Sectionals Are Back!

Do you remember the days when sectionals were really popular? I remember thinking it was the neatest thing that so many people could fit on one sofa.

Sectionals are coming back in a big way. They are not the sofas we remember from our past.

In today’s economy and housing market, many people are downsizing their living spaces. This doesn’t necessarily change the number of people using the room.

Sectionals can be a great solution to this problem. They’re all about functionality. Many manufacturers have the ability work with you to design the perfect sectional for your room. Sectionals are convertible. You can remove a piece if the sofa no longer fits your space.

A chaise lounge on the end of a sofa or sectionals have also become popular. They allow for one person to lie down while someone else sits on the sofa. Many companies even make the chaise base removable. If an extra sofa cushion or cushion for the chaise base is sold with your sectional you can transform them into an ottoman. Now that’s impressive!

Sectionals can make your life a little bit more comfortable. For example, some of the seats have reclining footrests, movable headrests, even drawers to store remotes, magazines or blankets. Some sectionals even include a corner piece that connects two regular-sized sofas together. It can be removed to leave you have two separate sofas.

Sectionals come in almost any style, from modern to country to traditional. If you go to the right furniture store you can customize your fabric.

Will you be spending a lot of time in this room? Don’t forget to ask about performance fabric options.

Are you excited about the comeback of sectionals? I sure am!

Wow, Look at that Sink!

Are you thinking about redoing the sink or vanity in your bathroom? What about your powder room or half bath? This is typically the bathroom that all of your guests use when visiting your home. Selecting a decorative vanity or sink is a great way to impress guests. 

Artwork

When walking into a half bathroom, the first thing you typically see after the wall in front of you is the sink. Start by selecting a beautiful piece of artwork to hang on that wall and then concentrate on what you can do with the vanity or sink.

Pedestal Sink

A typical powder room or half bathroom may have the sink of the side of the door swing and a toilet located behind the door, when it is open. If you focus on the sink, the answer is easy – select a decorative pedestal sink! I recommend choosing one with just a little bit of room on the sides of the bowl? There is nothing harder than trying to put your makeup on or doing your hair without a place to put items down on. Some pedestal sinks today have built-in decorative towel bars.

Pedestal Bowl

But maybe you would like more of a vanity. Wood is a great choice here, but make sure there are cabinets or drawers built in. If there is not, you will have to find creative ways to store toilet paper, tissues, soap, etc. Today the majority of people select a vanity where the bowl is recessed inside the cabinet. Consider a pedestal bowl. They look really trendy, but beware when trying to get ready in the bathroom that those high sides of the sink could get in the way. If you are simply going to be washing your hands in there, it is one of the most fashionable choices available!

Cabinet

When selecting a recessed bowl, I suggest an antique wood cabinet base. The decorative details on the sides or doors will provide an impressive effect from the moment guests walk in. Often the counter and bowl will be a slate, tile, or granite material to offset the decorative details in the base cabinet.

How have you spiffied up your bathroom sink?

New Life for Leftover Paint

What should you do with your leftover paint after you finish a project? We’ve seen it a thousand times. You want to save it for touch ups but soon enough those old paint cans clutter your basement. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 10 percent of all household paints get discarded, which is equivalent to 65-69 MILLION GALLONS!!

We could really paint the town, couldn’t we?

Paint has a tendency to be high in Volatile Organic Compounds. Fungicides are often found in very old paint, along with their friends lead and mercury.

If you do want to keep your paint for touch ups I recommend the following:

Remove the lids and tightly place two, if not three, secure pieces of saran wrap over the top of the can and then place the lid on TIGHTLY! Funny as this sounds, store your paint cans upside down, like you would with a wine bottle. This will keep a tight seal and the paint inside will stay fresher for longer.

Other thoughts on what to do with those half used cans:

• Consider donating the paint to a local charity for reuse. For example: The Park District in my city will accept SOME used paint, depending on it’s age, for art classes in the summer and the students paint murals under the viaducts.
• Recycle it! If you choose a water base or latex paint it can be recycled, but please check with your local environmental agency and/or visit earth911.com for other recycling options.

Remember that older paints are oil or lead based and are extremely flammable! These older paint cans are actually considered hazardous waste. Be careful and make sure that you know what you are doing with these. Be aware of your local laws for proper disposal of hazardous waste. I would advise taking the old cans into your local paint store for help if you are not sure how to dispose of them properly.

Best of Luck! Be good to the environment!

Hall Trees, Coat Racks, Hooks and Hangers

My inspiration for this article came from my very own foyer, where my hall tree has begun to see its final days. The hall tree that I am referring to sits in a niche and belonged to my parents; it is what I remember hanging my coats on as a child. Over the years it has seen many-a-coats and has a charm about it that is hard to explain. The brass has seen better days and one of the arms finally gave way.

As I began to search for a replacement, I found myself hard pressed to find something even remotely similar. More recently the design has changed to incorporate a bench and perhaps a tall backboard with hooks – a perfect design for the right application in maybe a mud room…not very good for my formal foyer entry to my home. Still searching!

I began to question the history of coat racks, who created them? Why were they designed in the format of a tree? Maybe this research would help me find a replica of the one I would like to replace.

There’s very little history to be found as to the origins of the coat rack and no one is quite sure who invented it, but it is widely believed that Thomas Jefferson (yes, author of the Constitution and the United States’ third President, as well as the person responsible for the Louisiana Purchase) invented the first coat hanger, which precedes the coat rack or hall tree. (It’s thought, at least, that the popular wire hanger was invented in 1903 by a Mr. Albert J. Park house because there were too few coat hooks on the coat rack available for his employees’ coats.) Considering that Lewis and Clark embarked upon their expedition while Mr. Jefferson was President, it is certain that the coat rack existed as a tool in the woods on a branch of a tree.

We don’t know who invented the coat rack, but historically, it has been a very handy option (especially since before the turn of last century, most houses were built with limited closet space). Clothes were usually stored in trunks and coat racks were made for hanging clothes. Cabinets today known as armoires were also created around this time to act as wardrobes which stored coats.

After numerous attempts to find information in my Google search, I found a handful of styles. The first image is by a craftsman in Florida who refers to himself as the wood wrestler. He has an exquisite array of handcrafted wood pieces available on his site, including some of the best looking rocking chairs that I have seen in awhile.

I also found a store bought item that is tongue and cheek in its “natural” state of design. There are a few more modern options as well. Finding them is slightly difficult, but so is finding the perfect piece of art sculpture.

Because of their ease of use and versatility, coat racks are making a comeback. They are ideal for small spaces, such as a studio apartment and are much more versatile than built-in closets. They are also a much more inexpensive option, rather than installing closets. Often times in older homes there are no hall closets at all and this becomes a simple and obvious solution for that problem.

Enjoy your quest to finding the right hall tree, coat rack, and/or hooks! Consider it a piece of art! One that will last a lifetime and carry generations of coats!

Simple Ways to Spruce Up Your Bathroom

Often the bathroom is a room in our home that gets forgotten about. But why? We are actually in there for a decent portion of our morning routine…well, at least us women are! Bathrooms can easily become one of the most gorgeous rooms in the home without a ton of thought.

Color: The majority of our bathroom fixtures are white – they just come standard that way. So the easiest solution would be to paint the bathroom a color! Color pops great against the stark white fixtures. I might suggest a green, purple, or a blue.

Shower Curtains: For a more upscale look, purchase a fabric shower curtain verses the plastic ones. They won’t show the mildew that can form overtime and you can wash it. What could be better than that? Did you know there are also fabric curtain liners? These can be washed, are more environmentally friendly and don’t stink like plastic when you take them out of the package for the next month of your life.

Towels: To really make the color pop on the walls, buy a striped towel that has your paint color in it. This is the easiest way to bring in multiple colors and the towel designer has already figured out what color coordinates with yours!

Accessories: If there is room on your vanity, try placing a floral or candle arrangement on the counter to give a relaxing feel.

Storage: Placing baskets on the floor is an easy and fashionable way to store toilet paper, rolled-up fresh towels, shampoo and soaps that will impress your guests.

Artwork: Artwork that pops your color scheme can really make an impact in this small room. Just be careful to select one that will not be damaged by moisture. Try hanging it above the toilet to fill the open space that usually exists.

Light Fixtures: Many new construction homes have simple strip lighting fixtures with bare bulbs above the sink. I don’t know about you, but they really hurt my eyes if I look at them first thing in the morning. Go to your local Home Depot, Lowe’s or lighting store and find a new lighting fixture. This can usually be found for under $100 and if you are at all handy when it comes to electricity, it can be easily replaced. Buy one in brushed silver or bronze with frosted glass shades to give your bathroom an updated look and be easy on your eyes in the morning. Don’t forget to use compact fluorescents in your new fixture, now you can save money on your electric bill too!

I bet the start of your day will seem a little brighter when you start it off in a great looking bathroom!  How have you designed your bathroom to give it a softer feel?

Thinking Vertically – Making the Most of the Space You Have

When you want to make a space look bigger, you have to get lighter as you go up. A dark ceiling can make a space feel closed in, so naturally doing to opposite and making a space lighter towards the top will give the space expanse. A light-colored ceiling reflects light and allows for openness. So now that you have an expanded space, what can you do to fill it and bring it to it’s full storage and display potential?

Thinking vertically is a way to use limited floor space and gain storage at the same time. We create floor plans most of the time in interior. Traditionally a floor plan is the equivalent of slicing a space at the four foot elevation and marking everything below that line. For this blog I want to focus on the space above that 4 foot line.

A really trendy and creative way to think vertically is the use of ladders. Either a super sheik metal ladder or perhaps an antique ladder matches your style; both will serve the purpose of thinking vertically. There are even some nice bookcases that look like ladders that are a great alternative to assist in the vertical movement.

Memo boards are another good way to use your wall space. Memo boards are a dressed up way to display notes, cards or other “to dos.” A memo board is just a little more dressed up. Plus, with this type of display, you can make one very easily yourself – select your favorite fabric and ribbon, add a staple gun and a spare piece of board and you are golden! But don’t forget buttons and batting to wrap it up!

Finally, shelving overhead is a great way to think vertically. When talking about that space over 4 feet – why not go all the way up to 6 or 7 feet on the way? This type of installation might give you a heavy feeling from above, but it all depends on what you are planning on putting on the shelving. If you choose heavy books, the shelves will be visually heavier along with having a heavier load.

So whatever method of thinking vertically you pick, just be sure to get the most out of your wall surface area!

How do you use your walls to think vertically?

Stairs That Double as Storage – Why Have We Not Thought of This Before?

I am all about planning for more than one purpose. Recently I was reading through some articles and I saw this great image of storage and stairs combined. I know that currently in my apartment, the space under my stairs to my loft is a dead space – I actually have my TV sitting underneath as if it was a cubby. When I saw this creative use of storage, I was awestruck and found myself asking “Why have I not seen this before?!” This is a smart solution that can also look beautiful. Just don’t let it become a junk collector! However, this could almost do away with a console table by the front door. Save money and save space!

Often enough, in a lot of living situations, the stairs can be found close to the front entry – in this photo you can see a good use of a drawer for immediate show storage. One of the “greenest” things you can plan for is reducing your overall building footprint – so why not save the space. Also, if this encourages your kids to put their shoes away and out of site, more power to you! I would just make sure to include a mat or at least clean it out often… I just would not want a pair of stinky tennis shoes to smell up the joint. Every time you open the drawer you would want to enjoy it, not dread it!

I also remember growing up and having a small closet that was built under the stairs – this is another great way to incorporate storage and stairs. If your space is built, this could be accomplished by a local millworker. The inside of the closet does not even necessary have to be finished – but if there is dead space under your stairs, why not put it to use?

It is important to keep in mind that if your stairs are “stacked” in your home, meaning the stairs from the basement are directly below the stairs from floor one to floor two, that most of these solutions will not work – but that is OK. It just means your space was planned well to begin with! But, if you live in a ranch, or in a space like mine, there is only one floor to travel to; you should be set to make your best attempt at smart storage.

How do you use your space efficiently?

How to Make Exercise a Part of Your Small Space

During the winter, I think we all have tendency to gain a few pounds. I know the reason this can happen to me is because, no matter how great my gym is, if I have made it home and there is snow and ice building up outside, I really do not have the desire at the end of my day to venture out in it again. There always seems to be the next space saving piece of exercise equipment on infomercials, but what if I have no desire to do the same exercise over and over again, and I do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on that single static piece?

I think one of the greatest ways to make a space feel bigger and offer a nice exercise ready element is to add mirrors. This is great because it spreads light and will offer a more open and inspiring space to get you ready to sweat. You could get large frameless mirrors from a local glass store or building supply. Or, if you really wanted to conceal your workout space, you could get a more decorative framed mirror and have that double as your workout partner. Another idea is to get a series of smaller mirrors and hang them as a collage to make a wall of mirrors. When you are ready to workout, you can just move a piece of furniture or two to make room.

Other smart piece of basic equipment that are small in scale are yoga mats, a set of free weights and a deflatable abdominal ball. All of these items are easy to store. But what to store them in?

One of my favorite pieces of furniture I have is my rolling coffee table/ottoman. It is actually my toy box from when I was a kid. I have repainted it at least three times and I made a removable lid and added castors. This piece has traveled through childhood, to college and now to my apartment in metro Detroit. The beauty of this piece is that I store all of my small exercise equipment inside. Now it has so many purposes – storage, foot rest and exercise bench!

So no matter is you have the self reliance to make it to the gym this winter, or maybe you are craving a little hermit-like activity, with little space and some smart storage choices, you can have space to burn some calories!

What are your solutions to working out in small spaces?

Get Rid of the Clutter!

Do you want a designer friendly looking house? Then start by getting rid of the clutter! Clutter is the fastest way to ruin the look of a space. I’m talking papers, books, too many throws and pillows, envelopes, large quantities of candles, etc. Life gets very busy and clutter is a result of this. I understand completely that it happens, but let’s get creative about clearing out the clutter.

The most common idea people have to get rid of clutter is a junk drawer. Well, this works great…until we find ourselves rummaging through trying to find something and it is nowhere to be found. Then we start taking everything out and the next thing you know, there are piles on the table. Let’s limit what goes in the junk drawer and that will solve some of these issues.

Next, try a small chest or cabinet to incorporate into your room, entrance or hallway. There are many fashionable chests available. These are the perfect places to store extra blankets, photos, CDs or DVDs, table clothes, napkins, etc. You name it and the sky is the limit! We all have these items that we don’t want to get rid of but need a place to shove them. Plus, this is a perfect opportunity for a lamp to help light up the room!

How about bookcases? Not only is this the perfect spot to store many books, but it’s also a great opportunity to display accessories that you can not part with. Getting items up off the floor and tables really opens up the space. Accessories should be kept to a limit on cocktail and end tables to eliminate the clutter. I recommend utilizing these extra pieces on a bookcase and don’t forget to accessorize the top! Typically it is best to work in odd numbers with accessories. Standard would be three accessories on the cocktail table while one to three accessories on the end table. Otherwise, the tabletop can start to look cluttered. The same odd numbers can be repeated on the bookcase.

Storage ottomans are also a great idea! These are perfect places to hide blankets or pillows. Possibly even the television remote or game controller. Plus, it allows for a comfortable place for people to prop their feet up or allows for an extra seat at a crowded party.

Have your own unique storage solution? Share it with us so we can all have a designer-friendly pad!

Creating Storage

Often times, we may all find that we begin to accumulate a lot of “stuff.” Where did it all come from? We may not want to throw it away, contrary to what I have stated in previous articles. So what do we do with all of it?

The more living that you pack into one space, the more things that you may want to display. We all want to define areas and make them “speak” to the style that we are trying to portray. For all of the activities that may take place in one room, there may be several more corresponding items and equipment that may need to be stored nearby. Converting empty areas into storage space will help to avoid clutter build up in your room.

By borrowing space from walls, meaning that a 12″ to 24″ depth storage unit may take up that much floor space, but will also yield a tremendous amount of vertical storage in the room. By building shelving, both open or closed cabinets, you will be able to accommodate all types of storage space and de-clutter a room.

Easy solutions include lining up ready-made modular storage units that can accommodate books, games, picture frames, baskets full of …all of those little odds and ends that you just don’t know where to put. Whether you are building or buying storage units, make sure that they will accommodate the items that you wish to store.

There are often times that a common large item that most people want to disguise from time to time is a television. Make sure that whatever storage unit you choose to purchase will have the ability to run wires and cords to and from. Also remember that using a remote control may become a problem if the receiver is behind a closed door. I always recommend glass front doors. Some of my clients want those components to “disappear,” which could be done by inserting a small panel of sheer fabric behind the glass. Most of the time, the receiver can still pick up a signal even through the fabric (test before installing).

Remember the rule of thirds when storing books and items on a shelf. The objects should compositionally only take up a third or two thirds of the space and alternate from shelf to shelf, which will create both positive and negative space.

What kinds of great storage solutions have you found?  Please share with everyone!

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