Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Newlyweds, New Life, Shared Space





This week I had the pleasure and fun of working with a couple that are tying the knot in two weeks and just closed escrow on their first major purchase together- their new home! They called on me to help them plan their next space, but, being on a newlywed budget, were hoping to start the process of their potential remodel slowly!

One of the hottest trends for my company is the introduction of our D-I-Y Design Consultation. With this $350.00 consult I spend up to three hours in a client's home learning about them and how they use their space, assisting them with design questions and dilemmas, educating them about the proper ways to use scale, furnishings, layout, colors, fabrics, window, wall and floor ideas and decor. For those who hope to take a more active role in their remodel or those just getting started, this has become a great way to save money on the potential costly mistakes made when homeowners go it alone. For Nicole and Andrew, who needed to focus their money on their wedding, this was the perfect way to help them understand how to tackle "the meeting of the things!" You know... her things meeting his things and trying to blend them in their brand new space. For couples embarking on their first home together, this is the most common dilemma to address and often ends up in an argument about what should stay and what should go.

Since Nicole and Andrew were closing on their home a few days after our first phone consult, I asked them to both take pictures of their current living spaces. We discussed their likes, dislikes and things they hoped to keep and incorporate in their new adjoined space. This is the best first step and should be done WAY in advance of your move. Most couples "just do it" and then get a mish mash of clutter and chaos with two styles of decor that are completely different and often tacky together.

We then met together at their new space and began with the most important room of the home- the family room. (Aha, I bet you thought I was going to say the kitchen? Totally different perspective here). When planning a new interior room by room, I begin with the place that is most visited by your guests. Yes, kitchens are often the "hub" of the home, but you usually have to pass through the family room to get there and you don't often have new friends or visitors in your kitchen. When starting with your family room and then working outward, eliminating the rooms that guests will focus on most upon entry to your home, it takes away a lot of the "new home stress" and allows you to later plan the rooms that are more intimate and private, like your master suite.

Nicole is more of a Pottery Barn, easy living girl. She likes a combination of transitional, plush and comfy  furnishings and soft, lighter colors. Andrew prefers sleek, contemporary pieces but likes dark, masculine shades (of course). One would think there is not common ground to two styles that are such polar opposites, but that's what I'm there for.
Since Pottery Barn is Nicole's favorite haunt, I began there. This is her sofa- the Charleston...
Charleston SofaIt has a loose pillow back with rolled arms and a slip-covered body. It's soft and delicate and very, very beige. She has a few colored throw pillows on it for (my least favorite designer catch phrase...((wait for it))).... pops of color. Andrew has a sofa he bought at a contemporary furniture store in Seattle. It has a low back and chunky boxed arms. It's more structured and a medium charcoal gray color- very industrial feeling and not the most comfortable in the world, but he seems to sit in the same spot A LOT, because there is a massive dip on the right side of the seat cushion.

From room to room, their looks were distinctly night and day, except for the bedroom, where they both liked the same calming and simple mission style slat bed and plain side tables. Their aim was to focus on the family room, living room (which is not the same), kitchen and powder room (which was easy for them since they bought my new E-book ((shameless, but true plug))). Now, back to a few tricks they learned in their family room...

To create a good compromise between her love of plush sofas and his love of all things structured and sleek, I suggested they still purchase at Pottery Barn, but go for the PB Comfort Square Grand. For the color, I suggested Twill Seagrass. It's a great median between her soft color palette and his manly grays.
 PB Comfort Square Upholstered Grand Sofa Knife-Edge, Polyester Wrap Cushions, Twill SeagrassThis sofa has a loose cushion back but more structured arm in a box style and short tapered legs, making it a more modern transitional piece, but still comfortable. For a coffee table, I suggested this wooden Rhys table with apothecary style bottom drawers.
Rhys Coffee TableAgain, it's sort of sleek but also warm wood, so it's a great mix, but to get a more industrial feel, I suggested these end tables to compliment the look.
Sabella End Table (Set of 4) (21250)Note: Your coffee table and end tables do not have to match, they just need to coordinate in a manner that is pleasing to the eye and doesn't throw off the balance of good scale in the room.

For paint colors for this room, I went with warm neutrals that were a combination of gray and green. They are soft, but also gender-less so they appeal to both of them. Here are a few examples that can work.


For an accent rug, I am loving this selection from www.homedecorators.com.
Sakura Area RugIt has subdued gray green tones and a modern twist on branches that can appeal to both his and her style. Once the basics are done, selecting wall art and decor is easy. One of the largest problems that couples face is editing because they are use to having too many decorations or, in Andrew's case, adding, because he had too little. When adding decor, there really is no "less is more or more is better" routine. It depends on the individual space, the wall it's on and the quality and scale of the pieces you are incorporating. For some reason homeowners are under the impression that they must line every available area with decor? While you don't want bald spaces appearing in your home, you can pair down to less, more high quality pieces to showcase, rather than multiples of stuff everywhere!

After giving them a list of places to shop, selecting color schemes, a change in flooring, helping them measure and understand the "why" behind a lot of what us designers do when planning a room, Nicole and Andrew were set free to explore taking on their new home. I'm excited to see what they do and look forward to the pictures. Congratulations to Nicole and Andrew S. of Chandler, AZ on your new life together and your new stylish space! If you need a bit of designer help to create your perfect space, contact me for your D-I-Y Design Consultation. Live outside of AZ? I have a plan for your too!
 

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Countertop Resurfacing? Don't even go there!

I am all for being frugal where you can on your home remodel. What I will never promote, however, are do-it-yourself projects that will devalue your home, and the home stores are FILLED with them. Today I have to go into one of the newest and worst ideas I have ever seen for your kitchen- Countertop Resurfacing…


I can’t say enough to discourage you from ever using such a product, but I’m going to do my best! Que feo! Rust- Oleum has some fantastic products. I use their spray paints all the time for various projects around my home, but this product is just WRONG! My strongest advice when you are ready to replace your laminate countertop- is to actually REPLACE your laminate countertop. Consider where you live and the materials that other homeowners in your surrounding neighborhood are using for their home. If you are not going to upgrade to a more luxurious material such as granite or quartz, I can tell you that Formica, Pionite, Wilsonart and a few other laminate manufacturers have come up with a slew of amazing laminates that resemble granites and slates and fantastic stones. Many have textures or scratch resistant coatings and are very affordable. I will most definitely do a post on one of my favorites by Formica soon. For now let’s get back to this horrible idea of resurfacing your countertops.
Have you ever seen a garage with a coated floor? They look pretty neat. The floor has a nice polish, thick coating of paint with a sealer and can contain flecks in the mix to give it some pizzazz. Would you ever put that on your countertop? That’s exactly what you are doing if you use this kit. Yes, it’s appealing to think you can do it yourself and save a ton of money. This kit can range from $140.00-$200.00, but a post-form laminate countertop can cost you around the same price and a custom laminate countertop- brand new- is not much more than that. The look that this kit offers is more similar to the older style laminates of the early 90′s or the older solid surface countertops that had small or medium sized speckles throughout. It looks NOTHING like a granite or stone, like it attempts to represent. The result of the work you will do with this kit will never look even close to the overdone flecking they show on the box and even that does not look spectacular. Furthermore, if you ruin this project or don’t quite like the look when you’re done, you’ve wasted time and effort and will still need to replace it in the future. This project falls under my “Measure Twice, Cut Once Philosophy”. A skilled craftman will measure twice to avoid a mistake. I use this quote all the time to inform homeowners that proper preparation avoids costly mistakes. Usually, when I say proper preparation, I mean hire a professional. It is great when you can do it yourself and some projects qualify for this, but specialized trades have come into existence for a reason. If everyone could do it, everyone would open up a business doing it. Things that require skill should be done by their trade professionals. Countertops fall under that category almost as much as refinishing your own kitchen cabinets (oh, don’t even get me started on that non-sense! That will be another post!).
Resurfacing is a process that offers a questionable time period of wear and tear. The look is not desirable so it is not an improvement and therefore it decreases the value of your kitchen. If you were to sell your home, this would deter buyers who would consider this an item that must be replaced, a cheap fix for the most important room of the home. Please, don't even go there! You will be disappointed and pay twice as much for something you could have done right the first time. I hope this post will help you make an informed decision on this product. Hopefully, with enough complaints, dislike or lack of sales, the big box stores will take such a bad product off the shelves!