The official start of the holiday season isn’t until Thanksgiving, but before you know it, ghosts, goblins and creepy creatures big and small will descend on a neighborhood near you; and some of the places they plan to haunt will be all decked out! According to the National Retail Federation, Halloween is the second biggest decorating holiday of the year.

Green home building is moving into the mainstream, with 20 percent more builders engaged in environmentally conscious building practices this year. Homeowners are moving to the brink of a new, environmentally conscious era.

Now that the hurdle of the holidays has passed, even the most ardent winter enthusiasts can find themselves dreading the long, cold weeks between New Year’s and Memorial Day. Warming up your interior décor with garden-inspired looks and themes is a great way to beat winter blues.

There’s an almost Olympian sense of excitement when it comes to home decorating. Here are the trends leading interior designers and industry experts across the country have predicted will be hot this season.

No matter how big your house is, there never seems to be enough room for everything. Whether it’s space for hobbies, recreation or just more storage, most of us could use more of it.

True, we’re all living more cost-consciously these days -- we’re dining out less, forgoing luxuries like vacations and new wardrobes, and we’re spending less on furniture, too. The good news is that it doesn’t take much to turn your current decor into something completely fresh and different. There are plenty of easy, cost-effective ways to change your surroundings for the better.

When it’s time to redecorate, parting ways with that comfy old chair can be difficult. Accommodating your taste for modern urban style often becomes the struggle between what’s comfortable and what’s vogue.