institute, to see which colors were significant enough to nurture expression of all sorts so as to be used in a variety of areas, from interior design to fashion and brand awareness.
Hiking in San Diego: 10 of the Best Hiking Trails and Tips on Hiking Gear Storage
As one of the most visited destinations in the U.S., San Diego’s incredible geography has something to offer to all nature enthusiasts whether they love the sea or they prefer the mountains. The unique variety of hiking trails available makes America’s Finest City a particularly attractive destination.
10 Unique Home Organizing Products and Gadgets
A well-organized home represents the oasis of calm and tranquility you need, and it also requires less work to keep clean and tidy. The secret of a perfectly organized home lies, as always, in the details – the appearance of clutter and chaos is created by all the things around the house, big and small, that don’t have a designated spot.
How to Set Up a Practical and Stylish Open Closet
Finding the perfect apartment is an almost possible task, especially if you want to stay within a budget. Most of the time, the main thing missing is enough space, and that often means that a reasonably sized wardrobe can’t be part of the deal. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative and find a way to keep your clothes neat and organized, which is exactly what an open closet is for. At first it might seem like the opposite of tidy, but open closets and wardrobes can certainly be trendy and practical interior design assets. If you’re ready for a challenge, here are some tips to help you get started:
Americans Plan Stockpiling Food and More: Trends in Online Browsing in a Time of Pandemic
The last few weeks have been chaotic, to say the least. From a distant and diffuse threat, the coronavirus epidemic turned into a pandemic and became a worldwide emergency. The rapid pace at which the situation evolved has generated concern among many people – and, occasionally, even panic.
How to Pack and Move Antiques and Other Fragile Valuables
The process of moving can be both exciting and tiresome, especially when it comes to transporting fragile valuables that can be easily damaged. While it’s easy to get caught up in the fuss of moving, your specialty items should be a priority before the packing begins. Whether you want to put them in a storage unit for a while or simply relocate them from one place to another, you certainly want to protect them from any possible damage.
How to Organize Your Photos to Enjoy Them More
Paper or digital, photos are precious mementos of your and your family’s personal history, and you should preserve them for the future – but also enjoy them now! Most people keep their old family pictures tucked away in boxes or inside photo albums, gathering dust, while the digital ones are collecting virtual dust, because we all have literally thousands of them, and most don’t even get a second look.