Designs For You

5 tips for using color in your rooms

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:26:37 +0000

1. In the dining room use the warmer colors or shades of those colors. If red is too bold, try using orange and shades of apricot.
2. If the living room is adjacent to the dining room, you may want to “connect” the two by using hues of the same color.
3. In the bedroom you’ll want calm and peaceful colors. Blues and greens will help to achieve that effect. Add coordinating draperies and layer the bed with a thick down comforter, pillows and bedskirt.
4. The bathroom should also bring serenity so make it spa-like. Blue is perfect here. Bring in matching accessories, a decorative mirror, artwork and don’t forget large, fluffy towels.
5. Hallways and entryways are best done in neutrals to transition from one room to the next.
You can also make a long corridor seem less so by painting the side walls a lighter color than the wall at the far end of the hall. To give a stronger effect, choose the end wall a strong warm color in the red or orange family.

Planning your wedding?

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:27:17 +0000

If you have an uneven number of bridesmaids and groomsmen, here is an idea. When the entire wedding party is called on the dance floor with the bride and groom, one person will be left alone. If it is the bridesmaid, have her dance with the groom’s father. If it is the groomsman, have him dance with the bride’s mother. It makes for less of an awkward situation.

Designing on a budget

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:48:30 +0000

Everyone is watching their pennies these days, so why not choose just one room to change and uplift your spirits? Do you need a new window treatment, extra seating or new accessories? Find something you really love to put into the room and spend the majority of your budget on that item. That way you won’t mind skimping on purchasing the additional items you need for a room.

Transitioning into Independent Living Facilities

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:44:06 +0000

As some of our older population is discovering, for a variety of reasons, it may be best to move into an Independent Living Facility. Although there are limitations on what they can bring, try to recreate some areas they have enjoyed, i.e. a reading area with favorite chair and table; a family photo wall; a bedroom set up as they have in their existing home.

De-Stressing Your Home

admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:13:21 +0000

When you return from a long day either at the office, running errands or chasing children you want to return to your haven.

Start at your doorway where you can see something you love. Maybe it’s your grandmother’s lamp on a console table or maybe it is the beautiful mirror you received as a wedding gift.

Clear your clutter. Keep a basket either by your door or in your kitchen for the day’s mail. Somehow it is just seems less messy when it is ensconced in a basket! Try to put newspapers in recycling as soon as you have read them. In each room do a walk through to see if you really need all those “things” on your tables, nightstands and countertops. Use pretty containers to group items together (books, knitting, etc.) and tuck under a table or inside a cabinet.

5 ways to make your family room seem brand new

admin — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:13:11 +0000

1.Hang a chandelier over the sofa, put on a dimmer switch and you’ll have a dynamic look with lighting for reading or atmosphere.
2.Re arrange your furniture; pick a focal point (t.v. or fireplace), place the sofa opposite; add chairs or benches to form a U. If the room is quite large, angle two upholstered chairs on either side of the fireplace.
3.Choose one item in that room that you really, really do not like; spend the money there and change it out.
4.Add side panels to your windows, but hang at ceiling height, not just above the window. Check catalogues for inexpensive ready mades.
5.Remove some clutter. Do you really need all the statues, books and souvenirs?

Ten tips to get your house ready to be put on the market

admin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:11:27 +0000

Appliances should be clean inside and out
Clean up stains in sinks, bathtubs, showers and counter tops
Faucets drip free and in good working order
Remove all clutter from counter tops and table tops
Put up a new shower curtain
Put away all laundry
Remove all fingerprints
Clean baseboards
Remove cobwebs
Repair cracks or chips

Ten ways to prepare your home’s exterior before putting it on the market

admin — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:18:29 +0000

Sweep or shovel sidewalk Be sure mailbox is clean and visible Be sure house numbers are visible Clean up yard-mow or rake Plant flowers Trim bushes Clean Gutters Be sure outdoor lighting fixtures work Clean and repair screens Be sure … Continue reading →

Time to put away the Christmas Decorations?

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:17:26 +0000

So you lug out all the totes and boxes where you stored everything to make room for your Christmas Decorations. BEFORE you start to put them back out…think…do you really need all those books? Do you really want all those knick knacks (that have to be dusted)? Do you really need to hang all that “stuff” on your walls? This is a great time to start that clean out that you’ve been putting off!

Recycling? I’ve been doing it for years!

admin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:57:59 +0000

When I moved into my first home, a friend helped us move in. He came to me and said “I just moved a bag of boxes!” I have saved boxes from Christmas for more than 30 years. Every year there may be a store that doesn’t give out boxes. This year even Macy’s did not have a good supply of boxes and even shopping bags! So who has the last laugh now?