Children’s Toys Taking Over Your House? Storage Solutions to Clear the Clutter

It’s a common dilemma among parents. They want their children to have the freedom to play with their toys in the common areas of the home, such as the living or family rooms, yet they are driven half-crazy by the constant clutter! I was recently hired by a young mother to work on several areas of her home, and this is one of them. She’s frustrated that her living room doesn’t look enough like an adult space, yet still wants to have her son’s toys accessible for him. Here are a couple of ideas I’ll be giving her …

Attractive, Accessible & Affordable ~ My client has a nice sized corner window, so I’m going to suggest these great cases from West Elm. These are assemble-yourself units, so the rolling casters can be omitted if desired, and the smaller unit will fit perfectly under the windows. We’ll add attractive square baskets in the openings, and because these are tucked in the corner, we can arrange other furnishings to obscure them a bit from open view. Using baskets in open shelving makes it very easy for her son to access his toys, but also very easy for him to put them away!

Just Make it Go Away! ~ If you’re not big on the idea of open shelving, try using a sideboard for storage, such as this one from Crate & Barrel. My client’s decorating theme is an Asian/Hawaiian/Zen feeling, so this sideboard would fit beautifully. Its combination of shelving and drawers makes it very useful for toy storage, yet easy access for her son. Baskets can still be used on the interior shelves, making clean-up time a snap!

Check back weekly for more decorating and home improvement tips. If I can give you any assistance with your design or decorating needs, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. Many times a single consultation is all that’s needed to pull your ideas together!

Everyone deserves a home they love ~ Inside and Out!

How to Be a Smart Shopper For Upholstered Furniture!

We’re all there at some point ~ it’s time for out with the old, and in with the new! Buying furniture is an investment, and it’s so unfortunate if we’re disappointed with our decision once we’ve got it home. Whether it’s a sofa, club chair or dining chairs, there are several things to consider when narrowing down your options.

Test Drive ~ You wouldn’t buy a car without driving it first, and I don’t recommend buying a piece of furniture that you’ll be sitting on without actually sitting on it first! Though style, color and fabric are all very important, you want the piece to be comfortable as well, and people have different ideas of what’s comfortable to them. When thinking about dining chairs, consider how you entertain. Do you tend to linger at the table for 3 hours over several courses? A chair that’s comfortable for 2 minutes in the showroom, may not be for longer lengths of time.

Quality Check ~ There are a few ways to recognize quality vs. poorly constructed upholstered pieces. As with all things, you usually get what you pay for, and I recommend buying the best you can afford for the core pieces in your home.

Check for quality construction by looking under cushions and in the crevices (for example, where the arm meets the back of a sofa). Look for full coverage with the fabric and a tightly sewn construction.

Look for pattern matching on the fabrics as one clue to a better quality construction. When fabrics are a print (vs. solid), it takes more yardage of fabric to get the pattern to match up, so a company that’s less concerned about quality and details won’t invest in that extra fabric, or the time to carefully cut pieces so they’ll align correctly. For example, if you chose a vertically striped fabric on a chair, the pattern should be lined up from the top, down and across the seat, and down to the floor. The chairs shown here are from Ballard Designs, and they obviously care about pattern matching.

These are just a few things to consider when looking for upholstered furniture, but there are more! Check back weekly for more home improvement and decorating tips. If I can give you any assistance with your design and decorating needs, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. Many times a single consultation is all that’s needed to pull your project together!

Everyone deserves a home they love ~ Inside and Out!

Seasonal Room Refreshers!

Is it a girl thing? No matter how much we love our home decor, we can become a bit bored from time to time. I love to swap around my accessories, often moving them to different rooms, or tapping into my hidden stash in the closet to bring out favorites that I haven’t see in a while. It’s like seeing old friends! There’s no better time than the change of seasons to bring a change of scene to your rooms!

Relieve Bedroom Boredom ~ One of my favorite seasonal swaps is with bedding. Duvet covers and shams can be very affordable, and since the bed is the focal point of most bedrooms, this will have major impact in your room. Try changing out your light summer cover for a fall inspired print. Or how about a richly colored velvet? That sounds cozy for winter! Or, if you have all white bedding, like I do, you can simply add a fall-inspired throw or coverlet, as shown here.

The Pop of Pillows ~ Another easy seasonal swap is with throw pillows. Your sofa can go from summer to fall in an instant! Though there are several sources to choose from, my favorite store is Pier 1. They have a vast selection of seasonal options, and the merchandise is constantly changing. Make an impact, and go for something bold for the fall, then bring in some glitz in December!

Accessorize, Accessorize ~ There are so many simple little changes you can make that will bring in the colors of the season. I love orchids, and normally buy white or brightly colored varieties in the warmer months. Those have recently been replaced by varieties in rich, fall colors, and it instantly gave a different feeling to my rooms. The same goes for changing out white candles with the colors and scents of fall, and take it one step further by changing the candle holders too. My clear glass votives and pillar holders have moved aside for pewter, bronze, and colored glasses in fall colors.

Check out last week’s blog for more ideas about bringing seasonal decorating into your home, on a dime! If I can give you any assistance with your design or decorating needs, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. Many times a single consultation is all that’s needed to pull your ideas together!

Everyone deserves a home they love ~ Inside and Out!

Seasonal Decorating ~ On a Dime!

I’m so happy fall is here! It’s the beginning of my favorite seasons, and I love the cool weather, fires in the fireplace, cooking soups and stews, and of course, decorating for the holidays. What other time of year gives us so many holidays to decorate for, in a span of just 3 months?! That said, I don’t want to spend a lot of money for each individual holiday, but I DO want to see changes in my decor. Here’s a few tips to get you on your way to decorating for every season, on a dime!

Reuse & Repurpose ~ Save money AND be green by using what you already have. For example, I love to display pillar candles in clear glass vases. For everyday use, I might have colored sand in the bottom, or some decorative stones. How about swapping that out with this fun little mix of glass gems and acorns from Pier 1? That will get you through November, then you can swap out again for Christmas with fresh cranberries, small ornaments, or baby pine cones for a country look.

These little rattan trees from Pier 1 can be used for multiple seasons as well. For fall you might cluster a few of them with some tiny pumpkins and colorful berry sprigs arranged at the bottom, and maybe tuck in a few votive holders. When Christmas comes along, change out the berry sprigs with some holly, the pumpkins with pine cones or colored ball ornaments, and you’re set!

Think Outside the Box ~ Is an apple just for eating? No, it’s a tealight holder! How about a pear placed on its side? It’s so simple to carve out a little pocket in a variety of fruits or vegetables and place a little tealight in the top. Mixed in among your other accessories, it can make a stunning display on your dining table.

Scour Your Landscape ~ I love doing displays on the fireplace mantle, down the center of a dining table, and on my front porch. Sometimes I don’t need to go much farther than my yard (or my neighbors!) for inspiration. My old neighbor had a fabulous magnolia tree in his front yard, and every Christmas I would (with his permission, of course), cut several stems to use in my displays. Magnolia branches are wonderful because they can look very casual with pine cones, or very elegant with sparkly beads and ornaments.

Check back weekly for more home improvement and decorating tips! If I can give you any assistance with your design and decorating needs, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. Many times a single consultation is all that’s needed to pull your project together!

Everyone deserves a home they love ~ Inside and Out!

Boring Landscape? Simple Ideas to Make it Shine!

Can an interior designer give you advice for the exterior of your home? You bet they can! Many of the same principles apply, and it’s all about creating an environment of balance, scale, proportion and harmony. Everything from choosing the paint color, to adding decorative elements to your landscape ~ these are the details that will set your home apart!

Develop a Theme ~ Would you have a French baroque style in one room of your home, and modern in another? Probably not. The same theory applies when designing your landscape. Consider the style of your home, whether it be cape cod, contemporary or old world, and select plants and accessories that compliment that style.

Vary The Height ~ Just as you might do in a grouping of accessories on a fireplace mantle, vary the height of plantings in your landscape. If you’re planting in a bed against a fence, put the taller plants in the back, and terrace down to shorter plants in the front, as shown in this example from Sunset magazine.

Add Some Weight ~ Adding “weight” is a common design term to signify the balance of scale and proportion in a room. If everything is the same size, it doesn’t look quite right! Something needs to stand out among the rest, so when working with your landscape, be sure and have a dominant focal point in each planting area, and vary the diameter of the plants, as well as the height.

Do The Unexpected ~ I love that the fountain in this photo is actually placed in the planting area. It softens the rough concrete edges by having rocks and plants tucked around it. I’ve done the same thing in my yard with potted plants! It adds an element of interest, but also adds height by elevating the greenery off the ground.

Check back weekly for more home improvement and decorating tips! If I can give you any assistance with your design and decorating needs, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. Many times a single consultation is all that’s needed to pull your project together!

Everyone deserves a home they love ~ Inside and Out!

Fall is Coming! Is Your Home Ready?

That crispness in the morning air and dew on the lawn tells me that fall is on the way! We all know that once it’s cold and rainy outside, we tend to huddle indoors and pay less attention to the maintenance of our homes. With that in mind, now is the time to get your home ready!

Furnace Filters ~ Though filters should be checked more than once per year, it helps to use fall as a reminder for this basic maintenance. Your furnace is the blower unit for both your heating AND air conditioning, so it’s been working all summer long! Change the filter often for maximum performance and energy efficiency.

Standing Water ~ The rainy season is coming, so if you have open containers on your property such as flower pots or bird baths, they’re going to fill up. This is the perfect breeding ground for algae, so turn them upside down or store them out of the weather.

Sprinkler Check ~ Save water and money by adjusting your sprinkler settings. Either reduce the number of days you’re watering, or the amount of time set for each station. By the time winter comes, you should be able to turn them off completely!

Clear the Debris ~ I’m very certain that no one wants unwelcomed guests, meaning pests and rodents. Extra clutter around the perimeter of your home is the perfect hiding place to escape the colder weather, so get these areas cleaned up. This will strongly discourage rodents from making a home on your property!

Seal the Gaps ~ Another place rodents like to hide out is in the attic. Walk the perimeter of your home and look for openings that would allow them access into your home, and get them sealed. Even a quarter-sized opening is large enough for a rat to squeeze through! Believe me, I’m speaking from experience when I tell you that if you get one, you’ll have a whole family in no time.

Check back weekly for more home improvement and decorating tips! If I can give you any assistance with your design and decorating needs, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. Many times a single consultation is all that’s needed to pull your project together!

Everyone deserves a home they love ~ Inside and Out!

Make Decorating Fun, Not Stressful!

It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed about decorating, especially when you want to work on every room in your house! After a consultation with a recent client, she wrote me, “ … I no longer feel paralyzed with inaction on what to do next to get the right look and feel.” This was a wonderful compliment to me, but also made me realize that I sometimes take for granted that decorating decisions aren’t stressful for me. No matter how small they are, making changes in your home is exciting, so my mission is to take the stress out and bring the fun in!

Set Your Priorities ~ If you want to make changes in several rooms in your home, step back and make a decision. Trying to tackle them all at once has your mind running in too many directions, so decide which rooms are most important (but no more than two!), and focus on those first.

Get a Plan ~ Before you dive in and start buying furniture and accessories, make a plan for your room. Ask yourself some questions: How do I need this room to function? What pieces of furniture do I need to accomplish that? Where do they need to be positioned in the room? Draw a layout of your room and play around with furniture placement. If you do it to scale, this will also determine the SIZE of furniture that will fit in your room.

Listen to Yourself ~ While function is very important in your spaces, so are aesthetics! We are most happy and productive in spaces that make us feel good, whether it be a bedroom or home office. So, listen to your heart when it comes to the cosmetics of decorating your rooms, and create spaces that will make you smile every time you walk in!

Check back weekly for more home improvement and decorating tips! If I can give you any assistance with your design or decorating needs, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. Many times a single consultation is all that’s needed to pull your ideas together!

Everyone deserves a home they love ~ Inside and Out!