Friday, September 26, 2008

The continuing saga of the coffee pot...

So, I got a brand new, small italian espresso pot. I was psyched cuz I got it at Ross. Oh, don't act like you don't ever shop at Ross! They're one of the only places I know of that carry these things, cuz they carry overstocks of products that don't sell and not too many people use my coffee pots.

I bought the small one to replace my little one with the burnt off handle. I get it home, take it out of the packaging, wash it and proceed to fill the bottom with water. As I am putting the middle into the bottom (this little thing has three parts to it) I notice that the handle is not straight. I push on the handle and it moves. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Another broken pot! Too bad, I still made the cup of coffee. I would have lost my mind by the time I brought this one back. Now I have to go and get another. This time I'll unwrap them all from their packaging and wiggle the handles before I bring another home. What do I expect for $ 6.00. They just don't make good quality cheap stuff like they use to!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

NO! You cannot gut and remodel your bathroom for $ 3,000!

OK, so this is such a serious post because this literally happens to me once a week. We all understand that the economy is horrible, but this has been happening for a lot longer than just recently.
I realize that, have you never remodeled your home or looked at the cost of fixtures, you might not have a realistic idea of the costs of remodeling. So let me be the first to tell you that you can do a nice cosmetic remodel for cheap. And, everyone's interpretation of cheap is different. Someone who's income is an average of $30,000 a year might consider cheap to be $500, while someone who earns $80,000 might consider cheap to be $4,000 or someone who earns a few mil might consider cheap to be $50,000. This is logical! What's not so logical is thinking that you can take your master bathroom and remove every fixture you have in there; your toilet, your tub, and shower, your double vanity- the cabinet, top, sinks, faucets, lights overhead, mirror, rip out the tile, add travertine or another tile, install new fixtures, tile your tub area, shower area, install a new cabinet, granite countertop, sinks, faucets, install a new light fixture, and framed mirrors- AND DO IT ALL FOR BETWEEN $ 1,500 AND $5,000!
I am great at working with a budget, but if that's your budget, perhaps this is not the right project to take on at this time.

If you saw a recent cosmetic makeover in a previous post, there are ways to give a facelift to your bathroom that will add significant value; but this client did not remove and reinstall any of the fixtures in their bathroom. One of the largest costs of a remodel is the labor to put all of your nice, new, inexpensive fixtures in. Sure, you found a great deal on a whirlpool for $ 1,200. Now you have to have someone come in and remove your current tub, $$$ (an average of $150, to $300. They have to demo, remove, dispose of and then deal with any leaks, cap off your current water lines, etc.). Then they have to install your tub and outside of charging you just to show up, $$$, they will need some supplies, $$$ and don't forget that an electrician needs to connect the power so you get all of those nice pulsating jets to work,$$$. Before you know it, your $ 1,200 tub became $ 2,100, And that's just your tub.

So you want a new vanity. That will set you back as little as $ 500, if you go the cheap route and buy some nice looking crap at Home Depot or Lowes, or upwards of $ 2,000 if you want an intricate custom piece. (Average is around $ 1,300)

Now your cabinet needs a top. You are faced with two posibilities. You can allow someone to make you a custom countertop, which can cost anywhere from $800 (unlikely) to a more likely $ 1,600. And that's just for something around five feet. That might include your two sinks undermounted, but that's just for a china bowl. Want anything fancy, glass, vessels, painted? Now you're talkin, $$$.
Or you can think you've struck gold cuz you found a granite countertop at a discount store for $500. That counter has to fit your cabinet size exactly (and only will if your cabinet is a standard size) If that counter needs to be altered, guess what- you're callin a granite fabricator. They don't like to work with an inferior product that they didn't make for you themselves. They cannot warranty it, and what if it gets damaged while they alter it for you? That's a risk that most fabricators charge for. Oh, you still need bowls (sinks) and they have to be undermounted for you and your counter has to be installed, $$$.

We still haven't bought faucets yet. Those can cost anywhere from $100 for a cheap look from Moen or Price Pfister to $500 or $600 for a top quality piece from Grohe or Brizo. There are so many brands out there, you are not limited to the display of 50 they have at that box store. Each brand might carry 50 styles on their own and each style has more than one finish. And who says you still have to do brushed nickel... Oh, this will be another blog for sure!

Ooh, now we have a tile floor or stone. Depending on where you go you will pay anywhere from $ 1.50 a square foot to $ 8.00 per square and thats for your floor and not including installation, that's just for your tile. An average tile installer will charge from $ 1.50 (if you can find a cheap guy like this, I'd question his work) to $2.50 a square foot to install. (If anyone is charging you more than this for a standard, straight laid, tile installation- WALK AWAY!) And, as I said, this is straight laid. (This is where the tile is laid in a standard grid pattern, with each square lined up vertically and horizontally. If you are doing a diamond pattern or a herringbone (where each tile above ends in the center of each tile below it), these cost a little bit more money in material and labor. This is because they will waste more tile making cuts and the cuts take time and you are paying for their time. Now, you've picked a smaller tile on a mesh backing for the walls of your shower. That's gonna cost whatever the tile is per square foot, an average of between $5.00 to $15.00 per square. Then that must be installed and that cost is much higher. Most tilers charge an average of $12.00 to $15.00 a square to install on a wall. Why? It's a bit more difficult to do, harder to level, more cutting involved. So if you are going 6' up your standard tub walls, you have 30' of wall behind you and approximately 15' of tile on each side of the tub. That equals 60 square feet of tile in total. You pick a nice mosaic that costs $10.00 per square foot. You are talkin 70 square feet of tile ( because you need an extra 10- 15% more tile for cuts and waste) x $25.00 (which is the cost of your tile plus installation at $15.00 per square) and you are paying $ 1,750 just to tile your walls. Thank goodness you saved money by not doing a shower!

Oh, we still haven't tiled your floor. Well that's priced at the much cheaper $2.50 per square foot plus the cost of the tile you picked, again $1.50 to $8.00. Do we all see the bigger picture? These prices are averages, but they are true to today's prices for these items.

I do these remodels on a weekly basis, and yet I am still surprised when I get a call or email from someone with that dreaded minuscule budget. As much as I'd love to say that it can be done, it's just not happening. Anyone that tells you otherwise is bound to cause you trouble in the end. Buyer beware and be informed!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Arizona and Wood Floors- Engineered Versus Hardwood

I will never forget last year's monsoon season and the bad luck that it brought to a former client for whom my company made a custom kitchen. Their home in Phoenix was being completely remodeled, gutted and rebuilt with an addition. The square footage doubled in size and their interior designer, who unfortunately for them, was not me, had specified an exotic hardwood floor for their home. All 4,000 square feet, including the bathroom was done in this hardwood. The client, who was residing somewhere else during the renovation, came by to look at the home. They just loved their floors, worshiped their uneducated designer for suggesting them. I'd been watching this guy's work for months. This magazine published designer sadly enough can't use a tape measure. He just happens to have a nice, tiny little showroom in a high end part of Scottsdale, so one would assume he knows what he's doing. Little did the clients know who would typically repair his messes, before they saw them. (but that's besides the point!)

Three weeks past during the month of July and August had come. So did our installation of the kitchen. As we walked across the rooms to the kitchen, each had gaps and skips between the rows of hardwood planks. WHY? Because it's hardwood, number 1. Arizona's climate is way too dry and then, suddenly way too humid during monsoon season. We just do not have a steady controlled climate to allow a solid wood to naturally expand and contract. Number 2, it was glued to the concrete subfloor, another AZ no no. His massive solid wood floor did exactly what a living breathing wood is suppose to do, it twisted, warped and moved with the moisture, just like a 2x4 would do if you left it sitting in a damp basement. (Most of us should remember what a real basement is like, we're not all native!)

Sure, you can sometimes get a really good deal at those liquidation places on these overstock hardwood floors, but there's a reason that they're overstock here. Any good floor installer will tell you to stay away from them. An engineered wood floor can be superior to a solid floor because it can be glued down directly to a slab, although I generally prefer that my installers float my floors. (This is where an installer attached the floor to itself rather than the subfloor, allowing for even the slightest bit of expansion and contraction.)

Let me explain to you what an engineered wood floor is. There are far too many misconceptions among the hardwood lovers. First off, an engineered floor is not a laminate or fake wood floor. Engineered wood is a strong product, superior to a chunk of wood, as it contains several pressurized layers stacked in opposite directions to build up the product and the top layer is your natural hardwood, just in a thinner layer. These built up layers offer strength, durability and a quality product that can withstand moisture, twisting and warping and many other conditions that your standard plank cannot.

You can find this product at any retail store where you will purchase a hardwood, in fact most good establishments will sell mostly engineered woods. They will typically cost the same as your hardwood and they should due to their benefits. They look exactly the same, once installed and wear the same as a standard wood floor.

I happen to have an excellent source for any species of wood floor that you desire. (If you are local) Come see me when you are ready to put some in! Anyone who mentions this blog will get 10% off your floors. Hey, gotta advertise somewhere! Next time, we'll talk about natural stone floors.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Bathroom Redo's On The Cheap






As we decide more and more that moving is just not the smart thing to do for the moment, many homeowners have decided to begin investing in what we already have. This is the wisest choice that a homeowner can possibly make. What has fallen down, crashed and burned must eventually trickle back up, so the value of our homes will not always reside in the toilet and the best way to help them out is by mini remodels.

Naturally, the most important rooms that you can enhance; the one's that give you the greatest value, are your kitchen and bathroom. You can always embark on a massive remodel, knock down walls, rip out major fixtures... if you need to. Or you can make those small investments that will make the most dramatic impact on your room and help generate value.

Here I have a small example of just that. This client's master suite had a few small issues that blocked value. They have a separate 5' shower and garden tub in great condition, but had plumbing fixtures with a brass and chrom combination, indicative of the late 90's. By replacing the shower faucet, we added instant value. Bye, bye brass!


The most promising area for improvement in their bathroom was their vanity. It was natural maple, which is not a crime, but still a tad outdated. Worse than that, it had cultured marble countertops with shallow sinks built-in and low chrome faucets. There was also textured wallpaper and a huge plate mirror with dressing room spot lights above. You know the ones, you might have some yourself. Who keeps insisting on manufacturing those ball lights anyway?


*** If you have no money to your name other than $100.00 and want to make an impact on your bathroom- nothing says custom or renovated like replacing your plate mirror or medicine cabinet with a framed mirror. Target, Bed Bath and Beyond and Linens & Things all have decent, sometimes great looking mirrors that you can use above your sink. That one change will go a long way!


On this bathroom, we refinished the cabinets to match the merlot/ brown color that we did in their kitchen. I strongly suggest that you do not embark on a do-it-yourself finishing project, as a refinish should always be done by professionals in order for it to be a quality finish that will not come off in time. By adding granite countertops called Juprana Angel, we accentuated the cabinets with the top's black, brown and merlot veining. To add some punch to the cabinets, I chose multi-level vessels in white vitreous china. the great thing about these sinks, is that you can mount them at whatever level you want. Are you shorter? You can invert the sink so only the top ring is showing. Taller or have a lower cabinet, mount this sink from a higher area. The other great thing about these sinks is that your faucet mounts onto the sink, as opposed to the faucet going into the sink itself. It eliminated the need for a vessel sink. (One thing that's important to know when using this sink withiut a vessel faucet is that you will want to use a decorative metal pipe chase or housing to go over the connectors, so you do not see them from the side of the cabinet as you walk by!)


We finished the look of this remodel by removing the wallpaper, testuring and painting the walls of this serene space in Sherwin Williams Halycon Green SW6213. Then, we added two brushed nickel, straight framed, contemporary mirrors and two new light fixtures.


Here's a realistic price breakdown of what you should expect to pay for the basics on such a project. (Hey, that's something they don't tell you on HGTV!)


In my area of Arizona you can now find discount stores that sell slab granite countertops. They are not first rate quality and they have to fit the exact size of your cabinet, as they only come in a few sizes. Most have pre-cut holes, so you could not use them with a vessel sink, but you can pick one up for between $300 to $1,500. The piece in our picture was a little over $2,000, as it was a rarer, better quality stone and was custom cut.


You can find china sinks for as low as $60.00 a piece at the box stores and they can easily be undermounted by a stone worker. Granite is not something that Joe Homeowner can install himself, as you need tools with carbide bits and stone cutting blades. The sinks in this example cost $300 a piece. A good quality faucet can run as little as $200 each. Each mirror was $100 and the lights were $200.


All in all, for a few grand you can completely transform your room and add a great deal of value to your home for when the market picks up...one day. But I'd just do it to beautify your home. Who wouldn't love to come and soak a while in a bathroom like this? Have a good night, all!

Broke My Damn Coffee Pot...


So, day two of this whole blogging thing. I never officially finished day one. I was right in the middle of finishing my blog about the great trends for 2009, when i realized, Hey- it's 11:00 PM, you might wanna get some sleep. Now normally, this wouldn't be a big deal because anyone that knows me- and now you too- know that I have sleep apnea. And the knowledge that I have sleep apnea causes me to go to sleep even later because I am aware that I constantly stop breathing at night and it's pretty annoying! I just decided I'd go to bed because I had been on the damn computer for about 6 hours working on this blog, answering client emails and designing a kitchen while making phone calls to reps and distributors. What a fun juggle!

So, anyway!!! I get woken up by my younger daughter, Aliyah, who's 14 to the sound of " Mom, I just woke up. I need a ride to school." What is it about the sound of that that makes me instantly want to go back to bed? I asked her to make me a cup of coffee- so I might actually want to get out of bed. I am at the point when I can actually drink my coffee, when I realize that she hasn't even made me a half a cup, and it smells kinda burnt. Yuck! What happened to the rest of the coffee that should've come out of the pot?

Now, I'm Puerto Rican and I drink Puerto Rican coffee (Cafe Bustelo) made in an italian espresso pot on the stove. It's the old fashion, traditional way to make it, but I love it that way. The problem with the pots is that the handle is made out of some black, easily meltable plastic. On a gas stove, you have to position your pot just right under the flame so as to not irritate the handle and allow it to slowly melt into a pile of goo that eventually falls onto your stove. So what happens? I now have a pile of goo on my stove top. She overcooked my coffee and melted the handle clean off my coffee pot! If only children could understand the cherished sanctity of enjoying that first cup of energy to start what could probably be a miserably stressed out day. If they only treasured the caretaking of a coffee pot like they do their ipod, I would not now have to add buying a new espresso pot to my day's list of things to do. I'd be damned if I wake up to no coffee come tomorrow morning. I hope this is not an indication of how my day will go today!

New Trends For 2009- continued

Sorry I had to cut my blog last night before giving you the rest of the coming trends for Fall 08 and Spring 09. Here's the rest:

Fabrics, Wallpaper & Paint Techniques-
Men's fashion continues to have a major influence in the dressings for our furniture. Sofas and chairs that have been living in linene weaves are expanding further into herringbones, pinstripes and argyles and so are new wallpapers. The look for faux finished walls is (THANKFULLY) turning away from the very Tuscan venetian plaster to leather and alligator prints. I will try to get some examples on this site. The colors for this look are grays, navy blues, browns and blacks.

Metals-
I had an interesting conversation, near quarrel with a client a few weeks ago about the cycles of things coming back in style every twenty years or so. He tried to tell me that the horrid oak cabinets he was spec'ing for his mutli million dollar new build would be coming back in style soon. Yeah, and so will brass! Lol. Nice try... Metals are, however, straying away from the streamlined purity of stainless steel and brushed nickel. Your silver tones will now have some distressing or glazes, overtones of darker colors like black or even other metals in a blend. Coppers and golden tones continue to be the trend for fall and next year- so look for warmer metals and fabrics with metal incorporated into the weave. Nearly everything has a shimmer to it for the coming seasons.

Casegoods (Wooden Furnishings)-
Thanks to the green movement and our retreat to nature, all styles are going to more distressed looks in wood. Bedposts are made from reclaimed elm, tattered oak and blends of many wood joined together to make beautiful variegated tones that can compliment most colors. Look for lightly distressed woods with golden highlights and undertones.
For contemporary and even creeping into more traditional styles, espresso and wenge woods still rule the earth. You will continue to see the sleek, modern sofistication of a neutral dark wood on which you can apply any colored linen you want.

Paint and Color-
Are You ready for some color? It's everywhere. Appliances are even following suit in colors like red and plum and orange. Colors for the coming season take their cues from nature, a sonoran sunrise or sunset. We have the advantage of some of the most beautiful displays of colors in our Arizona skies. A sunset can be bright red and pink and purple and bright blue all at the same time. Every color that we see has massive intensity, greens are extremely infused like green apples and great mid tones. Nothing like the former hunter or sages of yesteryear. Reds border on tomato, oranges are deep. Purples are dusty bordering on grays or browns and yet the pinks are vibrant like fushia. Each color can be adapted into any design style from Traditional to Country to Tuscan to Contemporary- as our interiors get a little more eclectic and less formally done. Designers are still giving you that picture perfect "model home" look, but with more of a laid back, comfortable feel.

Look for all of these trends to come. Some might be a bit overwhelming to you, but incorporating just one or two pieces will help you stay in the now.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Interior DesignTrends For 2009

As a designer, it is my duty to stay ahead of the fashion trends in the world of home furnishings. Most might not realize it, but we take our cues from the runways and often what's in in makeup and transmit it into our spaces as the new thing for the coming season in home decoration.

Every year, I make it a point to attend at least one of the two large trade only interior design shows in Las Vegas at the World Market. World Market is the cornerstone of the interior design world with millions upon millions of square feet of home furnishings and other related manufacturer's stores and office hubs. It's the mother of all design centers across the country and twice a year they throw a big, week long bash to stimulate new business and promote forward thinking in the world of design.

As you walk from room to room, you see the tone set for the coming season in the displays and newest furniture pieces. Good designers come back home and make them known to their clients in fresh new designs for their home with the upcoming fabrics and color choices.

Although I like to create timeless interiors, I like to have fun with the trends as well. You can always sneak a little trendiness into a sensible space. Here are the trends for Fall 2008 and Spring 2009.... Grays continue to be a strong color for rooms with a mood. Gray is the new black, becoming the staple neutral, it can coordinate with just about any color you throw at it. Just be careful to stay within the same season, either warm or cool colors. Here, a medium based gray is paired with accessories in Sherwin Williams Golden Gate 7679. (the pillows, lamp and vase).

Yes, U Can Do Color!

Ok, so I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me. I go and see a client for a color consultation ( this is when a client has a room or series of rooms that they would like to paint but have no clue what colors to use in their space. This consultation is done for a flat fee in a smaller home, although I may just charge my hourly fee in a larger house, typically over 4,000 square feet) and the first thing that I hear is, "I like neutral colors like beiges, browns, taupes and tans." Are you serious? Do you really like those colors? Their next usual response is either, well it makes it easier to decorate because you can just add "punches of color" ( see, someone was watching HGTV again) or it's better for resale value to have a neautral color pallette. To which I normally reply, "Well are you planning on moving soon?" And I usually get a puzzled look shining right back at my gorgeous face.



Tell me why do we feel we have to decorate our house for the person that has yet to move in five years from now? If you are not planning on selling your home in the next four years, you need to paint your home in colors that will satisfy YOU. And most likely, that is not Baked Potato! Why are we scared of color anyway? Truth is most of us aren't. We paint our walls tan and then buy a blue sofa. You're not scared of color, you're just scared to put it in the right place. Here's some color therapy for you. It's only a can of paint... It's only a can of paint... It's only a can of paint. Say it with me now. Why the mantra? Because a can of paint costs $20 on average. A sofa can cost a few grand. Why are people so scared of spending $20 on a color that they like and putting in the background of their room.? If you hate it, you can always paint over it again. And there are ways to make sure you like what you put up before you put it up on the wall.



Sherwin Williams, whose paint I absolutely adore, makes sample quarts that cost $5.00 a pot. Sure, you can get smaller samples, but I like the quart for a reason. One big mistake that people make is that they take that small sample and take a brush and make a smattering on their wall the size of their head, then try to decide whether they like the color on their walls. WRONG!



Take your sample pot and go to several areas of the room that you are about to paint. You need to be certain that your color will work in a few different ways. If you are too nervous about doing this on your walls, go to Michaels or your local craft store and purchase a piece of foam core. ( a thick piece of poster paper with a thin layer of foam inside)

* Next, take a paint brush or small foam roller and paint a large section of the board, at least a 2' by 2' square or a little over half of the foam core.

* First, take your painted square and place it behind your major piece of furniture in the room and look at how the color compliments or contrasts against your furniture.

* Now, take your paint to an area of the room where natural sunlight hits it. So many times I get calls from clients that say " I loved this color and then I saw it in the light and now it looks pink. I hate pink!" Sometimes a color will look great under your overhead light or in the latter part of the day, yet look entirely different in the sun or as you first wake up. You have to love your color, no matter the time of day. Colors also show their undertones depending upon what they are next to, which brings me to my next step...

* Finally, if your room is open to another adjacent room. NOW, THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEIR ROOM COLORS SHOULD MATCH OR HAVE A SPECIAL COORDINATED FLOW FROM ONE ROOM TO THE NEXT, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY ARE CLOSED OFF OF EACH OTHER AND SEPARATED BY A DOORWAY OR EVEN A DOOR. THIS IS SOOOO OLD SCHOOL WAY OF THINKING. IF YOUR ROOM IS CLOSED OFF FROM THE NEXT ONE, THOSE COLORS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH EACH OTHER. THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE IN THE SAME FAMILY; THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE TO BE FRIENDS! If your home has more of an open floor plan, like your family room is open to your kitchen; take your paint color to the area or end of the wall where your one color will end and the next room's color begins. One of the largest mistakes that I see in homes is that a client will have two adjoining rooms in two different shades of a color- like a tan and one room has a cool tan and the adjacent room's tan is warm. What a fashion faux- pas!

If you've done all of these steps and you are happy with your color choice, paint your room. If not, another sample is only $5.00 away!

No matter what, whether you are doing it yourself, or hiring a painter, paint is the simplest way to transform the mood of your room. Beige is not the only neutral in the world, anymore. There are neutrals in every hue of the color wheel. If you are still unsure, you can always consult a design professional. Painters are good at what they do... and that's painting. Don't ever ask their advice on colors. That's not their field of expertise; they know how to put it on the wall. And more than anything, paint for yourself not someone else. More than likely, when they have bought your home in 2013, they will be doing the same thing!

Welcome To My Blog...

Or I guess I should say, welcome to my life. My husband has been pushing me to start one of these for a while now, and I never knew just how to fully implement it. Sure, I've got alot to say...so much, in fact, that I can probably start a whole series of blogs, but then I'll never get any work done and will be the brokest interior designer with a blog, who will then have nothing to say... If that makes any sense!
I will be the first to admit, that I am no computer expert. I know what I wanna say and I've figured out how to put it into cyber space. But I think I can really help alot of people, maybe even make a few laugh. How do I get people to see this? Just because you have a blog, doesn't mean people know you're out there. So, this is an experiment! I want to see just how many of you HGTV worshipers and DIY gurus, Top Design and Candace Olson tivo-ers (if thats even a word) I can hook onto my insite and into life. If you find this boring now, give me a few days to actually get some content on here...geez! and welcome.