Houzz professionals, whether architects, designers, builders, gardeners or any other type of expert dealing with matters of the home, have training and experience they bring to their jobs every day. We picked the brains of eight of them to discover their top design rule.

A home without a television is like a castle in the clouds — it exists only in fairy tales. And that’s only a slight overstatement. The Nielsen Company reports that 96.7 percent of U.S. homes have television sets. In my experience,  I can’t recall a single instance in which one of our clients designed a home without the television’s location in mind. This reality creates design challenges as home designers consider room orientation with the competing possible focal points of exterior views, fireplaces and televisions.

Everyone is buzzing about reclaimed wood. But why, how and where should you use it? In the kitchen, there are plenty of fantastic opportunities, from floors and cabinets to island accents and floating shelves, all the way up to ceilings and ceiling beams. You can also add the material in furniture, accessories and light fixtures. Why choose reclaimed wood in the kitchen?

What do you do with that small spare room, the one that’s not quite big enough to be a full-size bedroom? Often this room is used as a child’s room or a home office (often with an awkward furniture arrangement). Sometimes it becomes a dumping ground for extra stuff. Here is some advise on getting the most from these tricky spaces.

Skullbliss.com: Skull Bliss is a company that creates 100% handcrafted animal skulls (cow, ram, buffalo & horse) with stunning designs. The company is made up of a large team of extremely talented indigenous artists from Bali combined with a Western Management. The local artisans have spent a decade learning the skills to produce extraordinary pieces that will last forever. The art of carving or sculpting bone has always been an authentic Balinese tradition.