Entrance - Hallway

Frumpy Front Entrances & Hideous Hallways

It’s the first area to greet you and your guests upon coming into your home, but . . . let’s face it, an entry can look pretty dumpy. Speaking of “pretty”, how can you make most entrances attractive? Many times, there is no window or special feature. You’re stuck with hard, flat, surfaces: floor, walls, ceiling are crammed into a narrow area.

Because a boring space is hard to get excited about, it’s easy to neglect the front entrance and hallway. Rather than settling for the dumpiest area rug, the smallest, oldest pictures, take the opposite approach. If this was the most exciting area of your home what would you put in it?

Area rug:
- How old is it? What kind of shape is it in?
- Have you kept a rug from a bygone decorating era? (I once kept a dusty rose rug way tooooo long.)
- Does the pattern compliment the flooring beneath? (If your flooring has a defined pattern, the rug should be plain, or have very little pattern. And, the pattern must complement the design of the flooring. Does it also flow with the patterns in the next room?
- Don’t worry about a plain rug getting dirty too fast (maybe choose a “dirty” color). You probably should replace the rug after a few years anyway.

Hideous Hallway Solution #1: Find the most sensational area rug - at the best possible price. Because it’s small in size, you won’t be paying too much. Your rug can make the area sparkle, and set the tone of the home.

Problem windows

Wouldn’t it be nice if every window were “picture perfect”? One common problem is “A room with NO View” (ha, just played off a movie title). If you have a window with nothing to see but another building on the other side, or worse, a two inch wood blind is the perfect answer. Slightly angle the slats, you’ll allow light through, but the eye will stop at the window, without paying much attention to what’s beyond.

When I say “wood blind”, I really mean “faux wood”. These blinds are made of a PVC plastic, but are stamped with a wood design. It’s almost impossible to tell the difference. Do you need custom built? In most cases, no. Any home improvement store or section will carry ready-made blinds. Don’t feel like it has to fit inside the window well. In fact, in many cases where there is no wood trim around the window, I often prefer blinds that sit on the wall, a little beyond the window. Most of these blinds can be shortened.

What should you mount with the blind? In many cases they still need fabric to soften the look. Even with a short window, a beautiful rod with floor length side panels looks fantastic!

Note: sometimes a dumpy little bathroom window can really be jazzed up with a blind like this!

Anyone can Decorate

"Taste can be acquired, style can be learned". It's true, some people just have a natural flair for decorating. Guess I'm one of them. I can see things others can't. But, that's not the only requirement for decorating. And, it's not the only skill I depend on.  Decorators like to keep things exclusive and mysterious, like only they can do the job.  But, that's not true. The ability to observe, copy, and re-invent is also important as natural giftings.  I'd be lost without the guidance of others. Here are key elements that can enable anyone to decorate:

1. Natural born ability: This is helpful, but not necessary in every case.
2. Observance & recording: Take a second look at room settings, or themes that you like. Instead of giving up with, `Oh, I could never do that”, pay attention to what it is you liked. Take note (literally, or you`ll forget), of what it is that appeals to you, and why. Observe the details. ** Have a small digital camera with you wherever you go, along with a small note pad. It`s amazing how many times you`ll unexpectedly come across ideas.
3. Copying & applying: After you`ve thought about what it is you liked, you`ll be surprised how easily, and how many of the ideas can be copied or modified. Do you honestly think that every designer relies on own originality, every time . . . they build on the work of others, and throw in their own expressions.

4. Learned skills: After awhile, you`ll note a common denominator in what you like, e.g. the pictures on the walls are larger than what you have, they are hung much lower.  Fireplace mantles aren`t filled with endless ``do-dads`` but with a few key pieces.

Turn yourself into a Decorating Detective, and you’ll soon be smarter than you think!

Decorating Mistakes: Color Count

Every now and then I like to talk about common decorating mistakes that many people make.  It's so easy to avoid them.  And, when you do, your home automatically bumps up to a more pleasing level.  Since I work for several realtors, I get to see how much homes are almost instantly changed when simple rules of decorating are followed.

Often as new accessories and furniture are added over the years, the old stuff remains.  The problem is you lose a co-ordinated color flow, and the new additions don't shine like they should.  Take a picture of your room and on your computer screen, analyze how many colors there are in the room.  Have you held onto the peach candle that Aunt Matilida brought back from Hawaii? . . . even though there's no more peach in the room! 

You should be able to draw imaginary lines, a sort of connect the dots, from one item to another, matching the complementary colors.  If you find there are items in the room that cannot be connected to anything else, it's a big clue that they have to go.

That's what I call, the discipline of decorating.  If you don't have the discipline to remove the items that don't belong, then any attemps to make the room look attractive just . . . won't work.

Choosing the right paint color Part 3

What paint finish to choose . . . flat, satin, eggshell, semi-gloss, gloss?  Years ago, flat paint on walls was the cheap stuff that marked up like crazy, and actually looked inferior.  Now, it's the preferred finish of designers. 

First, the quality of paint can be very good. ( I love Benjamin Moore's "Ulti-mat"). Second, flat finishes look like suede on the walls, they are truest to the paint color, and they just look fantastic.   Third, on the practical side, I love the way you can touch up a wall should it get scuffed in a  high traffic area. 

TIP:  Keep keep a bit of paint in a sealed container.  (I use old Tupperware containers for this).  Just a swipe with a disposable foam brush and touch ups blend into the old surface!  I never use satin or eggshell finishes now.

Many retailers are offering good quality flat paint.  You'll love it.

I love my livng room color of "natural linen" in Ulti-mat.  It's kind of a soft, taupe tone.

Next time, I'll be telling you what I think of painting front doors, and why I don't think you should leave yours white!

Choosing the right paint color Part 2

I'm writing about paint right now because I'm dealing with this right now. This week I shopped with two customers to pick out paint. It's not easy. Have you ever chosen the perfect color for your walls, only to find out the paint chip did not look like the finished produce?  It's happend to me, and is a very common problem, so don't feel stupid if you've had this experience. 
Undertones:  one challenge is that the paint you pick may have undertones that will come through on a larger surface, or a surface in a different locaiton.  A co-worker of mine years ago had their new home painted beige.  After the job was done, all they saw was green!!  They had the whole home repainted. I had one customer who had picked out a beautiful grey.  I kept seeing "blue".  I checked with the store clerk, and sure enough, there were strong blue elelments in the paint mix.  Solution:  Check with the clerk if there are "undertones" that maybe you should be aware of.  More paint tips to come . . .

Decorating Order: What comes first?

Clients often ask me, "What do I pick first . . .the paint, the couch, the bedding, drapery, etc.?  Actually, the answer is very easy. if you are replacing a major item or items, and need to paint as well, whatever your room, start with the hardest piece or element to match first, and work towards the easiest. 

The easiest is always the paint.  There are thousands of colors of paint to choose from.  "Can you imagine picking the perfect piece of furniture, but you can't purchase it, because you just painted your room a shade off!  So, when considering where to start, think of the pieces that will go into your room and consider, Would this color be easy or hard or easy to find in this piece?"

Paint tip:  I almost always purchase a sample paint pot or larger paint chip to ensure the color is right in my home.  And, don't be afraid to ask the retail clerk to help you. Stores like Benjamine Moore are fantastic for this.