DIY project for a rainy summer day.

When you want to update your apartment, condo or office, think about transforming an open bookshelf.  We all need storage, but when the items start to increase in number, your space can get cluttered. This is especially handy for people who NEED to have office storage in the dining room or bedroom, but would love to conceal it.  Here, courtesy of Better Home & Gardens, a roller shade is inserted into the top of a bookcase, and pulls down to hide files and supplies. The linen shade works well with the sisal area rug. Make your own shade with readily available kits, and cover with fabric, paint and stencils and even wallpaper!

New life for old furniture.

When you have a dated looking curio, table, dresser, hutch or other piece - not an antique - what can you do to update it? The construction is likely very sturdy, with dowels and dove-tail versus staples.  Even if the style isn't what you have in your home but you can't part with it, here are some ideas to re-use and re-purpose.

1) Change the color. Paint and stain are simple ways to change pieces.  This brown oak armoire became dining room curio with an ivory interior (and glass insets may be next in the doors) and a distressed paint finish. Whether you add distressing or paint antiquing is up to you.  Do a finish that works for the style of your home and that you feel comfortable with. Keep in mind that some distressed finishes will hide mistakes you make, and even help make a very damaged piece look fabulous!

2) Decoupage. Don't forget fabric and paper.  They are easy ways to transform furniture. Covering door and drawer fronts with decoupage fabrics and decorative papers create tremendous changes very quickly. Don't do the entire piece; instead, cover the door insets, drawer fronts, or even just the top and sides. 




3) Change the details. Add, remove or change design details like moldings, legs, and embellishments. If you can do it, making the legs larger or smaller can also change the height; you can transform coffee tables into desks that way!  

4) Change the function. Use an old dresser as a sideboard. Take out the drawers and use them as shelves in another way (see previous blogs for examples) and place baskets into the drawer spaces.  Here, a brown and shabby 9 drawer chest becomes a dove gray storage unit for crafts and toys in a family room. 

5) Re-finish. More challenging but the results can be amazing. This piece was a painted dresser with floral embossing.  After stripping and staining, it's a classic chest.

6) Change the hardware. Such a simple way to make a new statement.  Take the painted wooden knobs off and do something dramatic or interesting.

7) Stencil on a design.  It's easy to add a pattern or drawing to a plain piece with stencils. If you're artistic you can even draw your own.

Beautiful bedroom update ideas.

Need to refresh your bedroom? With so many products and options available which do you choose?  Here are three bedrooms with directions for making the changes.  

  

    

Some simple changes transform this casual bedroom into a sophisticated guest retreat. The walls, once a pastel green, were refreshed with a light blue hue, and the white ceiling became a soft blue. Crown, base and doors moldings remained white. Adding a transitionally styled iron bed frame was the most significant change.  Draping inexpensive sheer fabric (less than $15 per yard) over the frame creates a soft, inviting place to sleep. Instead of the two-drawer nightstand, an end table - the same height as the mattress - provides a landing space, shelving for books and a clock, and its new open style fills the void next to the bed with just the right element. Adding a deeper toned area rug beside the bed rather than in the center of the room makes the room seem more open, and is better underfoot for guests. White big box store bedding, a yellow throw and brightly colored pillows in blue and complementary orange, finish the bed. Lighter artwork, all in the same transitional versus cottage style, refreshes the space and provides the finishing touch.

While this room looks significantly different, there are some shortcuts to be considered.  Purchasing ready-made shelves from a discount store, and tying them together with molding, is the largest change. They create a headboard with storage, end table function and additional space for lighting. Warm tones of beige on the wall and an area rug in the same hue, provide a warm backdrop for the new white trim and doors.  The doors, while hinged French doors instead of sliding wooden doors, can be created without the expensive price tag. Using reclaimed doors from a salvage yard is one solution, sustainable and cost-effective.  Another is to apply molding over inexpensive mirror squares to a slab door. Hinges are required here since the added dimension would not allow the doors to slide. Bedding remains white, but as with the accessories, the addition of blue accents, is the ideal contrast to the beige and white. A simple wooden bench completes the transformation.

Re positioning the bed in this space was key to the change. In front of the window, the bed took up less space in the room and the open weave headboard does not restrict light from entering.  The walls went from pale yellow to a deep ivory. Blue was the accent color in the 'before' space and became the feature color in bedding, bed drapes and pillows. An inexpensive "found" headboard separates the window and bed and enables pillows to be propped up, adding dimension and texture to the bed.  A Roman Shade lets more light in than the prior sheers and is tailored and neat.  The bed drape was constructed by nailing MDF trim to the ceiling, and applying the fabric at all four corners.  The large scale damask fabric contains the ivory wall color and a soft blue that is used again in the tailored bed skirt. Ivory bedding is ideal for many spaces, and maintains the neutral backdrop to keep the small bedroom from looking crowded.  Adding a bolster pillow in a solid blue with ribbon trim, and a patterned blue lampshade, completes the transformation.

Great interior product finds for about $100.

It's often hard to stick to a budget when updating your home. Take a look at these ten products that look fabulous and are priced at under $100.  

1. Update your bath with an elegant, contemporary style faucet by Price Pfister. This single handle faucet in brushed nickel is $88.

2.Swap hardware on your kitchen island, in the butler's pantry,and the linen closet with glass knobs and pulls for an antique custom look. Ten will be about $70.

3.Cedar window boxes for hanging under a window or lining a porch are about $29. Add $10 in flowers for instant curb appeal. 

4.To update a good black or white appliance for a more modern look, use Thomas Liquid Stainless Steel about $56. This can be used on refrigerators, dishwashers, microwaves and ovens. Try it on hardware too!


5.Make a lamp look like new by swapping your old white lampshade for a warm, mica one. Under $70 at Pottery Barn.

6.Create an accent wall with grass cloth wallpaper. A double roll is about $70. With on-line tutorials, you can install this yourself. Check out this informative video on You tube!









7.Dress up a dining room or entry chandelier with a ceiling medallion for under $100. They create elegant or simple architectural detail and make the fixture look more substantial. 

8.Add carpet in the hall, at the front door, etc... with stick-down carpet tiles. Use six tiles for a runner or nine for a square. Mix and match colors for a custom pattern. Six 20-by-20-inch textured tiles, about $54; FLOR

9. Give your room some architectural detail with a chair rail. About $75 for an 8' x 10' room. This also gives you an opportunity to change the paint in only half of the space...easier and faster!

10.Create a bedside shelf/table (or entry table) with wood corbels topped by glass, wood or other creative surface. Two 6-inch oak hand-carved corbels, about $80 at Van Dykes Restorers. Glass or wood top about $20.

Bring in the light as days are shortened.

As we lose daylight due to the onset of winter and the start of daylight savings,  here is a reminder of my quick tips to bring light back into your spaces:

1. Hang a mirror to reflect light from your brightest window. Opposites work well, or try hanging in a dark area to reflect some  light and view.
2. Place a lamp (if possible) in front of a wall or floor mirror. A floor lamp works as well as a table lamp on a dresser.  The idea is to maximize the light in a dark space.
3. Add an up-light in a corner of a room. For under $10 you can get a free-standing light unit that - when you add an automatic timer - goes on JUST when you need it. Behind a great piece of furniture the light will accent the details,and behind a plant will throw lovely shadows.
4. Place floor or table lamps in dark spaces and use plug-in timers or light sensors (www.lutron.com)  to turn on and off at dusk and dawn. Using compact fluorescent or LED bulbs you'll have light, energy savings, and might use those rooms more often!
5. Re-arrange furniture so reading chairs sit closer to windows. Not as easy for some...so try to place furniture in seating groups where each seat has a lamp beside it.
6. Add candlelight at your focal point whether it is a fireplace, A/V unit or other furniture. The new flame less candles are great for nearly any application and 'burn' many hours of flickering light on a wafer thin battery, Some are waxy with realistic wicks, and others have a setting (usually those with 2 AA batteries) that allow you to turn them on for 6 hours EVERY 24 hour cycle.  LOVE those in wall candelabras, on stairways, and in rooms where fabrics, children and pets can't be harmed!
7. Hang a lighted wall sconce for accent light. Flame less tea light candles are a safe option although a votive or tea light nestled into a glass holder is OK when watched.
8. Add LED lighting in niches, curios and other unusual places. Rope, strips, pucks and other styles are often available as plug-and-go. Low energy usage, long life and a GREAT look.

A weekend update for your kitchen.

We all love to renew our homes and do so on a budget, in a timely manner. Here are TEN do-it-yourself ideas to re-new your kitchen in one weekend.

From drab oak wood to fresh ivory paint.

1) If your wooden cabinets are in great shape but your kitchen looks dated or tired, new paint is the answer. I recommend Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams paints and primers. 


2) New hardware for the cabinets make a tremendous difference so swap your old knobs and pulls for a new style and finish. If you're painting cabinets, you can fill holes and go from knobs to pulls.

3) Add or change your backsplash.  If you have only drywall, adding a backsplash is easy.  Many big box home centers have weekend classes on installing tile.  You can remove the dated ceramic tile and install new, or try beadboard for a new look.

New pendants and under cabinet lighting.

4) Update your lighting.  Try www.lampsplus.com for well-priced kitchen pendants and flush-mounted fixtures. Install  under-cabinet lighting.












5) Swap some cabinet door panels with glass for a great style. Use reeded glass - have  a glass pro cut to the right size - for some obscurity, and clear when you want to display what's inside the cabinet. Can't cut out the panel? Cover with fabric, a great decal, or other creative idea.








6) Remove some doors and expose the shelves.

7) Swap your faucet for a new style. Take out your old chrome faucet and install a new stainless one with a spray head for under $100. Check out the prices and styles at your local big box hardware store.



8) Paint. For a really quick change, just paint your walls. A bit braver, paint the floor instead of replacing it. You can even cover old ceramic tile with the right paint.


9) Remove a cabinet or two.  If you have a joined family/kitchen space, you may have ceiling mounted cabinets dividing the two areas. Taking them down will open both spaces, adding pendant lighting will make the space task-oriented and gorgeous...just be sure you can remove the storage.

10) Add a furniture touch.   Adding moldings, legs, corbels and other furniture details can transform existing cabinets.

Jewelry for your doors and drawers makes a fabulous statement.

Whether you are updating a kitchen or bath, refurbishing a piece of furniture, or just looking for a change,  using decorative hardware will make a custom design statement.  These are some of the pieces we love, and they are available at A Touch Of Tradition Home & Garden Shoppe in San Diego. Many come in 6 or 7 finishes - chrome, nickel, brass, oil rubbed bronze, silver, antiqued, and black.

Sophisticated polished nickel pull for cabinets and furniture.

The right hardware can often set the style for your space even if very little else changes. For example, you can change a kitchen whose cabinets are in good condition by using pulls in lieu of knobs.  Make them a different style from the existing and enjoy the transformation.  

Glass and chrome - artistic yet classic.

Available in 5 finishes, this knob is elegant and traditional.

Dressers and chests whose style is dated in your home, can be updated with new pulls or knobs.  Antique pieces are ideal for hardware changes, since they will dress up the furniture yet be removable if the piece needs to be sold. Schaub Hardware has several lines of decorative, traditional hardware perfect for this application.










Linen closet and other hallway storage cabinet doors and drawers reap benefits from new hardware. What was a wall of doors can become a work of art with hardware like pieces from Vicenza Designs.  Even simple hardware from a big box retail or hardware store can have a huge impact on cabinets and closets.

Add appliance pulls to larger pieces of furniture. Try adding an element from nature - like these textured bamboo pulls - for a casual yet enduring style. 

Bamboo textured, casual and classic. 7 finishes available

 Have a specialty area in your home like a wine cellar?  Use an elegant pull with a theme, to create a stunning, custom space.

Satin nickel and granite for a modern kitchen.

To update a casual kitchen, try these pulls with a brushed metal finish and a stone center. The metals will add sophistication and the granite will provide elegance and artistry.

Lions head style for a European look. 6 finishes.

A wonderful themed knob in nickel.

Tips for making a space seem larger.

We need to live with the spaces we have, whether they are an apartment, a dorm room, or a small home. To make them seem larger and help make them feel less crowded, try one or more of these ideas.

Lighting, glass and color play a part making this two room apartment feel larger.

1) Lighten up.  Yes, light does make spaces seem larger. If you use up-lights under large pieces of furniture or in dark corners, the illusion is that more space exists.  Rather than leaving corners empty, try adding a table and lamp.  Mirrors that reflect natural daylight are a great way to 'add' space as well. Even if you don't have windows, place a lamp in front of a mirror on the darkest, largest wall and see how it brightens and enlarges the space. Using glass table tops, insets with lighted shelves for cabinets,  and even remove doors to rooms to allow light in.

2) Arrange furniture wisely.  A few ideas on this topic work well in small spaces. First is scaling the pieces to work in the space. Don't purchase large, rolled arm sofas when you have a 10' x 10' room. Instead, opt for a loveseat and even armless chairs; you add seating without mass.  Two, floating furniture away from the walls DOES make it seem as though the room is larger. It allows you to walk around and through the furnishings giving a grander apparent space.  Third, angling furniture on short walls - placing pieces together can help like a table backed up to a loveseat - since your eye sees a longer wall dimension, hence, space.

3) Color counts.  If you can keep the largest pieces in the same tone as the walls, they will blend in and make a room feel wider.  Lighter colors do tend to make spaces look larger, although breaking that 'rule' works if other elements - lighting, scale, and accents - help the eye travel around a space. Monochromatic schemes in neutral colors work well, adding back an accent hue to draw attention to points around the room.


4) Raise things up.  Even if your ceilings are only 8' high, there are several tricks to give the illusion of height in a room. Place window coverings above the windows so they seem taller. Use moldings and other architectural elements to raise the eye up - a crown, medallions for hanging fixtures, tall shelves to the ceiling.  Hang light fixtures slightly higher, and do the same with artwork. 

5) Make things function well. Need a desk, a table, some storage? Find or make a piece that performs all three functions and save space.  In dorms and apartments, a work desk usually becomes a dining table, and placed on a wall - possibly perpendicular - allows you to add shelving for books and office 'stuff' and still make the desk feel like a table. When looking for ways to divide a space - say the bed area from the sofa area - use open shelving that can house a TV, lighting, decorative and functional items, and look good doing so. Console tables can make ideal desks, and even dining tables. Backed up to an open backed sofa, creates a great dining area with instant seating. Using benches for seating around tables adds storage for quick access.

Favorite decor for June

I love to change accessories seasonally, especially when I prepare to use outdoor spaces for eating and entertaining. Here are some great finds for indoors and out to start your summer fun!

1) Lighting. This is a nice departure from traditional metal lanterns. Made of glazed ceramic, these lanterns can be hung, placed on a surface, and strung along the eaves of a covered porch. The light is soft and diffused and looks great against the tabletop or wall. From Pottery Barn.

2) Furniture: This is a great bench from Ballard Designs. It's scaled right for a narrow hallway or the foot of a bed.  In black and ivory, it works with most traditional decor. 

3) Planters: A treat from Horchow, these are incredibly nice and lightweight. Most poly planters are matte and in solid colors. These have a realistic ceramic-looking glaze and are light enough to move the pots around as your plants grow or the sunlight changes.

5) Accessories.  For summer, I love to introduce coral and cream. The seaside motif is a bonus since I think coral reef patterns are timeless classics.  These pillows are from WS Home. The wooden beads on the sand dollar pillow are really nice, and I do use them on a covered patio where there is no direct sunlight. Check out the pillows with a Seaside theme for other colors and patterns you may love.

 

6) Entertaining:  This is a fun set for any style home.   I'm the hostess that puts the condiments in individual bowls so I never put the remainder back into the bottle. These are brightly colored, look like the right size for a party, and they can be used year-round.

7) Tabletop: From Kim Seybert who is an extraordinary designer of luxury table linens and napkin rings. Since coral (the organism) is indicative of seaside and summer, setting the table with these napkin rings is both seasonal and elegant. Paired with all white dinnerware, you can be flexible with napkins or table runners.  Available in multiple bead colors.

Five clutter excuses and their solutions.

We all collect, are gifted, inherit and gather stuff. At some point, taking care of it, storing it, and even looking at the stuff can be tiresome. Clutter happens rather easily but when it gnaws at your peace of mind, costs money when you buy short-term fixes, and takes time from your life..it's time to take care of it.  Here are some great how-to's for helping you move on ....

1) PAPER, PAPER, EVERYWHERE.  You fear that if you put away the stack of paper on your counter, they will be forgotten and bills won't get paid. Keeping the stack is a perception of order but not real order since the stack gets bigger but the organization does not change; now your stack includes bills, clippings, invitations and more but hasn't been touched. We all need reminders of things to do.  Keeping the papers in a pretty wicker box (or whatever suits your style) nearby will be a visual reminder of their presence. 

2) GIFTS   Your best friend gave you a vase for your wedding...your grandma left you a table when she passed on.   It's not your style but you are concerned that if you don't keep it it makes a disrespectful statement.  NOT SO.  We all get items from people that we love and respect. The true meaning of the gift was to celebrate an event in your life or to honor a memory. The item shouldn't be associated with the memory. Your duty is to receive the gift and thank the giver...not to keep it forever. The solution is to give/donate it to someone else who will continue to enjoy it.

3) FUTURE VALUE  Worrying that something you have kept will be valuable again is very common. The internet can be a great source for finding its value.  Check eBay, do a Google search, or even find an appraiser. For items that are valuable, consider having a professional appraisal...often done at no charge when an item is sold through them.  It's worth knowing that toys, figurines, etc... NEED to be original packaging and in pristine condition to be worth selling.

4)   EXPENSIVE ITEMS  Those $300 shoes were a great buy but it has been years since you've worn them.  If items 'hang' around because you feel guilty about what you spent...consider how much better you'll feel when the weight of looking at what has become an expensive dust catcher, is donated or sold (Ebay?) to someone who will wear them out!

5) MULTIPLES  Having many of one item (this applies to clothing, accessories, costume jewelry, suitcases... everything!) that you don't use but "may need one day" is normal. However, when they overload your cabinets, closets, and garage they become obstacles.  You fear that they may be useful 'down the road'. Aha..since you have NOT used them, take them from the space, put them into a bin and store them elsewhere. If in six months (or a year if you need it) you still haven't used them, bring that bin to a local donation donation. You didn't miss them, and it's likely you never will!

If your desire to de-clutter is hindered by time and motivation, take baby steps.  Rather than tackle the whole closet, garage, etc... in one day, pick a corner, and complete just that area.  Keep bins with easy to read labels "KEEP", "DONATE", "DISCARD" , "RECYCLE" and when the bin is full - take care of it.  As your spaces become clean and neat, your treat will be to dress them up as you like!