Would You Live in a Mobile Home or a Trailer Park?

Words can be such powerful things. Every time I hear "trailer park" or "mobile home" I cringe - mostly because of the stereotypes that go along with these two phrases. I've become intrigued lately with land lease communities - the beautiful areas that factory built housing can be sited and you lease the land that your home sits on. Many of these communities have pools, golf courses, clubhouses - everything you need for resort style living. Plus many of these are in dramatic locations such as Oceanside, near ski slopes or in the mountains in areas you could never afford.

Today's factory built housing hardly resembles the mobile homes of yesteryear - the only constant is that they both arrive on wheels. Factory built homes are built to national specifications, and are built to last using the same products that are found in most site built homes. The biggest difference I tend to see is that factory built homes usually offer more cabinets and counter space in the kitchens and baths!

I'm looking forward to sharing my journey with you as I discover some of the finest land lease communities, and I'm hoping to be working on some Lifestylist® Designed Homes just for these communities as well.

Sweet Dreams

Nothing is more important than a good nights sleep. If we don't have the right support from the mattress, the right pillows or the right temperature in the room, sleep might not come easily.

When LifeStyling the corporate apartments for The Hammocks at Timber Banks and Southern Hills, I wanted to be sure that the they truly felt like a home away from home and the clients would enjoy their stay. I stayed in some of the apartments designed by other companies to get a feel of what worked and what didn't, and spent a lot of time speaking with residents and getting a feel for the lifestyle of each and what made them unique. Having a comfy sofa and a flat screen TV was important, but nothing was more important than the bed.

As a Lifestylist® I always take into consideration how a bed fits into a room, and Ashley Furniture now offers beautiful beds with a low foot board or platform that makes any room still feel spacious. Many companies (and consumers)use just a metal frame and no headboard with their beds, but by using a headboard, foot board and rails you create a much more stable platform for your bed which adds support to the mattress. Plus it looks so much better! Be sure to check out the new options that Ashley Homestores offer - great value and style.

An area that I won't ever compromise on is the mattresses and pillows. We use a pillowtop that offers a great nights sleep that was manufactured to our specifications by a local company, and I found pillows that I love at KMart - under $10 but they feel much more expensive.

One of my biggest surprise finds was Sears - I found a "Bed in a Bag" they offered for under $50.00 online! A Bed in a Bag includes a comforter, dust ruffle, shams, and a complete set of linens. Something to always watch out for when choosing a comforter that you will use every day is to make sure it is washable, and this set was. When they arrived I was thrilled to see that they were well made, and in beautiful, happy colors.

As I always say, great design doesn't have to be expensive, and these are great examples of that. I know I'll be adding Sears and KMart to my shopping resources now, and I'll be sure to share with you other great buys that I find.