Celebrating Earth Day with Interiors

Did you celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd? Did you do anything to make your home interior environmentally friendly? Here are some questions to ask yourself when considering a home improvement project or purchase.

1. Have you switched all your incandescent bulbs out for compact fluorescent light bulbs? If not, next time you are in your local hardware store, pick some up. You will have them ready when that next light bulb burns out.
2. Do you really need your heat or air set at the same temperature when you are out of the home or sleeping? Consider installing a programmable thermostat? It will save you money and help save the earth.
3. Is air flowing into your home under doors and windows? Plug them up! Air leaks allow air and heat to sneak outside, making it more difficult for us to control the air in our home. In turn, this makes the air conditioner or furnace work harder. It ends up costing you more money and wasting precious resources.
4. Buy local products. Products made overseas require tons and tons of fuel.
5. Buy items with post-consumer recycled content. This can range from clothes to fabrics, plastic containers to furniture, even coffee mugs.
6. Do you reuse? Reusing ensures less waste goes into landfills. Can you reuse that old piece of furniture? Can you reuse paint you already have in your basement? How about shopping at a thrift or antique store? It’s amazing what your mind can come up with when given the opportunity to save money and make something beautiful for your home!
7. Buy Energy Star Appliances. Replace old appliances with Energy Star models when they break. Your appliances will run more efficiently and can save you money in the long run. Remember to unplug your small appliances when they are not in use because they can still suck up energy.
8. Don’t forget to ask the experts. Decide if buying a sustainable product is an option for you before you buy anything for your home. If so, just ask the expert for more information. I bet you learn something interesting.

Celebrate Earth Day all 365 days in your home! How have you made the Earth better today?

Do You Think You Have the Qualities of an Interior Designer?

Interior designers wear many hats. I like to think that we are a breed of creative individuals that are a good balance between the left and right side of the brain. If you want to be a success, I think you have to be aware that you are actually many departments as one person. Here are a few examples of what to expect as a designer:

1. Creative Directors - This is probably the most obvious attribute, but without creativity in many forms, the success of an interior designer can suffer. Creativity can lie in any of the following hats I mention, including billing and client relations. Under this category you can also include code checking (verifying that you are meeting all building codes and ADA requirements), building compliance (columns, HVAC not affected, etc.) and lighting.
2. Client Relations – No matter if you focus on residential or commercial work as a designer, the ability to maintain positive client relations is by far one of the most important attributes of a successful designer. This is especially true if you own your own business because you are the president, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and creative individual on the job. Keeping tight and accurate paperwork is one of the attributes that highly creative people struggle with – so it’s also important to know who to hire.
3. Time Clock – You always have to stay on top of your hours. In my company I am responsible for noting every quarter hours of my day… 15 minute increments. This way we can track exactly how much time goes into each client’s project, and based on the billable rate (hourly design rate which they are charged), that determines our income. I think keeping this on track comes with time, and having a computer system set up that helps you track is really great too.
4. Specifying – Outside of the actual design and creative side, here comes the left side of the brain. When you specify a project, you have to be able to take  action and pick the right rugs, furniture, fabrics, etc, and put them in order format. And, you have to write specification in such a way that anyone (not just designers) can understand them.
5. Budgeting – This starts from the first client meeting – what is the budget? You need to be able to adjust your creative skills to a $5,000 budget or a $500,000. This is not easy when you let your creativity soar, so knowing how to keep things intact financially is key to your clients’ happiness, and the success of the space. This skill will develop over time too, as you learn how construction costs affect the budget. Also, choosing materials at the right price points will get easier with time. So don’t get too eager about one tile or upholstery until you know the sticker price and how it will impact rest of the decisions.

You can see there are many attributes and departments for an interior design business in one person. I am sure there are many more that could be added to the list as well. But, if you are looking into becoming an interior designer, more than anything, invest in a good education. This will lead you on how to enhance the skills which you think may need development.

Do you think you have what it takes? And if you are a designer, what are your strengths and weaknesses?

Making a Room Plan Over Time

It is very clear to me as a designer (independent at that) we are experiencing a time that has changed the format of how to work with clients. I have come to know and realize that the importance of branding, status and luxury are things that are less desirable than they were even a year or two ago. Modesty has become its own trend. I see it in all aspects of my life. From sharing grocery tips and recipes to stretch the ways to make a chicken to online shopping discounts and restaurant deals in town. I, too, have learned how to express, stretch and recreate the design wheel with my clients.

When I initially meet with someone, we discuss their needs, wants and desires for a room. Often times the challenge is where to begin. Gone are the days of the “fairy designer” coming in and completely transforming based on a budget and ” poof” a new room!

Let’s face it; we are in a stage of serious PLANNING. And that is exactly how I handle projects. I plan a meeting, take measurements, we discuss the most needed change for the room and that is our starting point. Next, I produce AutoCAD drawings of various room layouts that encompass specifications that I feel will eventually work well in the room. I then take the final room plan and literally dissect it over a period of three to four different stages of purchasing time. This may take a few months or perhaps over the course of a year or longer.

When creating a finished room plan, we have unveiled the room design and now we can eat it like an elephant…one bite at a time! My client and I can see and discuss the finished product on paper and devise a whole new plan- a budgetary timeline for completion.

She or he may decide that the glare coming in the windows is the first thing to address, so we take the fabric specified for the window treatments (which will eventually match the fabric selected for the sofa) and have the seamstress begin. A few months later, the sofa that we planned is now affordable and it is just a phone call away to place that order. 8 -10 weeks later when the sofa arrives, we can plan for the case good pieces in the room like a coffee table and/or end tables. Gee, I may stop by with some throw pillows that I found at a discount store that work perfectly on the chairs. Now I have extended the life of the existing chairs, putting the need to replace them on the back burner, and move along to lighting.

You get the idea….when designing this way, there is a sense of ease and satisfaction. There is an end result in the foreseeable future – the room has a plan and it can be transformed as one’s budget will allow. Designing a room this way allows for a stress free and content client. Might I add that they love it when I have stopped into a Home Goods or a T.J. Max to find the perfect throw or mirror that cost half of the original plan!

Designing for today’s client doesn’t have to be from one “status” of high end custom furnishings. I have no problem finding a $300 coffee table and placing it in front of a $6,000 sofa. In the end, the room will look beautiful if coordinated properly, and it’s just such a good feeling to find a bargain!

What kind of bargains have you found that work perfectly in your home?  Where do you find them?

The Debate on Whole House Air Purification Systems vs. the Good Old Fashioned Open Window!

I recently heard that my city is one of the worst in the nation when it comes to air quality. (A good excuse not to get out for a jog…right?) Well, it got me thinking about what simple things that I could do in my own environment to improve the quality of air. Here is some debatable information that may blow your mind! Sorry to all you “Green Design” Lovers out there. Sometimes I don’t think that we realize the ramifications that “new-to-the market” building materials may have on our health.

As it turns out, indoor air quality has become one of the major concerns of the Environmental Protection Agency. Strangely enough, air inside homes and offices is more toxic than the worst outdoor air – possibly two to five times worse, especially in newer, energy efficient houses. Insulating properties designed to keep winter’s cold air out and summer’s air conditioning in are not assisting you in improving the air quality in your home. The old fashioned exchange of indoor/outdoor air doesn’t happen often enough in the newer energy efficient homes to keep interior air safe to breathe. It is times like these that I am glad I live in an 80 year old home! LEAD RULES!

The reality is that the implementation of new materials that can reduce your overall utility bill may also result in higher health costs. Allergies are on the rise. One study determined that 54% of our body’s energy comes from the air we breathe, so the stuffy air indoors – where most of us spend 90% of our time – are depleting our body’s natural resource for defense on every level while it attacks our immune systems with an overload of used air.

The traditional solution of “opening a window” isn’t always possible in office buildings.

Studies show that air filtration and purification systems can correct the problem. As I began to search for systems, I saw a mind-boggling assortment of options in a wide price range to improve the quality of the air we breathe. Not one filter or purification system can meet all needs in all areas, so it’s important to know what you are shopping for in an air cleaning system for your home.

Here are some pros and cons highlighted in pursuing a system, if you choose to at all:

These are key words that you will find on packaging or labels in the specifications of various systems

• Ionizers: This is a process used in conjunction with other kinds of filters. It emits a small electric charge to the air stream which draws air through it; this creates a magnetic-like attraction for pollution particles and causes them to adhere to the filter.

• Electrostatic Precipitators: Filters the air by creating opposite charges on metal wires or plates; this attracts and holds dust, pollen, smoke and other particles as small as .0001 microns on a metal, glass or fiberglass assembly that can be washed and re-used.

• Ultraviolet Light Purification: Passes the air through a UV system that destroys bacteria, viruses, and dust mites of any size.

• Ozone Releasing: Destroys all bacteria that comes in contact with the ozone, and leaves a “fresh” smell in the air. We associate this with the clean smell following rain, because some ozone, carried from the outer atmosphere where it protects us from harmful sun rays, remains in the lower atmosphere after a storm.

The safety of ozone gas in interiors, however, is questionable; it can irritate the lining of lungs and exacerbate breathing problems. The US federal government has set standards depending on the rate of filtration and room size recommendations. The Canadian government has banned the sale of ozone releasing air purification systems.

• High Efficiency Particulate Air (hepa) cleaners capture airborne pollutants .3 microns or larger; this includes some tobacco smoke, household dust, and pollens. The are designed to remove 99.97% of the particulates that pass through the filters, which cannot be cleaned and re-used; they must be replaced. They have no effect on fumes, viruses, bacteria, smaller mold spores, and some tobacco particulates.

• Ultra Hepa: A more efficient version of the hepa, the makers of these filters claim that they remove out 99.999% of the particulates that pass through them.

I often wonder if we are getting too smart for our own good. What does “environmentally friendly” really mean? What is “All Natural”? Did you know that you can buy a bag of “All Natural Doritos” at the grocery store now? We live in a society that has managed to put a label on everything, making us all believers in better ways to live our lives. Mother Nature is our oldest and most natural cleaning process. I think that our bodies adapt to our surroundings. Sure, some of us may feel that we will live longer than others due to the air quality around us, but in the end, we all have to “live” somewhere. Even if the Amazon was noted as having the best air around…what would happen if we ALL moved there? Not so great anymore…right?

Through all of my searching, I find myself laughing…just crack a window and live your life! Get outside for awhile. I have decided that instead of investing in an air purification system, I think a nice outdoor breeze sounds much better than recycling used indoor air.

What are your favorite outdoor activities? How do you feel about this green living trend?  Share your thoughts and pastimes on here!

Saving Money With Your Kitchen Appliances

Saving money is a huge concern for everyone these days! We have all cut out many unnecessary expenses from our monthly budgets. But have you thought about how to save money on your electrical bill? How about with the appliances that you have in your home? Did you know that the easiest way for you to do that is to purchase products that are Energy Star Certified?

Energy Star reports their certified products use 30 – 75% less electricity than other products. Can you believe that Energy Star actually has more than 50 categories of products that are eligible for certification? The appliances that are typically found in the home that can help you to save money include: refrigerators, dishwashers, stoves, and even televisions!

Appliances come in many finishes. The most popular finish found in the home today would be stainless steel. Stainless steel can give an upgraded look to any kitchen. It fits in new and old homes (although there are great alternatives out there to stainless steel; check out one such alternative in our blog “Kitchen Appliances: Out With Stainless, In With Bronze!“). Repeating the stainless steel throughout the kitchen is very easy to accomplish and will give off a completed look, such as a stainless steel sink, drawer pulls and cabinet knobs, lighting fixtures, canisters, etc. Stainless steel appliances will work in both traditional and modern environments. They especially look sharp when placed with maple cabinets for a more modern feel or with cherry cabinets in a more traditional look.

When paired with the right paint color, the outcome can be a dynamic up-to-date kitchen! Some popular kitchen colors are red, burgundy, light green, darker greens, and terracotta. It’s important to pick a color that you are comfortable with because the color can affect your mood. The kitchen is a room that many families spend time in together, so let’s make the times spent there as happy as possible!

Finally it’s time to think about your counter tops. For durability you many want to use a harder surface such as granite, concrete, or corian. For a less expensive finish, try Wilsonart’s HD laminate. I guarantee it will impress your guests. It almost looks like the real thing!

Did you know when looking to renovate your home that the kitchen should be given significant amount money set aside? This is because the kitchen tends to be a room where many family and friends will gather when visiting your home. When looking for your next project, keep this in mind! And most importantly, enjoy your new kitchen!

What is your favorite kitchen decor?  Color?  Have you upgraded to energy efficient Energy Star products yet?