Laundry... A Never Ending Story

 

Am I the only one who dreads doing the laundry?  It always seems like the task is never ending, and I wait until the last possible moment before doing it! One way I have found to make the job less dreary is by adding color and inspiration to the laundry room. It’s one of those rooms that often do not get a lot of attention, yet we are constantly occupying it!  There are so many great ideas from patterns and stripes, to bright colors that give us a lift to our spirit. Look at these ideas to perk up your laundry room and end the dreary outlook on this required chore.

Conceal with Curtains

In your laundry room decide which areas are for function, display and decoration. Areas in your laundry room that you would prefer to stay hidden can stay behind pretty curtains. If your laundry room shares a space with a utility room, mudroom, or entryway, then curtains can help hide laundry hampers too! To personalize the space, add photos, collectibles and other family moments to make the room unique and enjoyable to be in. Recessed lighting can help light a countertop or work surface as an added bonus.

Camouflage the Room

If your laundry room needs to be camouflaged from adjoining living spaces, this task is easier than you think. Depending on your amount of space and room configuration, consider hiding your laundry behind storage or closet doors. In this image, the open swung cabinet doors reveal the washer and dryer, while still housing cleaners, brooms, and other essentials in arm’s reach.

Personalize the room

Taking a room from functional to livable can be made easier with soothing colors, beautiful finishes, and quality lighting. Consider using storage in shelving, hooks, and cabinetry to organize laundry essentials. For display areas, bring in pieces of decor from other areas of your home. The kids framed schoolwork on the wall, or your favorite family photos from your last vacation can make your laundry room a destination spot, instead of a dreaded one.

Your laundry room has just gotten the green light to become an inhabitable room again! In fact, with these helpful ideas, you may find it a great refuge place from the rest of the world. If you have space, bring in a work table, a desk, and even a television for you to enjoy your laundry room. Everyone has laundry to do, and for most of us with families, the chore doesn’t get any easier. At least now, you can make your laundry room a place that you can’t wait to sneak away to!

Renia

 
 
 
 

Beautiful...dreams!!!

 

Image courtesy: BHG

Beautiful...dreams!!!

“A long day at work and an equally long trip back home in rush hour traffic; the only respite from this tiring monotony on most days is the vision of your bedroom, where you can crash as soon as you reach home. And if this sanctum of yours is as boring and routine as your day is, then the appeal of even that oasis is lost. Maybe this is a situation when you need to refurnish the interiors of your bedroom and think about bedroom decorating. A bedroom that is decorated in such a manner with the help of cool bedroom designs, so that it uplifts your mood, refreshes you at the end of the day and caters to your aesthetic sensibilities can be the perfect solution to the end of the day blues.” - Courtesy of Buzzle

Relaxing bedroom interiors

Your bedroom is one of the few places in your entire home that is dedicated to you, and how you relax and unwind from the stresses of the world. To enhance your relaxing interiors, consider what colors feel good around you and what you enjoying going to sleep and waking to every day. Soothing pastels, refreshing spring colors, and muted inspirational colors are good standbys. Grays, greens, blues, corals, and even refreshing yellows and oranges that aren’t too bold can be a beautiful addition to your bedroom.

 Image courtesy: Gilt

Bring on the drama

While your personal design styles maybe all about relaxation, others would prefer a dramatic bedroom that creates a mood that is unmistakably sophisticated. Adding a dramatic eye-catching element like a canopy bed or a pronounced tufted headboard can instantly bring drama and a focal point. Other drama catching elements can be a fireplace, a bold accent wall of color, or a sexy chaise lounge that demands to be relaxed on! If you have a killer view outside your bedroom, take advantage of the natural drama that occurs in nature, by positioning your bed and furnishings in the same direction.

 

Personalize your bedroom with all the amenities that make you feel comfortable and relaxed everyday. From the color and finishes you choose to the gorgeous bedding and textiles that grace your windows and chairs, your room should feel like a sanctuary. Don’t forget to enhance your bedroom with essential lighting. Bedside table lighting and overhead pendant lights can help create task and ambient lighting for your lifestyle bedroom needs. Enjoy creating a sanctuary you love to wake up to!

Renia

 

Live in COLOR!

Live  in  COLOR

Lately I am inspired from my inbox in Facebook. Many friends are asking me about different challenges they face in decorating their homes and I thank you guys for this. This way I know what you would like to read about! I have been asked many times about color combinations and how to use strong colors in decorating your home.

Well color is a very delicate matter. It can make wonders. Although, it can also make your room uninviting, and make you want to run out of it! J

My golden rule is:

WHATEVER NATURE APPROVES, IT CAN BE SAFE USING IT TOO!

What I mean is in nature we find beautiful combinations that we can copy and have a safe result in our own homes.

My other golden rule is:

USE STRONG COLORS IN SMALL PROPORTIONS UNLESS YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL AND CAN PREDICT THE RESULT!

Here are some tips for using color and finding complimenting colors. Orange is everywhere we turn, from home interiors to fashion. Look at these ways to make orange compliment your interiors fashionably.  

 

Finding a perfect color balance

Color can be bold, soft, intense, or delicate, and finding the right balance in color is the secret behind you feeling at peace when you enter a room, or on edge. Creating a balance is also about finding colors that work well together, as if in nature. There is nothing that occurs in nature that is only one color. Even an orange, has hues of dark and light, strong and delicate. 

 

 

Making your interiors pop with orange

In your home, choose a dominant color and then supporting colors that will enhance the palette when placed together in your room. In these bedrooms and living room images, the pops of coral orange color works well with the complimenting neutrals of mushroom grays.

Borrow inspiration from designers

There is a shared love of color between home interiors and the fashion industry in terms of design inspiration. In fact, Pantone color named ‘Tangerine Tango’ its color for 2012. A nod from the design world that orange and variations of this vibrant color are here to stay! Whether you are trying to find coordinating colors for your furniture or your handbag, orange is the go-to color this year. Designers around the world are using orange in textiles, clothing, and pairing it with bold and subtle colors. 

 

See how orange can be brought into your home with these helpful ideas. From your fashionable attire you wear to feel inspired, to your playful corals, peaches, and tangerine color painted walls you use throughout your home, orange is a welcomed color in every home. Remember, how bold or muted you go is up to you. That’s the beauty of design and color; it’s all up to you and your creative imagination!

Renia

 

 

 

Window Treatments…it’s a long story!

 

Almost everyday my Facebook inbox has a message for me from a friend asking me about a decorating problem she is facing with her home. This pleases me a lot because it gives me ideas of what you would like me to write about. The most often asked questions are about curtains. In today’s post I will help you with you window treatment challenges, and I tried to give as many possibilities as I could. I hope it helps many of you.

Treating your windows

For many homes, windows are the connection between the interiors and the exteriors, and are used to open up a space and make it feel more human and real. Window treatments are a nice of way of decorating your windows to create a finished and dressed look. They also serve other purposes, such as keeping out glaring sunlight, providing privacy from the outside, and they help control the temperature inside your home. Here are some decorative window treatment ideas for your bare windows I thought you would enjoy.

Curtains aren’t only for windows

While we all love to see beautiful curtains displayed at our windows, curtains can also serve as room dividers, focal points for the eye, or they can create a visual textured wall to delineate areas of your open space.  This striped curtain’s bold stripes are dynamic in this subtly colored bathroom. The ability to close them off for privacy is an added bonus!

 Image: Easy Curtain Ideas

Automated window treatments

Long gone are the days when we you had to control your window treatments with long cords, or cumbersome wands to turn. In modern interiors automation has become key and has opened the way for adding window treatments to skylights, ceiling high windows, and more.  Now you can change the ambiance in your home with a touch of a remote control.

 

Still enjoying the views

The ability to be able to see gorgeous views outside of your window doesn’t have to be sacrificed by your window treatments. Several window treatment manufacturers offer sheer treatments; mesh blinds, or partial roman shades. There is probably a window treatment for every window condition you can think of. Whether you live on a golf course, have a beautiful pool to gaze at, or you just want to watch your children playing outside. Sheer window treatments can cut the glare and still provide you with unobstructed views.             

 

Decorative window treatments to fit your design style

In addition to the functional use of window treatments is the decorative way they can enhance your interiors. Whether you like traditional, modern, romantic, or French-country, there are as many treatments as there are colors to compliment them! First, decide what type of window treatment fits your needs, and then determine what size you will need. Custom treatments can be made for irregular or custom sized windows too! Once you have these, find a design style that matches the rest of your interiors.

 

 

I used to say that window treatment and carpets…complete the interior design job. The best interior projects without curtains and carpets is unfinished. Use these helpful tips to bring beauty to your windows, and to help you with challenges such as too much light, not enough privacy, or a combination of both.  Your interiors will love how well they are complimented by window treatments.

Renia

 


 




 

Kitchen Nooks: The Heart of your Home

I am sitting in my kitchen, after having a “girl’s talk” with many laughs with my younger daughter.

I am still smiling, and looking at the table and I think to myself,  “Around this table we shared our family’s good and sad moments”.

So I thought, I should write a post about kitchens and why they are the most important part of your home.

The congregation spot of your home

Out of all the places in your home, the kitchen is the one spot that every inhabitant of your home goes to get nourished, and congregates with the rest of the household. There is no wonder we love them so much! Kitchen nook seating areas are the perfect area to share a laugh, swap stories about each other’s day, and of course, eat a delightful meal. The kitchen nook should reflect your lifestyle of your family as well as your sense of design to inspire all who enjoy the space.

 Jennifer Lopez residence - Veranda magazine

Comfy seating

Depending on the size of your kitchen nook will dictate what type of seating to incorporate. Large upholstered chairs maybe appropriate in a formal kitchen nook, while a built-in bench or pull-up chairs may fit your family perfectly. Remember, your nook area should be comfortable for hours of conversation, dining, and enjoying each other’s company.

 

 House and Home Magazine

Complimentary lighting

The lighting at your kitchen nook can make the difference between your inhabitants wanting to get up quickly from the table, or wanting to linger and share another cup of coffee and continue the conversation. Choose lighting that compliments the style, and colors of the surrounding kitchen, and decor. For the ability to change the lighting output, consider installing a light dimmer to create a different ambiance, depending on your guests.

 

Home interiors Cecconi Simone 

What a warm and inviting place your kitchen nook is. Whether it is a stand-alone area adjacent to the kitchen, or your kitchen bar serves as a ‘nook’, bring your guests and family together in style. Emphasize the lifestyle of your family. If you have a large family, long benches and a farm style table may be more suitable than a round table with a few chairs. Your kitchen nook is where you make memories. Enjoy designing this special space of your home!

Renia

 

 

 

THEY DESERVE A PLACE IN OUR HOME AND IN OUR HEART!

Our pets are cherished as much as our own children, and often times keeping up with them and their organization can be a challenge! 

I renovated a house with a garden lately and the lady of the house had asked me to find a solution for her cat’s to enter in and out of the garden. To solve her dilemma, I made a very small swing door at the bottom of her kitchen door that locks also for the night!

She loved how it worked for her cat and I was so pleased to find a solution that worked for her and her pet. From that experience and from my own dog experience (I have a 13 year-old pequinese dog) I realized my readers could benefit from some pet organization ideas and solutions. I hope you find this post useful! 

A place for everyone

Whether you are organizing for people or pets, the idea of having a place for everything doesn’t change. Since most pets don’t clean up after themselves, we need helpful solutions to make your pet access their area easily and still make your interiors look great. Determine what the lifestyle is of your pets. Whether they are indoor or outdoor, and how large of an area they need for eating, playing and resting. Design your home to reflect their lifestyle and yours! The eating area can be customized into your kitchen cabinetry, or can be hidden in clever wall and furniture units.

Comfortable and stylish sleeping areas

Determine if your furry family member needs his or her own bed, or if an integrated area within a communal area is ideal. For larger pets consider if you need the ability to close them off, or if the sleeping quarters can be open to the rest of your home. The possibilities are endless for your pet, look at these ideas:

Easy access

When planning your pet’s area, ensure there is easy access for your pets to feel independent and happy to roam. Creative solutions can mean adapting pet doors, customizing cabinetry, and even designing a pet area of your home that is solely adaptable for your pet. Ensure this area works for the rest of your family too.

And this is my lady!!! She is a Pequinese and she been with our family for 13 years now.She is nice and sweet… and likes to hide among the pillows :)

Organize and design your home with your pet in mind. While it may seem frivolous, your pet brings you and your family joy and ensuring your home allows for both of you to enjoy your interiors is essential. Let me know if you have any other pet organization and interior ideas you’ve tried in your home, I’d love to try out some new ideas!

Renia