Kitchens are the chaos capital of most homes. If your kitchen happens to have the most used entry into your home, the chaos doubles. At the entry, there should be a storage unit that everyone in the home dumps their STUFF!!! A bench with hooks and baskets that allows us to put down our purses, bookbags,coats and shoes when we walk through that door.
In today's kitchens there are tons of storage options that allows our countetops to be virtually clutter free. Pretty canisters, hutches, islands with shelves, baskets and tubs lets us keep our daily kitchen items out of sight.
Color in the kitchen is a great influencer to how people feel in this room. Color can influence appetite, moods and how we enjoy the space. I love bright, cheerful colors that allows me to enjoy this room that I spend lots of time in. Yellows and reds are always sharp colors for the entertaining, cooking, bill paying, homework area of the home. A touch of chocolate or black add the contrast that can give the room a cozy tuscan feel. Greens help to bring the outdoors in and ground the space.
I love to add texture in this room to offset the hard surfaces and shiny metals. A area rug under the kitchen table, fabric shades on the chanderlier, seat cushions, window treatments, and a beautiful runner in front of the stove and sink instead of the dinky rugs works to warm up any kitchen.
I love to cook and have a large collection of cookbooks. By design, most cookbooks are great looking and can be shown off as artwork. A baker's rack can be configured to hold cookbooks, pottery, some family photos and you now have a great display space and easy access to the newest recipes.
Today's kitchen is the heart of the home. We entertain, cook, work and come together at the end of a hard day to enjoy family and friends in this inviting space.
Have a Great Day!!!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Home Staging in the office
I haven't done a formal living room in ages. Homeowners have realized that a formal living room is wasted square footage. Like dining rooms, if the space is used only a couple of times a year, most of us can make better use of that space. My home office was my dining room and one day I realized that the dining room I had always wanted was used as a buffet line once or twice a year. The table only sat 6 and if we entertained, there was always more to sit than that. I did decide to use the dining room table as my desk. I turned the table to face the hallway and stored all of the dining room chairs. I moved my hutch into the kitchen an acquired more space and storage for the stuff I use in the kitchen. I had a old upper cabinet that was distressed and painted white that looks great in the office and holds a ton of stuff. Rheams of paper, fabrics, files, books,etc;
I placed a wire rack on wheels that I found at Costco to hold my fabric and trim books. A comfy chair, bookcase and personal artwork and the room was complete.
Think outside of your box. If the kids need a quiet space away from the family to get homework done, but like to be within hearing distance, create a space for them. A comfortable chair, end table and lamp with a couple of bookcases creates a library feel to the room. Think of a different flooring for this room and this helps create an ambiance. I removed the carpet and installed a flexible, fiber floor that imitates a chocolate colored bamboo. Awesome texture and the room is more functional for cleanup and for all the abuse I throw at it
Remember that this is one of the first rooms your guest see and there should be enough storage to hide most of the everyday stuff that you throw at it. The chocolate that was used in the family room is now the secondary color in the office. To soften the space I used Ben Moore's Smoke on the walls. The wonderful thing about this color is with my front porch shading this room in the afternoon, the color starts out baby blue and changes to soft green and finally a dove gray in the evening.
THREE COLORS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!!! How awesome is that. Make this room yours and you won't mind coming to work in your jammies every morning.
I placed a wire rack on wheels that I found at Costco to hold my fabric and trim books. A comfy chair, bookcase and personal artwork and the room was complete.
Think outside of your box. If the kids need a quiet space away from the family to get homework done, but like to be within hearing distance, create a space for them. A comfortable chair, end table and lamp with a couple of bookcases creates a library feel to the room. Think of a different flooring for this room and this helps create an ambiance. I removed the carpet and installed a flexible, fiber floor that imitates a chocolate colored bamboo. Awesome texture and the room is more functional for cleanup and for all the abuse I throw at it
Remember that this is one of the first rooms your guest see and there should be enough storage to hide most of the everyday stuff that you throw at it. The chocolate that was used in the family room is now the secondary color in the office. To soften the space I used Ben Moore's Smoke on the walls. The wonderful thing about this color is with my front porch shading this room in the afternoon, the color starts out baby blue and changes to soft green and finally a dove gray in the evening.
THREE COLORS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!!! How awesome is that. Make this room yours and you won't mind coming to work in your jammies every morning.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Home Staging for everyday use!
Home staging cont.-
Now that we have made it past the front door, we need to start looking at the first room that we come upon. Family room, home office, etc; I like to have the family room a place that company and family gravitate towards. A great color on the wall helps to set the tone. If this room is a long, narrow space that alot of homes have now, create 2 sitting areas that break up the bowling alley feel. Place the sofa on the long wall and a loveseat and tables or 2 chairs and an ottoman. Then, at the other end of the room, create another sitting area with a chaise lounge or club chair and ottoman. These spaces allow for a group to feel comfortable and you can pull the extra chair into the space for more sitting. I love the bookshelves that give plenty of storage and function for the room. If you don't have built-ins, there are plenty of shelves on the market that are different heights and depths and dress those shelves to be decorative as well as functional. Lighting is also key to an inviting look. Customers love ceiling fans and designers hate them. No one should use the overhead lighting, unless you have lost a small child in the room and no one has a flashlight. It is harsh and unflattering and that is the reason for accent lamps. Make sure that the lamp is high enough to cast light on the reading material of who would sit in that spot. Buffet lamps help to give a soft glow to accent tables and usually don't have to be functional. Pillows, artwork and a area rug and this is one pulled together room.
Kids stuff can be stored in beautiful baskets, trunks and even in coffee tables. There are great items available that lets all the stuff we don't want to see but have to have, out of sight. Even for the drop in mother-in-law, that room can look awesome.
Magazines and paperwork are the same, out of sight, out of mind. Declutter,organize and throw away will be the best way to keep that room together.
Next blogging will move on to the home office.
Happy Decorating
Now that we have made it past the front door, we need to start looking at the first room that we come upon. Family room, home office, etc; I like to have the family room a place that company and family gravitate towards. A great color on the wall helps to set the tone. If this room is a long, narrow space that alot of homes have now, create 2 sitting areas that break up the bowling alley feel. Place the sofa on the long wall and a loveseat and tables or 2 chairs and an ottoman. Then, at the other end of the room, create another sitting area with a chaise lounge or club chair and ottoman. These spaces allow for a group to feel comfortable and you can pull the extra chair into the space for more sitting. I love the bookshelves that give plenty of storage and function for the room. If you don't have built-ins, there are plenty of shelves on the market that are different heights and depths and dress those shelves to be decorative as well as functional. Lighting is also key to an inviting look. Customers love ceiling fans and designers hate them. No one should use the overhead lighting, unless you have lost a small child in the room and no one has a flashlight. It is harsh and unflattering and that is the reason for accent lamps. Make sure that the lamp is high enough to cast light on the reading material of who would sit in that spot. Buffet lamps help to give a soft glow to accent tables and usually don't have to be functional. Pillows, artwork and a area rug and this is one pulled together room.
Kids stuff can be stored in beautiful baskets, trunks and even in coffee tables. There are great items available that lets all the stuff we don't want to see but have to have, out of sight. Even for the drop in mother-in-law, that room can look awesome.
Magazines and paperwork are the same, out of sight, out of mind. Declutter,organize and throw away will be the best way to keep that room together.
Next blogging will move on to the home office.
Happy Decorating
Friday, February 8, 2008
Staging your home
We all like to visit someone who has a beautiful home. We walk in the door and instantly feel that we would like to sit down and put our feet up. The colors flow from room to room, there is just enough personal items but not cluttered, and you feel like you never want to leave.
Each of our homes should feel this way. Comfortable, warm and inviting.
I do staging for a local real estate company and the most amazing thing that sellers notice is that they probaly wouldn't have considered moving in the first place if they would have had a professional stager/decorator in before they reached the point of no return.
If you have a trusted friend or family member that will act as your "fresh eyes" have them walk with you into your home and make a honest accessment of your strengths and weaknesses in decorating. Make sure this person is someone who's own style you appreciate and know they will give you an honest opinion. You may not like all of their suggestions but break them down and work on the ones you want to see an improvement in.
Start at your driveway- Does the outside of your home need some TLC? Shutters, door and trim need painting? Pick a fresh new color scheme and work with the roof color or brick color and come up with something fresh. Trim the shrubbery, clean up the landscaping with some fresh mulch and hang a new door wreath. All this makes a sparkle before your feet hit the porch.
Open the front door and what is the first thing you notice-9 pairs of shoes, bookbags, junk mail and empty water bottles? This isn't the first impression we want to make. If everyone uses the front door as the main entry then it should be functional as well as attractive. A bench to sit and put your shoes on, baskets for the kids stuff, a beautiful bowl to drop the keys and mail into, a lamp and rug and you've got yourself a entry foyer that says WELCOME HOME!
Each of our homes should feel this way. Comfortable, warm and inviting.
I do staging for a local real estate company and the most amazing thing that sellers notice is that they probaly wouldn't have considered moving in the first place if they would have had a professional stager/decorator in before they reached the point of no return.
If you have a trusted friend or family member that will act as your "fresh eyes" have them walk with you into your home and make a honest accessment of your strengths and weaknesses in decorating. Make sure this person is someone who's own style you appreciate and know they will give you an honest opinion. You may not like all of their suggestions but break them down and work on the ones you want to see an improvement in.
Start at your driveway- Does the outside of your home need some TLC? Shutters, door and trim need painting? Pick a fresh new color scheme and work with the roof color or brick color and come up with something fresh. Trim the shrubbery, clean up the landscaping with some fresh mulch and hang a new door wreath. All this makes a sparkle before your feet hit the porch.
Open the front door and what is the first thing you notice-9 pairs of shoes, bookbags, junk mail and empty water bottles? This isn't the first impression we want to make. If everyone uses the front door as the main entry then it should be functional as well as attractive. A bench to sit and put your shoes on, baskets for the kids stuff, a beautiful bowl to drop the keys and mail into, a lamp and rug and you've got yourself a entry foyer that says WELCOME HOME!
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