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Paint and Light

photo courtesy of startribune.com

A couple of weeks ago, I met with a woman to help her get started on a home remodel.  She has a beautiful home but her taste has changed over the years from the 'country clutter' look to something more clean and sophisticated.  She didn't even know where to start.

After an hour of meeting with her, we began to formulate a plan to begin a transformation of her home.  She hated the paint.   In theory, the paint on her walls was suppose to be a neutral taupe but it had such a strong red base that the walls emitted a strong pink undertone.  After lots of questions and introspection, it was decided that really, that paint was causing the biggest problems for her.

We chose a new neutral and she was off and running...well, until I got a call this week that they hated the paint color I chose for them.  I went right over to see what it was they hated.  It wasn't hard to figure out what the problem was and it wasn't the paint color. 

No, it was the lighting and the fact that they were judging the new color with a gold/green base beside the old pink color.  Of course the gold tones will look more shocking when placed next to pink. 

The second problem was their lighting.  In the bathroom fixtures, they had part incandescent and part fluorescent lights.  Incandescent gives off a warm light and flurorescent, a cool light.  The mixture and play of warm and cool was giving the paint a very strange tint that seemed to change as the natural daylight changed. 

I suggested that since they had only painted a bedroom and an adjoining bathroom, they needed to paint the hallway and change out all the lighting back to uniform incandescent before deciding if we change the paint color. 

The homeowner got busy and the next day when I checked in on  her progress, she was thrilled with the same old color we had chosen. 
Remember, light, space, and paint base makes all the difference in the world when it comes to choosing color.  Before jumping in with both feet, it's always wise to get a few sample paint pots and paint a small patch so you can observe how the natural light can change the intensity. 

Have you got a paint color problem in your house?  Get in touch and let's make it right.

Cleaning Tip

Don't you just love cleaning?  What?  No, you say?  Well, neither do I even though it is something I have had to rely on cleaning other people's homes this past few years.  I dread having to go but once I leave a house, I am happy to see a nice, clean sparkling environment and that makes it worth it.  But, then I have to come home to my own mess!

Today's tip is cleaning the drip pans on the stove.  What a mess those can become.  All it takes is one over excited boiling pot of spaghetti noodles to created a burned on mess.  Here is the easiest way to take care of such messes and requires no scrubbing.   You will need:
A plastic grocery bag
Can of oven cleaner
A little bit of time

First of all, take your drip pans and place them one by one in the bottom of a plastic grocery bag.  Once one pan is in the bag, spray it well with oven cleaner then stack the next drip pan and repeat the process.  Stack and spray, that's all there is to it.

 Once they are all sprayed down, tie the bag up and walk away.  The longer you can let them sit, the easier they clean.  I usually do mine right after the last meal of the day and either let them sit until I go to bed around 11, then put them in the dishwasher and start it or, I let them sit overnight and then rinse them clean in the morning.

This particular time, I let them sit overnight, then just rinsed them off in the morning.  Look how clean they end up!  They look brand new but these are actually about 5 years old.

Space Planning

Space Planning is EVERYTHING!  Unfortunately, when the housing boom was going on, contractors put up a house in weeks, rather than months.  The consumer comes along, takes advantage of the great deal but doesn't really consider if the house will function well with their family and lifestyle.  Often the 'curb appeal' takes precedence over the space or we realize some of the spaces won't work but we decide to sacrifice and make do.  Big Mistake. 

That's what I did.  Because of circumstances, I had just two weeks to find a home for the kids and I.  This home has some great spaces but some pretty dysfunctional ones.  I, like many, decided to make do.  Now, I regret to some extent the decision I made.  

Take for instance my 'office'.  When I moved in, there was no place to put a computer so I created a desk in my bedroom as shown in the picture below. 

It functioned well enough but I got sick of the constant mess and people coming and going from my room.  This past summer, I decided to make a change.  The computer ended up here...

In the hall closet.  I liked some features of this little nook.  I could shut the door on the mess and no one was in my room at all hours of the day and night working on homework.  Not a great space because it was too small if two people were sitting at the computer.

Recently, I came up with this solution. 

We have a loft in our house that is too small for much of anything.  While I didn't want my office upstairs, it really was the best solution and best use of space.  I built a corner desk unit so that we can house two computers, one for Shelbie and one for me and my business.  The filing cabinets also fit well which was a problem with the closet location.

In the past, I use the loft as my sewing/craft space too.  Well, my solution to that was to keep it there but behind the closed doors of an old computer armoire.

That has worked out great!  When I am working on a project, I pull out the keyboard tray and place the sewing machine on it then close it all up when I'm done.

The corner desk was really easy to construct.  I had two long 'card' tables so I put them edge to edge.  That left a big hole towards the back where there was no table.  I went to the lumber yard and asked for some 'throw away' pieces.  They had some particle boards that they sold to me for $2 and even cut them to fit.  I cut one the length of the table plus the empty space at the back.  The second piece I cut to fit the second table. 

I made a fitted covering complete with ruffle. 

It was so easy and didn't take all day to complete.  It has been so much better. Even still, I can't wait for the day when I can design a house that actually meets our needs, all of them, even the small ones.

The Old Screen Door

What a find...this old screen door! When I bought it, I had big plans for it.  It makes the most perfect message board for our family.  The screen is wire so pictures, memos and messages can be attached with fun magnets.  I love it! 

So, using a wire brush, I cleaned up the frame, got all the old dirt and chipping paint off.

Our family has a mantra that I wanted to have on the top of the screen so I chalked it on.  You can barely see it in this picture.

Next, taking embroidery floss and using a backstitch, I stitched our saying onto the screen.  It was so easy and didn't take long.  Our mantra is from the movie Land Before Time..If we hold on together

The photograph is not the greatest and doesn't really do it justice.

I bought a small roll of aluminum screening to add some embellishments

Again, it's hard to capture a photo of wire mesh.  Using a simple flower pattern, I cut out several from the wire and layered them together then stitched them onto the screen day on the bottom half.

I added some stitched stems and voila!  It is the cutest board ever!

So, what if you don't have a screen door like this?  Well, imagine repurposing any small screen from a window or staple aluminum screen onto the back of an empty picture frame then stitch your own message into it.  It's fun for teenagers to display all the pics of their friends or young kids to display their artwork.  There are lots of unique possibilities and would make a fun and unique Christmas gift.

Get Organized

Fall is typically the time of year that we take on the deep cleaning of our homes.  It's when we finally break down and tackle the blinds and the base boards.  I love de-cluttering and deep cleaning.  When the task is done, a real sense of accomplishment and peace resides in the place where junk once was.

It seems I do a lot of deep cleaning many times a year.  Closets and cupboards can quickly get out of control if we don't stay on top of it.  The last few months, I have been working on a few problem areas of my home.  One of the biggest messes was my laundry room.  Here are some before pictures.

My cleaning supplies end up conveniently on the floor and a mess of too small jackets and other junk hang on the hooks

The shelf above my washer and dryer were filled with who knows what.  I seemed to have a nice collection of random products I never use but somehow acquired every time a neighbor moved away.

These photos don't really do the mess justice.  My laundry room is basically a deep closet off a narrow hallway so it was hard to get far enough away for a full shot at the room.   After a little work and lots of bulging garbage bags later, it's a room I can live with for now.  It still needs some improvement but this is a good start.

I got rid of my extra vacuum so I only have to house one here.  The mops and brooms are neatly hung and the coats that didn't fit anyone are now in the hands of someone who can use them this winter.

I eliminated all the products I don't use and just keep my current cleaning supplies on the shelf. 

 What's left to do? Lots!  I'm still not happy with the space but transformation takes time. As I go out into people's homes, they often seemed overwhelmed with so many things they want to change.  It's important to take it all in stride.  Rather than go into a debt of time, or money, do little things a little at a time and soon the pay offs will be big. 

Working the Color Trends

So, are you ready to embrace the new bold colors for next year?

Photo from Pantone

 

I have this to say about trends of any kind.  Do not be intimidated by the latest fad. Do not feel pressured to include every trend in your home.  I often run across people who want to change the paint in their living room but are so worried they will make a mistake that will be dated next week so they tend to gravitate to the current trend or think if it's good for Pottery Barn, then it must be good for me. 

Trends will eventually be dated.  That's their job, they come, they go.  My philosophy as a designer is that your home should reflect you.  Your values, your morals, your character and all of your beliefs.  It should not necessarily reflect the political climate of the country in which you live, the environment or even your next door neighbor's taste. 

Creating an 'honest' environment in your home is never out of date.  It speaks volumes and people who come and go will feel your spirit. 

Sometimes, it's fun to try something new and trendy.  Invest in the little things that have little cost associated with them and are easy to switch out when you tire of them.  Pillows, for instance can pack of lot of design punch.  They are a fun surprise and easy to make or inexpensive to buy.  You can never go wrong with updating pillows.   Make them fun or keep them sophisticated.  Whatever you do in your home, make it yours!