Does your home need some TLC from your favorite Diva? This week is your chance to score your very own one hour consultation with Designing Diva Interiors LLC plus a 22oz Woodwick Candle! Simply shop at Cedarburg Square in Bethany until 5 PM on Saturday, Sept. 10 2011. For every $20 you spend you earn one entry into the drawing! The winner will be drawn randomly and notified by phone by the end of the business day on Saturday. Need not be present to win.
I love my six china sets from four different grandmothers. I adore my handkerchief collection that the women in my family stitched by hand. Most of us would agree that we cherish those lovely knick-knacks and pieces of history passed down to us but they’re not showing off to anyone but the dust bunnies. Below are a few of my favorite ways to bring these beloved belongings out to center stage again without making my home feel like a stuffy Victorian museum.
1) Handkerchiefs. Try hanging up a clothesline made of twine or satin ribbon in your laundry room (I’ve even done this in a guest room). Use clothes pins to hang up your favorites, just make sure they don’t get too much direct sunlight. If you love to entertain, set a hankie underneath each glass or mini floral arrangement. Its okay if they don’t match! It adds to the charm and you may find that each one has its own story to tell (for example I have one that my newlywed grandmother made for my grandfather while he was in the war).
2) Pieces of china. I still love to use china dishes for certain dinners but using the entire collection at once feels stiff and far too formal for many peoples’ tastes these days. To lighten it up try mixing and matching your dishes or dine on plain white plates but use the tea cups to hold cut flowers (I love one peony in each teacup along the length of the table).
3) Recipe cards. Some of you are lucky enough to have inherited someone’s “famous” recipe book. If you couldn’t get enough of mom’s chocolate chip cookies as a child, why not bring those happy thoughts to your own kitchen today? Frame her recipe card in a special frame that reflects the kind of person she was. Place in a corner of your kitchen countertops for a little tug at your heart strings every time you pass by.
4) Retro holiday decorations. The Christmas tree decor of the 50′s is making a major come back but I don’t intend to wait until December to show off my favorite inherited items! This glitter and pearl star hangs up year-round and while it isn’t a hand-me-down, it sure looks like one. It currently hangs beneath a ledge shelf in our living room to add just a hint of whimsy and romance to an otherwise neutral space. Get creative!
If your office is like many across our nation this year it could use a little…life. And it doesn’t have the budget to bring in painters, electricians and a slew of new decor hot off the Chicago Market. If your office manager’s idea of color was “Beige” and the fake flowers by the reception desk were originally purchased in 1985, take note. There’s hope for you and your colleagues yet and the accountant won’t be having fits over the bill.
1) If the existing seating is still in good condition but lacks a modern fabric, go for slipcovers which are available for everything from wing back chairs to love seats. This costs a fraction of what re-upholstery will and your options are still numerous.
2) Change the look of outdated lampshades using nothing but your hot glue gun (or fabric glue) and some beautiful trim you picked up at your local craft store (preferably when its 1/2 off, as it will be at least once a month)! Take the shade with you to make sure you get enough.
3) Ivy lasts forever so long as it has a bit of water to survive on which makes it the perfect alternative to baskets of the fake stuff, which gathers dust and screams “I’m an office that hasn’t been updated in ten years-at least”. Additionally, if any of your coworkers or clients suffer from allergies, keeping fake flowers or plants around will only add to their misery. Simply place a few vases around the office with a clipping of English Ivy or your favorite breed of low-maintenance greenery. A little touch with big results!
4) The standard office comes complete with a beige commercial-grade carpet. Effective, yes. Attractive, not always. Target and Brecheen Brothers are two places I head for savings on rugs of all styles, sizes and colors. Adding one in your reception area and in the common rooms will drastically change the space for the better. Just be cautious about going with too wild of a pattern or the wrong size. Using a rug that is too small will make your office appear tiny.
5) Another sign of an office space with zero personalization: no ceiling fans. If you own the building or if you have permission from the company you rent from, add a ceiling fan in common areas. An attractive model starts as low as $49 in most home improvement stores and will instantly make the space feel more comfortable and will improve lighting and air flow.
The suggestions above will work together or even alone to change the atmosphere of your office. Remember that every design element has a psychological effect. Your changes should improve the overall mood of the office so steer clear of colors or decorations that would turn someone off, like specific religious items or a bright red which insights hunger and hot tempers.
The day has finally arrived! Designing Diva Interiors is
partnering with Brecheen Brothers Area Rugs & Furniture to bring a unique booth to Showplace Market. If you’re looking for something quirky, something modern, something from a world away, this should be your next stop. I’ll be working on the booth this evening, putting finishing touches on tomorrow and we should be up and running by Saturday! I invite you to stop in and check out the hand-crafted furniture from around the globe and affordable accessories in the season’s hottest colors. If you make a purchase from our booth in June you qualify to recieve a COMPLIMENTARY Initial Consultation for interior decorating or home staging service ($85 value)!
To receive your complimentary Initial Consultation, just call 816-9716 to schedule with Jennifer, mention this blog post, and tell me what you purchased!
*Initial Consultation must be scheduled in the months of June or July in order to redeem complimentary initial consultation.
I seem to be transitioning out of my Moroccan, BoHo phase and into a sophistocated country phase. Which is good news for my husband who is drawn more to a paint color called “Honey Wheat” than one called “Blood Orange”. More good news: when country decor is done right it ages gracefully giving the homeowner more time to enjoy their new look without worry of the latest trends going out of style next summer.
If you’re a regular visitor to Back Talk you know that Houzz.com is one of my favorite resources and I love to share a good resource! So check out one of today’s featured articles and get your own little slice of country charm!
…Don’t worry. I won’t tell the boss you’re not really updating that spreadsheet. While you’re killing time check out my favorite articles from this week in the world of design!
http://ecosalon.com/the-incredible-shrinking-house/
http://www.traditionalhome.com/design_decorating/marketplace/tech-girl-wake-up_ss1.html
http://www.hgtv.com/color-dos-and-donts/package/index.html
Maybe it took tasting the sour milk in my fridge to realize it but I haven’t been home much lately. New projects and spring activities have kept my dance card full for two weeks with no end in sight. I’m not really complaining– I come from a long line of BBBCs (Busy Bodies By Choice). But that mouthfull of expired dairy got me to thinking about more than my itinerary. It got me to thinking that when I finally pull into the driveway for the last time that day, when I walk in, kick my shoes off and walk into our bedroom for the first time in 13 hours, I try to ignore all the stuff I didn’t get done that week and focus on relaxing.
I love my home, for what it represents, for how it makes me feel, for all the work that is still to be done. I don’t necessarily love the structure itself- like many first time homebuyers our budget dictated that we buy a 1980′s ranch rather than a custom cottage on ten acres. And for all the time I spend telling people how to make their homes prettier/more efficient/less cluttered, I never forget to remind them of the most important design tip of all:
Design should be simple. It should fit your lifestyle. It should make you happy. So while I need to replace the drawer pulls in the bathroom, finish painting the living room and get something-anything-planted in the flower beds, I still like coming home. My budget is small, my free time is smaller but our home is much more than decorated walls and trimmed out windows. Its a house that my husband and I paid for-together. We repair it-together. We choose the things that go in it-together. Its a house that we have made a home. Your clothes can hang out in a 900 square foot rent house in the plains or a sprawling two story cabin in the mountains but if it doesn’t feel like home when you walk in, if it doesn’t have memories that make you smile, you can spend money with every designer in town but its still just four walls.
So today my advice isn’t about choosing the right color or which flooring is right for you. My advice is this. Live your life in your home. Decorate with things that mean something to you. You may not get to enjoy your casa as much as your retired pal next door but whether your budget is $10 or $10,000, learn to love what you’ve got and the pretties that come along will just be “nice little touches”.
Tyler & Jennifer currently live in Yukon, OK with fur-child Duke.
Its spring time– officially! Which means tons of new releases for the home decorating world. Here are a few of my favorites! I hope you can find a thing or two that makes your home smile.
CB2′s Floor Pillow in Chartreuse, $59.95 (shown left)
Frontgate’s Aqua Collection, $491-$2418 (not shown here)
Restoration Hardware’s Parisian Wood and Zinc Chandelier, $895-$1995
Pottery Barn’s Gemma Milk Glass Lamp, $129 (shown left)
Jones Design Company’s Art Prints, $17 (shown above)
I hear this question no fewer than three times a week. People know what my title is as a Certified Interior Decorator but few people know what that entails. Below is a detailed list of services I offer and it goes far beyond telling you which sofa looks good with which chair. The options available may surprise you…
Product Research, Selection & Shopping
This service is aimed at the client who is unsure about which items to purchase for their room(s). They know what they like when they see it but may not know how to put it all together for a stunning end result. This service is extremely customizable to fit the level of assistance the client requires. This means that for one client I may spend a few hours researching handmade rugs to find the highest quality, the right colors, etc. For another I may meet them at the showroom and walk them through their options so we can shop together and they have an expert present to bounce ideas off of. Some clients hire me to do it all- they don’t want to make the decision between eight different accent lamps nor do they want to spend hours driving all over town trying to pick a bed. For these clients I do the homework for them right down to having it delivered and even meeting the delivery truck on the job site to oversee placement and installation if required.
Home Staging
For those putting their home on the market. I’ve written multiple articles on the topic explaining why you need a professional home stager, what a home stager does, etc. I encourage you to check out the following links:
http://www.showmeokc.com/do-i-really-need-a-homestager-part-i/local-businesses
http://www.showmeokc.com/so-what-can-a-home-stager-do-for-me/seller-tips
http://www.showmeokc.com/anatomy-of-a-staged-home/home-owner-tips
http://www.showmeokc.com/a-staged-home-before-and-after/seller-tips
http://www.showmeokc.com/home-staging-tips-for-the-diy-crowd/how-to
Redesign
So let’s say you’re pretty happy with your current furnishings; you’re just bored with the layout. That same lamp has been on that same table in the same room for fifteen years. Time to shake it up a bit and that’s where I come into play! Taking an objective look at your rooms and your belongings I can help any household achieve the appearance of a freshly designed room using what they already own.
Organizing
Before any great design can really take place, the clutter must move out. Because this can be an overwhelming task for the family who owns said clutter, I offer this highly sought-after service to clients at competitive fee. For you this service may mean closets get a makeover. Maybe the kitchen needs to be wiped clean before the plans for the remodel can continue. Perhaps your hobby room is such a mess its hard to appreciate the great color on the walls you worked so hard to paint. Whatever your clutter issues, they don’t scare me!
Outdoor Living Spaces
Don’t ignore the outside!! This year people will spend thousands of dollars improving the interior of their homes without spending a dime on the exterior. For shame! Sure landscaping can get costly but it doesn’t have to. An affordable outdoor living space can be done if you have the right pro behind you and if you hurry, you can have a family-friendly patio ready for all those sunset BBQ’s before summer gets here!
Color Consultation
Your furnishings are fine. Your wall color is not. No problem! DDI will sit down with you and in about two hours you will have a new color palette to work with, whether it be for the entire house or just one room. Spare yourself the endless paint swatches over the next three weeks- let DDI handle this one early!
Furniture Layout
Does your room feel smaller than it is? Do you have to walk around pieces of furniture to get from point A to point B? Do you have too many pieces (or not enough) in one room? If any of these issues sound like something you’re dealing with DDI can fix you up in less than a day. Similar to what takes place with a Redesign but focusing soley on furniture placement rather than accessories. This task creates improved traffic patterns for a desirable ebb and flow from room to room.
Small Remodel Assistance
Working with multiple contractors is a necessary evil. Nearly every type of remodel requires more than one person on the job site and knowing how to work with these professionals can be confusing, time consuming and often times frustrating. At the client’s request I will not only find the right professionals for your project but will stay in communications with them throughout the job, setting up deadlines, placing orders, dealing with delivery and invoices, etc. The client remains in control of the final decision making but doesn’t have to deal with the hassle of coordinating a remodel. DDI already has preferred contractors for many projects like flooring, electrical, tile installation, wallpaper, etc. which are liscensed, insured and have a history of providing great service. However, the client is always free to hire whomever they choose and DDI will still provide the services mentioned above.
Jennifer (center) Patti Wommer & Lezley Lynch, drapery designer and specialty painter
Please be aware that Designing Diva Interiors’ services are completely customizable and are created around the client rather than making the client fit the service. If you are needing a design service that you do not see here please call me to inquire! 405.816.9716 or email Jennifer@decorateokc.net. I look forward to working with you!
Atelier’s new Nendo’s Cube (212-696-0211, to the trade) might look a bit futuristic for Oklahoma’s tastes but its functionality and sheer good looks are enough to win over the most traditional decorator. So what’s your vote? Would you put this hard-working cube to good use in your home or is it a bit too “Andy Warhol” for you?
Atelier’s new Nendo’s Cube (212-696-0211, to the trade) might look a bit futuristic for Oklahoma’s tastes but its functionality and sheer good looks are enough to win over the most traditional decorator. So what’s your vote? Would you put this hard-working cube to good use in your home or is it a bit too “Andy Warhol” for you?
