You CAN afford design advice.

When you're doing a remodel  can you afford not to hire a designer? Whether it's a small project that you want done right or quickly, or an overhaul that affects your lifestyle - and even the equity in your home -  turning to a design professional is saavy and budget conscious.  We work daily with vendors, contractors, architects and anyone who provides a product or service  for your home.   Our extensive knowledge is learned, developed, and executed and we know the possible pitfalls and wrong turns that happen. Take advantage of that before you end up making costly mistakes. 

Avoid these problems:

• A good idea was found after the project was done
• You're overwhelmed by the choices and don't know the right one to make 
• The best solution wasn't discussed since you didn't know about it
• You don't know how to solve a problem that's come up
• You forgot to add a feature that would make your bathroom better 
• The job drags on since no one can coordinate properly 
• You are experiencing delays since you weren't told when products needed to be ordered 
• The contractor didn't know about a better product
• Costs escalate as changes are made on the fly
• Using the space was not considered as highly as "getting it done" and there are problems 
• There isn't good light or control of too much light 
• Room wasnt left for things you need to store or display
• Door swings go in the wrong direction
• There isn't enough storage space
• The paint colors aren't  right
• Your layout "could have been" spot on 
• Some furniture doesn't fit 

The best use of your time and budget is for everything to be right the first time.  If you plan for things to go well they will. 

Bring a designer in to give you ideas, 

Use a designer to review your plans

Get help selecting the right products 

Update your home right!

Don't just re-do your home without thought. It's smart to consider the future, your kids, a resale, and a  host of things before you make a change.  Whether you do a small re-fresh or a large scale remodel, do it right the first time.  Here are my top 10 thoughts:

1. Make wider doorways. Its' so much easier to get pieces of furniture in and out of your home, not to mention better accessibility for everyone in and throughout your rooms.

2. Install easy clean surfaces. You might love granite counters and stone bath floors, but are they easy to clean - maintain and seal - with your lifestyle? There are SO many fabulous and gorgeous options in quartz and porcelain that you should consider. 






3. Consider concealed storage. We all have 'stuff' and often get more without doing away with what we already have. I'm a kitchen accessory 'junkie'. Having organized and expandable space to have all of that is as important in my kitchen as it might be in your family room, kids room or master closet! Closed doors, covered baskets, deep drawers with dividers, and even open shelves with nifty containers, contains and makes everything neat and easy to access.





4. Put timers or sensors on light switches. Ever walk into a room with your hands full and trip on something in the way?  Do your kids forget to turn out lights?  There are SO many inexpensive sensors you can buy and install yourself (unless you're really not comfortable with wiring) that pay for themselves quickly.  Lights go on when you enter a space and off after a set period of time when you leave. Put a timer on a switch in a bathroom, closet or children's room and the lights will go off for you. Same with turning on entry and hall lights. Don't walk into a dark house and install a wall timer to schedule lights going on and off.  This is great for porch and patio lighting.

5. Ask for self closing drawers. If you're redoing a kitchen or bath, these are really nice to have! It makes them easy to open, keeps your drawers closed, and no one has to remember to close a drawer when you're all using the same kitchen or bath room.

6. Create an electronics charging station. With laptops, tablets, pads and smartphones, most of which need a unique port, if you create a landing area with all of the cords contained. You'll keep everything together and never misplace a cord again, not to mention the neatness factor....










7. Be sure to add better ventilation/natural lighting.  Even if you don't add windows, expanding the size of existing windows can bring more light and air into your home.  You can often save on air conditioning bills with properly placed ventilation. Having more natural light also helps cut energy use. If adding a new window might not be in the budget, but consider ceiling or wall mounted fans to circulate air, and solatubes that have LED backup.

8. Design drawers instead of doors on cabinets.  Why reach into a fixed shelf after opening a door, when a drawer can be a better storage option?  You gain better access inside - especially in deep kitchen cabinets - and certainly  make it simpler to use.  With new interior systems from  most cabinet companies, and good carpentry in custom fabrications, you get wonderful compartmentalization and organization too.










9. Try a zero clearance ethanol burning fireplace.  No, you don't need a chimney.  Take a look at the variety of ethanol burners. They can be installed in a wall, a shallow room, and have many size options that actually produce heat.

10. Employ energy efficient lighting design. DON'T simply replace one fixture with another. Consider placement, the amount of light you need, whether the fixture is even the right type, what type of bulb you use and you'll improve your lighting, energy bills, and even your use of the spaces you're updating.

The benefits of using an interior designer.

AFTER

As the senior designer for Touch of Tradition, I see many people facing design dilemmas. I serve as a sounding board and provider of advice and this is what I've found to be true over the years: Interior designers add value in many ways than simply through aesthetics. When you make a decision to remodel or update your home, and bring in a designer, it WILL change your life in the best ways. Making an investment in your home should be done wisely.  Even if you just spend a few hours of time with a professional interior designer, the results will be years of satisfaction and  enjoyment of the spaces you change. With the plethora of materials, products, advertisements and samples available for home remodels and updates, the choices need to be made wisely. Rather than struggle through agonizing weeks with plans, surface materials, fabrics, dimensions and "what-if's", using a professional designer will bring timely satisfaction, creativity, and perfection to your project. Don't make a mistake! We will help solve your design and construction issues so everything runs smoothly.

BEFORE

I've rescued clients from bad furniture purchases, the "nightmare" they lived through with a bad contractor, the poor selections of  floor coverings and paint colors that they made, and throwing their hands up at a poorly designed kitchen or bath. Don't waste your money or your time. We know codes, space-planning, color, products, technology and more. Our expertise is having the experience, resources and knowledge to recommend everything to finish and furnish your home. Keep what you can and update it, re-purpose, and re-new.  With access to new products, technology, trends and creative ideas, your time with us will be well-spent. 

When want to you love the results, meet your budget, and nail your style, the decision to hire a designer is always right. At Touch of Tradition, you can browse the fabric and furniture collections, purchase from what's in stock, or order a custom piece with the right dimensions and finish for your home. From July 1  to August 1, 2012, purchases from the shop or on-line will be supplemented with a gift certificate to use or give to someone special.  Come by and bring your home decor and design questions.

Your remodel- Do you start over or rework?

It’s a common problem. You want to move. Your home's elevation has curb appeal, but the floor plan behind it has grown stale and will ultimately turn buyers away. Do you have to scrap the entire design and start over? The expense, the challenges with permits and the length of time needed will all be factors. To save time and work within a strict budget, a more economical approach would be to redefine the existing plan within the same (or close to the same) footprint. Going this route allows you to keep the part of the program that’s working and maintain a construction approach that is more or less familiar. Looking at the home below you can see what doesn't work and how it was modified in the same footprint, saving over $120,000 from a plan to tear down and restart. The floor plan has too many jogs and corners, a small and inefficient kitchen, and a master suite that fails to exploit views of the backyard, and a poorly designed entrance, but the overall space works for the property.  It's too divided - the spaces aren’t conducive to togetherness. Some other details to note: Because the laundry is a cut-through from the garage, its functional work surfaces are limited.  The patio is shallow and tough to furnish, and access to the interior living spaces is awkward.  A corner closet makes the master bath difficult for two people to use at the same time.  Having a master bedroom that is visible from the foyer isn't ideal for privacy.  By rethinking this plan’s master suite and communal areas it will improve the home on several levels. A revised plan creates view corridors, frees up space for a larger, more usable rear patio, and trades an isolated formal living room for a multipurpose area in the heart of the home. Located just off the kitchen, this new space provides a room for laundry, homework, computing, and art projects. It can be public or private.

Before

After

The resulting floor plan opens the home, making it appear much larger. Using the same roof structure yet creating an outdoor porch really helped in reducing costs. That freed up dollars for exterior upgrades and nicer finishes thoughout the home. It's always best to spend money where it can be truly appreciated. The finer points of the plan:

• Focusing more on workstations than a work triangle, the revamped kitchen provides room for several cooks at once. Its cleanup area is out of the main flow of traffic.
• The original laundry is replaced with a mudroom between kitchen and garage for dropping off groceries, jackets, and school bags. It also contains pantry space and electronics chargers.
• Courtyards and patios must be large enough to be furnished outside the primary circulation path. This one now accommodates a seating area.
• A laundry/hobby room encourages shared chores and family bonding. When bedrooms are too private and well-appointed, kids never want to come out.
• The new master bath trades the big tub for an oversized shower and a better defined dressing area. The closet has room for a dresser.

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.

Lighting design - easy and energy efficient solutions for any room.

LED in the ceiling and compact fluorescent bulbs
in the fixture, gives perfect lighting day or night.

With energy costs and concerns ever-increasing, and our global awareness of sustainability and eco-friendly design how can you be cost conscious and still have great design?   

Some incandescent and CFL bulb

The simplest way to make immediate changes is to purchase compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) that can be screwed into existing light fixtures.   CFL's come a variety of styles from chandelier shaped bulbs with small bases, to regular "A" base incandescent bulbs (IB), to the reflector shapes found in recessed fixtures.   As far as cost, they are no longer many times more expensive than IB's.  Combine that with the fact that they last up to 10 times longer, and you are saving time as well as money. You can keep your existing fixtures and light your rooms in style for less. NOTES:  A 13 watt CFL - using 104 kilowatts - is the equivalent to a 60 Watt IB - using 480 kilowatts. Home Depot does recycle CFL's in their stores.

Another easy way to save money, add ambiance, and a great look on your walls is to use sleek dimmers instead of existing switches. Made by www.lutron.com, they are sold at most hardware and big box stores. You can also install their occupancy and vacancy sensors and see the benefits in energy use and functional use immediately. They can be retrofitted in the space occupied by regular switches or installed without wires at all.  Check out their room, lamp and whole home lighting systems for long-term design planning, energy efficiency and cost savings.

When remodeling, building or doing a major upgrade - particularly where local codes require energy savings - you can install CFL recessed fixtures that meet code in kitchen and bath design. Many well-known lighting manufacturers offer hanging and wall mounted fixtures in either fluorescent or incandescent bulbs so you can select either style.  Long -term, light emitting diodes (LED) are more energy saving, longer lasting, and are available in many styles including recessed or can fixtures, under cabinet task fixtures, and puck style lights. 

When in doubt, contact a lighting design professional. We want you to have the right light for your rooms and tasks while saving energy!

5 Designer ideas to update your kitchen.

When you want to add a little bit of glamour to your kitchen, try these ideas:

1) Use a detailed edge on your counters. Whether you elect to use a double rolled edge of stone on the island, or a beefy 2" edge to your quartz, the look will be elegant and dramatic. 


2) Dim all of your lights. Place all recessed and other fixtures on dimmers so you can create ambiance when all of your prepping is over.  

3) Build your electronics in. Add receptacles, cables, etc.. in for laptops, phone charging and TV and video watching. Having them in a central location can assist with homework, cooking practice and on-line research.

4) Add furniture touches to your cabinets.  By upgrading basic cabinets with details like scroll legs, inlays, and veneers will enable the kitchen to blend more seamlessly into your decor.

5) Provide glamour with lighting and fabrics.  Rather than use a basic fabric on your chairs and barstools, use a durable, stain resistant acrylic.The patterns and colors of sun-resistant fabrics are dynamic and you can have a plush velvet with easy clean-up. Opt for a chandelier with glass or metallic elements over the island or to anchor your table. Glamour has never been easier to obtain.

Options for finishes when updating your home.

When remodeling or updating your home or apartment you look for products that do a great job and have major impact but reasonable costs.  Here are several alternative finish materials to consider:

1) MDF versus wood.  For trim moldings, baseboards, crown, casing, etc...solid wood is authentic and if you have an historic home and need to maintain history, use wood. Using MDF does not detract from the appearance or performance. The cost is significantly lower and the longevity - when primed and painted - is the same. Made without formaldehyde, there is no longer any off-gassing.

2) Plywood versus solid wood.  The durability of plywood is well-known.  Using it on floors, for built-ins (edge-banding required for a finished edge), and doors. 






3) Salvage yards versus new.  Builder's supply yards, Habitat for Humanity resale stores, and those in your local area, can be a great resource for bathroom vanities, flooring, doors, mantles and more. You can often find older pieces with lots of architectural detail that simply need refinishing.




4) Spray versus sandblasting glass.  For cabinet doors, glass insets in doors, sidelights, etc...purchasing sandblasted glass for its obscurity is costly.  Try Krylon's Frosted Glass Finish for a highly cost-effective alternative. Window film is the next option!

5) Wood versus granite counter top.  Granite can cost up to $50 per square foot and is often not affordable.  Butcher block and other solid species are significantly less expensive and provide a warm, custom finish.  

6) Laminate versus solid surface counter.  The look of granite without the cost is easily found with laminate counters.  Many manufacturers offer laminate - Wilsonart and Formica among them - and the properties of the new laminate far exceed the previous generations of the materials. With a tremendous variety in color, texture and edges, you can find the style and the budget level that suits your project.

7) Concrete versus stone.When paving your exterior spaces, consider a concrete product instead of natural stone.  The look is slightly different but the resulting durability and competitive cost are well worth the switch!

Should you use stone or not?

When selecting surfaces for your floors, walls and counters, also consider the long-term cost of maintenance. With a huge variety of color and size options, the cost to purchase install your surface, as well as costs to maintain should be the determining factors for selection.  Here is a brief guide to surfaces and their care:

 Recommendation from the designer: Porcelain tile and Quartz counters are two of the most durable, easy care, competitive cost alternatives.  For both, the selection of colors, ways to use, and overall performance are fantastic. The options in porcelain tile sizes and styles are ever-increasing, with trim tiles to finish edges. I prefer porcelain and quartz to their natural stone counterparts.

1) Granite: Porous, igneous stone. Tile and slab available. Must be sealed annually in baths, more often in kitchens. Stains and etches. Don't let oils or vinegars sit on surface too long. Great heat resistance. Be aware that some colors have radon. Not impervious to bacteria. Clean with stone cleaner to avoid removing sealer or dulling shine. Don't use acidic products or shine can be dulled.

2) Quartz: (Silestone, Cambria, Caesarstone, etc..) Stone-epoxy composite.Tile and slab available. Non-porous so no sealer required.  Heat and stain resistant. High durability. Often embedded with antibacterial compound. Clean with almost any household cleaner. Some versions by Silestone are 'green'. Colors can be stone-like or unique in pattern and particulate.  This bath uses a fossil-like quartz in a soft white. 

3) Travertine-limestone-soapstone-marble-slate: These are all porous stone products that can be used on counters, floors and walls. Tile and slab available. They MUST be sealed often so water and products don't penetrate.  All are stainable and prone to scratches. Soapstone has good heat resistance. Requires regular cleaning with stone cleaner or neutral non-abrasive cleaner.  Products for ceramic tile may NOT be used on these stones. Soap scum is difficult to remove. Special products are available to help remove stains.

4) Porcelain: A subset of ceramic tile. Highly durable surface for floors, walls, and even counters. Generally through-body color with a glazed surface. No porosity. Clean with nearly any household cleaner. Recommend that you seal grout after installation for best stain resistance in high use areas. Patterns, colors, and sizes nearly limitless. Unique stone-like patterns available for more durable, easy care surface than real stone.

5) Ceramic: Made from clay or other inorganic materials, hardened by oven firing and usually coated with some kind of glaze.  Ceramic is easy to clean and doesn't harbor germs.

6) Solid surfaces (Corian, Corinthinan, Wilsonart, etc...) : Solid, manufactured with plastic or acrylic. Durable, non-porous, stain and bacteria resistant. Not heat resistant. Through-color and easy to buff scratches or make repairs. Often has integrated sink options. Seams are inconspicuous.

Bathroom trends.

At a recent bathroom industry trade show, new trends and products were showcased.   A theme was clear when looking at products and their style, color and textures.

1) Traditional style reigns.  From faucets to cabinetry, classic styles remain the most popular. Function, however, as in faucets, shower doors and other items is more technological with hands-free faucets, air-assisted low flow shower heads, frame free glass shower doors, and neutral colors in counters and flooring.

2) Sleek, modern style is moving up in popularity. Whether you look at tubs,  toilets or shower fixtures, the lines are smoother and minimalist.  Chrome -without the negative manufacturing byproducts - is the finish of choice. 

3) Matte white is a new popular color.  For counters and tile it's a change from glossy sheens.  Even black - also  in a matte finish - is moving into popularity.

4) Gray is the new neutral.  The flexibility of the gray palette is outstanding.  Warm and cool grays are soft and the palette can be paired with whites, wood tones, and metal fixtures. 

5) Texture is in.  From damask inspired floor tiles to textured porcelain wall and floor tile, the look is custom yet serene.  Formal wall coverings with nubby surfaces are being used in bathrooms more often.  Traditional wainscot is making a resurgence and using new humidity tolerant paints makes it possible.