Keep It Together

I am one of those people who actually enjoys organizing. I find the more useful storage I have, the easier it is for me to stay neat. It's not effortless, but if everything has a place and you use it, it works.

The problem: Awhile back I was frustrated by a messy drawer in our dining room table. What started off as a few pens and pencils became a chaotic junk drawer. It makes sense to keep some office supplies there, since the kids often do homework at this table. The drawer is shallow, and none of the store bought baskets and bins I had purchased would work. I looked into customizable options, but they can be quite expensive. I wanted this to be a DIY project.

The solution: Thinking of the supplies we had around the house I came up with two options; trimming a plexiglass sheet into 1 1/2 inch high strips at various lengths and using silicon cement to bond them, or using some leftover wood trim and basic white glue and/or thin nails. I opted to use the wood trim.

The method: First, I dumped out the contents of the drawer. I sorted all the items, and limited the contents, storing extra markers, crayons, etc. in a dedicated craft storage area in the basement. I measured out compartments for the supplies and trimmed a few pieces of wood to size. I positioned them and using white glue, put them in place. Eventually I may need to nail them into the drawer, but for now this solution is a huge improvement. Had I not had this extra 1x2 trim on hand I would have bought narrower strips from the hardware store.

Total cost: FREE! Wood scraps and glue we already had on hand, and an hour or so of my time. Much better than buying custom drawer inserts from a place like The Container Store or Bed, Bath & Beyond.

I hope this idea inspires you to organize a cluttered drawer. Homework time is already less chaotic because pencils, pens, rulers and supplies are much easier to find. If you need suggestions or tips on an easy, inexpensive way to organize a space in your house, just ask. I am happy to share ideas!

Use It Wisely

I am a big fan of reinventing spaces. In every place I've ever lived (or considered living) I shifted rooms around to accommodate our needs. Here in the NYC area, many of us don't have space to waste. Big screen televisions end up in rooms that once served at formal living rooms, dining rooms double as libraries and offices.

Do you use all the rooms in your home? I grew up in a home with a living room/dining room used only for entertaining. My Mom would know if I sneaked in to read a book or magazine by the window because of the footprints in the carpet.

In our home we use our living room as a place to play a board game or do a puzzle (a giant ottoman holds an assortment), read, or just think and relax. Since our kitchen is small, we eat every meal in the dining room and the kids do homework at the big farm table. The entry parlor now has a set of small-scale leather club chairs and small accent table where my husband and I can enjoy our morning coffee or a drink in the evening. Our walk-in "butler's" pantry has become a mini-kitchen, with coffee maker, microwave, toaster oven and beverage refrigerator. Its plentiful cabinetry holds breakfast foods, snacks, a set of dishes,  glassware and utensils. What once seemed like a beautiful space with little purpose is now used constantly after a few minor upgrades.

When renovating spaces in your home, think outside the box. With the help of an architect or designer, your rooms can be repurposed—without ruining the "feel" of an older home—while improving the "flow". Furniture can be arranged to help a room serve multi-purposes.

Things are looking up.

How could I post about area rugs and then not post about ceilings? Let's get one thing straight; have been painting ceilings for as long as I have been painting. Even when I went to school for interior design my instructors (all interior designers themselves) said they NEVER used white paint on ceilings. At the very least they would mix in some of the wall paint. I admit I have taken it too far on occasion. I nicknamed our first home's master bedroom "Bordello Blue" after painting all the walls and the ceiling a navy blue (and then glazing the entire room in a multi-step process). Hey, as they say, "It's only paint."

Some of my favorite rooms have been those in light to mid-tones where the ceiling is painted a contrasting color. If the walls are light, try a deep ceiling color for a dramatic effect (while still keeping the room light). One such bedroom is painted Benjamin Moore Adams Gold HC-18 and the ceiling is an almost-midnight blue, Hudson Bay 1680. If you want to make a room feel expansive, (such as a bathroom or kitchen) and you paint it a light color, do the ceiling in the same color.  A bathroom I am working on now will have white tile in the shower and white floor tile. A custom vanity will be painted a sage green to complement some glass mosaic tile. We chose Benjamin Moore Camoulflage 2143-40 for the remaining walls and ceiling. I have done the same thing with Benjamin Moore's Senora Gray and Coastal Fog, and Restoration Hardware's pale gray color Ash, to name a few. All of these colors are "atmospheric"—even though they are not white, they don't exactly read as color.

I have a lot more to say about what happens overhead. But for now, I will just say next time you are painting, consider your ceilings.

Let's Get to the Bottom of it!

When a friend or client asks me about area rugs, usually the first words out of my mouth are "seagrass" or "sisal". Now, I am far from the "neutral" or "beige" school of decorating, but even my own home is filled with seagrass rugs.
First of all, they are affordable. I'd sooner spend a few hundred on a natural seagrass rug than try to find an inexpensive poly or olefin wannabe Oriental rug. They also help bridge styles (see "Juxtaposition" below). Say you inherited (or purchased secondhand) some more formal wood pieces but your style is a bit more casual; or, in the case of some clients I had, did the whole chintz/English garden living room but now want to break up the formality somewhat. Introducing a natural texture like sisal or seagrass is a simple, inexpensive way for your room to say "don't be afraid, come on in, I'm not as serious as I look." Now, I happen to love the way seagrass feels underfoot, but, if you find it too scratchy or have a baby that crawls around, there are some options using wool/sisal blends, and yes, even poly sisal which can be hosed down or even used on a porch or deck.
I have found great prices on sisal rugs at Overstock.com, Homedecoratorsoutlet.com, Restorationhardware.com and at Ikea. 

Juxtaposition

The projects I am working on have inspired me to create a blog.

I love to see something old, worn and rough next to something more clean-lined. Right now I am admiring the way an old steamer trunk with darkened brass and wood trim contrasts against boxy white slipper chairs with pewter nailheads. Wrinkly linen drapery panels hang beside gold and mirrored candle holders. In my own home, and now with my clients, I love to create that juxtaposition.