How to Add Cozy to Your Home for Fall

19 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by in Decor, Design, Holidays, Seasonal

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Five Simple & Easy Ideas on How to Add Cozy to your Home

You don’t need to go over-the-top with your decorating to achieve the feeling of a warm and inviting interior now that the cooler season is upon us.  You can make just a few small changes to your decor and you will have a warm and inviting home.

1. Replace Your Pillow Covers or Add New Pillows

Just by swapping out the throw pillows you have on your sofa, chairs, or even your bed you will give your room a whole new feel.  You can even update your outdoor seating area, many of these pillows can be used indoors or out.  Pack up your current pillows, and store them away for the cooler months.  You know once Winter has passed and you are craving the lighter colors that come with Spring, you can pull them back out and once again give your room and Insta-Tszuj!

These are from Williams Sonoma, and they are on sale here!

 

2.  Add Cozy Throw Blankets

These are not the heavy throw blankets you will be using in the winter.  They are a lighter weight but the colors are perfect for the cooler Autumn weather. Pick up a couple, you know when you are watching those Hallmark Movies you’ll want something to snuggle under!

This one is on Clearance from Wayfair, click here to grab yours!

3.  Light Candles That Have a Spicy Scent

I love when a home smells like someone is warming up spiced apple cider, or baking a pie.  Capri Blue is one of my all-time favorite candle companies.  This is their Spiced Cider Candle.
Capri Blue’s Spiced Cider is only available at Anthropologie.

4.  Add Glass pumpkins or lanterns to your indoor decor

I have set my glass pumpkins on top of a light box to give them a warm glow.  I love the way they look! You can pick these up at home decor stores this time of the year.  I have these available for purchase in my space at the Rumor Mill Market in Davidson, NC.

 

5.  Display Cookbooks with Fall theme in kitchen

I always have a cookbook on display in my kitchen.  It usually is sitting on an easel on the counter.  I have a fairly large collection of cookbooks, and I am always swapping them out.  Their covers are too beautiful to keep them hidden on a bookshelf. This time of the year, I will pull out books with a Harvest theme, or a Fall theme. Not only do they act as art, but by making the recipes you will certainly be adding  the delicious tastes of the season to your table.

These two are available from Barnes & Noble.

Let me know what you think, do you make any Fall changes to your decor to add some cozy to your home?  I think these subtle changes will certainly give your home  a fresh feeling for the season.  There is no reason you need to go over the top with your seasonal decor.

Now that we are living in Davidson, NC, Autumn has a whole new meaning for us.  Take a look at this Youtube video, “When It’s ‘Fall’ in the South”.  I think you will enjoy it.

Happy Fall, Y’All

~Karen

First Floor Master Bedroom Woes

19 Monday Aug 2019

Posted by in Bedrooms

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This new house of ours has presented me with a unique challenge.  The master bedroom is not only on the first floor, but it is right off the foyer.  The entry to the room is not offset….it’s like sleeping in the foyer.  I’ve adjusted to the location, but the room itself is a challenge to decorate.  It is so much part of the first floor, it needs to fit in.

I’ve spent endless hours thinking about this room and challenges that go with it.  It receives a lot of light, so any paint color will work.  I’ve always wanted a bedroom done in all white or cream tones.  This is the perfect room for it because it has tons of light with different exposures throughout the day.  A white works with the family room, which we’ve painted Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace.  I also think the family room’s ceiling color would be a great choice, Benjamin Moore Opal.  A very soft barely-there blush.

After slapping on some samples on the wall, Phil declared the Opal looked like “flesh” on the wall, and I thought the whites would just get too washed out. The ceilings are so high that I am not going to be installing artwork all the way up on the peaked walls, that would just be too much for a room that needs to be restful on the eyes.

So, now what?  My mind went back to my very first thought, from a year ago.  Let’s paint it Wrought Iron.  My go-to black.  Not too black, but it’s just right for me.  I’ve used this color in every home, somewhere.  Lesson learned: You can’t tell someone “I’m painting my bedroom black”, and expect a positive reaction. There is usually a shocked look on their face.

Here’s how it all came about…

When you stand in our foyer, you can see the dining room, with its Wrought Iron paint above the moulding.

Straight ahead is the family room in a beautiful white, with a blush ceiling.

And now, when you turn to the right, it make sense.

With all the mouldings and windows in this room, I knew the dark color would work.  I absolutely love it.  I painted the fan blades black too.  I would have loved to replace the fan with a gorgeous chandelier, but–that fan is a lifesaver.  It runs 24/7.

I still need to get the window treatments up, but I wanted to share what’s been going on here with you.

~Karen

Tips for Prepping to Sell Your Home as a FSBO (or not)

04 Tuesday Jun 2019

Posted by in Real Estate

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This is a topic that I’ve had on the back burner for awhile now. When we were looking for our house, I just kept coming across bad listings for FSBOs (For Sale By Owner).

If you are thinking you want to sell your home yourself because you are in a hot market, please read on.

There are so many things you need to do if you choose to list your house yourself.  There is a lot of great advice online.  But I just wanted to touch on two of them.  The photos and the staging.

You still need to put the effort in to marketing your home, even in a market that is on fire! I’ve seen it over and over.  The homeowner who thinks, “I live in a very desirable location so I don’t need a realtor, and I can even take the photos with my iPhone for the listing”.

STOP right there!

If you truly are house proud, you need to show it by using quality images.

I have seen some crazy photos of houses that are for sale by the owner.  I’ve seen photos that are blurry, upside down, upside down AND blurry.  I’ve seen photos that make no sense and shouldn’t be in a real estate listing. (For the record, I’ve seen terrible photos posted on listings that are NOT FSBOs)

Here are a couple I just found.  I have not cropped these images.  They are exactly as I found them on Trulia.  They are from various listings.  I think the homeowners must have had a reason for taking each shot, but that reason doesn’t translate to a buyer visually.  When you are only putting up a couple of pictures….make them count!  You should try to get the whole room in your photo, the whole front/back of the house, and honestly…nobody wants to see a closeup of Grandma’s rocking chair, unless it’s fantastic and being sold with the house. (for some strange reason).

Pay attention to other listings that catch your eye and see what it is about those photos that make you look at the house.

A great location will only sell if you can get someone to see the property. Consider it an investment and have your home professionally shot by a professional photographer. If you cannot hire someone, here are some simple tips from Tiffany Ringwald, a professional photographer and someone I am happy to call a friend. She has taken countless fantastic real estate photos as well as having her work featured in national and local shelter magazines.

-Great light quality
You want to shoot your rooms at the brightest part of the day, but not direct sunlight. Bright overcast days are be best so take advantage of having mother natures very own soft box light! Shoot with the lights off! Unless your space is extremely dark no matter what part of the day. You can use an LED Panel light or two to light up a dark space easily and inexpensively without having to buy fancy professional camera equipment.

-Get your vertical lines straight!
Always keep your camera as straight and level as possible. It is highly recommended that your vertical lines are straight to make your images as professional as possible. DO NOT point your camera downward or upwards into the space or you skew your lines and have a fun house effect. Exception to the rules are close detail shots that don’t show many lines in the composition.

-Camera height
Higher camera positions from chest to head, roughly between 4ft-5 1/2ft high. This height is best for kitchens so that you don’t seen under the upper cabinets and you see more counter/island surface.
Lower camera positions from lower chest to waist, 3ft-4ft high. Thigh height is best for living spaces and low sitting areas so that you get more floor and a better view of the furniture.

-Editing
Learn to edit your images using Lightroom or a great photo app. Whether it is a camera or from your phone you almost always need to edit your images. Do not get heavy handed or over do the editing. Subtle adjustments keep the quality high and more realistic for your viewers. Basic editing: Exposure, highlights, shadows, color balance, contrast and sharpen are the main settings to adjust. As you get more comfortable and fine tuned to editing you can dive into more of the advanced adjustments.

Recommended apps for photo editing: Lightroom, Photoshop, ColorStory, SnapSeeed, and Enlight

Check out Tiffany’s website here to see what great Real Estate photos look like!

Before you take those pictures make sure you LOOK at what you are photographing.

  1.  Shut the garage doors
  2.  Clean off the kitchen counters
  3. Put the toilet seats down
  4. Pick up the dirty laundry off the floor
  5. And if you are listing your home anytime outside of December, take down the holiday decorations!  Listing your home in May, with a Christmas wreath hanging outside only translates to “I don’t take care of my house”

A Home Stager is another great suggestion. You may need someone to come in and help edit your space before you even have it photographed. No need to throw it all away, but you may find that taking some things to be donated or put into storage is very cathartic, and you may decide you don’t want it all back.  You want your home to feel spacious, and to paint an image in buyers’ minds that they want to live “this lifestyle”.

I also realize that people list their house as a FSBO in order to save money and not have to pay a commission.  Every realtor I know has always said that commission is negotiable.  It doesn’t hurt to have a conversation with an agent.  They will also give you a market analysis on your home.  Maybe it is worth more than you even thought.

We offer staging advice before you list your home for sale.  If you need our help, reach out to us.  We are also happy to recommend photographers if you choose to use a pro.

Special thanks to Tiffany Ringwald for sharing her tips with us to get better shots of our interiors–whether it’s for a Real Estate listing, or not.

~Karen

After a Long Hiatus

19 Sunday May 2019

Posted by in General Stuff, News!

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Well Hello there!  I’m not sure if anybody will still even get this blog in their email.  Leave a comment and let me know you are out there still.  I’m also looking to hear if there are any topics you’d like covered.

Here’s a little update on what’s been happening over the last year!

Phil and I moved to the Lake Norman area (North of Charlotte, NC) about a year ago.  It is a fantastic location, and we are adjusting to our new Southern lifestyle.  I had posted about a different house, but as most of you know, that deal fell apart completely.  Which is a good thing, because we ended up in the quaint little college town of Davidson. Davidson College is the heart of this town (anyone hear of Steph Curry? He’s their claim to fame.)  Lake Norman is a very large lake with large mansions dotting the shoreline.  All sorts of celebs, race car drivers, and corporate executives are amongst the residents.  Last Summer we rented a boat a couple of times, which made for a lot of fun for us and any guests that were here.

Our sweet Millie, who is now well over 15, is still with us.  We joke that she is aging in reverse.

I took about 6 months before tackling any projects in the new house.  I really wanted the house to speak to me and let me know what it wanted.  And let me tell you, when she started talking, she didn’t hold back.  Lots to share later.

As far as my business is concerned, the office in PA is still open and we are still working with existing clients only.  I’ve made the decision that here in North Carolina, I will not do full service projects any longer.  I am going to concentrate strictly on working with clients who need help with picking their finishes for projects.  This is a pretty new decision, but I think it is one that makes the most sense for everybody.

I am looking forward to getting this blog back on its feet, so to speak.  I hope to hear from you, just to let me know you’re there!

I’ve been regularly posting on Instagram, so feel free to check that out.

Here’s a link to my Instagram account.

~Karen

 

Time To Vote! Harrisburg Magazine Simply The Best Nominations

20 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in Awards

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We’ve Received Two Nominations!

Thanks to all those who took time to nominate us!

Harrisburg Magazine’s Simply The Best 2018

Now the Voting Period has been opened!

The good news is you do NOT need to vote for 30 categories this year in order to get your votes to count.  The only rule is you can only vote once from each valid email.

We would greatly appreciate your vote for us in the two categories:

Interior Designer

Kitchen/Bath Remodeling Company

Click Here to Vote and once you are there, just click on the Home and Garden Tab.  I did not pay to have my business “featured” because I know you all are smart enough to just scroll down and find me.

VOTE HERE!

With Many Thanks

~Karen

 

Renovating a Charming Home in Charlotte, NC

10 Saturday Mar 2018

Posted by in News!

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Phil & I went on a whirlwind house hunting trip about two weeks ago. We saw a lot of great options, but one house that looks like it is right out of a fairy tale, really pulled at our heart strings. The home is in need of a lot of love, it has been empty for 3 years.

Today we received great news on our first inspection, which was the stucco inspection. When your inspector is thrilled with his findings and declares he would buy the house if it wasn’t so far from where he lives, you know you’ve got a good one.

Of course we still have other inspections lined up before we know for certain that we are going forward, but I’ve got a good feeling.

I’m excited to take you on this adventure with us. It’s going to be a lot of fun bringing this gem back to life.  Can’t you just see red geraniums in that planter under the long window?

~Karen

The Big News or Why We Didn’t Renovate the Kitchen

19 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by in News!

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Shortly after moving in to our new house, the whispers began of the possiblity of a job relocation for Phil. His company merged with another, who is located in the Charlotte, NC area.  With that in the back of our heads, we decided not to do any major renovations to this house, except the needed updates. Now you know why so many visions of mine remained just that, visions.

Recently it became clear, we are going to move. Luckily there is no rush, so we decided to wait until the Spring Market when the yard is looking its best. Phil has done some house hunting while he is down there on business (which seems to be about every other week).  We are concentrating our search in the Lake Norman area.

The current status of our house is that we are not on the market, but as of last week, we do have our listing price ready to go. We can list it any time. If you know of anyone who is looking for a 4 BR, 3BA home with 5 garages, in a great neighborhood , with a very private backyard and a wonderful pool, send them our way!

While we are looking at the positive side of this– moving to a beautiful location and great weather, we also recognize how many wonderful friends we have made here and how much we are going to miss them.  We are hoping that many of them will come visit us in North Carolina and without a doubt, we will be back to visit.

Lake Norman; Photo from Lake Norman NC Homes for Sale

And then there is the next question…what will I do with the business?  At this point, I just don’t know.  Building this business, and getting my A-Team assembled didn’t happen overnight.  It took a lot of time.  I may continue the business in some capacity.  I will need to get settled, and then see what happens.  I know there a few clients here who have already asked if I will return to the area to help them out in the future, and of course the answer is yes.

~Karen

Selecting a Flattering Color for Every Exposure

14 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by in Bedrooms, Before & After

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We are finally winding down on the Before & After Series.

We moved into this house a little more than a year ago and have been updating what we can without getting into major demolition mode. Just by using paint on these upstairs bedrooms’ walls, we’ve made a drastic change.  Here are these transformations. For the Before photos I’ll be showing the rooms as they were listed on the MLS when we purchased the house.

BEFORE

AFTER

Any chance I get to show off this dresser that I painted years ago I take it

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

WHAT WE DID

These rooms were all painted with a warm gray/taupe color, Sherwin Williams Alpaca.   It is a very warm color that I just love.  As with all paint colors, it will read differently in each room, especially since each space has different sun exposure.  This color works in each of these rooms with their different lighting situations. We didn’t want to paint the trim at this point, but some rooms had a shell white, and some had a bright white, so the paint color needed to work with both trim colors without making the shell white look yellow. This color was the winner.

We removed all curtains that were left by the previous owner, but kept the blinds, as they were all Hunter Douglas, and just needed to be cleaned. The rooms all look fresh, updated, and inviting.

This concludes the Before & After Series of this house.  I hope you’ve enjoyed it. It’s amazing what can be done to update a house without getting into a big remodel just by using paint, wallpaper, and artwork.  Updating the hardware on all of the doors, and adding window treatments in some areas helped give the house a fresh look.

 

~Karen

 

 

Decorating Tips to Use While Waiting to Renovate

11 Sunday Feb 2018

Posted by in Before & After, Decor, Kitchen

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Time for another installment of my Before & After Series. Now, it’s on to the back of the house where the kitchen and family room are located.

We moved into this house sixteen months ago and have been updating what we can without getting into major demolition mode. Lots of paint, wallpaper, artwork, and window treatments make a huge difference. I’d like to share these transformations with you. For the Before photos I’ll be showing the rooms as they were listed on the MLS when we first saw this house.

When I saw this space the first time, I thought we would be doing a major renovation to this space.  The housing market would allow it, the home was begging for it, and so were we! My first thought involved relocating the powder room, which is essentially a huge block in the middle of the kitchen/family room. I’ve circled it in red below.

Here’s the view of it from the kitchen side.  Removing this would make this so open!
I imagined a huge island running across the kitchen, with seating on one side. Of course, cabinets to the ceiling, in a painted finish to add more storage.  I wanted to swap out the electric stove for a gas one and add proper ventilation.  Well, I could go on an on with the “plan”.  But, I wanted to show you what I have done with the space while we were patiently waiting to renovate.

We weren’t ready to do those plans right away, so I needed to make this space “ours” while we waited for this project to get started.  Here are the before and afters, with explanations on what small changes we made to make the space work for us.

Kitchen Before:


The kitchen had a refrigerator that jutted into the aisle, making it feel cramped.  (The realtor’s photographer used a wide angle lens in the photos, therefore everything looks bigger and wider–trust me–that aisle in front of the fridge was not very wide).

Kitchen After:

What we did…

We swapped the oversized refrigerator for the one we brought with us from our last house, and also added our beverage refrigerator in that empty spot at the end of the cabinets. This really helped me with the flow of the kitchen.

Kitchen Eating Area Before:

Notice the geranium tiles scattered randomly in the backsplash?  Hey, it was “the thing to do” back in the mid-90’s. They were scattered throughout the entire kitchen.

Kitchen Eating Area After:

What we Did:

I’ve turned the eating area into a cozy seating area by using my vintage furniture pieces and layering a couple of rugs.  I love the idea of a sofa in the dining room or in the kitchen.  We also replaced the hanging light with this fabulous vintage lantern light.

The way I chose to handle the geranium tile situation was to block them with cutting boards and silver trays.  Not quite my style, but it worked.  Then one day I asked Phil to go to the basement and do a search for extra white tiles.  He found them!!  There were 21 tiles, and we needed 20.  The pressure was on. He was able to remove every red geranium tile, and replace with a plain white one.  We found a grout that matched. Voila.  No more geraniums!  And more importantly, no more clutter of cutting boards and silver trays.  If you don’t have the ability to replace tiles, go ahead and lean some interesting cutting boards on the backsplash.  It works!

FAMILY ROOM BEFORE

The family room has “suede” walls in a taupe color. The color actually works with our furniture and the colors I tend to use, so the plan is to leave it until the entire space is demolished for the renovation.  My painter was able to remove this texture in another location where the previous owner had the same treatment done.  He only needed to give it a good sanding.

FAMILY ROOM AFTER

 

All the windows in the family room and the kitchen are dressed in the same window treatments.  I’ve mounted the bamboo shades up at the ceiling to give the rooms more height, and added curtain panels in a  “Granny Chic” pattern (large florals pattern on a taupe background).

I hope I’ve shown you how making a few inexpensive changes to a space that you plan on renovating later will give you the patience to wait until the time is right to do your project, rather than rushing in right away.  Sometimes you need to listen to what your house wants you to do before you tackle the big projects.

Only a couple of spaces left to show you!

~Karen

How To Transform Your Powder Room Into A Must-See Space

08 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by in Bathrooms, Before & After, Design

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This is technically part of the Before & After Series, however, there are no “before” pictures.

I think powder rooms may be one of my favorite spaces to transform.  This is a space that most likely every guest in your home will eventually see, and they will experience it alone. They will take their time in there and check out the space as they see fit.

 This is why if you are having a party, make sure your powder room is the cleanest room in the house! They are looking…

If guests love it, they will let you know. How many times have you returned to the table at a restaurant and told your friends, “You must go see the restroom”? I know this phrase is overused, but it is so true– The Powder Room is a jewel box and you can do designs in there you wouldn’t do in any other room.  A small space where you can take a design risk.

BEFORE

Sorry, no photos available, but here’s a little imagery for you…

Our powder room was painted by the previous owner a dark brown, including the ceiling. The previous owner had changed the light fixture and mirror, to “update” the space, but the sink and toilet remained as they were originally in 1994.

I decided we needed to use the sink and toilet in this room as a jumping-off point, even with their shiny brass hardware.  Remember, we are updating this house on a tight budget.  I am really embracing the “Granny Chic” movement lately, so  I chose to wrap the room in a metallic floral wallpaper from York Wallcoverings.  The metallic sheen updates what some might consider to be an old-fashioned pattern.  We pulled a peach color from the flowers and painted the ceiling, trim and door in Benjamin Moore’s Perky Peach, in their Advanced line with a high gloss finish.

 We swapped out the light fixture for something more appropriate. The one that was in there was something you would find at a big box store.  This is the light we chose:

After adding a mirror, with a shiny gold frame, but with an updated shape the room really was looking elegant and updated. We used this mirror, but not with the double frame–we did not have the room for that since we were working around the existing faucet.

 When I complete a project, I know I am happy with it, but sometimes I wonder–“what will others think”…”is it too old fashioned”…will future buyers think “this room needs to updated”, etc.

AFTER

When you have a patterned wallpaper, such as this, finding the right artwork can be challenging.  I love how this 3-D shadow box with gold butterflies works in this space.

As many of you know, we have a 14 year old cockapoo, who has discovered the magic of tissue paper on a roll.  We cannot put a roll of paper on any of the holders in our bathrooms because she is obsessed with it and will pull it off.  After we wallpapered this room, I decided to not put up the tissue paper holder because we would never use it, and then guests just think we are lazy by not putting it on, so they do it for us, and the dog notices, and well, you get it.  In this bathroom, I’ve hidden the roll, but of course for parties, I try to help the guests out with a little note so they aren’t stranded…

After having friends here at the house during the holidays, I am convinced the design does not scream “dated”.  Not only were guests gushing about it, but they were in there taking pictures.  Of my powder room.  I think this room has passed “The Test”.

Are you brave enough to follow your heart and do something a little different? Push your boundaries? Or do you need someone to push you outside your comfort zone? If so, give us a call and we will make your powder room swoon-worthy!

~Karen