Energy-Saving Apartment Living Tips

Living the Hollywood lifestyle means comfort, convenience, and luxury. However, these concepts can go hand in hand with a commitment to a greener, healthier environment. When you take steps to save energy in your apartment home, you’ll enjoy numerous benefits that include lower monthly utility bills. There are so many ways to save energy at home without sacrificing your stylish or comfortable lifestyle; the following tips are just the beginning:

Unplug It

Are your outlets full to bursting with chargers, power cords, and hairstyling implements? Many electronics draw power even when they are turned off, costing you more on your monthly bills and needlessly wasting energy. One of the simplest ways to start saving energy in your apartment home is to unplug any item that’s not currently in use. (Keeping unused items unplugged and stored in cabinets or drawers will also reduce clutter and enhance the appearance of your apartment!) If you have a media center that utilizes a number of electronics at once, plug everything into a single power strip that features an on/off function. When you’re ready for some entertainment, you can turn everything on at once without a hassle.

Switch It

Lighting enhances the appeal and usability of your apartment—it’s also another area of your home where you can save money and reduce your energy consumption. Start by turning off the lights when you leave a room. This small change can add up to big energy savings over time. Next, consider your apartment lighting options: incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs, and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are a few of the most popular choices. Incandescent bulbs are the cheapest lighting solution, but are also the least energy efficient. LEDs and CFLs may cost slightly more, but they will make up for the difference and more with the energy savings they deliver. These lighting options also last many times longer than incandescent bulbs, reducing the number of bulbs you’ll have to buy over the long term.

Close It

Window treatments dress up your windows and complement your apartment’s décor, giving your home a finished and cohesive look. Curtains, blinds, and drapes also serve another purpose by insulating your apartment to prevent heating and cooling that your HVAC system must then offset. During the day, you can reduce incident solar heating by keeping the drapes or blinds closed in rooms that receive direct sunlight. At night, cover your windows to provide added insulation and prevent heat exchange with outdoor air. Preventing temperature changes caused by heat exchange and solar heating will reduce the amount of time you need to run your heater or air conditioning to maintain a comfortable indoor environment. You’ll use less energy to maintain indoor comfort while saving money on your utility bills.

Are you ready live and breathe a luxurious—and eco-friendly—Hollywood lifestyle? Vida Hollywood is now leasing one- and two-bedroom apartments in our controlled gated entry apartment community. You can find out more about our resort-style features and amenities when you visit us on the web, where you can explore the benefits of life in a luxury apartment home just minutes from Hollywood, Highland Center, and some of the hottest local dining, shopping, and entertainment. 

Keeping Your Island Apartment Organized (the Green Way!)

A clean, organized apartment creates a comfortable and relaxing environment. There are many ways to keep your Wahiawa apartment organized with an eye to reducing waste and conserving resources. Options such as recycling and upcycling items for storage and organization can also imbue your island apartment with personality and style.

Create a Hollow Book Box

Hollow book boxes are a great way to reduce clutter in your apartment by repurposing old books that might otherwise go to waste. Book boxes add plenty of vintage personality and charm to your apartment while keeping items hidden (and safe) out of sight. You can create a hollow book box from any shape, size, or style of book, although hardcovers are the most popular options. Larger books can even hold items such as remotes or game controllers to reduce clutter on your media cabinet or coffee table!

Reuse Glass Jars

Glass jars are a perfect organizational solution for your island apartment. To remove stubborn labeling, soak jars in a solution of water and dish soap overnight and peel off the loosened label in the morning. You can add further style to your jars by dipping them in paint or creating designs in marker on the outside. Glass jars are extremely versatile containers that can be used to hold pens and pencils, paper clips, pushpins, laundry pins, stamps, or anything else you can easily fit inside the jar. If you’re looking to save even more space, affix the lid of the jar to the bottom side of a shelf and screw the jar up into the lid to create a hanging vessel that won’t take up space on the shelf itself.

Label with Bread Tags

Instead of throwing away the tags from bread or muffins, you can reuse these small plastic pieces as labels to keep your electrical cords organized. All you need is a permanent marker and a set of bread tags to label each cord in your apartment. Labels will help you keep cords straight when moving or using electronics. You can even use tags to conserve energy by unplugging items that aren’t used very often. You’ll never have to go hunting behind your media center or desk again to figure out which cord belongs to your DVD player, TV, computer, game system, or stereo.

Repurpose Hangers for Shoes

When you walk down any street in Wahiawa, you’re likely to see plenty of flip flops (also called slippers) and ballet flats. Unfortunately, these popular Hawaiian footwear choices can be difficult to store in your closet. If you’re tired of keeping your flip flops and ballet flats in a mound on the floor, you can repurpose a few old wire clothes hangers for a more organized closet. Use a pair of needle-nosed pliers to cut the bottom section of the hanger in the middle. Curl the ends in (to avoid injuries) and then bend each half of the hanger upward into a “U” shape. If you’d like your shoe organizers to look a bit more decorative, you can freshen them up with a coat of paint or ribbon to suit your personal tastes.

The suggestions above are just a few of the ways you can maintain an eco-friendly and organized apartment that reflects your unique style in Wahiawa. If you’re looking for a two-, three-, or four-bedroom apartment home on Oahu, check out Palms of Kilani to discover apartments with style, space, and some of the best modern amenities available. Visit us on the web to check out our photos, floor plans, and pricing! 

Get Out and Enjoy the Spring Weather in Mountain View!

Spring in California is one of the most beautiful times of the year. As the temperatures create the perfect outdoor environment for enjoying sunny skies, the time is right to step outside your apartment door and explore the wide variety of outdoor venues and activities available in Mountain View. Whether you love hiking, biking, swimming, or golf, you’re sure to find the perfect place to enjoy an outdoor adventure with family or friends.

Stevens Creek Trail

The Stevens Creek Trail is a multi-use trail that Mountain View residents have been enjoying for nearly half a century. This trail cuts through more than 100 acres of land preserved by the city and county as a natural retreat as it winds along the banks of the 20-mile Stevens Creek. The 4.8-mile section of trail that runs through Mountain View allows residents to hike, bike, or jog the automobile-free route while enjoying a journey through California’s native marshes and riparian habitats. Wildlife frequently spotted along the Stevens Creek Trail includes raccoons, quail, swallows, possums, and hawks. The Stevens Creek Trail also connects to many local neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and park recreation areas, providing a thoroughfare for those looking to spend a beautiful spring day enjoying the fresh air.

Shoreline Park

Located on North Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View, the 750-acre Shoreline Park is a popular recreation retreat for hikers, bikers, and joggers. The park also features a kite-flying area, the 18-hole Shoreline Golf Links golf course, and a 50-acre sailing lake appropriate for small boats. Amateur and professional photographers have long loved this spot for its stunning views of the California coastline. Shoreline Park is also the home of the historic Rengstorff House, the oldest home in Mountain View. This 12-room, 3,955-square foot home was restored in 1991 and is open for public tours three days a week. When it’s time for a break, you can stop by the Lakeside Café to enjoy breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, or weekend brunch on the shores of Shoreline Lake.

Mariposa Park

Mariposa Park opened in 2012 as the City of Mountain View’s 37th park. Located at 305 Mariposa Avenue, this family-friendly park features a playground for children and a serene, comfortable setting for adults. The park is decorated throughout with a butterfly theme—the park’s grounds even look like butterfly wings when viewed from above. Throughout the park, you’ll find kiosks with information about the life cycle of the butterfly, providing children with a fun yet educational experience. The playground features both soft turf and sand, allowing young imaginations to run wild in this natural setting.

This spring, you can get out and enjoy the sunny weather at one or more of Mountain View’s amazing outdoor recreation areas. When it’s time to relax at home after a day of successful outdoor adventuring, you’ll love coming home to your stylish and spacious Carmel The Village Apartment. Our luxury apartments feature amazing appointments in the heart of a beautiful neighborhood with plenty of shopping and dining just outside your front door. You can visit us on the web to find out more about the benefits of living at Carmel The Village, including our eco-friendly building practices, greenspaces, and apartment amenities. 

Greener Apartment Living

Luxury living doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your commitment to a healthier environment. There are many ways you can enjoy modern luxury while conserving the Earth’s limited natural resources right in your own apartment home. Utilizing the latest environmentally-friendly technology and making a few small adjustments to your habits can result in significant benefits for the natural environment.

Switch to CFLs

Regular incandescent light bulbs were once the easiest go-to when you needed lighting in your apartment. However, incandescent bulbs aren’t the most ecologically-friendly lighting solution. Today, compact fluorescent lamps (also called CFLs) offer bright, steady light using a fraction of the energy eaten up by incandescent bulbs. CFLs aren’t much more expensive than incandescent bulbs, but will use up to 66% less energy and last ten times as long. These green lighting choices will save you money on both energy costs and the cost of bulb replacement while reducing the amount of energy required to light your luxury apartment.

Start an Apartment Garden

Greenery adds a natural element to your apartment while providing free and organic herbs, spices, and produce for your table. Creating a container garden on your balcony or patio is both easy and fun. There are endless ways to recycle old containers and materials into containers for your garden to save money and resources. If you don’t have a balcony or don’t prefer to use it for gardening, there are a number of herbs and spices that will grow well in small pots set near a window inside your apartment. Popular herbs that flourish indoors include basil, bay, chives, dill, mint, rosemary, parsley, and oregano.

Unplug Unnecessary Electronics

In today’s technological age, the outlets in your apartment can become crowded with chargers, gaming devices, televisions, computers, and more. Unfortunately, many of these electronics use energy even when they are switched off. Some of the most common “power vampires” include cell phone, computer, and camera chargers, TVs, DVD players, and cable boxes. You can save energy by unplugging chargers when they are not in use to prevent them from draining additional power. Hook your media center up to a single power strip or surge protector that features an on/off switch, which makes it easy to power up everything at once when you want to watch TV or play a game. Following these practices can save you enough energy to power your apartment for two months or more!

Use Window Treatments

Window treatments are a stylish way to dress up your apartment’s windows and tie them into the rest of your décor. However, window treatments also provide beneficial insulating properties that can help you save energy in your apartment all year long. During the summer, close your curtains or blinds during times of direct sunlight illumination to reduce the amount of heating in your apartment from solar radiation. In the winter, reverse this process—keep the curtains open during the day, then close them at night to prevent the leakage of heat through your windowpanes into the cooler air of the outdoors.

At Carmel The Village, our dedication to conserving the environment is visible in our energy-efficient appliances, eco-friendly building materials, and ample community greenspace. You can learn more about living a luxurious, eco-friendly lifestyle near San Jose and Palo Alto when you visit our website to check out our full list of apartment features and amenities. We invite you to check out our gallery and floor plans online as well so you can better picture yourself living in your new Mountain View apartment home!

Tips for Living with a Roommate

Renting an apartment with a roommate is a great opportunity to build a strong friendship while sharing the responsibilities of apartment life. Whether you move in with your best friend or let BLVD63’s roommate matching service find you the perfect living partner, communication is often the key to enjoying a positive experience with your roommate.

Divide Up Responsibilities

Keeping your apartment organized and clean will create a better living space for you and your roommate. One of the major benefits of living with a roommate is sharing regular cleaning tasks so you each have to do less work. Shortly after you move in, talk to your roommate about developing a list of tasks that need to be done and how often they should be completed. Also talk about your strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes—often the tasks you don’t like doing might not seem as bad to someone else. Divvy up cleaning tasks based on your strengths and likes whenever possible. Rotate tasks that neither of you prefer so no one person must perform a specific undesirable task all the time. By trading off the tasks you do and don’t like, you will both feel as though everyone is sharing the work equally.

Make Compromises

No two people are alike, but that doesn’t mean your differences must lead to a negative roommate situation. If you and your roommate prefer different levels of cleanliness, it’s important to discuss your desires and find a way to compromise. If you are the neater of the two, list just a few of your “must haves,” such as a clean shower, pantry, or sink. Alternatively, if your roommate prefers things neater than you do, be willing to compromise on her list of “must haves.” Divide apartment tasks up into cleaning and non-cleaning tasks; while the neater roommate can take care of the cleaning tasks, the other can perform non-cleaning tasks such as cooking, grocery shopping, and keeping bills and rent organized. Always remove bedrooms from the cleanliness equation altogether—each roommate should have some private space to keep however she likes, whether messy or neat. Instead, focus only on finding ways to keep your common areas at a level of cleanliness you both like.

Maintain Open Communication

One of the leading causes of roommate disputes is lack of communication. Talk to your roommate immediately if something is bothering you, rather than letting the situation build. Avoid texting or leaving notes to alert your roommate of a problem—speaking face to face is always better to avoid miscommunication. Consider holding weekly or monthly meetings so you can both air out grievances and find solutions together. Keeping an open line of communication can help to avoid misunderstandings and other issues that can lead to problems. If you do have trouble communicating or finding a solution for any issues, consider having a third party mediate to help you both reach an acceptable solution.

Are you looking for an apartment with a roommate in San Diego? BLVD63 offers furnished and unfurnished apartment spaces with optional RoomSync roommate matching services. Get ready to meet your new best friend and enjoy So-Cal living at its best in our spacious new apartment community designed with comfort and style in mind. Visit our website to check out our gallery and full list of amenities, or stop by for an in-person tour to find your new San Diego home.         

San Diego Coffee Shops

Coffee shops provide an excellent setting for both social and solo activities. Whether you’re looking to catch up with old friends, get some studying done away from the distractions of your apartment, or just enjoy a good cup of coffee and your favorite book, the right coffee shop can feel like a personal haven. San Diego is home to a wide variety of unique and inspiring coffee shops—keep reading to discover the perfect place to call your new favorite java joint.

Café Virtuoso

If you’re craving a cup of San Diego’s finest organic Fair Trade coffee or tea, stop into Café Virtuoso, located at 1616 National Ave. in Barrio Logan. Since 2007, Café Virtuoso has sought to serve the best coffee and espresso in America's Finest City. The Café Virtuoso team is also dedicated to sustainability, serving only 100% certified organic and Fair Trade coffees. If you’re not a coffee drinker, never fear—Café Virtuoso also sells a wide variety of teas, including Earl Grey, plum oolong, chamomile, blood orange, and ginger root. Café Virtuoso offers weekly cupping (coffee tasting) events every Wednesday and operates a booth at the Little Italy Mercato farmers’ market every Saturday from 8am-2pm W. Date Street.

Swell Café

Previously Café Mono, the recently-renamed Swell Café serves coffee, espresso, breakfast, lunch, and more in Mission Beach. Swell Café offers a wide variety of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options, so you’re sure to find something suited to your exact tastes. This café is known for its ambiance as well as its locally-roasted and sustainably-sourced craft coffees and espresso. The menu features fresh, from-scratch choices you can enjoy while you take in the stunning bay and ocean views offered by Mission Beach’s unique location. Swell Café is not only a tourist favorite, it is a local hotspot with a passionate sense of community.

Lestat’s Coffee House

Are you looking for a 24-hour coffee shop for late-night study sessions or an after-hours break? Lestat’s Coffee House offers traditional coffee and tea in addition to a variety of specialty drinks that include the “Milky Way,” “Cherry Bianca,” and “Black Magic.” Furnished with comfortable oversized vintage Victorian chairs, Lestat’s offers a homey but chic atomosphere that is popular among students and young professionals. This unique coffee shop also offers free WiFi, arts and crafts sales, and regular live entertainment at the Lestat’s West venue just next door.

Influx

Influx is a stylish, upscale coffee house located in the heart of Little Italy. Its modern design and high-quality espresso create the perfect San Diego vibe that attracts regulars and passersby alike. Influx features a full menu of fresh pastries and sandwiches that you can enjoy from its indoor or outdoor seating areas. This coffee shop is also a popular study spot, thanks to its free WiFi, distraction-free modern minimalist décor, and comfortable seating.

You can find your new favorite local coffee shop just minutes from your luxury BLVD63 apartment home. We offer one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments in our resort-style So-Cal community! Check out our apartment community on the web or contact us online to discuss our Summer 2014 availability.