If you are planning on a big move, you will probably find yourself facing ads for both moving brokers and moving companies. At first glance, you might assume that they are both referring to the same thing. However, there is a major difference between a moving company and a moving broker.

A moving company refers to a company which has a staff of movers, moving trucks and all the equipment that they need to safely transport your belongings from point A to point B. For example, a Houston moving company will transport your things from your office or house in the city to anywhere you’re relocating. They’ll do everything for you, ensuring a stress-free move! While some use brokers to gain clientele, others rely on word of mouth and advertising to gain jobs directly.

A moving broker does not actually handle your move. When you hire a moving broker they will then hire whichever moving company they choose for you to use, or that you pick out of their list. The work of your move will be done separately, by that moving company, as moving brokers do not own any moving trucks, equipment, and packing supplies.

There are several reasons why hiring a moving broker may not be the best idea. If anything goes wrong during your move, you might only have the contact information for the moving broker. This makes it hard to receive immediate customer service and the company you are calling is not responsible for whatever happened.

When you contact the customer service team for your moving company, they have a strong incentive to get the issue resolved quickly because you are their customer and they have control over what’s happening with their movers.

Hiring a moving company directly is less costly than hiring a moving broker. A moving broker acts as a middle man and naturally they will pay themselves in addition to what they pay out to the moving company.

Also, moving broker estimates are usually offered over the phone or email without anyone coming into your home. The person quoting prices might be in a call center hundreds of miles away. Moving companies, on the other hand, are local and will usually send a pricing expert before the move begins so they can give the most accurate quote possible. As a result, the estimate quoted by a moving company will usually be much closer to the final price tag than one quoted by a moving broker.

Another downside to the moving broker is that you will be dealing with the middle man up until the day of the move. Not all moving brokers will tell you which moving company is coming out to your home, and if there are scheduling conflicts or other issues with the first choice, they will send a second instead.

While this is great at keeping the move going, you may not have much time if any to find out details on the moving company that will be transporting your belongings. You only have the broker’s word that they are insured and have a good reputation. When you hire a moving company directly, you can take the time to research them and feel comfortable with your choice.

So, before you do that search on Google for “movers near me” make sure that you’re working with a moving company rather than a moving broker to get the best value.

When it comes to furniture and the different decorating styles you could use in your home, you can go in many directions.

Some people swear by Feng Shui while others just put the furnishings where they like. Then there are those who choose a specific décor style, like Modern, Contemporary, Minimalist, Industrial, Scandinavian, Traditional, or Transitional, doing their best to view their preference as the boundary conditions about what’s permissible.

While, of course, there are no wrong choices, and everyone is entitled to their own tastes, you can be eclectic without causing havoc.

The way to pull this off is to break the rules.

Everything does not have to match. You can add interesting items to your décor even if it doesn’t fit your current style. If you happen to fall in love with the elegance of wood and upholstery pieces from Century furniture you don’t have to sigh and walk away because the stuff you like is closer to Contemporary than the rustic and weathered finish of your home’ present Industrial design theme

Here’s the thing: what you’ll quickly notice about relaxed, lovely spaces are that they’re an artful blend of variegated styles. The reason why this can work if done properly is simple—the overall look-and-feel pleases the eye and appeals to the senses.

In fact, matching may not be essential at all to home décor. It might even be construed as boring.

The truth is that you can mix styles and get away with it. You can mix styles like a seasoned interior designer once you understand the rules of imaginative decorative flow.

Use the Pareto Principle to Balance out Diverse Décor No doubt you’ve heard of the Pareto principle by it’s more popular name, the “80/20 rule.” Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s mentioned everywhere, especially in self-help books and blogs on how to reinvent yourself. It’s also popular in business books on how to reshape your business model, 10X your sales, and redefine your brand.

Despite the liberal use of this principle to enlighten those in pursuit of personal development or business success, the idea originated by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto in 1906 was first used to describe a phenomenon that he noticed in his homeland. In Italy, 80% of the land was owned by 20% of the population. What was remarkable about this observation–and the reason for the economist’s immortality–was not the unfair distribution of wealth and privilege but that this statistical rule of thumb appeared to apply to all sorts of economic conditions, as well as perfectly relevant to things outside economic theory.

Well, the 80/20 rule also happens to work remarkably well when it comes to home décor.

Use 80% of the space in a room for one style and dedicate the other 20% to another style.

Let’s return to our original example of Contemporary and Industrial décor. If you wanted to introduce Contemporary furniture into a room with an Industrial theme, you could get away with introducing 20% of it without risking chaos. Although the two styles are based on completely different philosophies, a room with 80% Industrial design can comfortably absorb 20% of any other style.

Erase the Indoctrination of the 80’s from Your Mind

Where did we get the idea that everything had to match in the first place? While it might be difficult to trace back the origin of this idea, we do know that it was the golden rule of interior

designers in the 80’s. But we now live in an age where rapid technological progress has made the idea of predictability seem antediluvian.

So–matching isn’t necessary. Aiming for compatibility is good enough.

To wrap your head around this idea, think of things in terms of groups rather than styles.

A group can be defined by size, color, texture, and the like. This means that you can place décor from different eras in the same room without raising any eyebrows—provided they have enough in common to be chunked together as a group.

The Secret Key That Opens All Doors

When home décor works, you don’t question why something is in a particular space. Everything appears to belong, and all the various décor elements, styles, and themes play well together.

You can get away with the use of eclectic décor if you understand the principle of balance. That’s the secret key. And you can achieve balance by distributing visual weight evenly. If every element in a room has one or more friends, then “everyone” appears to be quite at home.

Are you glad that spring is here, yet you are already counting the days until summer? We hear you. Summer time is about letting our inner child come out and have a holiday. To get you in the mood, and to help pass the time, we have rounded up a couple of important steps to prep your house for summer. This way, both you and your home will be perfectly ready for those much-longed-for summer days!

From design style tips to safety precautions, read on for actions to take now for cool and stylish summer living a couple months down the road.

1. Repaint and hose down your house’s exterior.

If you missed doing this during your spring cleaning, now is the time to get out your water hose and give your house a good spray. Windows accumulate a lot of grime, so be sure to get to those along with the sidings.

Warmer weather brings with it an increase in house parties and visitors. So, now is a good time to take care of those paint touch-ups you have been meaning to get to but have been putting off. Yes, it is a bit of a chore, but it will be worth it when you see house envy on the faces of visiting friends and family.

2. Get your HVAC inspected.

Want to spend your summer in cool and comfort? Better get your HVAC inspected and fine-tuned before you begin to use it. Naturally, the temptation is to wait on calling the maintenance guy until there is a real problem. But which would you prefer? Getting any possible issues taken care of now, during relatively cool weather? Or when you are suffering from heat exhaustion and the repair guy can only make it out a week from when you placed the call?

If you know what you are doing, you could likely perform some of the maintenance on your unit yourself. Just be sure to read the owner’s manual before you begin. Getting your HVAC replaced will cost more than a maintenance call, so be careful.

3. Defend your home against invasion by bugs.

When the weather warms, insects come out in full force. This often means an invasion of ants in your house and kitchen cupboards. This year, preempt them by making your move first.

Check for holes, cracks, or other ways that bugs can make it through from the outdoors and into your house. Use calking around the window and door frames to seal up possible cracks.

Put down a pesticide along the outside of your house. If you are not comfortable with the idea of using a chemical pesticide, you can make one using natural ingredients. For instance, garlic and pepper are both able to turn away determined bugs, such as borers, slugs, and beetles.

This two-pronged approach of sealing up cracks and using pesticide around your exterior is one few insects will be able to penetrate.

4. Prepare for extreme summer weather. This year is likely to be another one filled with extreme weather events. Depending on your area, extreme summer weather will mean different things for each family. Ready.gov says that severe weather events often result in hazardous conditions. These conditions create tornadoes, thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds, flash floods, an increased possibility of wildfires, etc.

Find out what the seasonal dangers are for your area. Take measures to ensure your house can withstand the worst of an extreme weather event. Also, create a contingency plan that the whole family is aware of. Share your plan with relatives and friends, too.

Have an emergency water supply and keep a stock of non-perishable foods. These supplies should be enough to last for at least 3 days. Your go-bags should also include a radio, flashlight, first aid kit, medication, and other essentials that you can’t do without. Other steps to take include signing up for government alerts for your area.

5. Prepare cost-effective methods for staying cool.

Worried about a high HVAC bill this year? Want to cut down on some of that expense this summer? Why not invest in exterior awnings for your windows? Or consider using shrubbery or trees to help provide natural shade. Research foods and summertime treats that can help kids stay cool.

Additionally, an inflatable pool in the lawn can help with those summer days when even the HVAC is not enough to keep your family in comfort.

Alongside the kitchen, the powder room is the most important room in the house. However, due its small size, it’s not always given the appreciation and attention it deserves. Although it is the smallest room in the home, it gets some of the most foot traffic per square foot, as this is usually the bathroom that your guests will frequent.

Instead of writing off the powder room as unimportant, you should give it special attention. Consider this little area of your home a challenge: this tiny space can be the perfect canvas to show off your personal style and aesthetic. Here’s a few design tips making the perfect powder room and setting a statement:

Invest In Your Toilet

Your toilet is the focal point of the powder room, and it should be treated as such. You should always check for blockages and leakages. According to Fix It Right Plumbing, an emergency plumber in Melbourne, “Blocked drains can be a real emergency, especially if your whole house gets blocked up… household blockages can actually be prevented and there things you can do yourself to stop it happening.”

Practicing safe blockage awareness and keeping an eye out for leaky faucets and other bathroom emergencies keeps you in the clear. After all, the last thing you want is to have to deal with a sticky toilet situation while guests are over. Once you’ve used preventative measures to diminish the risk of emergencies, and have the contact information for an emergency plumber on hand (who wants to have to Google local plumbers during a real emergency?) you’re good to go.

Spruce up your toilet style by investing in a new toilet and matching sink, perhaps vessel or brass style for the faucets. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get this done.

Utilize Wallpaper

While some might think of wallpaper as an out-of-date decoration method, it can be a great way to add pizzazz to a small place. Wallpaper is an underutilized decoration tool when it comes to powder rooms. While you can’t use wallpaper in other bathrooms in your house–because moisture and humidity can be a problem–you can exercise full creativity with your powder room. With wallpaper, you can incorporate bold colors and prints. And the best part is, you can change the style and aesthetic completely within a single day on a very low budget. Swap it out as often as you like, and take experimental risks.

Consider playing with floral prints, geometrics, and stripes in your powder room. If you use dark finishes, consider solid colors, like gold, purple, and deep warm shades, while bright rooms with light finishes can be accentuated with soft solid wallpapers, like lilac, periwinkle, coral, and sky blue. Check out these powder room bathroom wallpaper ideas on Pinterest for some inspiration.

Little Luxuries Go A Long Way

If you’ve got a nice toilet and sink, beautiful wallpaper, and great accessories, then top off a great design with a little luxury. Forego the plastic liquid soap dispensers and cardboard tissue boxes. Little luxuries could include:

* Milled bar soaps

* Fancy soap dispensers

* High-end fresheners

* Perfumes

* Premium paper napkins

* Plush hand towels

Arrange these in vignettes on your countertop using decorative trays, which keep them contained and organized. Think about how high-end bathrooms in top-tier restaurants restaurants and nightclub venues arrange their items, and gather inspiration from that.

Accessories Matter

The accessories you use to decorate your space complement your work as a whole. To leverage your space completely, try adding wall shelves and cubing. With that, you can add plenty of decorative elements and take advantage of your real estate. Here are some decoration ideas:

* Incorporate decorative vases

* Classic timepiece (such as a grandfather clock)

* Decorative trays

* Scented candles

* Artwork (consider putting together a cluster of artwork on one wall)

* Flowers and plants

You’ll also want to pay attention to your mirror as a decorative element. After all, your mirror can make a huge difference to the overall look and feel. For example, investing in an extravagantly decorative mirror could make a small space seem much bigger than it is. Because you don’t have to worry about

cabinet space for the mirror, there’s a lot more creative freedom to choose any sort of mirror you’d like. Whether you prefer Victorian, rustic, modern, or a bohemian style, there’s a mirror for you. Take a look at this gallery of powder room images to see how mirrors can influence the design aesthetic of the space.