Deck the Halls, AND the Front Porch

This is it! One of the first impressions you give your guests when they approach your home is the front porch. A festive and inviting porch will make them want to come in for more! If you’re a regular reader of my blogs, you know I’m big on maximizing impact with simple ideas that don’t break the bank.

Invest & Reuse ~ Of course, we all have our holiday décor that we store and bring out from year to year, but if storage space is at a premium in your house, try and have just one focal piece, then use fresh floral and other accessories to compliment them. I just loved these bronze, sparkly trees for my own front porch, but that’s the only accessory I reuse from year to year. They nest inside each other, so I (actually, my husband), only needs to find a spot in the attic for the largest one. I buy the fresh poinsettias and cedar garland every year, throw in a few candles, and I’m set!

Or, Don’t Reuse! ~ Don’t want to store anything besides a few strings of lights? Then visit your local garden center for fresh greens and plants. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with the beauty of nature, and when you add in some lighting, you have a beautiful display. Cyclamen plants are readily available this time of year, and the contrast of blending red and white plants creates simple elegance. Or, blend white cyclamen with red poinsettias for a truly holiday look!

Less is More ~ I’ve said this many times, but simplicity goes a long way toward elegance. Too many accessories on the porch (or anywhere for that matter), can give a cluttered, overdone appearance. A few well-chosen decorations, simply displayed is all you need. This photo is a good example of what not to do. The more you display, the busier it gets, and then it becomes just a bunch of clutter. Check back weekly for more decorating and home improvement tips! If I can give you any assistance with your design, decorating or party 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!

Weatherproof Your Home for Winter!

Baby, it’s COLD outside! This week we’ve jumped from fall straight into winter, and though I do love the colder weather, I want to keep it OUTside. If you feel the effects of Jack Frost creeping into your home, try these tips for keeping him out!

Glass is a Conductor ~ If you live in a home that doesn’t have dual-paned windows, the glass in your windows is offering you little protection from the cold. In fact, it’s actually bringing the cold into your home! Though PG&E no longer offers rebates for replacing your windows with energy efficient models, here's an informational link from their website (http://www.pge.com/myhome/saveenergymoney/rebates/remodeling/windows/index.shtml). If window replacement isn’t in your budget, window coverings are your next best bet. There are a myriad of options for window blinds that have insulating properties, as well as lined drapery panels. If you need assistance in this area, I’d be happy to share ideas!

And, so is the floor! ~ If you have hard surface flooring, such as hardwood, stone or tile, your floors are also conducting cold air into your home. Homes with a crawl space beneath them often have no insulation between you and the cold, damp ground beneath your home. Most likely, you have some type of underlayment (such as plywood) under your interior flooring, and that’s attached to a sub-floor, which are the structural beams of your home’s flooring. That’s all you’ve got, and it offers little insulation properties, so adding fiberglass insulation to the underside of your sub-floor will greatly aid in warming things up. Wall-to-wall carpeting is another obvious option, but even large area rugs will help to cut the cold.

Seal it Up ~ One of the most common ways that outside air enters your home is around your exterior doors. If your doors don’t close tightly, add foam or rubber weather stripping around the inside of the door jamb to get an air tight closure. Another area to check on doors is at the bottom. If it doesn’t close tightly against the threshold, install a door sweep such as the one shown here.

Check back weekly for more decorating and home improvement 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!

Simple Ideas to Bring the Holidays to Your Home!

‘Tis the season for holiday decorating! I love this time of year, when we have full license to transform our homes for the ordinary to the extraordinary, and it’s amazing how even the simplest touches can have big impact!

Lighten Up! ~ Nothing says “holidays” like lights. We all have our favorites, but my preference is all clear lighting, and plenty of it! Though lighting can definitely be over-done (especially on the exterior), there’s an elegance to a landscape of all clear lights. Wrap them around the trunk and branches of trees, weave them through a garland around your front door, or wrap the topiary on your front porch. Even if this is the only decoration you use, it will give a festive welcome to you and your guests, so be creative, and have fun with it!

Play With Color ~ Though rich reds and greens are the traditional colors for Christmas decorating, it can be fun to break away from the expected a bit! Think of brighter greens for a little more glitz, or softer shades for elegance. I love this all white tree from Better Homes & Gardens, and the soft sage green and butter yellows compliment it perfectly.

It’s Not Just Gift Wrap! ~ You put time and thought into choosing your gifts, so why not let the presentation show it? Beautiful gift wrap is a simple way to make the season even more festive and special. Even dime store paper can take on a whole new look by using fabric ribbon to tie it up!

Use Fresh Floral ~ I too have storage bins full of holiday décor, but I always make a point of bringing fresh floral into my designs. I love mixing the beauty of nature with a little holiday bling! I like how this display from used fresh greens with the lighted sphere ball. I have these same copper planters on my front porch, and pop a poinsettia in each one, then drape fresh cedar garland wrapped with lights around my doorway. Quick, simple, and beautiful!

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!

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!