Kitchen Remodel-mayhem or blessing?

While working on many projects for clients, I have finally taken on one in my own home. We are remodeling our kitchen. While I find the entire process intriguing and I feel right at home with all the chaos, I have learned a few things during the beginning phase of this remodel. First, as I was gingerly packing up my kitchen and saving out items to use in my "make-shift-garage workbench-and-laundry-room-kitchen" I realized I don't use as many of my kitchen items as I thought I did. Now, I did discreetly add things to a box destined for a garage sale-but it didn't end up being a very big box. But what was more surprising were the items I elected to keep out to use on a day to day basis to feed my family of four during this remodel were relatively few.

I do believe we can all do with less stuff. When my new cabinets arrived yesterday I wondered if I could really fill them up. I think when I move back into my kitchen I will still try to get rid of some things. That way, I'll have some empty cupboards for the "what-ifs" in the future. What in your home can you do with less of?

Snohomish Home has Beautiful Color

I was so excited that the Everett Herald featured a recent clients' home on color. The home featured beautiful Devine Paint colors in their beautiful near-century old home. They agreed to going a bit "out of the box" and used colors such as Walrus, Cocoa, Persian and Walrus. Don't those colors sound luscious? They are. Devine has many other wonderful colors available as well.

Saving energy one light at a time

Earth Day is tomorrow, how are you celebrating? I know a way that can ehlp save a lot of energy. If you haven't already done this, consider switiching out all of your incandescent bulbs to CFL (Compact flourescent lights)bulbs. Did you know CFL's use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer than incandescents? CFL's produce a warm or soft white light and are best used for task lighting.

We love using these in our home, and made the switch a year ago. We have seen a savings in our energy bill as well. It just makes good "cents"! With Earth Day coming up,check the local ads at the hardware stores for their deals on CFL's.

Happy Earth Day!

Every Dining Room Needs Some

Every dining room should have some red! This is a beautiful "Haze" color from the Devine Paint line painted in the dining room of a 100 year old home. Red is great for a dining room, as it stimulates conversation and increases the appetite. Interestingly, it can also give the illusion that you are a better cook-perhaps since guests linger and eat more!

Color, Color on the Ground.....

I just finished writing a talk that I will be presenting later this week to a girl scout troop on color. They are earning their bronze award and are painting a US Map on the playground at a local elementary school. I love this idea-it's educational and fun, providing endless hours of joy for many years to come. And I'm excited because color is my thing....I love any opportunity to talk about color-the meaning of colors; why to paint rooms certain colors; how colors can enrich our lives.. Colors can evoke emotion, and in my opinion, no public space should be devoid of color. The more color the better! Get rid of those white walls, and add some color!

Can't wait to see the finished project these young leaders are working on-way to go girls!

Art as a Focal Point

Add a series of picture ledges to a wall for an instant gallery! This enables you to change your pictures with out nailing additional holes in your wall. It also makes an instant focal point!

It's All in the Details.....

People's live are expressed in little details....The soap in the bathroom, the flowers in the garden, the books on the bedside table are all strong symbols of a life in progress. You look at these details and a world unfolds - here are their books, the paintings they cherish, the music that soothes their souls Charlotte Moss, A Passion for Details

Day 10 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"

What are good colors to paint your rooms, and why? What room/colors did you like best during the past 10 days of color inspiration? What design tips would you like to know more about?

Day 9 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"

What are good colors to paint your rooms, and why? South facing rooms: Since these rooms tend to be warmer, a cooler color such as green or blue can help you feel cooler.

Day 8 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"

What are good colors to paint your rooms, and why? North facing rooms: Since there is little direct sunlight, these rooms can often feel colder. Try yellows, reds or oranges to make you feel warmer.

Day 7 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"

What are good colors to paint your rooms, and why? Work out rooms: Reds and oranges can help you move, but they can also make you feel hot. So cool colors like blues and greens can help you to stay cool.

Day 6 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"

What are good colors to paint your rooms, and why? Home Office: The idea of a home office is to be productive, so green is considered the color of concentration. Get your work done, so you can enjoy spending time with family and friends.

Day 5 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"

Day 5 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"; What are good colors to paint your rooms, and why? Bathroom: While a deep bold color like brown or burgundy can be fun in a small powder room, the master bath is often a place for rejuvenation. Think "Spa" here and colors such as greens, blues and turquoise, they give a feeling of being clean and fresh.

Day 4 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"

What are good colors to paint your rooms, and why? Baby's rooms: A calming blue is wonderful, soothing greens or earth tones, too. These can all help calm the baby.

10 Days of Color Inspiration: Day 3

Day 3 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"; What are good colors to paint your rooms, and why? Bedrooms: They should be relaxing, cool colors such as blues, greens and lavenders tend to have a calming effect.

Day 2 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"

Day 2 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"; What are good colors to paint your rooms, and why? Kitchen: Reds and yellows are good as they help stimulate converstion. On a diet? Watch out, reds help to stimulate appetite. If so, paint it a color from your childhood if you had fond memeories from growing up and gathering in the kitchen.

Color Inspiration for Your Home: Day 1

Day 1 of "10 Days of Color Inspiration"; What are good colors to paint your rooms, and why? Living Room and Foyer: Warm tones like reds, yellows, oranges and earth tones like beige-they stimulate conversation.

Vintage Chic

Vintage Chic is in. It is so savvy to be resourceful with what we have rather than throwing it away. Painted layers, flea market finds, imperfect finishes-it makes our homes comfortable and mellow. So think of how you can re-use your furniture, rather than throwing it away. It is ok that furniture isn't perfect-a bit of paint peeling, or a few scratches add to the character of the furniture!

Layer It On

Layer rugs on top of each other. Even if you have wall to wall carpet, you can still layer an area rug with it. Try layering two different sized rugs on top of each other, perhaps a patterned over a solid. This is a great choice if you don't want to have wall to wall carpet-it's easy to change!Don't be afraid to bring in different textured rugs such as sisal, and a wool rug.

Lighten Up!

Design Tip: Lighten up! The easiest and least expensive way to change the look of your home is by painting it. The earthy tones are back again, so think light greens, browns and blues, reds and oranges. Try Caribbean Coral or Sequin by Sherwin Williams.

Less is More

Design Tip: Less is more-pare down what you have. This enables you to really enjoy the furnishings you do have, and it feels cleaner and crisper. So don't be afraid to remove a piece of furniture to open up the room a bit, at least for the summer months when we spend a lot of time outdoors, and want our homes to be easy to care for.

Add a picture ledge for visual impact

I love picture ledges because you can change your pictures as needed with out nailing holes in your walls! Try arranging three on a small wall to really bring focus to it. This was nice because these are all family pictures that the client wanted to display-this certainly does the trick!

If these Walls Could talk

If these Walls Could Talk

If our walls could talk, they would beg us to hang art on them! How do you convince your significant other that it is okay to hang your art on the walls? Sometimes it’s the fear that too many holes will be in the wall due to mistakes-not so! Yes, you may get some holes in your walls, but with some care each hole will have a nail with art hanging from it. It does take some time and patience to hang art. Here’s how I do it;

Get out all the art you are wanting to hang. Think about hanging it in groupings, rather than haphazardly here and there. A grouping also draws you eye to the art, and actually can make it a focal point. I play with arrangements on the floor, and trace all the frames onto manila paper. Then, transfer your paper arrangement to the wall using blue tape, and be sure to mark where the nail holes will go. Make sure you like your arrangement and check that everything is level. Hammer in your nails, remove the paper, and hang your art!

First Impressions

When choosing colors for the exterior of your home, don't forget the "rule of three". I recommend using three colors for the exterior-one color for the main,one color for the trim, and a third color for the door. The exterior of our home is the first impression or "curb appeal" that people notice about your home.

Even more important is the front door because that stands out as well. Having it an accent color will help to draw the eye to the door. Often I will choose a darker color for the trim than the main house color, and then a dark color for the door as well. An example of a color palette is a dolphin grey for the main house color, burgundy trim, and a blue door.

Painting your home can give it an entirely new look!

Light up your Life

Lighting is a great way to add ambiance to a room. Overhead lighting is wonderful in the kitchen, bathroom and closets, but some rooms call for a more ambient (or mood) light that lamps can provide.

The bedroom is a wonderful place for lamps-overhead lighting can be harsh and cold here. Many lamps come with three way switching that provides three different lighting options when switched on. Another way to achieve ambient lighting is to use a dimmer on a cord. It simply plugs into the wall to provide you that option of turning the light up or down to your preference. Google "dimmer switch plugs" to come up with a variety of sources.

Shop at Home

It's a new year, and along with wanting to change our habits, it's also fun to change our homes a bit. I'm not talking about a complete overhaul here, just some simple ways to change your home by "shopping your home"-and it doesn't cost a thing, just some imagination on your part!

I love going from room to room to "borrow" things or use them for other than their intended purpose.

For instance, I received a beautiful, ornate, rich tapestry scarf for Christmas. It ended up being draped over my slipper chair in my family room. I loved how the rich reds in the scarf looked over the brown fabric of the chair. So, there it has stayed. It also provides a little extra warmth when I read at night. The best thing is I can still use it as a scarf!

Another very simple thing I did was borrow my cute cast iron place card holders from my dining room. They are in the shape of bunnies and look darling frolicking among my hurricane vases. It's also a little hint of what's to come-spring!

Those are a couple of fun ideas of how to use your items in your home in new ways. What can you find when you "shop your home"?