Let your kids redecorate - it’s a great teaching tool!

“The easiest way to teach children the value of money...

is to borrow some from them.”  Anonymous

Preteen room by decoratorJennifer Mullin of Ideal Spaces in Alabama - charming!

Is your son or daughter begging for a bedroom makeover?  This is a great chance to teach them about budgeting and let them express their personal taste.

First, set a budget.  Decide how much money your can afford for the project and decide if the child has to contribute to that fund.  For the lessons in this article, it’s not really important for them to contribute, since it’s about budgeting and planning, rather than earning.

Next, decide the parameters.  Are the floors off-limits?  But an area rug is okay?  What about paint?   It’s reasonable to let them choose the wall or ceiling color, but what about the trim, molding and doors?  Can they paint the furniture, or buy new?

Once the limits are set write them down on paper along with the budget and have everyone sign the decorating contract.  Then let them shop!  Make sure they understand that they only have this amount of money, that it needs to account for sales tax and shipping, if applicable, and help them create a complete plan before they ever lift a paint brush or buy a comforter.  Teach them to ask about return policies at stores and how to care for packaging and save receipts in case they need to take something back.

Make sure the contract states that you get to review the plan before implementation to assure that the limits were kept in mind, but otherwise try to keep your hands off the project.  Not only will your kid feel valued by being trusted and allowed to express some personal taste, they’ll come to understand the real cost of goods, learn to prioritize and make choices they must live with, and begin to learn to budget.  Priceless!

For another great article on teens and decorating try this one by Heidi Tyline King and Mary Wynn Ryan.

How to hide a huge TV with paint

[Television]: It's the menace that everyone loves to hate 

but can't seem to live without.  ~Paddy Chayevsky

Many homes have enormous TVs in the living room, but who wants that to be the first thing your guests see?  Instead of an expensive and huge entertainment cabinet, why not use paint to camouflage it?

Before, the light walls made the TV stand out.

After, the darker walls help the TV blend in to the room.
(Makeover by Rivalee Design)

In this room the walls started off light yellow and the big TV stood out in stark contrast and overwhelmed the room.  We painted the walls dark grey which not only minimized the appearance of the TV, it also absorbed some of the visual impact of the dark leather sofas and dark wood furniture, making the room feel bigger, less cluttered, and more focused on the people and conversation in the room, rather than the TV.

Don't be afraid of darker paint.  It really can make a room feel bigger and more inviting and make everything fit the space better!

What to expect when you "reface" kitchen cabinets

If you are basically happy with the layout of your kitchen refacing can be a fast, practical solution that gives you the look of a whole new kitchen for thousands of dollars less than new cabinets, and saves the environment a lot of waste.  Here are answers to common questions about refacing:

Before refacing, stained, faded, white washed oak cabinets.

When should I reface?

If you cabinet boxes are in good shape, if you like the basic layout of the space, and if you are trying not to change the counters because you've already installed expensive granite counters and have now decided to change the cabinets, too.

When should I NOT reface?

If you cabinet boxes are in bad shape (e.g., waterlogged mdf cabinets) then you will want to replace the cabinets instead of refacing, and if you are going to overhaul the entire layout of the space it might make more sense to start from scratch.

After refacing, new cherry cabinets with rich pecan stain.

What am I getting when I reface?
Refacing means that you will be using the old boxes, but that the outer skin, side panels, doors and drawer fronts will all be new.  Until you look inside a cabinet, every surface you see will be a new surface.


What do I have to decide?
Just like when you choose new cabinets, you must make a number of choices: wood species, color/stain finish, door style, hinge style and finish, and hardware style and finish.


What are my options?
You can add new pullouts inside your old cabinets, convert cabinets to drawers, and even add new cabinetry to the kitchen in addition to refacing the existing cabinets.


How long will it take?
That depends, but the kitchen featured here was refaced in three days and the homeowners endured much less mess and disruption than they would have with all new cabinets.

Refacing can be a great option that saves you both time and money.  Fair warning: you may come across contractors that tell not to reface your kitchen.  Many contractors prefer to start any remodel from scratch, some don't really understand how refacing works, and others may just want you to take on the bigger project because it's a bigger paycheck.  If you are considering refacing, talk to your designer about it or ask a refacer directly if the job is appropriate rather than relying on the opinion of your contractor.

If you have any other questions about what to expect with refacing or kitchen remodels in general, don't hesitate to email me.  Happy decorating!

Teaching kids gratitude while clearing the clutter from your home

Want to clear the clutter from your home, teach your kids great habits, and encourage gratitude in your home?  Start this new holiday tradition.

1. Set a day on the calendar for "making room" and be sure that each person or child you want involved will have time free that day.  This can be a good activity the day after Thanksgiving as a way to reflect on the meaning of gratitude, or chose a day closer to Christmas as the kids are getting more and more excited about the new toys they want.
2. On the given day, start off by reading "Too Many Toys" by David Shannon.  It's a great way to help kids relate to and understand the idea without any lecturing.
3. Set a timer.  Adjust the time based on how much you want to declutter.  Older kids and adults can probably handle an hour or two, but with younger kids, limit the time to thirty minutes.  
4. Set the example by choosing some number of things from your own closet, craftroom, or storage area to give away.
5. Have the kids choose the things they are ready to give away (you can determine how many items that should be).
6. Then let the kids celebrate by making up their Christmas wish list.

This should be a time for appreciating gifts from the past, and for learning that generosity returns only to those who are generous.  By making this an annual ritual you will not only keep the clutter down in your home, but also help teach the kids, and reminds yourself, of the importance of generosity and gratitude.




Happy Holidays!

Five steps to a better guest room

“Hospitality is making your guests feel at home, even if you wish they were.”  

~Author Unknown

What message does your guest room send to your friends and family when they come to visit?  Is the room the collector of the cast offs from the rest of your home?  The resting place for all the memorabilia from your kid’s school years?  

If your goal is to make your guest feel out of place and eager to leave, no changes need be made, but if you want your guests to feel cherished and welcome, a few minor adjustments can take your guest space from shabby to sophisticated quickly and easily.

Before, this guest room was uninviting and lacked style.

Guest room redone by Rivalee Design

• Remove everything from the room that is not related to your guests - ironing boards, the goodwill pile, christmas decor... it all has to go.

• Repaint the walls.  This is a wonderful first step for making over any room, and will instantly clean and freshen the space.

• Put new sheets on the bed and cover the old comforter with a new duvet cover.  This doesn’t need to be expensive - a decent set of sheets and a clean white duvet cover from Target can go a long, long way.  You can splurge as much as you want on thread counts and fine fabrics, but the point is to make the room feel fresh, clean, and prepared.

• Accessorize sparingly.  The room should have enough art and accessories so as not to feel empty, but you want to leave lots of clear space on dressers and side tables for them to easily put their own belongings while they stay.  Be sure they have a table surface next to the bed and adequate lighting should they wish to read in bed.

• Add in some extras.  Set out fluffy white towels and a small basket with little things they might have forgotten - contact lens cases and solution, travel toothpaste, shampoo and soap, lotion, a razor... think of what a five star hotel might provide.  Even a fluffy robe!

These changes can easily cost as little as a couple hundred dollars and can be done in a weekend.  It's not too late to have your holiday guests feel welcome and appreciated.

Keeping a happy marriage throughout a remodel

All marriages are happy.  It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble.  

~Raymond Hull

One of my clients shared this cartoon with me and, after a good giggle, it made me think about how often a kind of “marriage counseling” comes into my work.  As both a ballroom dance instructor and an interior designer I have learned a number of things that can make or break a project for a couple, and I’d like to share some of that insight with you.  If you’ve never undertaken a remodel together before, you’re in for a pretty big adventure, and you want to go in with the right attitude and, ideally, the support of a designer that *both* of you like and trust and who can make sure that the final design is one you  both like.

Comic by Besty Streeter

Here are key ingredients to achieving the goals for your home and, when you’re done, still have a happy relationship:

1. 1)Identify your dream(s).
   
2. First, understand that you both have some idea of what this project will end up looking like, but that you might have very different ideas of that end product.   We have to figure out how you want to feel in your home when it’s done, how do you want to live.  The key here is to LISTEN to each other, and don’t judge!  At this stage every idea is valid.
   
3. 
   
2. 2)Destroy preconceived notions.
   
3. Both partners are going to have some concept of how much it will (or should) cost and how long it will take.  Again, LISTEN to each other and *never* laugh at your spouse.  If you ridicule your partner they’ll just clam up and be that much less open to  your desires when it’s your turn to be heard.  It’s normal for someone not to know how much a sofa or flooring or any of the other ingredients will cost - how often does the price of a kitchen faucet come up in your spouse’s work?
   
4. 
   
3. 3)Draw a map.
   
4. This is where the designer starts pulling together ideas and options and will ask for decisions.  It often helps to assign “homework” and divide up the decisions - let the husband choose the counters, the wife choose the flooring... and trust the designer to guide the decisions so they all work together.  Agree to honor the work and decisions of the other person.
5. 
   
4. 4)Demo and remodel.
   
5. You are going to face dust and dirt, perhaps weeks without a kitchen or bath, delays, etc.  Last minute decisions will have to be made, and changes approved when things don’t go as planned.  Stay on the same team.  Budget for a night in a hotel or a nice meal out once in a while as part of the project.  Be a cheerleader for your spouse and know that even thought they might stress about different things (she’s worried about the money, he wants the lighting to be just so) their worries are just as valid as your own.    
6. 
   
5. 5)Celebrate!
   
6. As you achieve goals, break out the champagne.  Not just the big goal (the kitchen is done and we are having a housewarming party) but the small goals, too (the cabinets came in!)
7. 
   
6. 6)Throughout, remember what’s important; your marriage and your family.
   
7. There are NO design emergencies, and the cabinet color and finish is NOT more important than your spouse.  If you see your spouse digging in like a mule, chances are that they feel they aren’t being heard, or felt steamrolled on the last 10 decisions.  If you’ve been getting your own way for a while, it might be time to get them really involved again. Or, if *you* start acting like a stubborn mule on a design decision, take a deep breath, set it aside, talk about it with your designer. Go out and get a little perspective.  Sometimes you just need a walk, sometimes you need to go volunteer at a soup kitchen, but do something that reminds you that beautiful design and new kitchens and baths are a luxury and a gift, not a right or emergency.  
8. 
   
9. Then go kiss your husband or wife.

You’ll learn a lot about yourself and your partner by taking on a remodel together, and it can be surprisingly easy and even fun if you have a though-out budget with a little extra set aside, and keep some light-hearted perspective throughout.  So have fun, and get ready to enjoy your new home!

Staging your home for sale

“You should detail your house like you’d detail your car if it were for sale.  The cost of staging your home is usually less than your first price reduction!” Barb Schwarz

It's hard to stage your own home, and even harder to find the time when you are busy working, raising the kids, and trying to get ready for your next home.  But when you don't stage the house, you're often throwing money away!  

A staging professional can help - they can be objective about your stuff, set clear goals and timeliness, and make the job their number one priority while you go on with your life.  But if you want to tackle staging on your own, here are some tips to help:

1. 

   Before, this unused guest room hadn't been set up properly.

   

   After, the room showed it's potential as a bright, cheerful space.
   (Makeover by Rivalee Design)

   1.Landscaping - This is the first impression of your home.  Some buyers won’t even go inside the house if the grass is dead and the trees and bushes are overgrown and abandoned. There is no need to re-landscape your yard, but do bring in fresh mulch, trim back the trees and bushes blocking views of (or from) your home, and try to plant some long lasting blooming plants near the front door and walkway.  If you have a lawn, mow it once or even twice a week.  You only get one chance to make that first impression! 
2. 2.Painting - Fresh paint can make an old house fresh, clean and inviting for very little money.  In general you want to choose light, neutral colors - you don’t want any buyer making a list of rooms they’d have to paint before they’d move in. Keep color consistent throughout the home (this doesn’t mean all room must be the same, but there should be an easy flow through the house). 
3. 3.Cleaning - The house MUST be clean and smell fresh. All your personal belongings (laundry, dishes, shoes, mail, toys...) must be put away.  (And don’t just stash it in a closet - buyers look in there too!)  Vacuum the carpets, open windows for fresh air.  Clean the bathroom, especially the toilet and shower, so it sparkles!  The kitchen, too, must be sparkling clean and all pots and pans should be put away.  Make the bed, clear off your night stands.
4. 4.Lighting - Turn on the lights and open all drapes so the house looks as bright and airy as possible.  If you can arrange it, make all showings during daylight hours.  
5. 5.Fixing - Get the to-do list DONE, but don’t waste time, because every day your house is on the market costs you MONEY!  So hire a handyman to fix minor items around the house - railings should be secure, sinks should never drip, door handles should turn easily and doors should open and shut without jamming.  These tiny fixes suggest to a buyer whether or not the home has been cared for, and can make or break a sale!
   Your goal is to freshen and update the space enough to show off its assets and get it on the market ASAP.  Spend your time and money wisely and you'll be taking a much bigger check to the bank!  

Your house should welcome you home. Start with the front door.

“To feel at home, stay at home.” Clifton Fadiman

A sense of peace and calm should greet you when you walk through your front door, but too often coming home means being hit in the face with a long list of ‘must-dos’, chaotic clutter, unpaid bills, etc... When you have just finished a long day of work, the last thing you need is a long night of... well, work.  

Try to create some spaces in your home that feel warm and welcome.  For some, that means an organized entry way and warm, inviting living room.  Others want an efficient, open kitchen where everything has it’s place.  And some need a spa-like bathroom and restful bedroom for the ultimate retreat.  

Think you need to move to have these dreams come true?  No!  Every one of those things could be created right in your own home!  You might need a hand seeing how your green plaid couch can be used to create a serene, contemporary living room (that’s where we can help) but it IS within your reach.  

Here are five things you can do NOW to make your home more inviting for yourself and your guests.  Walking up to your front door should make you feel welcome, not unwanted.

1. 1.Sweep it: Leaves and shoes cluttering up your front steps?  Take a broom and sweep it away.  Such a simple thing, but it really changes that first impression.
   
2. 2.Clean it: How does your front door look?  Is the window dirty?  Is the door surrounded by cobwebs?  Is the doormat covered in dirt?  Clean it up!  
   
3. 3.Sniff it: While outside, take in a good whiff of fresh air, then go inside and sniff.  What do you smell?  Vanilla, cookies, fresh air?  Great!  Trash, diapers, or cat pee (yikes) - not so great.  Take out the trash and clean that cat box IMMEDIATELY.
4. 4.Gift it:  Go, right now, and find three things that you don’t use and don’t need.  Give or throw them away.  Right now.  No really.  Right now.
5. 5.Banish the kids: Keep the kid’s toys in their room.  They can bring the toys they are playing with into any room, but then they are stored in their room.  That’s why they have a room.  Kid’s refuse to put away their toys?  My parents put things we left out in “jail”.  First offense, the toy went to “jail” for a day.  Second offense, a week.  Third time that same toy was left lying around?  Well, my parents figured we must not care enough about it, so it was donated to another family.  Boy did we learn to put our toys away!  Remember, it’s YOUR home too!