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House Exterior Color Schemes in the Beige Family

5/8/2016

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My Favorites

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Exterior Gallery

2013 Fall Parade of Homes
Photo by Highmark Builders - Discover traditional exterior design ideas
Harburg
Photo by sandhillhomes - Search traditional exterior pictures
Hampton Cottage Style Home
Photo by Divine Custom Homes - Discover traditional exterior design ideas
Guest Cottage
Photo by Oak Hill Architects - Browse rustic exterior ideas
Plan #013S-0014
Photo by House Plans and More - Discover Victorian exterior design ideas
Custom Home - Door County, WI
Photo by Van's Lumber & Custom Builders, Inc. - Discover traditional exterior design inspiration
Riverfront Living
Photo by CMM Construction Inc. - Discover Victorian exterior design ideas
Traditional Exterior
Photo by - More traditional exterior photos
Mountain Trail, Warren, NJ
Photo by Distinctive Domain - More craftsman exterior photos
Ridgeview
Photo by Ridge Creek Custom Homes - More traditional exterior ideas
Cottage Exterior
Photo by Stonewood, LLC - Discover traditional exterior design ideas

Shutter Color Gallery

Quinlan Residence
Photo by Max Crosby Construction - Discover traditional exterior design inspiration
Rhode Island Beach House
Photo by Patrick Ahearn Architect - Browse beach style exterior photos
Buckhead
Photo by Kemp Hall Studio - Discover traditional exterior design inspiration
2013 Fall Parade of Homes
Photo by Highmark Builders - Browse traditional exterior photos
Traditional Front Porch
Photo by Highland Homes, Inc. - Discover traditional porch design inspiration
Front Exterior
Photo by Dresser Homes - Browse traditional exterior photos
Pheasant
Photo by O'Connor Brehm Design-Build - More traditional entryway photos
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Guest Room Redo in Progress

4/18/2016

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Before


Decor Options

Headboard - $155

Bedding - $85

Dresser - $280

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Living Room - Relaxed Casual

4/18/2016

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Here's what we did:
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We went with a bold wall color. Don't be afraid of color! A brassy yellow color really makes the room stand out. With such a deep rich color, it is important that you don't oversaturate your room with too much richness. To soften up the walls, we went with a more neutral and color-light sofa, accented with rich green pillows. We kept the rug light too, with the main pop of color as cream with a black border. It looks amazing against the hard wood floors.  Instead of introducing new colors in the curtains and lamps, we kept it tonal. Beautiful green and yellow brassy hues that compliment the wall color really help tie the room together. And my personal favorite to brightening up a room is adding white features. It's like a mini facelift to any room. Bright white shelving and country white coffee and end tables immediately make you feel refreshed.

Given the space in the home, this room is serving as the living room, music room, and media room. We had to find a way to incorporate it all without it appearing junky or overstuffed. A rich black computer armoire hides the family computer and keeps it central so parents can keep an eye on their kid's internet use. A complimenting black storage bench creates another area for sitting and a place for kids to store their shoes. See-through bookcase shelving keeps the room feeling larger instead overwhelmed with more furniture. And no living room is complete without and inviting red plaid oversized chair;  great alternative to the traditional loveseat.

Several Items from:
Pottery Barn, Raymour & Flanigan, Pier One, Macys, Home Decorators, Christmas Tree Shops
.
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Step-by-Step Guide to a Transformed Basement

4/18/2016

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I absolutely love creating and transforming spaces into something magical. Our latest project is the dreaded basement. I will help lead you through some important steps to get you to your intended goal. This is not for a complete renovation or remodel, taking an unfinished basement to a finished one. Rather, it is working with the space you have, whether finished or unfinished.

What is your space
Before you can go any further, what basement room/s are you focusing on? Start small and then build from there. Don’t try to do it all at once! 

Analyze your space 

What do you need your space for? Kids Playroom? Teen Lounge? Office? Storage? A place to hide from your family? Laundry? 
Figure out what is most needed and most important. In this case, we want a great functional playspace for our kids that will carry them through the years. 

I love all the incredible ideas out there, but I find myself getting stuck. How do I justify to my husband that I would like to build a tree house in the basement? And not just any treehouse, an eco-friendly treehouse that is made out of discarded Christmas trees?!  How do I explain that it would be really cool to have a slide that starts on the second floor of the house (much like the traditional laundry shoot) and opens up in the basement into a giant ball pen. Or a pirate ship that has a putting area for mini golf.  I love all these ideas! But really? The kids are only young for so long.  Is it worth the investment? And I don’t think our preteen would enjoy showing off theJake and the Neverland Pirates ship to his buds for years to come. But I must admit, I am a little partial to the slide idea…

Steps when analyzing your space:
  • Look at your space. How many rooms or what room/s do you want to update?
  • Get the measurements. Measure the length and width of your space and keep this list handy for when you start your shopping.
  • Yea or nay tidy up. What is currently in this room that you can either sell on ebay or give away to friends or charity? Things like old toys, broken furniture, boxes of stuff that you have no idea what is actually in them are must-go items! What items can you use in your room remodel? I am a huge fan of keeping the existing functional items and incorporating my theme around those items. It is a great place to start and to get your creative juices flowing.
  • Theme. This is an important step in the process. How long-lasting do you want your “theme” to be? If you are like me, I shy away from the short-lived themes like a basement that looks you just stepped out of the movie Frozen! While your children may love it for the short time, what will you do when they become obsessed with another movie next year? We can’t afford year-after-year makeovers. But we can afford minor tweaks here and there as the children get older.  Just a general theme for your decor will help you get started to know your likes and dislikes. Combining themes and room ideas can also really add to the room.

Here is a brief list to get your wheels turning:
style: 
contemporary, classic, whimsical, traditional, minimalist, retro, country, etc.
feeling: 
warm, cozy, soft, hard, linear, flat, fresh, open
colors: 
dark, deep, bright, bold, soft, light, neutral
purpose: 
​relaxation, play, bar, social hour, games, entertainment, sanctuary, reading nook

Recap:

Step 1: What?
Step 2: Analyze
Step 3: Coming up….
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Oh kitchen, my kitchen. How do I love thee? Even when you are just a wee bit...outdated?

4/18/2016

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How do I love thee? Even when you are just a wee bit...outdated? Instead of turning you in for something new, how about a mini kitchen redo? 
 
Many times it is hard to figure out how to revive what already exists. How do you freshen it up without tearing it all down or starting over? So became the case with this kitchen project. 
 
Here were my client’s thoughts during our kitchen walkthrough:
  • Don't like the appliances. The black appliances don't look "today". I want all stainless steel.
  • Don't like the floors. They are boring, big white tiles. Wood is in! I want wood floors! 
  • Cabinets are top quality, but not my first choice in color. Maybe we can just paint them? And I think I like the look of pull hardware vs knobs.
  • Countertops. They’re not granite. What is this anyway? (It appears to be a Corian countertop, which was quite popular some time ago). Again, it’s not granite. Tolerable, but not granite. But, the kitchen island is granite. A mix of black and dark green. How do I make this all work?!
  • Kitchen furniture. Really don’t like. Really makes the kitchen seem outdated.
  • Wall color. Deep red. Not my first choice. This is a big kitchen and it makes the room seem smaller. Though it is a warm room.
  • Window coverings. Along with the furniture, these window treatments are outdated. Want something fresh and new.
 
Let’s take a general look at the cost of that. Now this is just an approximation. It includes an average-priced item along with installation cost. Also depends on the size of your space. These estimates are for a large kitchen. Could be less, could be more. Homewyse is a great source to figure out for all types of remodeling costs. I highly recommend them.
 

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For a big chunk of money, the client  could make all of these changes. And it would be a fantastic kitchen! But alas, it seems that our dreams are bigger than our budget. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t make our dreams come true! And really, a complete remodel is not always needed!
 
Here’s a toast to dreaming smarter. Think easy. Think simple. Think fresh.
 
Take a look:

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See the price difference?! It’s huge!
Depending on your taste and budget, you could be spending close to $9500 on the low end when you can really update your kitchen look for just $2500! Savings of approx $7000. And on the high end, for those that want the best of everything…whew! Look out! On the high end of kitchen remodels, you could easily be spending $30,000+ (my numbers are still fairly conservative here). But with some basic changes, you can transform the look of your kitchen for a fraction of the cost and still have your dream result. 
 
Many factors went into the final decision, mainly driven by the budget! Not to mention that all the appliances, cabinetry, and flooring in our kitchen are top-notch, albeit many (many) years old. It just didn’t feel right to swap it out with something of a lesser quality and it felt rather wasteful. So we sunk our teeth and money into areas that were easier to control and manage in terms of trendiness, functionality, cost, and ability.


Can I tell you how great if felt to freshen up this kitchen for less? Instead of spending four or five times the amount on a complete kitchen remodel, we achieved the same desired result on so much less!  

See Before & After Photos

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How to bring your dated kitchen to life, to love what you have, and how to give it a fresh start with a little extra TLC.

4/18/2016

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Kitchen Project!

To refresh your kitchen, I encourage you to think big! Don't let your budget dissuade you from your dreams. Choose what you want as if money was not of any concern. This will help give you a better idea of what your really like and what you really want to see happen. Then, you can start the scale back process to find something comparable in your budget. 

Here, we have a very simple mini-kitchen redo. In their dream kitchen, the client wanted to put in all new hard wood floors, change the cabinet color, update the backsplash and countertops, and change the appliances to a more modern stainless steel. But, they didn't have nearly what was needed for a complete remodel. Plus, it seemed a tad wasteful, especially since these items are a pretty good quality to begin with. They may be a bit dated, but they are still good!



How to bring your dated kitchen to life,
to love what you have, 
and how​
 to give it a fresh start with a little extra TLC.


Step 1: Storyboards. Show me your dream kitchen. A great place to start is Pinterest or Houzz. On Pinterest, create a board with all of your favorite kitchen pics or ideas. Houzz works the same way, but instead of creating a board, create your Ideabook. These are my two favorite sites for putting together storyboards. Show pics of your favorite kitchen, favorite cabinets, flooring, colors, etc. From there, you will start to see a theme and what really appeals to you, be it a light and airy kitchen, or rich and warm cabinetry.

Step 2: Budget Snapshot. It's not time for a total budget breakdown just yet, but you need to have a general idea of what you really can and can't do. Can you really afford new flooring or appliances? Touch-ups instead of major changes? Is your oven so awful that this is a definite must-go item? Or can you really only afford a change to the backsplash? You need to keep this in mind when deciding what items you must keep, as your decor will center around those items. 
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Step 3: What to keep. After reviewing your storyboards and budget snapshot, figure out what items or appliances to keep. Again, I don't like to be wasteful, so let's figure out how you can make your current items work. It's like throwing out something that has been so good to you through the years! In this case, the client really couldn't make any changes to these larger ticket items. And what you may have thought to be the ugly duckling in the room is really the exact item needed to tie the room together!
Countertop
Backsplash
Kitchen Island
Oak Cabinetry
Black Appliances
Tile Floor
Step 4: What to change. Because we aren't able to make changes to the big ticket items above, that means we need to work our decor around it and modernize it into something beautiful. To do so, my suggestions are to change out the dining table, stools, window treatments and wall color.

Step 5: The Real Budget. Okay, now I need to know what you can really spend and our willing to spend. The exciting part is that you won't need to make changes to the bigger items that can add up quickly! Give yourself some instant savings by working with what you already have. For this kitchen makeover, the client was willing to spend $3500 on changes to upgrade the look and feel.
 
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Step 6: What To Purchase. This is where I use my expertise and have the most fun! I take your storyboards, your existing kitchen items and appliances (whether you love them or not), and figure out how to find you all the fabulous items that will help you create your dream kitchen while staying within your budget. 

Like what you see? 
All items are available for purchase in my 
​
Kitchen Project Shop.


Benjamin Moore Lewisville Green
Ballard Essential Cushion
Burlap Valance 'Fleur de Lis'
Burlap Valance ' Eiffel Tower'
LeMans Dining Chair
Sidney Dining Table
Marlow Nailhead Counterstool
LeMans Counterstool
Step 7: Action! The items have arrived and are in place! Check out the before and after photos.

Before Photos

After Photos


More Kitchen Photos


Summary
The client desperately wanted to upgrade and change their kitchen. They did not have the time, nor budget to deal with the stress of a total kitchen remodel. They were tired of their kitchen, which felt dark, bland, small, and outdated. They wanted something fresh and modern with a french country twist. Instead of changing out the black appliances, we accentuated them with the black french country table and chairs. And the mix-and-match valances were a great Esty find. The light green walls instantly brightened up the kitchen and made it feel more airy, especially with the white floors. The texture from the leather stools give the illusion of warmth. Looks like a brand new kitchen! 
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Budget Friendly Kids Easter Table

3/16/2016

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It's all in the details.I am obsessed with details! Especially when it comes to cost & budgeting.  I need to know EXACTLY what something will cost me. Then, if I need to, I can look for cheaper alternatives.  

When you list everything out like I have done here, you can really take a good look at your absolute must-haves, things you might not need, or opportunities for a better deal. 

Make Life Beautiful Without Wasting Your Money!

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Restful Sleep

2/16/2016

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Ahh. What a way to relax! Gorgeous soft teal walls lull you into the land of sweet dreams. Natural burlap drapes soften the brightness and boldness of the modern coral-colored lamps. Pottery Barn was definitely a winner here with the bedding! Love it!

Tip: To give the pillows a super full and filled look, use two pillow inserts for each sham. Save yourself some money and buy them at Target. In our case, we used to king pillow inserts in each king sham to really make the sham pop.
Here is what I used for my client:
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Girl's Room - Bright & Cheery

1/10/2016

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    Devin Almonte
    Health & Wellness Expert - Health, Fitness, Wellness, Beauty

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