Some production home builders offer an upgrade for home buyers to have 8 foot tall doors in their home instead of the standard 6 foot 8 inch doors.

Builders sometimes install 8 foot tall doors just downstairs in homes, but some higher end builders will install them both upstairs and downstairs.

Taller doors can make a home feel more grand, however that is not always the case.

There are many factors that you should consider before deciding to do this upgrade.

photo courtesy of Bill Wilson flickr.com/photos/okchomeseller/25781307248

If you are looking to decorate your home on a budget, now is a great time to check out some amazing online deals.

Many retailers have end of season sales, overstock prices, and open box items for prices 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% off, or more.

Don't buy a cheap rug just because it fits in your budget when you can get a high quality rug on sale for the same price as the cheap rug.

Check out these deals that I found on area rugs (hurry because they won't last long).....

Ashburn Dark Blue Area Rug By Mistana

Just as luxury features in high end cars tend to trickle down to the moderate priced cars after a few years, the same is true with homes.

It seems that there are major architectural design trend changes approximately every 10 years.  Home finishes and design styles (such as flooring, countertops, and paint colors) go through a major change about every 5 years, but home architecture trends only change about every 10 years.

Today I will discuss home architectural design trends that have been popular in high end custom homes, but are now becoming popular in mass produced homes.

Here is a list of trends that I have seen in the Houston, Texas area (since architecture varies by region, this list might be different where you live).

design by Highland Homes, photo by Fletcher Design Consultants

I have spent many hours over the past few weeks shopping for Christmas decorations.

Yes, I know it is not Thanksgiving yet, but interior designers need to be prepared!

My intention was to research the trends and know which stores had which decor pieces so I am prepared to help clients looking for a particular Christmas item.

I visited stores that you have most likely shopped - HomeGoods, Target, Tuesday Morning, Pier 1, Kirkland's, Dillard's, Macy's, At Home, Kohl's, JCPenney, Cost Plus World Market, Z Gallerie, Hobby Lobby, and more (yes, I was busy).

I also visited some boutique stores, big box stores, and furniture stores. 

On my shopping quest, I was able to see certain Christmas trends that were at most every store that I visited.

photo taken at Arhaus

There are many different factors to consider when selecting stools for your home.

First, realize that not every stool is technically a bar stool since the word "bar" refers to the seat height of the stool (even though most people refer to all stools as bar stools).

Since there are so many options, you must be informed so that you don't purchase a stool that will not work for your particular situation.