Decorating for the Holidays

December 8, 2022
Decorating for the holidays is fun but can also be stressful. So I’m here to give you some pointers on how to decorate for the holiday.

The first thing you want to do is decide on a color theme. The color theme doesn’t have to be green and red. I chose Turquoise, White, Pink, and Chartreuse Green. It coordinates nicely with my color theme for the home.

I tell my clients to make it look like it was done by a professional, create vignettes, and not line it up. My famous saying is don’t decorate like, “Ducks in a Row.” Vignettes create a better design.

I start by layering it and keep building it. It creates depth.
Add some whimsical elements. My tree topper is not your standard topper. Instead, it reminds me of Dr. Seus, Whoville.
Even your wrapping paper should match your color theme.

Here is an excellent example of vignettes. I also use a lot of pine cones and flowers to fill in the gaps.

admin
Uncategorized

Brick Patio Remodel

November 10, 2022
When I bought this home, I knew it would need work. The outdoor patio was a disaster but also a hazard. They use indoor tiles outdoor. Who does that? Not only did it not withstand the cold, but it was also very slippery when wet—causing a tripping hazard.

I needed to address this immediately! Just look at all those cracks and loose tiles!!

It’s a nice size patio. And once the bricks were installed, it was more functional.

 

admin
Uncategorized

Black Gutters

October 13, 2022

As you know, black seems to be the hot trend these days, from windows to door. But how about gutters? Yes, they are trendy.

I recently did my gutters and decided to go black. Black gutter will not show up dirt like light-colored gutters. If you want low maintenance option, try going black.

I love the way it looks!

I needed to get gutters since my house did not have any gutters. I also needed to replace some of the fascia boards as well. My shutter was red at that time.

All done, including painting the door and shutters black!

What do you think?

 

admin
Uncategorized

Creating Storage/Work Area Outdoor

September 29, 2022

When I added my new tool shed, it created an area that wasn’t being used behind the shed. So I thought it would be an excellent area to store some hidden items from view and easy access.

I wasn’t sure how to handle that area, but I knew I wanted a clean look. Putting grass behind there was not feasible. Hard for the landscapers to get to. I didn’t want to use gravel, weeds would grow there, so I thought, why not astroturf. Looks clean, is easy to install, you can cut it with scissors, and best of all, there are no weeds!

 

Wasted Space!

I hang up my hoses, ladders, and shovels

A great place to do my projects.

admin
Uncategorized

Front Door Update

September 8, 2022
Your front door is where you greet your guest and family but it’s also where the public gets its first view of your home. It’s their first impression.

My front door wasn’t leaving much of a good impression. It was time to update. I was not too fond of the way it seemed disconnected. I wanted to make it look like one unit. I also noticed the trim on the top of the door was upside down! I had to fix that.
 

The door looked bigger just by painting it all as one unit. So elegant!

 I love the way it looked I decided to paint ALL  exterior doors black!!  My storage shed.

My Side door.

My Tool Shed.

admin
Uncategorized

Replacing the Deck and Handrails

August 25, 2022
When I moved into my current house, I knew that there would be many projects I needed to undertake. Some required immediate attention, others could wait, and some I needed to wait until it was in the budget. The deck and stairs were one of the projects that needed immediate attention.

It seemed unsafe to me, and I was starting to buckle and fall apart—time to replace it. 

Buckling on the deck

The previous owner’s dog chewed rails.

I would have loved to use trek decking, but it wasn’t in the budget, so I used cedarwood for the deck and vinyl for the handrails.

I had to wait a year before I could stain the deck. The wood needs to dry; otherwise, it could have a patchy area since the wood may not absorb the stain thoroughly. I used TWP wood stain in Cape Cod Grey. (It has since been banned in NY!!). I’m going to have to find another stain when it’s time.

 

 

admin
Uncategorized

Updating my Coffee Table

August 11, 2022
I’ve had my coffee table for a few years. There’s nothing wrong with it, I still liked it, but I wanted to update it. I’ve seen those beautiful mirrored tables, and I decided to redo my coffee table. As a designer, I like to change things up a bit. One of the drawbacks of being a designer, we want to change things constantly.

It was a process redoing the table but worth it. The results are stunning.

This was what it looked like before I redid the table. It’s a traditional coffee table. 

The first thing I had to do was sand it down. I took off the legs to better sand them. It was a process!! I used Krylon spray paint.

The result was not too bad! I love the small vertical mirror. It adds so much more to the design. 

admin
Uncategorized

Painting my Door BLACK!

July 28, 2022
As we all know, black and white color themes are trending right now. We see black windows as the hot new trend. But how about black interior doors? I have seen them, and I love them. So I decided I was going to paint all my interior doors black. Now that is a commitment because changing them back into white would be a bit of a nightmare. But like I always tell my clients, trust the process. 

It started with my front door. It was black, and I thought, why not paint them all black? 


Entryway

 Master bedroom

Office

Spare Bedroom

Basement

Kitchen

Hallway

So glad I did. I love the way it turned out; so elegant and classy.

Entryway

Master Bedroom

Spare Bedroom

Office

Kitchen

I even did the bathroom!

Hallway

admin
Uncategorized