Choosing the Right Paint Color: Kitchen

Debbie DeSpirit

Picking the perfect color for your kitchen is a difficult decision to make. Painting a kitchen is time consuming with all the little nooks and crannies. We want to pick the correct color the first time. Take your time and do not be impulsive when deciding on your paint color because you are tired or fed up with the entire process. Take at least a couple of weeks to decide on your color. 

Colors of the Rainbow

Get fabric swatches or paper of the different colors of the rainbows. The colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Tape the colors in a row on the same wall. You may wish to tape the rainbow colors on all walls in your kitchen. Each area of your room will give the colors a different feel to the room. 

Paint Color Selection

Once you have decided on a warm or cool color, it is time to browse a wide assortment of hues in that specific color. For example, green has a multitude of hues that can uplift the energy in a room or make the room feel dark and depressing. Once you have chosen an assortment of a specific color, tape them to your walls. Narrow your choice to 2-3 and look at the colors in the morning, day, and evening to identify your mood and energy level in the kitchen. Browse the colors from a variety of paint suppliers. Behr has a neat tool that allows you to input your room and to change the color electronically. 

Read more at Suite101:  http://kitchen-decor.suite101.com

Living Rooms

 You’ve probably heard the common decorating tip that you should never use dark colors in a small room. Although this is sound advice, it is not always the case. The right lighting can make a darker-hued wall color open a space up like never before.

You’ve probably also heard that the eye travels more quickly through a small space, so it is important to interrupt its movement as little as possible. To achieve this, eliminate obstacles in the room. Go for larger, fewer pieces of furniture instead of many small pieces that might cause a cluttered effect. The farther the eye can see into the room, the better.

Ottomans are ideal for opening up a small space. Choose double-duty pieces of furniture like storage benches whenever possible. They not only look stylish, but are great for tucking away items. Avoid blocking windows and doors when arranging furniture and try to open up areas of the floor. Opt for light, airy colors and fabrics for your furniture pieces, which will appear to push walls back. Think butter yellows, soothing tone-on-tones, and pale greens and blues.

When Choosing your floor covering, look for an area rug in either a solid color or with a pattern that is not too busy. Also, be sure that the rug is small enough to be a fair distance away from each wall. The space between the edge of the rug and the edge of your floor will make the room appear larger to the eye. Area rugs will finish off the look you are creating . All accent pieces should flow together
through color and scheme.

When searching for custom framed art for a small space, one large print is better than many smaller prints. Another great piece of wall decor is a large wall mirror. Mirrors reflect more natural light and appear to enlarge the room.

Give your living room a fresh paint job that will brighten up the area. If you are unsure of the color or texture, please visit your nearest paint or hardware store and they will be happy to assist you. If you are planning to go green on your painting materials I suggest this company: The Freshaire Choice: www.freshairechoice.com

Before staging

What is Home Staging and why is it all the Rage?
Good question.
Home staging is not decorating! It is the process of preparing a private residence or vacant house before listing it in the real estate market and investing the money up front to get the best marketable price for your home.
Property staging has been around for over 20 years, but now more than ever has become a serious marketing tool for selling houses in the real estate market.

Bedroom after staging

This process includes:                                        

Cleaning
De-cluttering
Repairing
Painting
showcasing to show off the property’s best selling focal points or minimizing its least desirable features.

The hardest part is the emotional challenge of letting go of some memories while you still live in the house during your selling period. Severing any emotional ties early saves you equity later by allowing you to make changes you need to help the process in selling your home. When you depersonalize and pack away the memories, you make the house less “your home” and more a commodity.

Reasons to Use a Home Staging Professional:

Professional home stagers create an environment that appeals to the future buyer.

Staging often raises the value of a property by reducing the home’s flaws,  depersonalizing, de-cluttering, cleaning and making it look its best with repositioning the furniture, lighting, color and much more.

63% of buyers will pay more money for a house that is move- in ready.

No one can guarantee you results and if they do, be very alert.   I can say with  confidence:  Fail to stage your home and you’re less likely to get the price you are asking and your house might end up staying on the market longer than what you want.

In the past, homes have sold with out staging, proper home inspections,  and sold as is, with price reduction for repair costs.   No more!   Buyers are smarter, taking the time to do research and know what they are looking for in their next home.   

Before you decide you can’t afford to have your home staged, ask yourself these two questions:  Can you afford to pay two mortgage payments, property taxes  and household expenses?  If the answer is no,  then you can’t afford not to hire one.                                                              

Real estate agents are now recommending home stagers and educating potential sellers the advantages of using them as a tool for help in marketing their client’s house.   Visit:  www.realestatestagingassociation.com

Using a professional home stager will only help you get the most equity out of your home while preparing it for your first open house.

Home is where the Heart lives!

Hoarding Disorder: A new disorder in the draft of the DSM-V

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is currently under review by psychiatrists and other mental health professionals for its fifth edition (the DSM-V) before its official printing in 2013. Included in the draft of the DSM-V is a new section on Hoarding Disorder, listing hoarding as its own diagnosis separate from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

The disorder is identified by five characteristics, the first three being:

A. Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with personal possessions, even those of apparently useless or limited value, due to strong urges to save items, distress, and/or indecision associated with discarding.

B. The symptoms result in the accumulation of a large number of possessions that fill up and clutter the active living areas of the home, workplace, or other personal surroundings (e.g., office, vehicle, yard) and prevent normal use of the space. If all living areas are uncluttered, it is only because of others’ efforts (e.g., family members, authorities) to keep these areas free of possessions.

C. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (including maintaining a safe environment for self and others).

The third point, that the hoarder is incapable of “maintaining a safe environment for self and others,” seems to be the dividing line between hoarding and chronic disorganization.

Hoarding also appears in multiple places in the document as a symptom of other disorders. According to the Hoarding Disorder entry in the DSM-V draft, hoarding can also be a symptom of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, delusions in Schizophrenia or another Psychotic Disorder, cognitive deficits in Dementia, restricted interests in Autistic Disorder, and food storing in the Prader-Willi Syndrome.

I’m interested in following this topic to see if the proposed Hoarding Disorder ends up as a separate diagnosis in the final version of the DSM-V. Hoarding has appeared in previous versions of the DSM, but only as a symptom of other disorders. If it does make the final version, I hope that it helps people who are hoarders to get the quality treatment they need.

Posted by Erin on Feb 18, 2010 http://unclutterer.com

A redesigner can take the frustration and disorganization  out of your life  with a room that is cluttered.   For a free counsultation: 713-582-0154

Your lawn is more than just dirt and grass. It’s an extension of your home. Your connection to nature.  Your escape.  When it’s thick and green,  it invites you to kick off your shoes,  lie back and lose yourself  in  its simple perfection.

Pre spring lawn care maintenance: A few simple guidelines for what maintenance steps you can still take with your lawn and what things on which you should hold off until spring.

There is still time for:

“Clean” your lawn in preparation for winter. Removing leaves, branches, and any debris from your lawn before colder temperatures and/or snowfall is a great idea, and in most areas of the country, you still have time. (Sorry, tates like Colorado; hopefully your lawn was ready!).
One last meal for your lawn, in warmer climates. Seeding in late fall is called “dormant seeding.” This practice enables seed to take root while your lawn is dormant during the colder months. If your local temperatures have already begun to sip into the 40s, hold off until spring. You can keep opened bags of fertilizer, too, if sealed and stored properly.
Tackle those weeds. Some kinds of weeds grow healthily during the winter, so if snow and cold temperatures don’t keep them away, you can continue weed killing all the way until spring.
Wait until spring to:

Install new landscaping elements. Unless you live an area like the Southwest, where winter temperatures may get cool but never cold, and you have plenty of sun, wait until spring to install new landscaping elements like edging, trees, ponds, and more.
Seed patchy areas. Chances are, those pesky patches in your lawn won’t get worse during the winter. Your lawn will be preserved beneath snowfall or simply by the colder temperatures.
Start a new lawn. Processes like soil testing, seeding, and even hydroseeding are best done right before prime grass growing season in the spring and summer. When you do plant a new lawn, plan ahead for next winter if you like rich, green grass. Rye and Kentucky bluegrass are great grass choices for their deep color.
Remember, in order to get the most from your lawn come springtime, it’s best to let it rest during the winter. Most grass grows when temperatures are above 46 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in an area where temperatures will never get this low, feel free to continue light maintenance like mowing, but keep your setting high. You want to give your lawn the best chance to rebound and thrive again in just a few months.

Credited by Author:
Joe Cooper writes education, home services, and design articles, and manages corporate communications. He holds a bachelor’s in American Literature from UCLA.

Welcome to Accents of Home

Accents of Home believes that what separates a home from a house is the ability to create a refuge that reflects the personality of its occupants that live in them.
Our newsletter will bring you decorating tips to help with your creativity just in time for Christmas. . I hope Accents of Home can be a part of your life to bring joy into your home with great decorating advice and consultation services.

I hope you enjoy reading this blog and I encourage you to submit decorating tips as our guests. All that is required is first, last name and state. We love sharing testimonial experiences with friends and family. For any concerns or questions, please email: kathy@accentsofhome.com

The following Christmas decorating tips will help you upgrade your home holiday decorations and set the perfect tone for holiday entertaining.

Using Live Plants for Holiday Decorations

For those people who live in the northern climes, the middle of winter can be very bleak and depressing, add to that some holiday stress and you’ve got a dreary outlook. By incorporating live plants into your home during the holiday season you’ll brighten the room and your mood.
Instead of cutting a tree or putting up a fake one, look for a small live tree that will give you that evergreen look and smell but you won’t have to watch it die and constantly drip needles.
Or replace the tree entirely with a topiary. A large potted plant can be capped by a wood topiary and strung with a few lights as homage to the traditional Christmas tree, but an understated and simple version.
Bring other seasonal live plants into the home such as Christmas cactus, Poinsettias, Amaryllis, Paperwhites, Cyclamens, and Azaleas. These brilliantly colored beauties will cheer any room. Arrange flowers in small clusters or groups of three for the best aesthetic impact.

http://home-staging.suite101.com/article.cfm/elegant_christmas_decorating#ixzz0XiCQTMWs

Guest Decorating Tips:

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la la…. Need any holiday decorating ideas? I’ve got some great ones for you!

We all are feeling the pinch of the downturn in the economy, but don’t let that keep you from adding joy to your home for the holidays. Here are some free or very inexpensive ideas to delight your family and your guests.

THINK GREEN

Cut pine or cedar boughs and decorate your mantels and doorways. If you have artificial trees and garlands, add the boughs to them for texture and aroma. Magnolia branches and holly branches are great too.

THINK SPARKLE

Fill glass bowls and vases with ornaments. (Throw some of your greenery in there, too.)

Put white mini lights on all of your large house plants.

Throw some on the floor under your tree, and cover them with a thin, silky fabric.

TREE, WREATH AND GARLAND IDEAS

Children’s trees: What are your children’s favorite things? Hang cars and trucks, teddy bears, and dolls in the trees. Your children will be delighted.

Buy inexpensive picture frames and add pictures of the family members to them. Hang them throughout the tree, and every year add new ones to your collection. You will see your children growing up during the years, and new family members will be added each year.

For the kitchen, add utensils and spice jars. Make cookies and hang them on the tree with ribbons. Children will love eating the cookies!

PETS

Give them a red collar with bells. Dogs look really great with reindeer antlers.

Hang a small wreath on the wall over the pet food dishes.

RED BOWS

The color red stimulates our senses giving off happiness. Buy inexpensive red ribbon, and put red bows everywhere!

If you would like some other decorating ideas, please visit my website:

I hope these ideas get your creative juices flowing. Enjoy them and have a very, very happy holiday!

Nancy McConkey

Georgian Home Designs
http://www.georgianholidaydesign.com

I want to wish a Merry Christmas and a blessed one.  May all your wishes come true and enjoy this holiday with loved ones. 

Home is Where the Heart Lives!