Labor day reminds me of BBQ, Bathing Suits and Beach Houses.  Every year we celebrate with our amazing friends up “north.”  For those of you who know me, you know “north” isn’t that far away due an unfortunate case of motion sickness, particularly in automobiles.  This labor days begins with a three hour trip to a familiar place where time seems to slow down, laughter fills the air, friends become family and a good book becomes the perfect snuggle buddy.  It’s home away from home and sometimes just worth blogging about.

“It’s time to cruise”… which usually means it’s time to jump in the pontoon and cruise around 8point lake.  Every year we notice we stop and talk about the same home.  It’s so well done.  It made us wonder and hope the interior was equally as stunning.  This week I’m going to take a stab at it and design it myself.  I’m looking for grades here people, so don’t forget to comment and let me know what you think!

Let’s begin with a couple steps up onto the patio, journey through the french doors and envision finding yourself in a trimmed out paradise!

A tailored, tufted seat and and slick silhouette of  a leather sofa will anchor a raised panel wainscot wall beckoning you to sit, relax and enter into a good convo. I’m imagining the walnut floors are accented with beautifully subtle, neutral paint colors. My favorite pick of the month Benjamin Moore Navajo White OC-95.

And just maybe the all seasons room, adjacent this beautiful sitting room, contains a cottage style dining set. TIP: not all pieces of furniture have to match exactly. Notice the chairs do not match the table, and the sideboard doesn’t match anything. The monochromatic color concept is the balance to the unmatched pieces. TRICK: Stick to colors found in nature to create a soothing cottage retreat.

After a long hard day of playing in the sun you’ll need a beautiful place to rest. So let’s take a trip up the painted staircase to the master suite and see what kind of damage we can do. TIP: Pillows make the beds look amazing! But you’ll have to store these bad boys when you actually want to use the bed. Try searching locally for accent pillows. That way you aren’t heart broken when you catch Fido sleeping on the dry clean only Euros in the corner.

I’m envisioning the master bath to be fully loaded with amenities: his and her vanities, walk out private patio, soaking tub and accents of glass mosaic tile. A little bit goes a long way. Glass is very trendy so be careful of your qty’s.   Below is a computer rendering I did to illustrate the design.  Trick: Paint is the most inexpensive tool which makes the biggest impact. Try to experiment with your focal walls.

Let’s see … we’ll need a few accessories for finishing touches:

Forest Floor Decorative Vintage Vase from Target $14.99

If you prefer pops of color you can mix any of these in for good measure and brighten up the scheme.

Flying Wall Bowls from Global Views S/3 $78

Emissary Tuscan Garden Stool - $184.99

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday! Cheers.

“If we took a Holiday, Took some time to Celebrate, Just one day out of life, It would be so nice ” ~ Madonna

Dwellers … We all have been there.  You move into a new place and immediately think what’s first… PAINT!! Definitely Paint.  It’s the least expensive, biggest impact home improvement you can make.  It sets the mood, transforming the blazay beige to a serene spa retreat. It can be creative, it can be bold and it can also be subtle.  But where do you start? You slip on the sneaks and search for your keys hiding somewhere under the last pile of mail you sifted through. Jump in the car and then the first decision starts … where do you go?  Most start at the closest and most convenient Big Box store.  Usually greeted by an associate you find your way to the intimidating display of one million, expertly coordinated tiny paint chips and proceed to concentrate. After 20 frustrating minutes you walk away with twenty samples and remain hopeful they will look as good in the house as they did in the store.  It doesn’t have to be so serious. It’s not a science. This should be fun and if you follow these steps we’ll make it through together.

Step 1.Plan

Come with a Game Plan.  Take a few minutes and do a little research.  Look around your house. What do you have to work with.  Amazing Architecture?  Furniture choices? Accents? Art work? Do a quick inventory of what you have. Check out magazines, the Internet and even your family/friends/neighbors homes to see how they have expressed themselves. If you like write it down.

Step 2. Shop

Head out for an initial “go.” Grab an arm cover from your sofa or your favorite object for inspiration and bring it with you to the paint store. Maybe your painting Kitchen? If that’s the case take one of your display dishes, a sample of your granite and the sample of your cabinetry.  It will prove most useful, I promise.  Take a gander and try to be selective. Don’t grab one hundred paint samples. Try and limit yourself to the top 10 lucky samples that beg to be taken home.  *SHAMELESS PLUG: Working with a Designer can take the head ache out of the selection process. It’s our job to search within you and bring a handful of samples that generally one you’ll love, one you’ll hate and one that’s perfect.  Most Big Box stores will offer sample mini jars of your color selection that you can paint on the wall to see a larger version.  It’s better than those tiny rectangular swatches that look dramatically different when you are surrounded by it. But it’s still not great. Why? Because you cannot remove that sample, it can confuse, complicate and cause frustration if it wasn’t quite what you expected.  Designers have working relationships with various manufacturers and can usually order large samples (as many as you want) and tape them together essentially painting your wall in removable samples. Best part … they are FREE!  I should mention again that they are removable so if they are indeed not what you were thinking you just pull them off and put the next sample up.

Step 3. Decide

Take your time. Think about it. Live with it. Examine how the lighting changes the color and how the color interacts with it’s new roommies.  More importantly how does it make you feel? Is it what you expected? At this point you can make any necessary changes.  “Like what?” You might ask. Maybe you won’t. Maybe that one color is it. But for some people your self expression tends to be … well … slightly more complex.  Let’s look at the room one last time.

• You have your walls. Check.  Are all walls the same color? For some of you that is just fine and you don’t need to push the envelope any further.  For you other Dwellers maybe something bold like an accent wall is in order. A punch of color creating a focal point is way more your speed.
• Look up … Ceiling (Hopefully). Check. what types of details does your ceiling have. Possible exploration here too. But we’ll get into decorative ceilings and it being the fifth most overlooked wall in a later post.
• Look down … Floors. Check. Are they wood, carpet or something else.  I’m currently working on a project for a child’s outdoor playhouse. The client’s don’t want to spend too much money but would like a “WOW” impact. We painted the floor with four colors and an intricate pattern transforming an unfinished plywood  platform into a child’s dream room.
• Trim… Check. This includes casing, baseboard, doors and architectural embellishments.  Are you painting these items too? Side note: if you are painting your walls dark, I would recommend your trim go light for contrast. And yes it’s absolutely ok to paint wood.

Step 4. Basics

Ok… So now you have an idea of what you want to do and what you want to paint. How much is it and how much do you need? Here’s the skinny:

Wall area = Perimeter x Height of ceiling

Trim area = sq ft of doors (approx 21 sq ft ea) and windows (must measure)

Ceiling = Length x Width

If your trim is a different color than the walls subtract that from the wall area.
Divide each area you’d like to paint by 400 (1 gallon of paint) to see how many gallons or quarts you need.

1 gallon of paint = 1 coat on 400 sq ft.
1/2 Gallon = Buy 2 Quarts
1/5 Gallon = Buy 1 Quart

 Ok… Get our your wallets. A typical Gallon of paint can cost anywhere from $15 to $35.  Speciality finishes like metallic, suede or other faux finishes obviously could vary and could cost much more.

TIPS and TRICKS:

Rules are Meant to be broken. It is a wives tale that dark colors create caves. Not always.  Tom Verwest, who is the principle of my company and brilliant, cutting edge designer once painted the walls in a small Powder Room all Black. It was GORGEOUS and beyond unexpected! So what’s the story Morning Glory? Dark colors receed and if used in the appropriate way with the right furnishings and accessories can actually enhance the mood you are going for.

Ceilings should be white.  Wrong. I cannot tell you  how many times I have been shot down by clients to paint their ceilings different colors other than bright white.  I’m not saying they need to be polka dots, but a slighter color than the walls or in contrast it could be a very bold color.  Painting your ceiling a different color than white can create more height in the room, create a focal point around the ceiling medallion the light fixture is mounted to or in some cases create an awning that encourages your child to be creative and express themselves in their rooms.

When it comes to rules … Rip them up and throw them out. It’s just paint. Get your samples. If you don’t like, it’s just paint. Paint over it.

Creative Paint ideas: Use paint color to create focal points.  They help give order and interest to rooms. Experiment with techniques. If you can’t do them hire a professional.  Trust me, it’s worth it.  There are many types of techniques and finishes either in fauxs, textures, stripes and shapes.  I’ll save examples of these for another blog later. You can also play with color schemes.  You seem examples at the store.  These manufacturers are trying to make it easier for you. They have color cards with suggestions based on trends in the market.  Sherwin Williams is very good at this and even have a magazine named STIR  that explains the latest and greatest.  All are based on Color Theory and are easy to follow. In the next few weeks i’ll explain the difference between Analogous and Monochromatic and pros and cons of each.

Would love to hear your feedback and see your painted projects.  Please shoot me photos of things you are working on and maybe we’ll blog about them soon. Dwell Well out there.

I admire a creative mind. In fact I applaud it. You’ve heard the saying “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure”.  Let’s check out some clever re-uses of items.

Love to read but ran out of storage? You could create a desk. The more books the bigger the desk!
	This console table is made of an old barn beam. Sleek and clean it is a conversation starter and perfect table for your favorite piece to sit.

Architectural Salvage Warehouses are some of the most inspiring places to walk through. Full of items that are just waiting to be re-purposed. There are many great places locally that you might not know of.  Architectural Salvage Warehouse located on 15^th street in Detroit has a helpful website and friendly staff to help if you are looking for something specific. Check out www.aswdetroit.org   If you are located in the Royal Oak Area you could stop by and see Marisa at Heritage CO II on East 7^th street in Royal Oak. Don’t forget Antique shops are great resource for new treasures.

These silver trays are hung with wire, mounted on the wall and used as magnetic boards.  These would be amazing to post photos on as well.

Door Knobs can be used in many creative ways, shown here as decorative drapery tiebacks. But could also be used to hang towels, robes or even photographs with ribbons.

	These antique corbels double as functional bookends
Ladders make excellent storage pieces. Mounted vertically you can hang magazines, blankets and in some cases and with certain ladders books, cds or dvds.

The shabby chic style begs for re-purposed items. Given the style itself revolves around items that are chosen for their distressing, vintage and feminine flare … hence the “chic.”This mantel piece makes a stunning headboard in a Master Suite. The inset arch could instantly go masculine if upholstered in the right fabric, perhaps a navy stripe? 

Many of these friezes come with the actual mantels attached which could double as a bookshelf.  Contact your local handyman and see if he could even retrofit a reading light.

This seat was pulled from an old horse drawn carriage. Now it sits minimally in a contemporary setting. It’s silhouette  graceful like a piece of art.

	Bulbs-unlimited.com has created a unique niche in the industry by re-purposing light bulbs into creative contemporary orbs.
This collection of bottle caps has been turned into a clever conversation piece.

Similarly these pop tabs have been recycled into a pin dot pendant. I would love to see this as a wall sconce as well.

Next time you take the trash to the curb think about what you can do with it first … See you next week .. Till then Dwell Well.

Here are a few to get things started:

Windex is good but have you tried white vinegar? Mix with water and use it as a glass cleaner. For large jobs like windshields use one cup of vinegar to one gallon of water.

Most cooks have gotten used to that sticky, burnt “stuff” on the bottom of the pan.  For pans that have had food burned onto the bottom, apply a capful of ammonia, fill the pan with water and boil for a few minutes, it will soften all of that up so you can live to battle another day.

White Wine to the Rescue White wine counteracts the red wine and makes it easier to remove the original red wine stain. Shocking, I know. Pour a small amount of white wine over the red wine spot and blot with a clean towel. Do not wipe, rub or smear the spot around. If the stain is deep or has set for a while treat the remaining area with a carpet stain remover of your choice.

Got Flies? There is nothing more irritating that house flies. It’s not your fault.  Here are a few options to try.
1/  Sprinkle dry soap into garbage cans after they have been washed and allowed to dry; it acts as a repellent.
2/  Place tansy near your kitchen door or where flies tend to cluster. Other repellents include oil of cloves and mint springs.
3/  Set a sponge in a saucer and soak it with oil of lavender to repel flies.
4/  A pot of basil set on a window sill or table will help reduce the number of flies in the room.

Love your pets … of course you do!  But Accidents happen …
First, blot up what you can with paper towels. Mix one teaspoon mild dish-washing detergent in one cup warm water, dip a clean towel in the liquid and, working from outside in, dab at stain. Do not overwet. Rinse with fresh water and blot dry. Next, add on-third cup white vinegar with two-thirds cup water and dab on stain. Rinse with water; blot until dry. Once area is totally dry (after at least 24 hours), sprinkle entire carpet with baking soda or rug deodorizer. Vacuum after a few hours and don’t be so mad at Fido, it’s all taken care of.

Silverfish

The mere mention of the word makes me squeamish. If you are troubled with silverfish try placing whole cloves in the closets and drawers. I haven’t seen any in a while but I guarantee I’m doing this tonight.

Need more suggestions? Send me a quick shout out and i’ll make sure to post about it next week …

Till then … Dwell Well.