Now, more than ever, there is a collective concern regarding germs. It’s gone way beyond our mothers telling us to wash our hands after we use the bathroom or even the industrial size hand every new mother purchases before the baby comes home. With enterovirus in elementary schools and ebola cases popping up in America, I’d venture to say we’ve all awoken our sleeping inner germaphobe. Personally, I have always been slightly germaphobic. Not to the Howie Mandel extent, but I am definitely a little grossed out after certain subway rides or play dates involving six four year olds in my house. Does it make you a bad person? I don’t think so at all.
Much to the delight of many, the consumer market has gone above and beyond the call of duty bringing us design worthy products that might help give us some sense of ease while still keeping aesthetics in mind. In a nut shell, it’s all about touchless technology. Here are five (mostly) affordable products that will look good and almost never have to be touched. Here’s what I found.

Legrand Adorne Wave Light Switch
Light switches are something we don’t pay enough attention to. Think about it..consumers spend millions of dollars a year remodeling and decorating every room in the house, but when it comes to our switches we grab whatever works and is under five bucks. Ironically, they’re something we use several times a day and are often dirtier than our cell phones. Ew. Well, luxe lighting manufacturer, Legrand (pronounced Le Grahn, just fyi) came out with a fab little line called Adorne. Amongst it’s hottest sellers is The Wave. Yep, you got it right. Just wave the hand in front of the switch and voila! Lights on, lights off. Kind of like The Clapper but way cooler and dare I say, much more socially acceptable. No clapping for you, darling. $45-$65 at Legrand and home improvement retailers.

Kohler Touchless Toilet Kit
Most of us would probably agree, if you want to go touchless the toilet is the first place on the list, right? At first, I thought who would buy a brand new toilet just to not touch it? But, then I saw it’s actually a very affordable kit that can be fit to almost any existing toilet! The install took under twenty-five minutes and a few batteries. It might be the easiest improvement project you’ll ever embark on in your bathroom. $99.97 at Kohler.com

Dyson Airblade Tap
Dyson, the familiar name in vacuums and bladeless fans are known for products that are both innovative with a sleek design with a British accent. Not exactly cheap, but it’s hard to deny their products are pretty cool. If you’ve been to a newly refurbished restroom lately, you’ve probably seen (and hopefully used) their touchless hand dryers. Recently, they took that a step further by adding a faucet tap. With the Dyson Airblade Tap (DAT) you wash and dry your hands in one spot without ever touching a thing. The price for all this is a steep $1899 on Dyson

Umbra Otto Sensor Soap Dispenser
So, while some may charge almost two grand to keep the hands off the faucet, you can soap them up beforehand for under $30.00. I found this model at Kohl’s and like the mod look, small size and the fact that four AAA batteries has me up and running and squeaky clean.

Simplehuman Touchless Trash Can
The trashcan is another place we want to touch as little as possible..from tossing raw meats to messy spills, it’s always best to touch the trash can as little as possible. With a handful of sizes, styles and prices, there’s really no reason not to. I liked this one because it’s alsoIf none of these appeal to you, rest easy. At the end of the day, there is always soap and hot water! fingerprint proof, always a plus for someone like me with two little kids. This model is $120.00 here but if you dig up one of those Bed Bath & Beyond coupons in the kitchen drawer, well you do the math.

And there’s always soap and water..XO

Courtney Cachet on set

A large portion of my time is devoted to home makeovers on television. From The Bachelorette’s, JP & Ashley’s first New York pad to a tricked out Man Cave on VH1, I’ve done it.
What a lot of people don’t know is that I am also a TV set designer, and for three seasons styled the three sets on the daily lifestyle program, The Better Show. As I finished taping a segment the other day, I got to thinking about how simple principles from set design could help people decorate with more ease. Oh, you’re not a professional? It doesn’t matter. Stop drooling over glossy, touched up photos on someone else’s pin board-Dreamy Spaces I Love-and start working on your own fabulous little space. The key is to start.

How Much Money Do You Have?

TV productions are sticklers for budgets. For some reason, the budget is almost never enough for what you need to do. Sound familiar? Smaller amounts of money breed creativity you swore you never had. Whether your budget is slightly depressing or you’re a total baller, makes less of a difference than you think. The important thing is to be realistic about how much cash you have and operate accordingly. Can’t afford that totally amazing mid-century desk from that slick showroom? Dig a little deeper. Hit up consignment shops, eBay, flea markets and Craigslist “free” section. FYI-I decorated almost the entire set at Better TV using items from Home Goods.

Need For Speed

For us, time is money. But if you don’t move quickly, it’ll never get done. By planning well, you can bang out a fabulous room in a three day weekend. Lingering over the perfect shade of white paint or a particular pillow is not going to make your home that much prettier. I promise. I have news for you..it’s never about the paint color or the pillow. But, I’m not a shrink. I’m just here to make your home look fierce. Seriously, I’m not saying to approach your decorating project like an episode of Supermarket Sweep. Rather, just make a goal and stick to it. You’ll be more focused and in the end, much happier.

All In The Details

Most TV sets have a couple of couches I would never put in my house-or yours. They’re big, stiff, sort of plain and usually some variation of beige. But, we manage to doctor them up with pillows and area rugs. Most sets also have shelves or book cases to create a “homey” feeling. These are also meticulously styled with books that give a pop of color and/or fill an awkward space. There are vases of flowers, pitchers of water, mugs of coffee. Nothing is there without thinking about it. There’s no clutter, either. Taking that approach in your home can work wonders, keeping in mind you actually live there.

Built To Last

Imagine if you had 40 guests in your living room, dining room and kitchen six days a week. Now imagine how your quickly your home would look beat up as a result of that. Well, that’s the life of a set. Cameramen, sound guys, producers, guests and a multitude of other assorted people are in that “room” every single day. Rugs need to withstand the traffic, fabrics need to be durable and well cared for and shiny surfaces? Yeah, not so much. They show finger prints and scratches and glare, oh my! Wood and other flat materials are usually a better choice when your goal is longevity.

Places, please!

If there’s a large orchid plant on set, I can guarantee it is never on a shelf behind a couch. Why? Because nobody wants an A-List celebrity getting interviewed looking like he has flowers growing out of his head! There will never be anything distracting hanging, sitting or placed anywhere near an interview set. It makes an interesting point for your own home, as well. Be aware of an object’s placement. When in doubt, take a photo with your phone and see how it looks on camera. The camera never lies. If it looks a little meh, it usually is.

Make It Fantastic

Nobody wants to tune in to a show with a ho hum set, right? Why would anyone want to linger in a room that wasn’t at the very least, pleasant? Even if you’re not living in your Dream Home just yet, that shouldn’t matter. Fantastic comes in many forms, starting with color. Color is fantastic. Lighting is, as well. Quality-even in the smallest doses-is, too. Depending on what’s important to you, go with what you love. Just try and give it your best shot.

In the end, the best spaces to drool over are the ones you actually live in.

Check your local TV listings for more of celebrity designer, Courtney Cachet’s design tips, gift guides and stylish ideas. You can catch her frequent appearances nationwide on TV and online, where she dishes out all the latest in all things fab for your home and lifestyle! Keep up with her on http://www.courtneycachet.com or Facebook and join the conversation!

Courtey Cachet at home.

Our homes tell the story of who we are.

Whether that home is a small rental apartment or a spacious home on a suburban tree-lined street, it doesn’t matter. I’ve been inside many beautifully decorated homes. It’s also my job to look at beautiful things all day long. My life and my brand are based on fabulous living. But, what about being interesting? How about that? Interesting is free. Some of the most interesting spaces I’ve been in have been those inhabited by unknown artists, design students and even a crafty single mom or two. Creativity can always find its way. And while I spend a great deal of my life focusing on the uber-fabulous and the aspirational, you can take your home — or any space — and make it more interesting for practically nothing.

It’s really quite simple; it all boils down to getting personal. When a stranger walks into your home, they should be able to tell something about you by standing in the middle of your living room (besides, “Whoa, their cleaning lady hasn’t been here in a while”). What can you do to make it feel more interesting? A lot, actually.

Something About You

When I say something about you, this does not mean you last week at a bar with your friends, or you with your kids and the mall’s Santa Claus. I mean, really something about you. For example, my husband and I are Armenian. We have a framed Armenian scroll hanging on a wall. Also, a few years ago I designed a furniture line and the couch is in our living room. Really, it could be anything. Try not to make it about a photograph, there’s room for that elsewhere.

Something Old

Every room needs something old. It can be vintage, an antique or a relic from Mom’s attic. In every room I design, I try and add something vintage. You simply cannot create a truly interesting room without an old piece or two. If you think you can’t afford it, you’re wrong. Garage sales, Etsy and eBay and are teeming with objects that cost under 20 dollars. Recently, we did a home makeover for NBC’s George to the Rescue and it was a super modern design. I added some vintage decorative objects from One Kings Lane like books, vases, trays and a candelabra that were all surprisingly affordable. They were not free, but they were definitely in the inexpensive zone. This is your biggest bang of fabulous for your buck.

Travel

Where you travel is one of the best ways to add interest and personalization to your home. If trips to Paris, Bariloche or Phuket aren’t on your agenda this year, don’t sweat it. People always think you have to spend a lot of money. A kitschy postcard in a cool frame is chic. A scarf you bought on the street at a fair in St. Louis can be just as cool as one in Montmartre (OK, maybe not). Maps are free and very cool in other languages. Those are the little things that create conversation, that make a room unique. The things you cannot buy at Bloomingdale’s, Target or Horchow. And you’re documenting your history in your home.

Art

There are two kinds of people: those who appreciate art and those who don’t know anything about art. I can’t educate you, I can only tell you that “Live, Love, Laugh” on a plaque in Home Goods is not art. Neither are photo collages of your children. Shocker, I know. Try and educate yourself a little bit about art and look for it. It can be free, it can be almost free and it can be millions of dollars. Your life and your home will be inherently better off with some art inside it. If you’re not “in the know,” don’t be intimidated. There was a time when I knew nothing and I educated myself, so you can too. I promise.

Books

A home without books freaks me out. I mean, really freaks me out. The strategically placed de rigueur coffee-table books are no better. Warhol, Vogue, Chanel… I mean, really? So, here’s the deal. Everybody has an iPad, too. But, there’s something about books in a home that just feels better. Maybe I’m a little old school like that, but I don’t think so. I’m thinking if you don’t have books in your house you’re probably not reading this anyway so I’m off the hook!

Now, when you walk into someone’s home and there’s no art and no books and just lots of family photos and some tacky plaque that says “Live, Love, Laugh,” you’ll think of me.

And send them a vintage book. Or a painting. And they’ll be on their way.

Check your local TV listings for more of celebrity designer and Gift.com expert, Courtney Cachet’s gift guides, style ideas and tips. You can catch her frequent appearances nationwide on TV and online, where she dishes out all the latest in all things fab for your home and lifestyle! Keep up with her on http://www.courtneycachet.com or Facebook and join the conversation!