The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1415012
The Press-Dispatch Fall Home Improvement Wednesday, September 29, 2021 F-9 Wide Selection o f Leather Sofas & Chairs •Dining Room •Bedroom •Living Room •Mattresses FURNITURE HOME COMFORT CENTERS Corner of 231 & Division, JASPER 812-482-2246 105 N JFK Avenue, LOOGOOTEE 812-295-5444 OPEN: Mon., Tues., Thurs. 9-5:30; Wed. & Fri. 9-7; Sat. 9-3; Sunday closed www.ENGLERTSHOMECOMFORTCENTER.com See the experts at Englerts Home Comfort Centers. You'll be glad you did! Quality Installation and Service on Everything We Sell! • Carpet • Tile • Hardwood • Laminate • Vinyl APPLIANCES FLOOR COVERING SALE NEW HOME Discounts Corner of 231 & Division, Jasper • 812-482-2246 OPEN: Mon., Tues., Thurs. 9-5:30; Wed. & Fri. 9-7; Sat. 9-3 EnglertsHomeComfortCenter.com HOME COMFORT CENTER ISFA SOLID SURFACE CERTIFIED FABRICATOR We supply cabinets to contractors, too! 606-541-9371 Locally Owned & Operated by Mark Wedekind 5114 S. State Road 61, Winslow CUSTOM-BUILT CABINETS at affordable prices SHOWER BASINS SPECIAL APPLICATIONS CUSTOM COUNTERTOPS CORIAN ® SOLID SURFACES are VERSATILE, Beautiful & DURABLE THE CHOICE OF HOSPITALS & RESTAURANTS I lluminating ideas for hanging string lights in your backyard (StatePoint) So, you've created the backyard of your dreams and love ev- erything about it — except that seeing your surround- ings can sometimes be a challenge once the sun's gone down. As the days grow shorter and we head into fall, it's one of the best times of year to enhance your backyard life at night. While hiring someone to install outdoor lighting can be really expensive and in- volved, patio string lights are a simple, cost-effective solution. Best of all, you can create a look that reflects your style using any num- ber of patterns. In a recent episode of "Done-In-A-Weekend Proj- ects" called "Light Up Your Life," expert landscape de- signer Doug Scott demon- strated how to hang string lights, as well as discussed what to consider before, and while, doing so. Here are his steps for adding fun, personality and light to your outdoor living and dining spaces: 1. First determine how long your string lights need to be and how many strands you'll need. The only oth- er materials you'll need for this project are appropri- ate, outdoor-grade hard- ware (such as cup hooks or a similar fastener) and possibly an extension cord. 2. Next you'll want to sketch your design to make sure you capture what you're going for and sec- ond, to ensure you're pur- chasing the correct num- ber and lengths of lights and hooks. For a more re- laxed look, you may want a crisscross or free-form pattern. For a more uni- form look, you can simply hang lights across the cen- ter or around the perimeter of the space. "Regardless, just make sure your design rep- resents you and how you want to live outside," says Scott. 3. When measuring your lights, be sure to add a few feet on each pass to allow for slack. One other thing you'll want to consider is whether you'll be able to make light connections in discreet places, ideally where they connect to the wall, post or tree. "Having a connection in the middle of a swag won't be the end of the world, but you'll want to minimize this as much as possible," says Scott. 4. Install your hooks ac- cording to your plan. Then, hang your lights with the bulbs removed to decrease your chances of breaking them. You'll also want to make sure that your first strand reaches an outlet, or you have an extension cord that will. Once you're satisfied with your gener- al look, install one bulb in each strand to test that ev- erything is working proper- ly. If all is good, install the rest of the bulbs, light them up, then kick back and en- joy. Need some inspiration to get started? A free down- loadable guide from Ex- mark, which provides help- ful illustrations and brief descriptions of five com- monly used string light pat- terns, can be found by vis- iting Exmark's Backyard Life at Exmark.com/back- yard. There you can also access other original vid- eo series, including "Prime Cuts" and "Dream Yards," to help you make the most of your backyard. With a few supplies and a little creativity, brighten- ing your backyard and en- hancing your backyard life at night can be a simple DIY project. Budget-friendly dining room renovation ideas If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then the dining room may be akin to one of its arteries. The mood cre- ated in the kitchen spreads to the dining space where family and friends gather to eat and enjoy one another's company. Dining rooms can get lost in the home renovation shuffle, as many homeown- ers tend to focus on reno- vating kitchens and bath- rooms instead. Homeown- ers do not have to invest a lot of money in renovations to give their dining spaces awe-inspiring makeovers. Here's how to do so on a budget. • Lighten and bright- en. Dining rooms were once very formal spaces. Dark woods, large piec- es of furniture, over-the- top chandeliers, and oth- er details could be found in many homes. But now that houses are being built with open floor plans, din- ing rooms can blend with other spaces, which have moved to lighter colored walls, flooring and furni- ture. A fresh coat of vibrant paint can work wonders and it doesn't cost much. If you can't remove a floor, cover it with a brightly col- ored area rug. • Switch things up with slipcovers. Slipcov- ers can be changed each season to dramatically alter the look of a dining room for little investment. Slip covers also protect chairs and can be easily laundered after spills. • Add floating shelv- ing. Floating shelves pro- vide much-needed storage or display space without the need to invest in anoth- er piece of furniture. De- pending on the shelving, they can work in modern design schemes or even farmhouse dining spaces. • Clear out the clut- ter. It might be time to say "so long" to that large cu- rio cabinet and the knick- knacks within it. Curio and china cabinets used to be de rigueur, but plen- ty of people now prefer more open and airy dining rooms. For those who want to keep the cabinet, try de- cluttering inside to only in- clude the very best display pieces and see if the cabi- net can be refinished with paint or a lightly colored stain. • Improve lighting. Make the chandelier the statement piece of the space. Go for a bold color or an innovative design. Then add accessories through- out the space that coordi- nate with the chandelier. • Add bench seating. Those who need addition- al seating may not have to get entirely new furniture. Swap out some chairs for benches, which can fit a couple more guests than chairs. • Create depth with color. HGTV says that us- ing various shades of the same color in a space can add depth. Coordinate drapes, walls, seat fabrics, and accessories for a cohe- sive design. Renovating a dining room doesn't require a large in- vestment of time and mon- ey. A few simple steps can give dining spaces a whole new feel without busting homeowners' budgets.