Done in a Day Decorating

How Paint Companies Decide on Paint Names

2011-09-13T12:44:00.003-04:00

Have you ever wondered how paint companies come up with thousands of names for their colors? I know I laugh about it all the time when I choose a perfect color for a client and my client asks me what the name is. Does it really matter! Here is a link to a New York Times article that will finally give you all the answers you will ever need.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/30/us/30paint.html?scp=2&sq=paint&st=cse

Check out The Purple Rose for a Great New Line of Cotton and Wool Rugs!

2011-07-26T12:38:00.003-04:00

As many interior decorators do, I have favorite sources for affordable decorating accessories. One place that I love to go is The Purple Rose on Rt. 20 in Northborough, MA They have ever changing decorating goodies and it is hard for me not to find something for myself, a client, or as a future gift.

This time I was happy to see that they are carrying a new collection of rugs by Dash & Albert! They have a huge wall of samples that you can take home and try out for color. The rugs are cotton or wool, and are woven, hooked, or tufted. Many are suitable for outdoor use but are pretty enough for anywhere. The best thing is that they are very AFFORDABLE, but look custom!

The website is www.dashandalbert.com, but don't count on the website to make you fall in love - it is not the same as seeing the display! I'll be going back Thursday to pick up a few samples for my porch.

A Contemporary Look for Flat Hollow Doors

2011-07-19T10:49:00.005-04:00

This photo came from House Beautiful. I was struck by two things: I loved the arrangement of the art (going very low) as well as the glossy black doors. In my area hollow flat doors were used often in 1960s construction of ranch houses. They were a low cost choice for inexpensive housing. Not too many of my clients love them.

What makes this decorating solution work? The doors are carefully painted a very glossy black. Both the walls and trim appear to be painted in a soft grey eggshell or matte, and the floor is a dark wood. The black is repeated in the metal of the lighting.

Example: Moving and Making Things Work

2011-02-01T10:15:00.020-05:00

Have you ever moved to a new house and struggled to make your "old" furnishings work in the new environment? This challenge recently faced a client of mine, "Sue". I had worked with her just last year on purchasing and arranging furnishings in her previous rented home. An unexpected development forced her to move not too long after that, and this time she purchased a condo. Sue knew that her talents did not include composing rooms, so she unpacked, had all the accessories out and in view, and called me.

Sue LOVED her new place, but, her style was casual and "everything beach". The practically new, custom valances in the living room would be a problem since they did not "go" with her casual natural canvas slip-covered sofa and chair. She also could not justify the expense of replacing them just yet: we would have to work around them.

Another major decision we made before we started to decorate the room was that she did not need to limit her living space by squishing a dining room table in the window end of the room. Sue said she did not entertain really at all, unless it was a friend or two, and then they were likely to eat out, so the small cafe table she had in the kitchen area would suffice.

The first challenge were the valances. We really needed an area rug for the conversation area that would ground the room and, along with accessories keep the eye from settling on the fancy valances. It would need to be a somewhat dark rug to balance the visual weight of the valances. Since Sue's apartment had wall-to-wall carpeting, and she

did not own any rugs to consider, this would be her one necessary purchase. We found the hooked perfect rug at Pottery Barn which had all the colors of the valances but a more casual style. It worked wonders.

Next, since her new bedroom could not accommodate two side tables the absolutely dreamy lamps we bought for the old bedroom needed to work in the living room, which they did, even though the shades were quite wide. While her current side tables were too small, we had two tables that we could put tablecloths on and use as side tables. After being in the Pottery Barn catalog Sue fell in love with the idea of buying 2 side tables and a coffee table, which she did.

Many of the accessories and art she had in the apartment living room did not work in the new space but Sue had enough to work with and just about everything found a proper home somewhere!
I forgot one new purchase: the adorable dog! While he would not let me go anywhere near him, he seemed to know when I was taking after pictures and jumped right up next to the dog pillow and posed. He was adopted at eight months and must have had previous experience as a dog model: look but don't pat!

Final Bathroom Renovation - Part One

2010-08-28T09:40:00.007-04:00

The bathroom is complete and has been for a few months. Since I have not blogged, I have been keeping people in suspense!

I chose some really nice medicine cabinets by Robern that are six inches deep. They were worth every penny! The inside cabinet door and the inside back are fully mirrored with glass shelves. I even have electricity inside the mirrors so I can store my plugged-in hair dryer and my electric toothbrush out of view. I love them! I am still looking for the perfect thing to hang on the wall between them.

The cabinets are cherry and have funiture "legs" that coordinate with furniture in the bedroom. I chose the stain color to look at home with the three different finishes I have in the master bedroom -- oak, pine, and cherry.

For the plumbing fixtures and towel bars I went with all polished nickel. As a decorator, I have been dreaming about them for years. Yes, they need more care than a stainless finish, but that means not using anything abrasive to clean them, and applying a polish every six weeks or so. You will notice I went traditional, but I purposely chose a tall faucet and handle for an interesting look.

I went for a claw foot tub by Victoria and Albert. The bathroom is small for a master, and there was not much space for a big tub. The old built-in Jacuzzi tub looked like it belonged in a hospital and there was not enough room for two people, especially since one side had a faucet sticking out of it! We moved the plumbing to the other wall and I found the widest tub I could for the space. You can fit two people in, though maybe not as comfortably as two could fit in much larger tubs in much larger bathrooms. By having the tub on legs and not sitting in a built-in box, the room is filled, but does not look cramped. I did two other things to create a more spacious feeling: I had the plumbing mounted to the wall and I chose not to have the usual hand spray which would need to be perched on something behind the tub.

The Worker Bees on my Bathroom Renovation

2010-08-24T14:37:00.006-04:00

Before I post the "after" pictures (only the window treatments are needed), I need to give credit to the talented set of craftspeople who put all the pieces together! Steve Dennis of American BathWorks, along with able assistants Morgan Dennis and Tobey Briggs, did everything except the counter, the painting, and the shower door.

Melanie Harvey, of Melanie Harvey Wallpaper and Painting, painted. By the way, she's the one to go to if you need an expert wallpaperer for those tough new "all natural" papers. She also upholsters walls, so if you want an extra special accent wall, or a cozy media room, call her!

The counter was fabricated by StoneWorks in Framingham. Nael Ferrier did the installation, and I am sorry I was not able to snap a picture of him in action!

The shower door was designed and installed by Orny Beltrame of The Glass House Company in West Yarmouth.

We all know having work done in your own home can be very stressful. Aside from the disruption in your household, you are usually handing a hunk of money over to people you don't really know. I'm lucky to be in the design business -- it enables me to get to know a wide variety of home services professionals BEFORE I invite them into my home and the homes of my clients. One of the perks of the trade I guess! It makes the process more fun too!

Demolition Begins on the Master Bath Renovation!

2010-08-11T14:37:00.014-04:00

Steve Dennis of American BathWorks was in charge of all the work except the shower door and counters. He and his crew, his son Morgan, and a friend Tobey, were able to get all the demolition done in a day.

In addition to taking out the vanity, tub, and shower, they needed to take the walls that would be tiled down to the studs, since special cement board would need to be installed. The same went for the floor. This also gave Steve access to all of the plumbing, since the tub and shower areas would need plumbing removed and new plumbing repositioned.

What to Do About the Shower Door

2010-08-09T09:41:00.007-04:00

So, OK, glass shower doors are more expensive that a plain old curtain, and frameless glass is even more expensive. But now, I think my bathroom will be perfectly designed if I extend the shower out a bit and glam it up.

Right now the shower is only 36" deep and 34"wide. I am going to pull it out to within 4" of the window. On the other side, I will have a half wall built so that the tile will come out just as far. The glass structure will then take a turn and fill in the top of the ledge we create. I know I want brushed nickel for any finishes, so that they match the faucets.

I went to a few local glass places and got some quotes, I brought with me my tile so that they could see that for about 8" vertically, the glass would not be a smooth surface to attache the glass to. Wow, the price blew me away! Luckily, I have a hundred or so best buddies in the design field and called upon a bathroom designer I had met and spoken with several times. She recommended I call The Glass House Glass Company in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, quite a hike a way.

I did, and his price was a good 38% lower! She had seen his work and was quite happy with it. Wow, doesn't it pay to have friends in the design business?

So here is Orny Beltrame of The Glass House Glass Company.

And now we are ready to start demolition!

Now It's Time for the Tile and Countertop!

2010-07-29T10:36:00.007-04:00

The shopping phase of my bathroom renovation is almost complete. All I need is tile, the counter top, and the shower door. For the tiles, I went straight to StoneWorks in Framingham.

I have worked with Wendy Savoie and the owner Ed Foye for several years now. Wendy has a degree in Interior Design and really knows her product.

I can't stress enough how much time I save, and how many mistakes I don't make, by dealing with the experts I have come to know through networking in the interior design field. Time and mistakes have a cost that I am not willing to pay.

I go to my experts with either specific or wide ranging ideas, and they take me directly to the products that will fit my needs. I don't have to look at every product in every store and worry that I have made a bad choice with respect to quality, or that the product is not right for my particular application. I never find my experts at big box stores - my experts have years of experience in the stores they work in, and they can give me one-on-one time in a way that big box stores cannot. Their time and expertise is "free", which adds more value to the buying equation.

Getting back to the tiles ... again I went armed with exact measurements of the bathroom and pictures of tile designs I liked. I also brought a sample of the vanity color and a picture of the cabinet style I had chosen. I knew I wanted my choices to be somewhat neutral, with eventual selling in mind, but I also wanted some pizazz. I needed my choices to be low maintenance, and not easily stained. The counter, I had decided already, would be an engineered stone, mostly in order to have more choices in a light creamy and consistent, pattern and color.

I chose a counter color I liked and then a white crackled tile. I used my magazine pictures, and pictures on tile sample boards, to inspire a tile pattern I felt was "current". I used a white baseboard tile and then 3 rows of 4"x8" white tiles stacked vertically for the wainscoting. On top of that was a chair rail pattern made of cream pencil moulding, white 2"x8" tiles running horizontally, a row of decorative glass tile in green, white, and tan, more 2"x8" white tiles,and finally a cream chair moulding.

My wainscoting would go around the tub area, and then into the shower, even with the pencil and chair moulding, which would "bump out" and provide a challenge for the shower door installer who would want a flat surface (before I ordered the tile I consulted with my glass door person to make sure that a door installation was possible). Above the wainscoting in the shower I would run the 2"x8" white tiles horizontally up to the ceiling.

I met again with Steve Dennis, the person who would be doing the bathroom renovation, in order to get his guidance on how much tile I needed to order. He determined that my creativity would come at the price of an upcharge for the extra time involved, but I was willing to pay for it. I did choose NOT to run the floor tiles diagonnally, as a way to keep other costs down.

One more thing to do: line up the glass door!

Does Staging Really Work?

2010-07-22T15:11:00.008-04:00

I recently staged a home in a condo development in Lincoln, Massachusetts. The condos were built about 1980 and some look a bit dated. Here are pictures of two breakfast rooms in two homes in the development that were on the market at the same time.

If this was the first room you saw as you walked through the front door, which room would get you excited about seeing the rest of the home, finally finishing your hunt for a home, and possibly moving in RIGHT AWAY to start the experience of living there?

I staged the room with the green walls. With another condo competing for the same buyer, this condo needed to be memorable. The seller was willing to put money on the line to make that happen, betting that she would get her money back, and then some! Not all sellers are willing to take that leap of faith.

Below was the room before staging. We installed hardwood flooring in that room and in the adjoining kitchen, painted the walls, and replaced the counter tops with granite. Then we rented furniture and accessories to complete the dream room.

Guess what? The seller who had her home staged had a buyer make an offer the first day... and that buyer got the home!! The other home has been on the market for 68 days now...

[Note: The other unit was priced a few thousand lower, had a different layout, and the same number of bedrooms and baths. It even had the advantage of a two car ATTACHED garage, where the staged home had only a one car DETACHED garage.]

Shopping for the Plumbing Fixtures

2010-07-07T15:02:00.004-04:00

There is never any question where I would go to choose the plumbing fixtures for my new bathroom. I wanted good quality without having to rob a bank, and I needed the assistance of someone who has 20 years in the business. I made an appointment to see my good friend Amy Zuckerman at WaterSpot in Natick. I brought all my measurements, a picture of my cabinetry with a sample of the finish, and my vision, and she proceeded to take me through my options. She is good at taking your words and translating them into the perfect product. If what she had in mind was not on display, she quickly found me a picture in a catalogue. It did not take long to make all of my choices.

In this day and age, most people want to buy something on-line, or through a Home Depot or Lowes store and don't realize what the knowedge and expertise of the right sales people can do for the looks and quality of the end result. Their knowledge and expertise adds real value. Forget about the time you save on research, and going from place to place, and the energy spent worrying that what you choose on your own will look awful... most people just don't get it. Even interior designers rely on experts to achieve their visions! There is no need to find out that your sink is too big for the door to open into the bathroom after it is already installed!

At WaterSpot I purchased the stand alone tub, the toilet and sinks, all of the plumbing fixtures, the exhaust fan, and even the lighting! When things begin to be installed I will then return and purchase glass shelving, cabinetry knobs, towel bars, toilet paper holders, and perhaps some glass shelving! If anything is delivered damaged, or is for any reason not right, all I have to do is email or call Amy and the problem is solved! I am too busy to deal with several stores!

When I left WaterSpot with pictures of my choices my next and stop was StoneWorks in Framingham for the tile and counters! I was making progress!

Shopping For The Bathroom Cabinetry

2010-07-06T16:05:00.008-04:00

For my bathroom, I decided that getting the cabinetry nailed down should be the first job. I already knew I wanted a claw foot tub, since I would be able to have more inside tub space in the small space I had to work with. Given that "style", the cabinetry should come before anything else.

A builder I work with recommendationed that I work with Lee Turner at Kitchen Views (at National Lumber) in Newton, MA. I made an appointment with her and brought all my measurements, my wish list, and pictures to better describe the look I wanted.

I needed to choose the base vanity, a tower to go between the sinks for storage, an open "cabinet" for over the toilet, and possibly something to go on the wall above the foot of the tub. I wanted my furniture "legs" instead of a plain toe kick, and I wanted that detail to carry over in some way to the tower and the other pieces. I needed medium high quality cabinets and, of course, the best price they could give me!

Lee was very knowledgeable about her products, and the system she used to generate drawings and quotes. This is very important in saving you time and aggravation. It was clear that Lee was in demand, booked solid, and needed to be efficient in order to survive. That was fine with me, since I did not want to spend all day choosing cabinets. She guided me to the styles I might like, and I brought in drawers and other things to be able to choose a finish that would work with the bedroom furniture.

At the last minute I did decide NOT to go with the white I had liked in the pictures I brought. I was afraid to make the jump away from wood for the first time in my life.

Unfortunately, the tower had to go. If you remember from a previous blog posting, I needed both closed and open storage in it. The need for a tower came from the desire to have a hair dryer "garage", with a plug in it, so the hair dryer could be hidden when not in use. It turned out that unless I purchased a customer tower (at greater cost), I would have to buy a closed section for the bottom, and then stack an open section on top. Some sort of trim would cover the seam. Yuck! That would look "cheap". I needed a plan B.

I also decided not to put something over the tub since to look right it would need some depth, and I knew the tub would be about 4" away from the wall. I was afraid of injuries that might result when standing up to get out of the tub! I could always have thinner glass or wooden shelves installed, and certainly at a lower cost.

So here is the drawing Lee's system generated:

As you can see, my initial plan of having a tower and tall mirrors built into the molding around it had to be scrapped, but there are many designs I would be happy to end up with... I just had to come up with plan B.

I'll tell you the products I chose when the job is complete, but my next step was to choose the tub and all the plumbing fixtures.

Obtaining Quotes For My Bathroom Renovation

2010-06-26T10:07:00.004-04:00

Given that I am an interior decorator, I know lots of quality contractors, and never have to resort to the yellow pages or a Google search. I obtained two estimates from contractors in the "design/build" arena. My husband and I had quite the sticker shock when both of them came back with estimates that were in excess of the huge range we had in my mind. They were in the range of 8-9% of what we consider the value of our home. The master bath is relatively small, and I was thinking their figures could get me a new kitchen!

I did call neighbors with recent bathroom renovations to find out what they thought. I knew the bathroom needed to be done, and that when we eventually sell, a 1985 bathroom in our neighborhood would be a hindrance, especially since our "kid" bedrooms are relatively small too. I also reasoned that doing the renovation now would mean we might perhaps get 10 years of loving our bathroom out of the deal.

Eventually I remembered that I had a networking friend, from a group I was no longer in, that was a plumber who did complete bathroom renovations. His name is Steve Dennis and his company is American Bath Works. I gave him a call. He charges for his work and plumbing incidentals. I would need to do all of the design (which I preferred not to pay someone else for anyway) and buy all the product and have it delivered. We were quite relieved when we received his estimate and figured we could save at least 33% on the job.

Steve got the job and I was then off to select all of the pieces!

Gathering Ideas for the Tub and Shower Areas For My Bathroom Renovation

2010-06-16T10:38:00.003-04:00

So now that I have the vanity area "designed" I need to think about the separate shower and tub areas. For the shower, I know I want to use good, but not luxury, tile, and that I want the walls tiled up to the ceiling. I want a clear frameless glass door and the now popular river rocks for the bottom.

For the tub, I need to fit as long a tub as I could find into the area, and I prefer to have the faucets in the middle of the tub so that you could have 2 people in the tub facing each other without one person having a neck ache from trying to avoid the faucet! At this stage of the game, it could be a stand alone tub or a tub that is inserted into a tiled or wood frame. Either way, I want the area around the tub tiled up about 4 feet.

I gathered more pictures and wrote down details of type of plumbing fictuers. I felt the contractor would have just about everything he would need to estimate his labor costs. A good contractor would also be able to create a reasonable budget for the materials. The next step is calling a few contractors!

Gathering Ideas to Decorate My Bathroom

2010-05-26T16:31:00.014-04:00

Most people would like to know about what it will cost to renovate their bathroom BEFORE they spend oodles of time choosing product for it. But to get a feel for the cost, you need to have some idea of what you want! Otherwise the general contractor will not have anything to work with when providing you a range.

But where do you start?

I decided to start with the vanity area, since that would influence the style I chose for everything else. This will be the focus of this blog posting.

I have kept pictures that appealed to me in a file for a while now, and I also looked on Better Homes and Garden's DecoratingInspiration.com. I will share a few pictures here.

I needed the vanity to fit with my relaxed traditional style in the bedroom, where I have oak, pine, and walnut antiques of the early 1900s, and creamy wallpaper and carpeting. I also had to think about the day when we sell our traditional style home -- so the renovation had to fit with the style of the house and be neutral enough to appeal to many, without being boring.

The picture above had many features that I liked. My bed and my antique TV armoire both have legs similar to the ones in the picture, and the overall style was appealing to me. I also liked the detail of the middle vanity section coming forward a bit. The tower in the center of the vanity would be wonderful for storage, and I could have some electricity moved behind it so that my hair dryer and tooth brush could always be plugged in and out of sight. I thought that having "built in" mirrors would add height to my small bathroom, and it would allow me to pull the tower and the mirror into the new crown molding I had planned.

What I did not like about the picture was having the lighting set into a soffit. I wanted beautiful lighting fixtures. The picture to the right gave me the idea that I could have the lighting attached through the mirror.

Aside from the vanity area, I would want cabinetry over the toilet for open storage of pretty towels and accessorizing. And if it would work, I would love to have something similar over the end of the tub. I would need to carry any decorative valance moulding from the tower to the units hanging on the wall, and, I could do something fancy to the bottom of the toilet and tub wall units. These points are important since my contractor would need to estimate upgrade items.

These pictures have granite in them, which I don't prefer in a master bath. With my small bathroom, I want something light and soothing, not something with "movement" in it, and you can't find that in granite. I also know from experience that I would not be happy keeping marble up to my standards in a busy master bath. Therefore, I would need a light engineered stone.

There was also the plumbing fixtures to choose. I knew I would want polished nickel (more expensive than chrome,) and that I would want them to either be mounted on the wall or sitting on the back of the counter.

With these pictures I was able to develop initial specs for the vanity area and the other cabinetry -- less than my contractor would want in the end, but enough to help her understand the scope of my project.

Follow Me as I Design a New Master Bathroom

2010-05-20T12:52:00.018-04:00

I am going to have my master bath totally gutted and I will design a new master bath in my house. My husband and I have lived in the house for 12 years, knowing that we would redo it one day. It is a 1985 bathroom with very little space other than what a toilet, double vanity, small jacuzzi tub, and a tiny shower take up. Aside from the outdated fixtures and design, there is a "plastic" shower, vinyl flooring, and laminate countertops. The jacuzzi looks like it should be in a hospital!

With postings to my Done in a Day Decorating blog, I am going to take you through the process of designing a new bathroom.

We live in beautiful neighborhood of houses in excess of 3200 sq. feet. Our bathroom is very small compared to most in the neighborhood and our "child" bedrooms are on the small side too. When we sell the house there will need to be compelling reasons for someone to give up the bedroom space and choose our house over others. An updated NEUTRAL master bath could be just one of the one of the reasons. We've been working on other "reasons" in our living areas.

The first thing you need to do when creating a new bathroom is to list your basic goals. Here are mine:

A neutral bath with somewhat timeless design for longevity of mass appeal

A design that will "fit" with the rest of the house, especially the master bedroom, but I would like to push the envelope in a few places so that it can be contemporary too

A double sink vanity

An enlarged and tiled shower

The largest tub that can be fit into the space

Plenty of storage

A place to hide away my hair dryer and other often used electrics without unplugging them

A frameless clear glass shower enclosure

I have determined by measuring that I cannot change the floor plan of the bathroom. I know it would be very expensive to expland the bathroom into a closet behind it. I've decide to expand the shower forward by about a foot towards the window.

Before I go to any store to make choices and involve sales people's time, I need to come up with ideas for what I want the finished bathroom to look like. For this I will go to my cut up magazines, designer magazine websites, and to Better Homes and Garden's Design Inspirations website www.decoratinginspiration.com,

Needlepoint Pillows

2010-05-18T09:47:00.003-04:00

Looking to decorate your couches and beds with needlepoint pillows but find them too expensive to buy? If you are a do-it-yourselfer then I have found a wonderful place to buy them.

I noticed Ehrman Tapestry's ad in a recent design magazine. The pillow in this picture is on sale at the moment for $75. I am tempted to buy a few! They can be reached at 888-826-8600 or on the web at www.ehrmantapestry.com

An Example of the Importance of Staging Your Home

2009-07-06T10:24:00.005-04:00

While searching real estate listings recently for potential business I came upon this photo of a bedroom and I could not help but gasp! This room needs a stager and it needs one fast! Unless the rest of the house is magnificant in the photos, this would be enough for most people NOT to visit the home in person.

Fireplaces in bedrooms are usually a unique sellable feature, but in this room the strong green with the pink and the clutter... well they just make you want to leave fast! They also make the room appear smaller.

Now this room appears to be a small girl's room, and most homeowners will resist changing anything in their bedrooms because "we have to live in OUR HOME while it is on the market." It is hard for them to take the leap to thinking of THEIR HOME as a PRODUCT they are trying to sell for the best price they can get! Their home is just one of many products available to buyers to choose from.

Think about a job interview. You might buy a new suit and shoes, get your hair cut, and have a manicure to make a great first impression. Would you wear those uncomfortable clothes all the time? No, that would not work functionally if you wanted to go running. But you would wear them when you were for sale as an employee. When you are selling your home it needs to show at its best. Buyers need to be able to imagine themselves living there, and not be distracted by the strong decorating tastes of the sellers.

What does this room need? I would pull out the bookcases completely. They only distract from the fireplace. I would then paint the room, or at least the fireplace wall, a color that would "pop" the fireplace. A properly sized picture over the fireplace would add to drawing your eye to it as soon as you enter the room. I can't tell from this picture how large the room is, or if there are options for the placement of the bed, but I would hope to be able to move it.

Home Staging Helped This Home Sell In Just Over 7 Days!

2009-06-18T16:28:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I was called by a realtor to help get a property sold quickly. It had been on the market for 186 days in 2007 and had not sold, and the owners were anxious to get on with a new life in another state. It was a beautiful home, with lots going for it, that needed decluttering, removal of extra furniture, and some rearranging to draw attention to the home's focal points. I was lucky that I was able to showcase the home using only the homeowner's furnishings, so there was no need for the extra expense of furniture rental.

I spent 7 hours going through the entire home and had the help of the owner and the realtor to speed things up. I did characteristically forget my camera, so I will be relying on limited current and old listing photos to describe what I did. The furniture that was removed was on the second floor, where I have no pictures.

It may be difficult to see the differences between the "before" and "after" views below, but look closely. In the first "before" picture below we see the following problems:

all of the seating is right up against the walls
the beautiful arrangement of windows on the front of the house is not highlighted as the focal point
the tables are too far from any seating to be used
the rug is floating alone and does not go well with the green wall color
the lower windows have white sheers on them which block light and a beautiful view

The "after" picture below is the staged room. To stage the room I did the following:

shopped for the best rug in the house that would work with the green walls
removed the sheers for more light and a view of the yard (a feature for this home)
floated the large couch in front of the windows a good 6 feet away from the window so that it would be part of the conversation area, and, centered it to help draw the eye to the focal point
added a large tree in one corner to add height and color to the corner
placed the 2 small side tables and the coffee table within reach of the seating

After the staging, room still looks large and airy (15x19), but is also looks cozy enought to sit down and visit a friend with a cup of tea.

Now in the "before" picture of the family room below, you might say that it looks wonderful and clean. The argument would be that from the couches you can see the fireplace and the TV at the same time, and the couches are at angles in the corners aligned with the TV leaving plenty of space in the middle of the room, making it look larger.

I have a different point of view -- I would say that buyers fall in love with "cozy and warm" feelings, architechural details, and views. The fireplace and french doors are the focal points which need to be addressed. The furniture needs to be floated in the room to draw attention to the fireplace, and the TV needs to be moved to a place where it does not compete with the french doors which afford a view of the lovely screened-in porch and beautful yard behind it.

To stage the room I did the following:

moved the armoire to another corner so it does not compete with the french doors -- it is in a corner that is not often viewed first when you enter a room
floated the seating in towards the fireplace
centered the larger couch facing the fireplace to draw your eye there
placed the shorter couch on the back side of the room, centering it on the french door to draw your eye there
removed the too-large mirror over the fireplace and replaced it with the appropriate sized art

I don't have a "before" of the porch, but look how we arranged it to look like a place the a buyer would want to spend his entire summer! If you have a small square porch you could use this arrangement too.

Laurie Heffernon Featured on Boston's Channel 4 - The Story of Marrisa's Bedroom

2009-05-15T16:05:00.003-04:00

Several weeks ago I was contacted by Elsie Nolan, a producer at Channel 4 in Boston, and asked if I would like to be part of a consumer report on ways to spruce up your home without spending lots of money. I immediately began my search for the perfect room. I chose to redesign the bedroom of 12 year old Marrisa Bachand of Sudbury, the daughter of Ray Bachand of 60Nobscot of Sudbury.

Marrisa's bedroom had been decorated when she was just entering elementary school and she had been pleading with her father for a more mature room to entertain her friends in. Her father recognized the need for a change but was busy growing his business and it never happened. Enter Done in a Day Decorating!

After talking with Marrisa about what she had in mind, and her father about what limitations he needed to set, we developed a plan that would balance both their needs and keep the cost to a minimum. In the end the only purchases would be paint, a lamp, a decorative purple box, a small picture frame, 8 sheer curtain panels, and a dust ruffle!

Marrisa loved purple and with that in mind Ray had a few years earlier purchased a beautiful quilt for the room that had lots of purple in it and coordinated well with the blue carpet, which was in good condition and had to stay. With the quilt as inspiration, we chose a lovely purple for the walls. Every other decision was driven from this starting point.

Since decorators hate televisions, and teenagers love to watch television, Marrisa's TV would stay but we needed to hide it. On Ray's property stand 3 barns filled with things he knew he might need sometime in the future. Lucky for us, in one of them was an old armoire just waiting to be let out into the world. We also found lots of pictures of horses, and Marissa loves horses.

The armoire was bare wood so we decided to have some fun and paint it a green that we found in the quilt. The dresser in the room had dark pink drawers, so they would be painted the same color. With 3 painting assignments for Ray, the next step was finding an inexpensive way to handle the window treatments.

I called in my good friend, and "window treatment department" Kendra Weldon of Weldon Interiors. Ray and Kendra are also friends. She had some scraps of material leftover from past jobs that would work perfectly. Now they were scraps, and we needed 8 panels for 4 windows so she had to be creative! She decided to design floor length panels with a top and middle section made of 2 different fabric scraps, and the bottom section made from sheers she bought. They almost looked like a dress with a bodice and skirt, and Marrisa thought they would really be funky. Since neither Ray nor Marissa were sewers, Kendra kindly volunteered to sew them herself! We decided to use another scrap to make a head board by stapling it to a piece of foam insulation she had in her garage, and she made some coordinating pillows out of her own napkins.

After the purchase of a few items, a bit of redesign of the layout of the room, and the perfect placement of accesorries and artwork, the room was done, and Marrisa can no longer be extricated from the room except for school and food!

You can read the Channel 4 story and see a video clip on their website. Be sure to click on the link at the end of the story, as well as on the link to the top left of their little TV screen.

http://wbztv.com/consumer/cheap.renovations.how.2.1009655.html

Bed Bath and Beyond

2009-04-18T12:57:00.002-04:00

For all of you who collect the 20% off coupons that Bed Bath and Beyond distributes, you should know that the company will soon discontinue their unwritten policy of allowing you to use expired coupons.

I have a huge collection of the coupons in my car since I can use one coupon per product purchased, and because they have always allowed expired coupons. Soon this will not be the case, so use them now if you have things you need to buy there.

Do You Have Modern Decorating Style And Need Artwork?

2009-04-08T09:58:00.004-04:00

I just discovered I.Candy!

I.candy offers a HUGE selection of hand-stretched canvas artwork at VERY affordable prices. You choose the artwork you like and then you can choose your size, your shape, and, in most cases, even your room's custom Benjamin Moore colors!

You have the option of a wood or metal frame, or you can go completely frameless.

I like the fact that your shopping can be done from your computer, and there is no need to go from store to store to store and risk coming home with nothing.

Check them out at http://www.icandyartwork.com/index.php.

Trying To Save Money on Window Treatments But Have a Custom Look?

2009-03-26T09:01:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago I worked with client in Sudbury who needed my help with arranging her family room and living room. She has a spectacular home that most people only dream about. As usual, I like to be given a tour of the home before I redesign so that I can get a better feel for the client's tastes, and sight any possible items that I can use in the redesigned rooms. Along the way a learned of some tricks she used to keep things affordable.

She had a wall in her hall dedicated to 20 years of Christmas card photos that her family had sent out. Each one was approximately the same size and was framed in a different thin gold frame with no mat. They were hung randomly on the wall and the look was wonderful.

In the master bedroom she had extravagantly custom window treatments - not just simple panels. She told me to look at the bed. I turns out she bought some beautiful sheets on sale and had the sheets made into these window treatments. This allowed her the custom look without paying big bucks per yard for fabric. I never would have guessed that the fabric was regular sheets! She unique design of the treaments and the use of frilly tassle edging fooled the eye.

Also in the master bedroom was a wonderfully inviting window seat. That, it turned out, was made from a needlepoint rug purchased at Home Goods! It was not quite wide enough for the seat, so she bought a small amount fabric in the same color for the edge, and had the window seat custom made too!

I left a very inspired redesigner and decorator.

When Decorating Your Body, Would You Wear Your Necklace on Your Forehead?

2009-03-21T11:01:00.004-04:00

So you can imagine that I have been in more houses that the average person. As an interior decorator it is hard to keep my eyes to myself and not take in my new surroundings, and inevitably my roaming eyes elicit a question about advice. There is a common ailment in most rooms and it is that the art is either hung too high or too low! Some things are so high it hurts your neck to look at them. It would be like wearing your necklace on your forehead instead of your chest! It is especially a problem with people who have high ceilings.

Generally when hanging artwork think first of the function of the room. The artwork should be at eye level. If this is a room where you are typically seated, then stand-alone artwork should be hung with 54" from the floor to the center of the art. If it is a room you are normally walking through, then there should be 60" from floor to the center of art.

Now clearly when you have stacked artwork the grouping can go higher or lower. And, there are many instances involving stairways or cathedral celings when you can hang things very high, but 95% of the time the function rule prevails.

Happy Decorating!

Does The Decorator in You Hate Looking At Your Baseboard Heating?

2009-01-12T14:51:00.004-05:00

Very often I am in older homes with ugly radiant baseboard heating units. They usually show rust through the paint, and are sometimes dented or so out of shape that the long pieces do not fit together right. I might be able to hide some of the baseboard with furnishings, but even with new furniture, and freshly painted walls and baseboards, they still look awful, and there is nothing you can do to make them look new.

Luckily, I found a product online called OverBoards. The product installs easily over your existing baseboards and there are several designs available to complement your home's architectural details. The website http://www.go-overboard.com/ even has installation instructions so you know what you are getting into before you buy the product.

Is Your Heat Register Getting In The Way Of Your Decorating Plan?

2009-01-06T12:44:00.004-05:00

Do you have air heat or airconditioning with registers in the floor? Believe it or not, you CAN put a piece of furniture over it! My clients are always happy when they realize that an arrangement they never thought was possible can be the one that transforms the room. And, there is no longer a need to risk getting the energy czar of your house upset in order to make it happen.

As long as you have 1 1/2" of space under the piece all you have to do is buy a Heat Register Deflector. ImprovementsCatalog.com carries them for $13.00. Quoting them: "Our PVC air register deflectors sit over the register and re-direct the cooled or heated air from under the furniture. Simply place air register deflectors over the register. The air register deflectors click securely onto the floor register and extend from 22" to 37" bringing the air out from under your chair, couch, bed, cabinet, curtains or end table."

FREE Introduction to Redesign Class

2008-04-21T19:24:00.004-04:00

Laurie Heffernon of Done in a Day Decorating will be conducting a FREE 2 hour class on redesign on Tuesday July 22nd from 10:00-12:00, in the loft of a refurbished barn at "60nobscot" in Sudbury MA. Come join us!

Learn the basics of interior redesign, and dream about the day the kids go back to school and you can apply your new skills to your favorite rooms. Because of space limitations, registration is limited to 20 people. Call Laurie at 508-485-7602 or Ray Bachand at 978-440-8066 to register, or stop into the showroom at 60nobscot (60 Nobscot Rd. in Sudbury, MA.) and register there.

Ray Bachand owns 60nobscot where he sells furniture he makes himself, art, antiques, and accessories in an inviting 1820s barn showroom. He frequently hosts business owners for classes in their fields, so ask him what other events he has on his calendar!

Yankee Magazine Features Laurie Heffernon

2008-01-25T11:21:00.000-05:00

Laurie Heffernon was featured in the November/December 2007 issue of Yankee Magazine. The regular column "How'd They Do That?" was titled "Decorating on a Dime" and it focused on a family room redesign created by Laurie Heffernon of Done in a Day Decorating.

FREE Introduction to Redesign Class

2008-01-09T10:56:00.000-05:00

Laurie Heffernon of Done in a Day Decorating will be conducting a FREE 2 hour class on Monday February 11th from 10:00-12:00, in the loft of a refurbished barn at "60nobscot" in Sudbury MA. Come join us! Learn the basics of interior redesign, and apply your new skills to your favorite rooms before the spring brings your interests outside. Because of space limitations, registration is limited to 20 people. Call Laurie at 508-485-7602 or Ray Bachand at 978-440-8066 to register, or stop into the showroom at 60nobscot (60 Nobscot Rd. in Sudbury, MA.) and register there. Ray Bachand owns 60nobscot where he sells furniture, art, antiques, and accessories in an inviting 1820s barn showroom

Marlborough Enterprise Features Laurie Heffernon

2007-11-26T11:34:00.002-05:00

The November 22, 2007 issue of the Marlborough Enterprise features Done in a Day Decorating's Laurie Heffernon in a front page article. The print version of the article has before and after pictures of a Marlborough living room and a picture of Laurie holding the Yankee Magazine issue that she is also featured in.

Why Not Re-Purpose an Under-Utilized Room?

2007-11-01T11:11:00.000-04:00

These homeowners had a large living room that was used only as a place where their teenaged boys used a computer in an armoire that is not in the "before" view above. The living room was never used as a living room, and as you can see, it served as a collection room to get things out of the way. The dining room was small to start out with, and the table and chairs were too big for it. When the family ate their evening meal together each night, it was difficult to navigate behind a chair with a person sitting in it.

Since the living room had a beautiful fireplace in it, and lovely antiques that complimented the table, it better served the family as a dining room! So the switch was made! The living room was redesigned as an old fashioned dining room, and the small dining room was redesigned as a study where the boys could use the computer, still housed in an armoire.

Nothing new was purchased!

Laurie Heffernon Interviewed on "New England Newsmakers"

2007-11-01T10:45:00.000-04:00

On Sunday November 5, 2007, the Comcast Network's CN8 program "New England Newsmakers" will feature an interview with Laurie Heffernon about her redesign work.

FREE Introduction to Interior Redesign Class

2007-11-01T10:37:00.001-04:00

I will be conducting a FREE 2 hour class on 2 dates, November 7, 2007 from 7-9pm and November 8, 2007 from 11-1pm, in the loft of a refurbished barn at "60nobscot" in Sudbury MA. Come join us! Learn the basics of interior redesign, and apply your new skills to your favorite rooms before the holiday rush. Because of space limitations, registration is limited to 20 people. Call me (Laurie) at 508-485-7602 to register, or stop into the showroom at 60nobscot (60 Nobscot Rd. in Sudbury, MA.) and register there. 60nobscot sells furniture, art, antiques, and accessories in an inviting 1820s barn showroom.

Real Life Home Staging - Problem Rooms

2007-09-17T10:51:00.003-04:00

Almost every house has a problem room. It could be too small, too large, have too many windows or doors, or like the room in the photo at the left, be cut in half with a sunken floor.

Look really close, and at the far end of the baseboard heater on the right you will see a light floor board running perpendicular to the heater. It extends out to where the rug starts. The light board marks a step down. The right half of the room is raised, and the half with the rug on it, which is only 9'wide, is sunken.

I was hired to stage this home, which was empty. The house had been on the market for over a year and had not sold. It was a problem house. The outside of the home was in tough shape, and the floor plan would only appeal to a small group of buyers. I didn't want to scare away anyone in that small group by having them see this long thin room and then walk away not being able to imagine how they could use it as a family room, fitting the necessary furniture in it.

As you can see, I rented a a room with a love seat and comfy chair in it, and a wide screen TV mounted on the wall. With the chair turned, 3 people could comfortably watch the TV and enjoy the view out the slider at the same time. Staging this room prevented the thought that it could not be used from entering the prospective buyer's mind. They could happily move from this room onto the next with registering a bad thought.

This house sold to a couple who absolutely loved it.

Call a redesigner or staging professional when you have difficult rooms to either live in or sell!

Real Life Home Staging

2007-09-12T14:38:00.001-04:00

A few days ago a new client asked me to help her determine what she had to do to her house to get it ready for sale in about 12 months. She and her husband had owned the home for about 10 years, and in general were happy with the way it was furnished and decorated.

One of the first things I noticed was that all the walls and trim were painted the same off-white color. Although this counts as "neutral", it is hard to make it exciting for potential buyers unless the furnishings are very carefully selected and arranged to provide some "punch" and draw the eye to the home's features. It is easy for the novice NOT to accomplish this goal and have the rooms look like boring white boxes with furniture plunked down in them, perhaps with prior evaluation of functional needs (one needs to be able to see the TV from your favorite chair!)

One thing that is difficult for sellers to do is embrace the notion that when selling a property they are selling a product. They have to disassociate themselves from being homeowners and begin to think like marketers. Yes, buyers will bring their own furniture in and paint the walls with colors they love, BUT, first they must fall in love with your product and buy it! Remember, there are other products out there at the same price level of yours and they need want YOUR product.

My new client really did not fully appreciate this and I could tell she really preferred to "save" some money, leave things as is, and assume it would sell in the time frame she and her husband envisioned. Additionally, even if she agreed with everything I suggested, she did not think that changing much more than the kitchen counter and kitchen floor would fly with her husband.

Coincidentally a nearby home that I had recently staged, and which had started out in a similar condition to hers, was having an open house the very next day. I told her she was welcome to come and see it, and I would walk her around and describe what I had done in each room. When she walked in the door I was able to tell her that the home had 3 offers already, and it had been on the market only 5 days!

After viewing the photos above, and hopefully guess which ones are "before" and which ones are "after" pictures, I will let you decide which room would entice you to buy a home with a wonderful ceramic wood stove as a feature. I will also let you decide if you consider both rooms "neutral".

Can You Stage Your Own Home?

2007-08-27T16:24:00.000-04:00

One of the services that Done in a Day Decorating offers is home staging. In the Boston Metrowest market, home sales have seen better times. I’ve noticed in 2007 that more and more homeowners are coming around to the concept that redesigners offer valuable staging services that can substantially increase the likelihood that their homes will sell quickly, and at a higher price.

Sure, you don’t need me to tell you to clean, remove clutter and extra furniture, organize your closets, and put away all of your family photos and beloved collections! That is the easy part of staging! Anyone can do that. The more difficult part of staging requires a combination of talent and psychology.

Have you ever thought that staging is applying the art of seduction? After all, your home is competing against other homes! A home stager’s job is to create an atmosphere that seduces buyers into quickly falling in love with your home as they note all its features and not its imperfections!

If you can’t honestly say that you have the skills and perspective to make that happen for your home then you need to call in a home stager. You want a quick and lucrative sale, and a small investment can improve the chances of that happening.

If you are unsure whether you have the skills, ask a friend who has not visited your home to come in with the eyes of a buyer and be honest about whether you have room for improvement. Remember again, you are competing against other homes!

Parade Magazine Article - How to Make Your Home Sell Faster

2007-08-21T16:16:00.001-04:00

Clink on this link to see the May 8, 2007 article in the Sunday "Parade Magazine" titled "Where America Lives - How To Make Your Home Sell Faster".

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_05-06-2007/10_Tips

This article can help do-it-yourselfers save some money. As a professional stager, many of the things on the "To Do" list I would give sellers after a staging consultation are discussed in this article. If you can cover this list yourself, you can then hire a stager for her unique skills in drawing the potential buyer's attention to the features of your home while distracting them from the defects.

A professional stager will know how to use "the power of placement" to "balance" your rooms and make your home pleasing to the eye. Stagers are also experts at placing furniture in those too-small, too-large, or shape-challenged rooms. It is better to solve the problem of "What would we do with THIS room?" before they even ask it. Otherwise the path of least resistance is to move on to the next house on the list -- you know the competition down the street at the same price that does not have that challenge...

Interior Redesign Stats 101 - Coffee Tables

2007-08-21T10:01:00.001-04:00

How many times have you been someone's home and had either your knees all scratched up by the coffee table which is too close to the sofa, or the opposite, the coffee table was out in the center of the room and there was no possible way to put your drink down to take something offered to you by the hostess?

Coffee tables are meant to be functional. You should be able to negotiate the space between the table and the sofa to sit down and, once you are seated, you should be able to lean forward and place something on it. A good rule of thumb is that you should have at least 12-14" of clearance.

Other dimensions? I like to have the the height be about 16-18", which is about the average height of a sofa seat. As far as length, it depends on the width of the sofa or loveseat. A good size for a love seat is 24" x 36". For a sofa, take the inside measurement, between the insides of the arms, and subtract 12". That is about the right length to shoot for.

These are the basics, but when decorating your home you need to think like a redesigner! Your coffee table needs to look like it goes in the room. Redesign basics of scale and proportion are equally important as size. Consider this: do you choose a dainty thin-legged, thin-topped table when you have big clunky furniture with wide arms and chunky cushions? No, they would look awkward together!

If you need help, you can always call on Done in a Day Decorating!

Interior Redesign Stats 101 - Conversation Areas

2007-08-18T17:42:00.001-04:00

Did you ever think that redesigning your rooms could make them beautiful AND strengthen your marriage? Well it's the truth! It all boils down to the "power of placement!"

One placement rule that redesigners use is to keep the conversation groupings within an 8-10' area. This allows for better conversation. But there is one caveat rule: redesigners always know to keep the spouse's seats within 4-6' of each another. They know that most divorces can be traced back to furniture arranged in a way that does not invite spousal interaction (he he!.) Eventually the wife complains, "We don't talk anymore!" and it’s down hill from there.

So redesign will make rooms a better place to be....and make relationships better --- all because of the power of placement!

Now that you know this rule, don't let any newlyweds make a critical mistake with their conversation areas. You may influence the divorce rate in years to come!

Worcester Business Journal Article Quotes Laurie Heffernon

2007-08-17T16:42:00.001-04:00

Click on this link to read the Worcester Business Journal article "ReDesigned Real Estate - staging companies redecorate houses to increase sales-values". It ran January 4, 2007.

http://www.wbjournal.com/news39585.html?Type=search

Introduction to Interior Redesign Class to be Held in October

2007-08-17T16:12:00.000-04:00

I will be conducting a FREE 2 hour class October 10, 2007 from 10-12 a.m. in the loft of a refurbished barn at "60nobscot" in Sudbury MA. Come join us!

Learn the basics of interior redesign, and apply your new skills to your favorite rooms before the holiday rush.

Because of space limitations, registration is limited to 20 people. Call me (Laurie) at 508-485-7602 to register, or stop into the showroom at 60nobscot (60 Nobscot Rd. in Sudbury, MA.) and register there.

60nobscot sells furniture, art, antiques, and accessories in an inviting 1820s barn showroom.