Some houses get lightly lived in, and then there are those abodes that weather the perfect storms of kids and pets and indoor floor sock hockey. Among other things. Do you have a house that works hard? Ok maybe you don’t exactly have floor hockey tournaments going down on the kitchen tiles, but your house is definitely well lived in.
Maybe the kids are rough on it or you’ve got a favorite furry friend who likes to be every bit a member of the family as the two legged ones. These kinds of houses sometimes end up needing some special attention, especially in the kinds of paints and coatings we choose to live our lives around. Paying a little attention to surfaces and other aspects of hard lived homes also means homes will wear better for the long run. And you’ll feel better living in a home you know is ready to be truly lived in.
There are many products and ideas out there you to help you get started protecting the places that see the most wear and tear in your house. The first place to look might be your floors. Protecting your floors with a durable coating will do wonders for the longevity of your flooring, and might even mean you’ll have less work to do in maintaining it. I don’t know any homeowner who wants to spend more time mopping or sweeping.
Walls are another big ticket feature of your house that are bound to show wear more than other places. Durable paints and protective coatings do wonders here too. It might be worth it to you to take a little action now, rather than making a much bigger and potentially costly investment down the road.
We liked looking around General Polymers and Sherwin Williamsfor some ideas and advice. Check it out and you can get started. What else do you worry about in your home? Maybe we can look into how you can solve those problems too? Let us know!
Is your guest bedroom getting to be a burden? You’re probably not the first one to think that. Whether it has started to become wasted space or on the flip side: overwhelmed by the odd conglomeration of stuff that seems to appear in there, the clutter has to go to if you want your guests to actually have a place to sleep.
A lot of the problems seem to stem from not knowing how to have a guest room that can multi task in a happy medium. You don’t want the room to be restricted only to house guests, since most people aren’t going to be having visitors with enough frequency to warrant such sole-purpose dedication. So naturally, we want these spaces to be at least a little bit multi-purpose. Whether they house our personal libraries or double as home offices, most of us don’t have enough space for the guest room to be only that.
Good Ideas to Get Your Guest Room Going
A good way to squeeze some extra use into your extra room is to start with furniture that has a fairly open design style, enough so that you can see the floor through a pane of glass or other portion of the furniture. Using this type of furniture works to make the room feel bigger, which is a great attribute when you need it to be multi-functional. Even in the smallest of spaces if you use this approach, you can keep the feel of the room more open.
The guest bed is another good place to look when you’re after space saving, multi-purpose solutions for your guest bedroom. A single bed can double as a couch; think a much more updated variant of the daybed. For some reason I see ruffles when I heard the word daybed. I like the idea to ditch the frame altogether to cut down on clutter, and cover the bed in simple floor length fabric and finish it with oversized pillows to make the back of your new ‘couch.’ That way, you’ve got a good space to curl up with a magazine as well as a comfy place to host your nephew from the midwest next week. No ruffles, no problems.
I’ve been working on some new resources for homeowners, and have been thinking about a basic checklist for homeowners to follow during the process.
Contractor Hiring Process Checklist
1. Receive at least three estimates on your project
2. Ask each contractor the same questions, and give them the same project parameters to get the most accurate and comparable estimates
3. Verify professional licenses
4. Ask for and check references
5. Do a background check through the Better Business Bureau, or another agency.
6. Verify Insurance and Bonding
7. Make sure you are given a contract, and make sure all parties agree to and sign it.
To me these are the essential parts of the hiring process for homeowners. Not doing these things can mean disastrous results and a frustrating process. Everyone has heard horror stories about contractor fraud, and to avoid it, it’s very important for homeowners to take the time to consider a checklist like this.
Can anyone think of anything I’m missing? Or is this a good bare basics summary of essentials that all homeowners need to consider?
Life in this part of the county so easily solicits the input of the great outdoors. That’s why I’ve been on the lookout for creative and functional ways to connect indoor and outdoor spaces. Because we all know that when the weather turns, any amount of sunlight is going to need to be maximized as much as possible.
We don’t want to give up life on our decks and patios for the winter months, but sometimes the weather has other plans. However, if you’ve got the wherewithal, you can outsmart at least a little bit of what mother nature has in store for us.
Enclosed decks, patios and sunrooms are great places to start, but the really tricky part comes in connecting your indoor and outdoor spaces so they flow and fit the feel of your home. One way I like that seems to help the transition is pocket doors. Now, I know that sometimes these sliders get labeled with a bad connotation, either for generally malfunctioning or just looking a bit sloppy, but you may be surprised by what you find if you take a look now.
Sliders and pocket doors have changed a lot in recent years however, and you can find perfectly crafted additions for your home to create the look that fits you best. French doors are also another great way to create a connected feeling between your patio and your home, and they’re also available pretty much anyway you can think of.
I remember my big brother’s first turn as an interior decorator. He’s not exactly main stream when it comes to style or taste, and you can imagine the horror when he moved into my sister’s old bedroom that was festooned with purple, pink, and complete with all the typically feminine frills. Obviously, the room was due for a makeover. I don’ think it ever saw my brother coming, and my family was surprised to find the once overly girly boudoir completely transformed.
Creating Genius with Cork
My favorite part of my free-spirited brother’s overhaul of his new room was the cork walls. For a pretty reasonable spend, he came home from the hardware store with boxes and boxes of square cork tiles and some cans of paint. And, from that moment, the lavender appointments were absolute history. (And a grateful house still thanks my bro.) The walls went from obnoxious shades of fuchsia to warm, refreshing, unassuming neutrals.
The big problem however was the paneling. The largest interior wall had no windows, no doors, and nothing to disturb the perfect monotony of the pale purple paneling. And that, I realized, was where the cork tiles came in. It took an afternoon, a short one at that, and my brother had the space he had always wanted. Tacks supported antiqued maps, Ferrari specs, and pieces of skateboard used cleverly as décor. My brother had claimed his territory, and I had witnessed my first great room makeover.
I like cork as a wall covering material for many reasons, but it’s also a respectably green choice due to its sustainable nature. What a fun way to work green products into your lifestyle! If cork dosen’t exactly suit your bedroom, (I’m not entirely sure if it would be right for me) I do think I could use it in a home office. I loved my brother’s idea to restrict the cork to one wall: it creates a great accent wall as well as a unique focal point for the room. It also brings in some much needed texture to liven up the boring matte surfaces we’re so used to seeing. The right style and color moulding can also take cork walls to a more sophisticated place increasing its versatility as an option.
I can also imagine cork transferring flawlessly into the kitchen. With so many wall spaces interrupted in most kitchens by appliances, pass-thrus and the like, you could transform one portion of your kitchen into organization central pinning up grocery lists, reminders, and of course fun things for the kids or unique decorations just right for your cooking space. Another reason to try cork in the kitchen? How easy to clean (and durable)! If your kitchen gets used a lot, I can’t think of a better surface for your walls.
Look how cork gets used here to bring new dimension to a dining space:
It comes in different colors too, if you’re not ready to go all the way to chocolate brown. And oh yeah, its great as a flooring surface too (your feet will thank you later). More corky resources
I struggle with my bedroom. If I’m at home, you can bet I’ve spent a good portion of that time tinkering with my boudoir set up. The furniture changes locations at least every two weeks. And yes, I know I have a problem.
‘Is it Feng Shui?’ I wonder. ‘If I move the desk two inches to the right, maybe that will create more flow…’ ‘Should the head of my bed face north? Really?’ One could argue I’m too detail oriented, but for all my scrutiny, my bedroom set up does keep improving. And sometimes it might take putting my bed in a ridiculous location, but I’m usually always glad I tried.
Help for the Bedroom Obsessed Photo Credit: Pottery Barn
I ran across some bedroom rules for a hospitable sleeping space, and some of them have been quite helpful. So, if you’re also on a continual, spontaneous crusade to recreate your bedroom design, you might find some of these tips helpful:
First of all, experts recommend 86ing the TV. It brings unnecessary clutter and even anxiety into a space that should be calming. The same goes for the excer-cycle and other work out stuffs (bedrooms are for sleeping and relaxing!).
Step two: airflow. I’ll confess I haven’t given much thought to this, but the belief is that good airflow stimulates good energy. And who doesn’t like a little fresh air during a nice nap?
Do you have a jungle for a bedroom? While vegetation in itself is not a poor idea, make sure you keep plants as far from the bed as the room allows. If you have a smaller bedroom, do your best to make sure your plants don’t overwhelm the space.
Bed placement is crucial; it’s the bedroom after all. Your bed should be easily approachable from each side, and should not be placed in line with your bedroom door. Any furniture used directly around the bed should be balanced as well (mirrored on the opposite side).
Best practice for bedroom colorsusually focuses on neutral and skin tones, as these channel soothing vibes and calming energy. If you really love your bright colors, don’t despair, just opt for hues that are on more subtle ends of the spectrum and you might just find you get a better night’s sleep.
Lastly, your bedroom lighting is maybe the most crucial component to creating a room you can be satisfied with. Think of light in terms of layers. Navigate away from overhead lighting as it tends to be harsh and just generally too much for the space. Instead, chose lamps and I do mean plural. Varying light sources can create a soothing, layered effect. Candles are also a good choice; just remember to follow Smoky the Bear’s rules for safety.
I’ve taken some of these rules to heart, but I still find myself tinkering. I’m never quite convinced I’ve got it right, so if you’ve got any insight, please let me know!
In keeping with my attraction to alternative housing, I’m naturally really excited about the Metro Cabin. I’m also pretty convinced that one day I will live in one. If I’m lucky.
And the really great part? They’re pre-fab. You and a few of your closest (and handiest) friends can assemble them in a matter of days. I can’t stop thinking of the different ways these could solve homeowner dilemmas. What if you have the perfect house but you don’t have a guest room? Tragic circumstances that might otherwise mean moving to accommodate your desire to have overnight visitors right? Well, for a pretty reasonable price, you can get the guest room you need without spending the major dollars on a room addition. Now that’s ingenuity I can appreciate. And, if you tend to have those guests that are a little more high maintenance (we all know who they are), what a great excuse to get them out of your space!
Re-Shaping How We See Sheds
While guest room is just the first option I can think of…the list could get very long. Need an art studio for that passion you’ve been wanting to explore but just never had the space to inspire? No more excuses. Metro Cabins could make a great studio for just about any hobby.
There’s a unique design marriage of the rustic and the refined going on with this structure; it’s not overdone, and yet it does the job gracefully. I love the sleek lines and simple elegance. And I have a hunch you might too.
You might find you like it so much you won’t want to leave. And you won’t have to if you opt for the kitchen and bathroom packages that are available. Even more reason to love the Metro Cabin!
Just stumbled across this amazing backyard on Design*Sponge. It’s the home of Meredith Kleinman, an interior designer and painter, and she has truly made me covet her home.
The interior is beautiful, but it’s the exterior that really got my attention.
The wood deck is complete with shaded sitting area. The three sided bench is a great use of custom carpentry, and takes the outdoor patio to a whole new level, perfect for family use or social gathering. Of course there needs to be a convered dining area too. And don’t miss the concrete work making the floor.
Then there is the small sunroom with amazing tiny tile work just behind the sitting area. I love the return of tiny tile installation like this.
Then there’s the Japanese style bathhouse complete with outdoor shower. The sunny California weather is perfect for outdoor showers. And this one, complete with wooden Japanese inspired hot tub creates the perfect space.
If this doesn’t inspire you to start creating your own backyard oasis, I don’t know what will!
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