I’ve dragged my feet on this one for way too long. I have this blank wall in my living room and I have thought about filling it since moving almost a year and a half ago. It’s one of the last hold outs in my house and I just can’t seem to find the inspiration to get it done. The worst part is, it’s one of the first impressions in my home. When guests enter my foyer, the living room is immediately to the left and the first thing they see is my giant empty sofa wall.
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How to Get a Small Entryway Styled for Under $100
My journey from cluttered catch all space to a welcoming and styled front entry. I’ll show you step by step how I completed the project for a mere $100.
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Stressed Out Over a Queen Bed in a 10’ x 10’ Bedroom? Here’s 8 Hacks to Help
It doesn’t matter if you’re making over a small bedroom or downsizing from a large bedroom to a smaller one, there is always going to be some give and take in order to make that space work the best for you. So, it’s no surprise to me that the most asked question I get is how do I make my 10’ by 10’ bedroom work? The second most asked question is how do I make my 9’ x 12’ bedroom work?, followed by 10’ x 12’ room…
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Cork vs. Bamboo Flooring. Everything You Need to Know: Cost, Sustainability and Maintenance
Both cork and bamboo are sustainable flooring products that are better for the environment and can offer a durable and stylish options for our homes. But exactly how do they compare in terms of cost and maintenance? Are they really the most durable and green materials? If you’re in the market for some new flooring, here’s the pros and cons of cork vs. bamboo flooring to help you decide which might be the better option for your home.
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Moving into a Small House Doesn't Have to be Hard. Read These 5 Tips
There’s a lot of reasons to consider moving into a smaller place. Most of the reasons involve a life change: the kids are grown and on their own. A partner or spouse is no longer with you. You find that you can’t or don’t want to maintain a large house and yard. No matter what the reason, the potential to go small can be very appealing.
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Is Your Morning Magic? How to Create the Time to Get Stuff Done!
The holidays are a wonderful time to catch up with the people you cherish but it can also me a hectic time: last minute parties, work deadlines, school concerts and a whole lot of other things that demand your time and attention. Before you spend time addressing all those other tasks, I’d like to share with you a simple morning routine that has helped me to keep everything in my life in check.
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What You Ought To Know About When Planning Your Living Room Makeover
Knowing how much money you want to invest in a room makeover is the not the creative part of the project. Budget engages a different part of the brain – the logical part. It’s the part that introduces doubt. Having a realistic investment range for your project is just as important as having an arsenal of Pinterest pictures that depict your goals.
Even though knowing exactly how much you want to spend is essential, it can also provide very important parameters that keep a project on track.
In my experience, there is no such thing as an unlimited furniture budget. Projects never failed to fall apart when the words, “If I like it, I’ll buy it” were spoken. It didn’t matter that they liked or even loved it, if the cost was over what they anticipated, the project would not go forward.
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Tired of Red and Green Decorations? How to Find Your Personal Christmas Color Palette.
Let me start off by saying, I love a traditional red and green Christmas! It’s classic and reminds me of Burl Ives or “A Christmas Story.” I’ve also been seeing a ton of simple red and black Buffalo check themes on YouTube and lots of Ray Dunn inspired fonts on coffee mugs, signs and linens, so I know that traditional is alive and well.
I don’t think you can step foot inside a store without seeing a little red pick-up truck with a tree on the back of it adorning something. When a hot new holiday trend hits it’s everywhere, right? But; what if you want to decorate another way? What if you love your everyday décor and you want to make that work for the holidays?
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13 Creative Secrets to Make Your Classic, Traditional Christmas Look Amazing!
It’s that time of year again. Time to dig all the Christmas decorations out. If you’re anything like me, your Christmas zone is probably packed to the rafters with things you’ve accumulated over the last few decades. Mine is like an archeological dig: I carefully excavate my storage boxes from their resting places and squeal with delight when I open each to reveal the contents. It doesn’t matter that all the plastic boxes are clear and labeled, I still re-discover my treasures every year.
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How to Nail the Feeling You Want for Your Home’s Décor
Never underestimate the feeling you want to achieve in your space. That is literally the secret sauce for a successful design and a room that you’ll actually want to spend time in. This week I thought it would be fun to take you along on a creative journey to show you the process I use when beginning a new project.It’s all about feeling and the mood you want to achieve. In my opinion, getting the feeling of a room nailed down helps to keep you on track. It makes you want to get the project done. You’re excited to experience the way it will make you feel and that provides the momentum.
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Budget Decorating Refresh; How to Fix Up Your Living Room in 7 Simple Steps
It’s your turn to host Turkey day and your living room is blah. You’ve been meaning to give it a mini makeover for a while but the weekends have flown by like a like Phil Collins skipping across the pond for Live Aid in ’85. Time is not going to go slower and before you know it, Thanksgiving Day will be upon us and everybody will be at the door ready to get their turkey and pie on! Now is not the time to panic. There’s still plenty of time to get your living room Pinterest ready so that everybody gushes over it they won’t even notice if the bird’s a little dry. Here’s How to Fix Up Your Living Room in 7 Simple Steps.
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How to Accessorize Your Home Like a Pro Part 2
Call them finishing touches or final details, the accessories we add to our space tell the story of us. They show our friends and family what is important to us and what our personal style is all about. It doesn’t matter if your house is small, large, contemporary or traditional, these combined 20 tips will work. This is a follow up post to a piece I wrote in May of 2017. Just as in the first post, these new 10 tips for accessorizing your home like a pro will work for any occasion or season. I will be sure to link that original post below so you can check it out. Let’s get right into it.
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Will My Furniture Fit in the Door? 5 Questions to Ask Before Buying
Sometimes it’s not the size of the room that can stop a redecorating project, it’s the path to get into the space. I love small houses! In my opinion, they’re efficient and clean up fast, which makes them easy to keep tidy. They also often have narrow hallways and sharp turns making moving furniture a real task. Many older homes have the enclosed, steep stairways going up or down. Sometimes the stairs to the basement have a turn or are positioned underneath the stairs to the second floor. That usually means a stepped ceiling where things can get easily wedged. I’ve been in countless homes where the front entry has a built-in closet or sharp turn right inside the door. That’s a tight squeeze for long furniture like sofas and dressers. There can be a lot of obstructions that make getting furniture in tough.
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9 Tips to Arrange Furniture in a Small, Narrow Living Room
Ahh, the dreaded long narrow living room… You love everything about your house but this space, am I right? Where is the TV going to go? Will everyone be able to see it? How can this space even work? It’s so weird! I hear these questions all the time. Narrow spaces can pose a challenge but, keeping a few key things in mind will help you figure out the best layout for your tricky space. Let’s nip this problem child space in the bud so you can get back to loving your whole house!
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The Small Kitchen Storage Zone - Smart, Efficient Cabinet and Drawer Organization Tips
Small kitchens can be tough to organize. There never seems to be enough space for everything and a lot of times gadgets, small appliances and random stuff can overwhelm counter tops. With the holidays right around the corner, this is the perfect time to put a little effort into winning the kitchen clutter war. If your kitchen is looking more like a catch all dump and drop, you’re in the right place today. Stop riffling through jam packed drawers when you need a bottle opener or shrimp fork 4 times a year. Let’s spend a few minutes creating kitchen storage zones to keep your stuff organized and accessible every day so you don’t have to stress when you’re cooking those magnificent holiday meals!
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Why Dark Paint Color Can Make Your Small Room Feel Bigger
Sandy sent me a text message a few weeks ago. I had designed a room plan for her based on her answers to my questionnaire and talking on video chat. We agreed that light and bright was the way to go for her small living room. When she received the plan, she loved it but couldn’t shake the feeling that a super white space just didn’t fit her vibe even though that is what she thought she wanted.
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Don’t make this expensive common mistake in your small space.
I could hear it in her voice, total disappointment... My good friend, Anna had planned out and budgeted for her small living room makeover for months. She created Pinterest boards and visited showrooms for 3 Saturdays in a row. She moved all her old furniture into the adjacent dining room and painted the living room walls and trim. There was no going back now, the new paint colors didn’t go with the old furniture and so to keep things moving, Anna purchased her furniture and was thrilled that she was going to realize her makeover plans in a few short weeks.
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11 Fool Proof Ways to Make Your Space Feel Bigger Than it is
Small space living can be tricky. If it’s a new space, it can be tough to figure out what to bring and what to leave behind. The last thing you want for your small space is to pack everything into it like Tetris and just live with it. A few times scooting past a sofa arm blocking a doorway or having to walk around a wide table in a narrow space will get old fast. With small space living, you must consider how you’ll use the space every day.
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5 Essential Ways to Make Your Home Puppy Friendly
Getting a new puppy is exciting! If you’re like me, you’ve planned and searched for your new fur kid for a while. As soon as I saw her face I knew she was my baby. Those wrinkles, her coloring, the floppy ears, she was exactly perfect and I knew it. I’m pretty sure she knew it too! When I got to meet her in person, she walked right up to me, hugged my leg and wanted to be picked up right away. A few short days after that first meeting, she and I were in the car going home to our new adventures together.
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5 Proven Techniques To Arrange Furniture In a Small Living Room
Small living rooms can be tricky. You have a limited amount of space and you also want to have a room that looks great and functions the best way possible. I’ve lived in many small spaces and each one had its challenges and limitations. I’ve had lining rooms with multiple doorways, rooms that need to have dual functions: living and dining for example. No matter what, I’ve always used these 5 proven techniques to arrange furniture in a small living room and they work great every time. And, these techniques also work just the same for bedrooms, offices, dens and any other small space. Let me show you what I mean.
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