The love of fabric

One of the favorite parts of my job as a designer is selecting fabric for a client's project. I could (and do!) spend hours just looking through the fabric showrooms for that perfect combination to create a beautiful room. In fact, for me, I draw a lot of my inspiration from the fabrics I choose for a client. Sure, many clients have a particular look they want. But I find most aren't looking for a specific fabric, but rather, a feeling. When a client tells me they want a warm, inviting room, I look for browns, oranges, tans, and other warm colors. Or, sometimes they have a painting or other item that is an "inspiration" piece where I can draw color from. But even then, I think the fabric used for the furnishings and curtains brings a room together like nothing else in a room.

Recently, I've had the opportunity to work on a great project redecorating an entire house and have spent a lot of time at the Seattle Design Center looking at amazing fabrics. I truly believe in spending a little more money on a custom look that sets your home apart from others and is a reflection of you. A few of my favorite fabric lines include Lee Jofa, Kravet and Osborne & Little. All offer thousands and thousands of options, and I never tire of the challenge of pulling together the right look to amaze my clients!

Here are a few combinations I'm thinking about right now. (when the project is done, I'll post the pictures so you can see what we came up with) Unfortunately, my antiquated camera just doesn't do these beauties justice but hopefully you can get a flavor.

feminine and sophisticated

bright and playful

pretty in pink

understated elegance

Kitchen is done!

Well, after nearly three months, our minor kitchen remodel is finished! I think it fits nicely with the period of the home (1921) yet feels modern and updated. Thanks to a very handy husband, lots of elbow grease, smart shopping and a small budget of $2,500, here's what we got:

• repainted cabinets,
• new hardware, (found them on sale for 1/2 off!)
• new wiring (not in the original scope, but needed),
• new Formica countertops, (nightmare experience, but easy once we got them!)
• new tile back splash,
• new sink and faucet, and
• new lighting.

Luckily, we did not need new appliances, although a stainless stove/oven would finish off the room perfectly! (maybe in a few more months) The only thing we hired out was the tile work, but we were able to find white subway tile at Loew's for a great deal, making it worth it to hire a professional installer.

It's not my dream kitchen, but it's new, fresh and updated; making it much more inviting and fun to be in. By keeping the cabinets, we were able to save thousands of dollars and a fresh coat of paint really does make them feel new again. We also saved a ton of money by going with a cheap countertop. We contemplated higher end countertops, but knowing that the cabinets will need to be replaced some day, we decided it didn't make sense in the long-term to spend the extra money. (and, waste the materials) Besides, the Formica is very durable and will last a long time.

Stay tuned for more pictures, as my camera wasn't working well when I took the pictures above. If you have any questions on how you might be able to freshen up your kitchen space, don't hesitate to send me an email!

Great Deals at the Seattle Design Center

The Seattle Design Center's Annual Sample Sale on Feb. 7Th couldn't have happened at a better time!! What a great opportunity to get fabulous pieces at fantastic prices. (who doesn't want a good deal now-a-days?!) The sale used to be so popular that they charged an entry fee and you had to wait in line for hours! This year, like last year, there's no fee, but they do ask for a food donation. Some of my favorite showrooms you might want to check out are: L. Greenberg & Associates, Kravet/Lee Jofa, Terris Draheim, Inc and Trammell-Gagne.

Here are just a few tips to ensure you have a successful shopping spree:

1. Bring fabric swatches for matching -- if you are looking for the perfect accent chair to go with a sofa, bring a swatch from the sofa to ensure the perfect match.


2. Measure the space and bring a measuring tape -- Since all sales are final, make sure you know the size of the space you are looking to fill so you don't buy something that's too big, or too small.


3. Look over the item very carefully. It is a sample sale, so most of the pieces have been sat on, bumped, etc. numerous times. Occasionally, they may even give you a little less (if you ask) for obvious flaws.


4. It's OK to splurge on a high quality sofa or chair -- it is the Design Center after all. It's easy to find a sofa there that retails for $10,000, but now is on sale for $3,000. While that may seem high, the workmanship of the things you find at the Design Center is so high that a good quality sofa should easily last 10-15 years.


5. Be inspired -- don't have anything specific in mind? It's fun to go and see what they have to offer. It's also a great time to pick up a few high end, yet deeply discounted, accessories to help spruce a room.

For more details, check out their website here: http://www.seattledesigncenter.com/

Kitchen Remodel Part 2

So, the holidays came and went and yet our kitchen is still not done. However, the cabinets are re-painted, all of the cabinet doors have been put back together, and our new cabinet hardware has been installed. The cabinets look so much better - it's truly amazing what a coat (or two or three!) can do to cabinets. Of course, every remodel project isn't complete without it's share of drama. We ordered Formica countertops not once or twice, but three times now! The first two times they came delivered damaged. Let's hope "third time's a charm"! It's very difficult to cook in a kitchen without countertops. It's messy and hard to use a surface you can't wipe clean. I've been searching for very inexpensive subway tile for the backsplash, and have yet to find super good deals. I almost found it at this local second use store in Seattle, but they were 20 square feet shy of what we needed -- arghhh!! They also had some Ann Sacks tile I really wanted, but again, not enough and probably would have been more expensive to buy the remaining pieces we needed.


I'm feeling hopeful, however. Perhaps another two weeks and we'll be there. Cross your fingers and stay tuned for more updates.

January is National "Get Organized" Month

Perhaps it's the chore of taking down all of the holiday decorations that helps gets us in the mood to organize, or maybe it's those dreaded New Year's Resolutions we make and try so hard to honor. Whatever the reason may be, January is the perfect time to "Get Organized"! The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has designated January as the time for all of us to focus on getting our homes more organized. As a member of NAPO, and a professional organizer, I couldn't think of a better time to hunker down and tackle your clutter problems. The weather is cold (or rainy if you live in the Northwest), so we tend to stay in our homes more anyway.

Of course, the best way to tackle large clutter problems is to hire a professional organizer. And, I'm not just saying that because I am one. The reality is, most people have a very difficult time getting rid of the stuff that is causing the clutter problem. Or, they simply don't know how to create systems that will work best for them. A neutral, third party person is the best way to ensure you truly get rid of the "junk" and create an individualized system that works best for you. To find an organizer in your city, simply go here: http://www.napo.net/referral/

For you do-it-yourselfer's, here are a few tips to help you get started towards your goal of having a more organized home, and ultimately, and stress-free life:

1. Focus on one room at a time or you'll get overwhelmed. The most common areas in need of organization are the kitchen, home office and family room. Pick just one and give yourself 2-4 weeks to work on it (depending upon the degree of clutter)


2. Once you know which room you'll focus on, get 3 large bins or boxes (or lots of plastic bags). Label them as follows: KEEP, DONATE and TRASH. If your KEEP box is substantially larger than the DONATE and/or TRASH bins, you have a problem!


3. Immediately take the DONATE items to your local charity. Do not stick them in the garage and forget about them!


4. Of the items remaining in the KEEP box, sort them by type and/or use.


5. Once everything is sorted identify whether or not you can use some products to help you create a better organization system. (this seems to be where most people start and as you can see, it's number 5 on the list!)


6. Make sure you create an inviting environment - someplace that you love. The more you love it, the more likely you'll keep it clean!


7. Keep it up! This is the hardest part. You've spent all of this time de-cluttering (and maybe even the money you spend on hiring a professional), the least you can do is reward yourself by maintaining it.

Ultimately, a well-organized home can bring calm and order to your house. Many people find they actually save money because they aren't buying duplicates of things they already have. You can also get more done because you are spending less time trying to find things. When everything has it's own place, you know where to go to find it. And lastly, you'll feed good about yourself, and proud of the beautiful home you have created!

HAPPY ORGANIZING!

My Kitchen Remodel Part 1

I've owned my home for nearly 11 years. And during that time, we have remodeled every single room with the exception of the kitchen. In looking at our priority list, having a little more square footage always took precedent over a nice, fancy kitchen. Yet, no matter how small or big your house is, 95% of the time people seem to congregate in the kitchen. And thus, my dilemma. I love to entertain but I hate my kitchen. With everyone always wanting to hang out there, I just can't take it anymore!! Something has to be done!! The cabinets are cheap and old, we have pink counter tops and the flooring is cheap as well. I've held out on remodeling because I want that designer kitchen (of course!). But, in today's economy, we just can't afford my dream kitchen. So, the cabinets are staying (as cheap as they are) and we're going to repaint them and add some new knobs. The flooring will stay, but we are going to buy new Formica for the counter tops - no fancy paperstone or granite - but anything will be better than pink!

(my kitchen before the remodel - yikes!)

Luckily, my husband is very handy and can do most of the work. The bad part is that he's a perfectionist, which means more time and generally a little scope creep. Case in point: we weren't planning to rewire the room. But, after further inspection, the original wiring (circa 1921) was worse than we thought. Before you knew it, he's pulled out all of the lathe and plaster off the wall and is rewiring! It's great and probably needs to be done. However, this so-called "minor" update or refresh project is nowhere near being done!

(walls out getting ready to sand cabinets)

So, stay tuned for updates to this project. Our goal is to be done by Christmas (which means probably not until the first of the year!).

Oh, yeah -- and where is everything at while this project is being done? In our dining room, of course! (and other scattered places throughout the home -- which makes cooking really fun!)

The Thanksgiving Tree

If you are looking for a unique Thanksgiving decoration idea, try a Thanksgiving Tree! Last year, my friend introduced me to a decorated Thanksgiving Tree. A few weeks before Thanksgiving, she takes out her artificial tree (typically used for only Christmas) and decorates it with a Fall "theme". (that's her tree in the photo above) It's really simple to do - a nice, thick ribbon or sash, a bunch of picks (bought from Michael's or some other arts and crafts store), and some lights (her's comes pre-lit, even better!). I'd also recommend wrapping the base with a Fall-colored tablecloth to hide the base. Once Thanksgiving is over, simply pull the Fall items off and decorate for Christmas!

What a great way to get multiple uses out of your artificial tree!