And The Next Home Goes To...

The majority of last weekend I spent in the New Jersey suburbs of the Greater Philadelphia region, where I spent most of my childhood years growing up.

During this trip to South Jersey, I had the lovely chance to go house hunting with a family friend, accompanied by an amazing realtor who really showed us some great listings in the area, a baker's dozen in one day to be exact.

When it comes to house hunting, many first-time homebuyers find it to be more of a chore rather than an ultimately fun experience. They also expect everything on their wish list to be included in all of the homes they see, or at least a decent amount. Unfortunately, everything on that list is never usually compiled into one home. But a lot of the items on it can be combined into an almost amazing home. The upside of not finding the perfect home that fulfills all of the wants on your list, is that over time, you can fix those imperfections into something even better than what you had wished for during your initial home search.

If a home has the space and layout that you're looking for, but the cosmetic features that make you dizzy, that's fine. Cosmetics are an easy thing to fix, structural layout, not so much. If you found the perfect home, at a decent price, but it happened to have horribly tacky wallpaper in three of the bedrooms, would you let it go? That's a question I can't answer for a buyer, but honestly, there's no reason to take if off your list. A cosmetic fix is not going to break the bank as much as gutting a kitchen will.

Also, remember to ignore the taste and decor of the current homeowner. Those are things that will be leaving the house, you're not purchasing their stuff, (unless you offer to buy the house furnished) so why should their ugly dining room table matter to you when looking at the place? Make sure to walk into a space and ignore the potentially gaudy furnishings and accessories, and try to envision your own pieces in the space. Think about what you would change to make it your own home, and not the soon-to-be former owner's house.

One of the houses we looked at seemed like quite the contender, besides the small backyard. It had a gorgeous kitchen, with only minor cosmetic adjustments needed, a finished basement, and priced well within their budget. And with my insight on how to make adjustments to the backyard, including replacing the old oversized wooden deck with a smaller patio made up of pavers, (adding more green space to the yard) and by clearing out the awkwardly shaped brush area to put in a nice outdoor fire pit accompanied by a lounge seating area, the current bland backyard could ultimately be the entertaining backyard of their dreams!

House hunting is a process, and can take several weeks, months, or even years, but if you look at the house as a whole, versus the tacky pink carpeting in the living room, finding that almost perfect home could be a much easier, shorter, painless process. And the only way to find that next future home, is by opening another door...hopefully the door to your new H-O-M-E.

Happy Hunting!

Faux Accessorizing

Last weekend I had the lovely opportunity to go up to the Big Apple with a couple of friends. On my journey through Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea and Midtown, I stumbled upon a great little restaurant with a wonderful afternoon happy hour. Who doesn't love a great happy hour with friends and a lovely atmosphere? Especially one with a tasty menu and tasteful decor!

Speaking of taste...many people have the pre notion that accessorizing with anything "fake" is just taboo. I tend to disagree. It all depends on how it's used in the design setting. I personally love classy faux flower arrangements because I think they are a great way to bring pops of color into a space, without having to deal with the necessary maintenance that living plants require. It's even better if the decorations look like they could be mistaken for real floral arrangements!

While enjoying my stylish cocktail at the massive centrally located bar inside of the restaurant Pounds & Ounces, I turned to my left and witnessed a statement floral piece. At the end of the bar was a massive colorful floral arrangement, and the second I saw it, I knew I needed a picture of it. Yes, it's not a residential setting, but it definitely makes a monumental statement in this Chelsea restaurant!

(delicious shareable cocktails)

(the statement floral arrangement)

The spherical arrangement of the varied pink and orange flowers really gives a great punch of color to the multiple dark colored walls inside of the establishment. And the best part? You never have to water them!

Don't fret the faux!

How Do You Zigzag?

Pattern play is always a fun element to use when it comes to design, but overdoing it could be worse than not even trying to do it in the first place. But why?

Being a very mathematical person myself, the thought of geometry in any form of a design scheme makes my heart patter. But we must not abuse it.

A particular mathematical design I always seem to love is the coveted zigzag pattern. I partially believe it's because of the letter Z, but who knows? Anyway, using such a pattern is a great way to bring geometry into your space, as well as a multitude of colors. The actual Z shape could include multiple colors, and doesn't necessarily just have to be a single solid.

Ways to incorporate the zigzag into your space include painting your walls in the geometric pattern, putting up zigzag wallpaper, using zigzag pillows, zigzag rugs, or even zigzag art. Some great examples are featured below!

Zigzag Wall Treatment

Here are two examples of zigzag pillows:

Jonathan Adler Cotton Zigzag Navy And Natural

photo from jonathan adler

Urban Outfitters Crewel Embroidered Zigzag Pillow

photo from urban outfitters

Here are two examples of zigzag rugs:

Pottery Barn Hayden Zigzag Rug - Porcelain Blue

photo from pottery barn

Urban Outfitters Zigzag Rug - Blue

photo from urban outfitters

And the addition of any type of tasteful zigzag art is also a great way to bring punch to your space! This can be achieved through colorful block prints, or even a lovely abstract painting, or anything else that uses the zigzag flare!

Just make sure that you don't overdo it. Using too much zigzag in a single space will be too harsh on the eye, as well as way too busy for the space. Decide on what piece of your space you want to have that geometric spark, and stick with it. Think simple.

Happy Zigzagging!

If You Give A Chair A Purpose...

...You might save a valuable piece of furniture from the dumpster. 

Yes, day after day plenty of homeowners dispose of their previously cherished furniture the same way they dispose of their large pizza boxes...but why? Getting rid of furniture is usually due to the purchase of new furniture, which is a logical response to such a situation. But what if you had a way to reuse that piece without having to put a ton of effort into it? Would you do it?

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Chartreuse & Co. in Frederick, Maryland. It is a lovely barn filled with amazing furniture, fashion and design finds! The barn is usually open the third Friday-Sunday of every month. Make sure to check it out if you get the chance!

While visiting the barn, I found a chair that indeed had been given a new purpose. The find was a wonderful rocking chair, formerly used for sitting, but now transformed into a chair planter for the garden. It was a simple yet creative way of saving a wonderful piece of furniture from the dumpster. 

This is definitely a great way to salvage the old and give it a new look...without breaking the bank.

All you really need to get started on this project is chicken wire, coconut fiber, potting mix, and probably a fresh coat of paint to start reusing your old furniture!

Make sure to check out this Better Homes and Gardens article entitled Chair Planters for pictures as well as simple tips on how to make your own chair planter!

Happy Crafting!

LIGHT vs. PAINT

How do we pick the perfect paint color? We don't. We look through fan decks of paint samples searching for the ultimate shade of blue or green or...beige...but who's to tell us that we made the correct decision? No one really, but a decision that relates the color of the walls properly with the lighting in the room is definitely a better answer.

Below are two snapshots, one of a living room before painting occurred (the walls were in an aged yellow color) and one after a new coat of paint had been applied. Which do you prefer?

For this project, lots of paint swatches were pulled, and viewed under many different types of lighting sources (incandescent vs. fluorescent vs. LED, etc.)

In theory many people skip this step, but in actuality it is very important. Colors are viewed differently under varied types of lighting. It is a simple concept, yet sometimes not emphasized. But once you see the comparison, you will be glad you did. Trust me.

All that being said, the new paint color chosen for the living room was a nice blue grey paint called "Misty Surf 740E-2" by Behr.

Paint is just another way to brighten up your space and make it your own H-O-M-E.

Hope you enjoy it as much as the homeowner!