Home Again

Back at my parents', working on the house. Making some progress, but not seeing large projects completed. It's amazing how many little projects are involved in every big one. I don't have any photos to share yet, but will be posting some in the next few days. Hope to have the stairs completed before the end of tomorrow! Today we built the banister components. We're building it all from "scraps" basically, and it is amazing, when you are as talented as my dad, what you can do with old wood. (the majority of the materials are reclaimed from an old building he tore down) Stay tuned for photos and more details about the stairs!

Talk amongst yourselves while I'm working here!

Looking for Adventure

Next week I'm heading back to North Carolina to help my parents with their house for another month. I'll be there until the week after Thanksgiving. I'm really excited to see where they have gotten while I was away and I'm excited to see what we can get done before the weather gets too cold! Maybe, one of the most exciting parts of this trip is that I'm driving! My "best-est" high school friend is flying out to SLC to make the drive back with me and along the way, we're hoping to find some great adventures! 

After Thanksgiving, my husband (who is flying out to NC for the holiday) and I will be driving back, and we're taking the "scenic" tour! (weather permitting, of course). We have some planned sights to see, and the rest we'll just play by ear. I do have a few spots that I plan to see and I wanted to share them with you. 

On the way out next week, we'll be stopping and shopping at Nell Hill's in Atchison, Kansas. If you're not familiar with Nell Hill's, click on the link and check out her online store, blog and decorating ideas.  I've attached the link to one of her books on Amazon.com, you can check out more of her books there as well. I'll definitely take tons of photos and post them here, wish you could all come along for the excitement!

 On the way back, we're planning to visit several states to which we've never been. My hope is to make it to Wisconsin to see some of Frank Lloyd Wright's work. I've always had a fascination for his work and the man himself, so it's a dream... hopefully the weather will be nice enough for us to make it. If you are not familiar with Frank's work or design philosophies, I highly recommend checking him out. 

And, if you're not as interested in his design as his life story and a bit of a sordid love affair, then check out Loving Frank a novel by NancyHoran. ( I guess you now can tell just how much I am fascinated with this man!) 

This next several weeks is all about my favorite passions: great friends (Amy, Lenore & Connie), decorating & design (Nell Hill's, Frank Lloyd Wright), remodeling/repurposing (and doing it with parents is an added bonus), travel and reading (I'll be reading on my blackberry & iPod with Kindle) and of course, blogging* about it all. 

*You can also follow me on twitter @designingprose and on facebook @ Regeneration Interiors! 

"I need a volunteer..."

I'm looking for someone who would like to have their home featured on my blog! I want to see what you've done and find out how you did it!

If you remodeled, redesigned or redecorated your home and you have before and after photos, then you are who I'm looking for!

If you haven't started yet, but are embarking on a big remodel, or small redecorating job, then you are who I'm looking for! We can get ideas from readers, I'll share my experiences with you to help you get your project completed!

The idea here is to discuss style, color, design and processes. I don't care if you live in a tiny studio apartment, a cottage or a mansion, I'm interested in how you decided what to put in your spaces and then if you are happy with the outcome!

I want to talk about your lifestyle and how your home reflects who you are and then share some of the secrets you used to get your look! Please join in on the fun and share you home and ideas with the rest of us!

Email me at thedesigningprose@gmail.com or message me on facebook at Regeneration Interiors!

Outdoor Rooms

With fall approaching, it might seem like a strange time to talk about outdoor spaces, but I love fall and when the air is nippy, I love hanging out outside, even if it requires a blanket! This past weekend we ate at a restaurant that had a wonderful patio with a waterfall and great lighting, the weather was great for outdoor dining and there is just something so wonderful about the atmosphere of outdoor spaces that makes the food and conversation better. Fall is also the best time of year to be outside, it's not too hot and the bugs aren't swarming!

In my current place, I have a balcony about 5'X14', so outdoor space is precious here.  You approach the balcony through a six foot slider from the living room and a standard french door from the bedroom, so placing furniture is difficult without blocking the doorways. I'm looking for ideas on how to make this space functional and cozy for sitting outside in the afternoons or for coffee with my hubby on Saturday mornings.

As I started my quest for function and flavor in this new place, I thought about my outdoor space in my last home in Las Vegas. I want to share my backyard makeover with you. Not everyone thinks of outdoor spaces as needing designing or decorating, but you can have "rooms" outside that increase the living, dining and entertaining spaces in your home. And the design and planning are done in much the same way.

Before

When we bought our home in Vegas in 2007, we were looking for new construction, because we'd bought an older home before and spent the entire five years we lived there remodeling and redecorating. We had just finished the kitchen when we found out we were transferring for my husband's job and I never even cooked a single family dinner in the new kitchen! So, this time, we wanted it all done, new and fresh so we could just live there and not work there... (some of you know exactly what I mean). 

Before

So, we got the beautiful new home with new carpets and freshly painted walls, everything was brand new down to the last appliance! But the backyard would take us over half the time we lived in the house, to complete! Now, that doesn't mean that we worked in the yard that entire time, it took almost a year to complete the plans and work out the details, but the planning is always the hardest, most time consuming part of the job... right?!

After

We wanted to make sure we had a space for cooking, eating, lounging and "sun worshipping", this is the desert after all and there is a lot of sun to be worshipped. In these photos you can't get a feel for just how big (or small depending on where you live) this backyard truly is. It measures a 65' wide by 29' deep, that is large by Vegas standards, and that berm is nearly 6 feet high. One contractor estimated that it was about eighty-five tons of dirt that had to be moved in order to give us backyard spaces at all!

I added individual patios for each "room" I wanted. I used the same materials for each, but in different patterns to make the "rooms" have their own character. As in every room, the space had to have a focal point, and I put a fountain on one wall to act as that focal point. It is visible from every part of the backyard and is spot lighted so that it becomes an even more important feature as the sun goes down. The sunning spot is a semi-circular shaped patio done by cutting brick shaped pavers and laying them in a fan pattern off the existing concrete patio.

After. 

The color scheme, (just like any room would have), consisted of the red brick wall, which we had to work with, gray of the existing concrete and the tan stucco of the house. I repeated that scheme in the rock wall, pavers and even the furnishings I chose. With the greenery from the trees and flowering plants all with blooms in red, purple and white the yard had a great cohesive feeling, just like the spaces inside the house.

The major point here is this; you can have outdoor spaces that add to the overall function of your home and you use the same design steps as you do for indoor rooms. 1) decide the function you need; 2) take stock of what you have to work with; 3) if you still need a direction, choose some inspiration; 4) make it your own!

I'm going to spend some more time developing my plan for my tiny balcony, I'd love to see what you all have done with your outdoor spaces. Send photos, post comments, give me your ideas!

"Adjectives" (Accessories)

 Accessories are what give a room it's personality, they set a tone and maybe even a theme to a space. Like adjectives, they are the descriptives to a room, (or an outfit)!  I am a huge lover of accessories and love changing accessories with the season or just for a change of pace. By changing a lamp or pillows in a living room, you can create a completely new vibe.

As a home stager/interior re-designer, I have seen how accessories can transform homes. I wanted to share with you today some photos from a cabinet showroom that I "staged" for an open house. Now, these aren't drastic make overs, they are just about accessorizing. The most drastic change I made to any of the spaces was to switch out knobs, everything else is subtle, but made some bold differences in the displays.

"Cafe" Kitchen before

"Cafe" Kitchen after

"Cafe" ~ I loved the striped wallpaper they had used with this display, but felt that the white knobs were not "accenting" this kitchen in the best way possible. I replaced the knobs with black metal ones and brought in very few simple accessories, but I think the space looks completely different! I placed glassware in the cabinetry, centered in each panel, for a symmetrical and clutter-free look.

"Peaches" Kitchen before

"Peaches" Kitchen after

"Peaches" ~ This kitchen is a bit outdated in finish, but is still shows a lot of the cabinet options that this company offers, so my job was to use accessories to enhance what I had to work with... actually, isn't that the job of accessories in every space? What was here didn't match at all, and a great deal of thought wasn't put in to placement.

I simply added a bowl of peaches, two bottles of lemonade, a plant and cookbooks, but what a difference! This just goes to show you that "staging" is powerful! Am I the only one who sees it?

"B&W" Kitchen before

"B&W" Kitchen after

"B&W" ~ This is one of my favorites! The most imaginative thing about this display was the wallpaper, and I loved it. I just happened to find plates with a very similar pattern on them and used them to add color to the simple black and white palette. I chose to use red, but you could add any color to this space and make it look completely different.

I, also, added clear canisters with rice and black beans and a decorative infused-oil that repeated the black and red color scheme. Again, basically four accessories, but changed the look drastically.

Now, this is just a showroom, and no one has to live in these kitchens, but the same accessorizing ideas can work in your kitchens too. Never underestimate the power of changing hardware. That one little change can make a huge impact on your design. It is one of the easiest things to do and probably the least expensive way to change and update your cabinetry. What do the accessories in your room say about you, or how you live? Try putting new "adjectives" in your rooms today!

Starting with Inspiration

I've written several times about using inspiration pieces to start your room design, and Amber from Atlanta has taken this suggestion and designed a beautiful master bedroom using her wedding rings as her inspiration! ( I only consulted on this room, she did all the work!) The room isn't complete, and when it is I will share the before and after photos, but for now, I want to talk about how she translated her inspiration.

Amber's Engagement Ring

First, let's take a look at the ring and think about the characteristics that can correlate to a room design. Amber told me that her decorating style was a little bit modern or contemporary and that her husband liked more traditional. So, since this is their most intimate shared space, it is important to make sure that they are both represented; and they wanted it to feel romantic. Here's how we broke down the details.


Traditional -  Wedding rings are all about tradition, and become a part of the history of, not just a couple, but their family as well. Their home is an historic home with traditional details like plantation shutters, crown moldings and original hard wood floors. It is a place in which they are building the "history" of their lives together. They have dark wood, very traditional furnishings with matching night stands, a triple dresser with matching mirror and a beautiful large bed. So, having taken stock of what they have, traditional is covered!


Contemporary -  The yellow diamond is contemporary, the styling of the ring is contemporary, so we set out to find the contemporary details for the room. Amber found beautiful bedding with pin-tucked pleating in a slate gray color, very contemporary in style and fabric. The color palette which is yellow (for the center diamond), gray (from the color of the white gold) and white (isn't it obvious?), is very contemporary and extremely popular right now. We found  lamps with a chrome finish which are contemporary and also translates very well as the metallic finish of the rings. They have glass accents and beautiful silvery gray shades which deliver a little bling and continue the color story! The walls, she painted yellow and has added yellow accent pieces and a wonderful zebra printed rug. (you can't wait to see pictures can you? me either!)

Romance - It is a master bedroom, that should be romantic no matter what! and, there is nothing more romantic than an engagement ring! The color palette and fabrics are soft and romantic. By choosing very personal accessories, like the hair-piece she wore in her wedding in a shadowbox, photographs of the couple or other special moments for them, just enhance the romantic theme. 


Now, that you know how we've "translated" an inspiration piece into a room, keep checking back for the progress and the final outcome. If it could only get done as quickly as I can write about it, that would truly be a magically "romantic" room, right?




(When choosing bed linens you should always get the very best you can afford. Remember that you will spend more time in these than any other single article of clothing you own, they should be the most comfortable and durable fabrics in which you spend time.)

Reading...again (and another broken rule)

So, today I was reading and looking at pictures on HGTV.com  Designers Portfolio, and I realized that the rooms that welcome me the most are the ones with less color. I think I'm one color off from being "monochromatic"! Or, as my Aunt Judy would say, "booorrrriiinngg!".

my wardrobe!

Then I took a look in my closet and my entire wardrobe, and think, it's not quite monochromatic, but it is pretty boring, at least to some people! What I really like about fewer colors is that, it's easy to get dressed, everything matches and for the most part black and white can be dressy or casual. It's about being simplistic and classic and in such a simple palette, texture goes a long way.

 Now, I don't just decorate my spaces with black, white and cream, although that is all I've shown you so far I think, but I could easily do so. I've heard designers say that picking color for your space is like picking color for your clothes. The colors you feel most comfortable dressing in, you'll feel comfortable living in as well.

My living room now. Do you see my "broken rule"?!

So, I took a look around me to see if I really am boring in my new space and what I decided is that I'm not! I think it goes back to the living in small digs, and needing less visual clutter in my own space, because in my house in Vegas I have lots of color!

Well, after I checked out my space more I realized it's not color that I don't have, it's pattern. With my dark purple wall (which I've totally ignored) there is actually tremendous amount of color here, but with the solid sofa, solid colored pillows and chair, it does feel less visually stimulating.

What you might notice, if you've followed my blog for long, is that I have used the same accessories over and over. I love changing things up regularly, and since I can't rearrange furniture, I rearrange accessories. I once heard a decorator friend of mine say, "A well appointed house is one where you can take furnishings and accessories from one room to another and they work beautifully". She is sooo right! It's the same with the wardrobe, mix and match every single piece! This again goes back to a simple color palette and knowing your style.

So, what is all of this about really? Well, it's this: take a look in your closet for inspiration on your style and color palette; remember that color and pattern are not equal when thinking about how to add them to your room; and use magazines and the internet to help you find styles you like and get a feel of what you'd be comfortable in! You might just find that your space fits you like your favorite outfit!

(The "broken rule" is the height of the art over the sofa, and I have to say it is a pet peeve of mine. However, when I hung them the sofa wasn't there and I was trying to make them about a hand's width above where I thought the sofa was going to be. Because they each require two huge anchors to hold them, I decided to leave them where they were! My landlord will be glad I didn't put more holes in his walls!)