Why don’t we live with what we love?

Our blog this week is client inspired. The area we have addressed in our client’s home had become the catch all for furniture and accessories they no longer used or even wanted. We can all relate; from Grandma’s old secretary desk to that baby blue upholstered wingback chair, exercise bike, old box T.V, random artwork acquired who knows where...

All these things may still be of good quality but may not work for you in your home. And that’s okay! Possibly it’s because the pieces reflect the style of the people they were inherited from and not your own. Most likely they don’t go together, as they have been acquired from several different people, or at different stages in your own life. We hold onto these things for many reasons. Sentimental value, guilt, memories, laziness, and the list goes on. I guess that’s why these things end up in one room or the unused area of the home. Not knowing what to do with them, an entire room essentially becomes a storage unit.

So what have we done about this for our clients? We helped them to CLAIM THEIR SPACE BACK! We encouraged them to make a few key decisions by deciding what HAD to stay and which pieces we could refinish, repurpose or reupholster to work more cohesively in the room. We used these pieces as a launching pad for the redesign of the room. We encouraged them to live with what they love, what best represents their aesthetic, age, lifestyle, and how they wanted the rooms to function for them.

We know it is hard for people to get rid of the hand me down furniture and sometimes even harder to successfully incorporate it into their home. This is where we come in. Giving our clients the go ahead to let some of these possessions go. Maybe this is one of the reasons they hired us to begin with, intentionally or not…

CLAIM YOUR SPACE BACK!....

1. Decide what you want the new room to be, an office, play-room, or whatever. What do you want the feeling to be, who is the space for?

2. What stays, what goes, and what gets refreshed? Sort through the clutter. Keep what you love or what fits the new feeling of the room. Remember to consider what a little paint or refinishing can do to give old furniture, etc., a new life and make odd pieces match with a new consistent finish.

3. Finally get creative and have fun. Make that room a space you love and want to show off! Not just that room you shut the door on when company’s in your home.

Here are the before and after pictures from our clients  
“Guestroom Redesign”…

What we purchased for the bedroom:

Bedding, throw pillows, sheers, rug, lampshades, light switch covers and paint.

What we refreshed:

Painted and reupholstered existing wooden chair, painted both existing bedside tables and mirror on top of the dresser, changed the wall color, changed out straps on existing luggage rack.

What stayed the same:

Dresser, bed, blue leather chair, farm painting.

“Guest Sitting Room”

What we purchased:

Paint, light switch covers, lamps, slip covers, throw pillows, shelves, rug, sheers, curtain rods and ottomans.

What we refreshed:

Painted and reupholstered existing wooden chair, repurposed two club chairs from another part of the clients house, pictures and accessories displayed, repurposed a bookshelf to second as a t.v. stand.

What stayed the same:

Tea Cart and Secretary’s Desk.

The Winter Blues

We've made it to February and according to Punxsutawney Phil "an early spring is on the way!"  We all should feel a sense of relief, right?...  Well that doesn't last long when it is still grey and cold outside. Not to mention being in house lock down, due to sick kids! Ugh... Our surroundings can get a bit blah.

So what to do with those indoor/winter blues... Put 'em to work by bringing a little bit of Spring indoors.

     Bring in the light!!! 

     Sunlight provides us with Vitamin D, we've all heard how important that is to improve our moods. On a normal winter day (in New England at least) we are not going to lay out in our lawn chairs just to get our fill, so we suggest: 

     1. Keeping your shades up during the day to let more light in. 

     2. Changing the light bulbs in your house to "full spectrum" bulbs or the highest wattage bulb that will fit your fixture. Get rid of those dark corners with a minimum of three lamps placed throughout a room. The brighter your home the brighter your mood.

    Live with what you love now, not what you loved ten years ago! 

    Simply de-clutter. Try stripping your home of all your photos, nick-knacks and keep-sakes, give everything a good dusting, and rearrange. I guarantee you won't want to put everything back up and that is fine, it's really the whole point.  Also try different groupings of your nicks knacks, group things in odd numbers and play around with different heights. It will make your room feel refreshed and new!  

     Add some green!

     Get rid of dead or fake flowers and plants! Find your loneliest corner and add a touch of greenery, or nothing says spring like a bouquet of fresh cut flowers! Plants and flowers promote feelings of tranquility, life and relaxation by adding softness to a room.

    Add some color!! 

    Studies show that certain colors affect our mood in different ways. So add in a "pop" of color, like a yellow or orange, to boost excitement and enthusiasm. Disperse this pop of color at different heights throughout the room. you can do this by adding a new pillow to your couch, a new lampshade, candle and a fun vase!

    Change the little things…

·      Get a new winter welcome mat.

·      Add a bowl with fresh colorful fruit to your dinning room table.

·      Get a new shower curtain.

·      Add fresh spring candles.

·      Add a dab of a citrus scented natural oil to un-lite lightbulbs, when your lights are on their scent will fill your home.

"We are in the home stretch of winter", said the Groundhog!... No disrespect to the little fellow, but we hope our suggestions offer you a bit more encouragement and inspiration, to get you feeling closer to SPRING!