First impressions make a difference...so ZHOOZH!!!

As we all know too well, first impressions almost ALWAYS make a lasting impression.  

The way you present yourself DOES make a difference.  Whether it is on the phone or face to face, a first impression can, and most likely will, set a lasting impression.

With this in mind, the way you present yourself in how you live says ALOT about who you are.  It's true.  (Don't gasp and stop reading...my intent is not to shame you, but inspire you!!!)

It takes just a little effort to "zhoozh" up your life. In this case, I am talking about your house...particularly your front door...what people see first when coming over to visit you.  Think small...a fresh coat of paint on your front door, a wreath, a fun door mat, good lighting, new address numbers...a live plant or two...and, my personal favorite, a simple flag! 

A RED door, ceramic numbers, a simple star, and flag holders grab your attention immediately!

A simple woven basket with LIVE plants greet you with cheerful color!  

The flags are a nice touch, too....!!!

The stars capture your attention immediately--not to mention they are GLITTERY!!!

A simple bow, some twine, and a tin star ZHOOZH up this fun wreath!

Take a seat! Take a seat! Take a load off your feet...hey, hey!

Star and Stripes fabric runs the length of the fencing behind the red chairs...

take note of the red ribbon tied to the Oak tree.  

More flags and another red ribbon in the distance...

Red Ribbons zhoozh up our OAK trees in honor of the MIGHTY OAKES ORTYL!!!
If you don't know the story of Mighty Oakes, read about him...he will change your life forever, I promise.  He is MIGHTIER than any Olympian that has ever lived.  True story.

Wish I had this flag for my house right now!!!

With the Olympics taking place right now in London...a little outdoor "zhoozhing" seems appropriate to celebrate our MIGHTY athletes and our even MIGHTIER country...Go TEAM USA!

Chairs in need of a face lift...or ZHOOZHING!

Everything looks better with a little "zhoozh"....these chairs are a perfect example!

Zhoozh (verb): first defined on the TV show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," to zhoozh means to push up with flair.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to zhoozh.  

It's my job.  It's how I think.  It's what I LOVE to do.

So...here are just a few examples of what I have come up with recently to "zhoozh" some of my own chairs and those of my clients.  It was fun, fairly easy to do, and very rewarding!

Wicker backed chair from Goodwill--only $5!!!

All this needed was a light sanding, a light spray of primer, and couple of coats of white!

VOILA!!!  

Half a yard of fabric--only $8!

Finished desk chair for my daughter's room!

Ice Cream Parlor Chair bought from Craig's List

Set of two chairs and a table--only $25!!!

Fabric choices for my client...traditional to eclectic...they chose the top two...LOVE!!!

 

VOILA!!!

Half a yard of fabric for both chairs--only $12!!!

Breakfast stool was well worn by previous owner, but FREE!!!

VOILA!!!

Half a yard of fabric to cover two stools--only $12!!

My Gaga's old fashioned needle point seat cover...

Close up of the fabric---the brown is a raised velvet that is very soft!

VOILA!!!

Half of a yard of this fabric for both chairs--only $13!!!

FREE chair and ottoman off the street!!!

Both chair and ottoman were lightly sanded, primed, and hand painted

by the owner and then recovered by a trained re-upholsterer.
It was well worth the elbow grease!!!

Check out the detail on the ottoman!

VOILA!!!

Five yards of fabric to cover the chair and ottoman--only $120!!

Chair and ottoman were reupholstered for $400--totally worth the workmanship!

I am amazed with what my client, Becky McFarland, came up with for this little reading space.

Is your life in need of a little ZHOOZHING?  Give me a call...I can help.

Next up???

Zhoozhing up the outside of your house can make all the difference...

Buried in Beige Design Dilemma Solved!!!

My friend, Benjamin Moore, came to the rescue again. 

This time Old Ben came through with a brilliant blue to bring out the the blue in the pillow that my client loves so much!  

"Florida Keys" is the name of this color we chose and, I must say, it is a pretty good descriptor.  If you have ever been to The Florida Keys...you know this color.  Vibrant, yet amazingly soothing.  

Now fast forward a day (maybe two) and I got an email entitled POP!!! from her on my phone.  When I opened the email this is what I saw...

LOVE. HER.

Apparently, my client does NOT mess around.  She got to work immediately...no joke.  What a thrill! Someone else out there is as crazy (in such an amazing way) as I am...just goes for it...shoving all the furniture into the center of a room...throwing plastic sheeting over it all...and gets the job done!  

A day after I received the plastic sheeting---room in progress photo--I got these next few photos.  Try not to laugh at the commentary she added to the BEFORE AND AFTER shots.  I laughed out loud when I saw her very sad son in the all beige room.  But, if you notice, in the newly painted room, he is sad no more!!!  The new blue has literally taken his blues away.

Next, we realized that the large expanse of the beige/buff/tan/bisque wall needed something more than just a new shade of color to make it become more of a focal point in the room.  After all, it would be holding this insanely giant TV that everyone would be sitting and staring at for hours on end.

This wall needed something custom built. 

It need this...


KaPOW... as my client so eloquently put it! 

As I mentioned before...color changes everything.  It is an easy fix.  It is fairly inexpensive.  And, it really has the power to transform the most boring of beige living rooms and bring them back to life.  Florida Keys was the WOW factor that my client was looking for...vibrant and soothing at the same time.  

Beige no more...phew!

Buried in BEIGE Design Dilemma Solved!  

Next Design Dilemma?   Old chairs in need of a face lift.  

Buried in Beige Design Dilemma

Below is my latest Design Dilemma...this one was easy to fix.  


Dear Rebecca, 

We moved into a new house about 6 months ago and it is beige... I mean the whole house is almost the same shade of beige.  We bought from a relocation company and I suspect they had the entire house painted so it was "neutral".  

Now that we are all moved in, the beige is driving me crazy.  Every room - beige... did I mention all the beige?  I love the look of all white, but I have 3 kids, so that is O-U-T.  I also love COLOR... I am having a really difficult time finding a wall color that matches with my pillow fabric (which I LOVE) and the sage green couches we already have.  I want something that POPS!  

Pillow = L.O.V.E.

Whatever you call it - tan, bisquit, buff, cream, khaki, oatmeal, off-white, sand..it has got to go... at least in our family room!  

HELP.  PLEASE. NOW.

Signed, 

Bumming & Buried in Beige

Boring BEIGE living room...only to be saved by cute pillows, but even CUTER KIDS. 

Accessories are interesting, but you can't see them in all the BEIGE.

Blank Beige Wall...no thanks...FAIL.

All my client REALLY needed was for me to agree with her that all the beige in her house equalled super boring, and then pick out a color to make her living room come ALIVE!  That is just what I did...and a few other minor suggestions.

Stay tuned for the after photos...COLOR changes everything.

MOVING SALE!!!!

This post is going to be short and sweet.

My friend/client is downsizing her house and needs to sell a handful of furniture pieces.

Take a look at my REsale tab on my blog.

Think:

• bedroom furniture
• kitchen island
• air hockey table
• baby rocker and ottoman
• chair and a half and ottoman

Call me or email me to make an offer...

And, if you have stuff you want me to sell for you, I'd be happy post it on my blog.

Kitchen Nook Design Dilemma Solved!!!

Hi again!  

After a month of not updating my blog, I'm back.  

It has been a crazy few weeks...my father-in-law's unexpected passing, attending my nephew's HS graduation in Texas, my kids getting out of school for the summer, and a week long vacation to the Jersey Shore (no Snooki sightings, but I saw a lot of bump-its!)....it really has been CRAZY!  

But I'm back...and all is well again.

So, my last blog post asked you to stick around to see how my client's Kitchen Nook Design Dilemma was going turn out.  And, I am pleased to say that it turned out AWESOME!  

Take a look for yourself...

BEFORE:  

No Window Treatments--(a bit stark)

AFTER:  

Classic Inverted Box Pleated Valanced--(TA DA!!!)

BEFORE:

The window seat cushion is looking a bit beaten down after only a year of use.  The cover needs a good washing to bring it back to life.  It's hard to tell in this photo, but the fabric is sagging/pulling in all the wrong directions and needs a bit of help to pull itself back together.  

AFTER:

Window Seat Cushion has been freshly washed, has more structure because of batting that has been added around the existing foam to help keep the fabric in place, and has been anchored to the wall with cup hooks attached to the back of the cushion to keep it from moving forward and off the bench.  

Notice the original pillows add a punch of color, but we have had black buttons added to the center of them to "match" the black buttons at the top of each inverted pleat on the valances.  Subtle detail that makes all the difference.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...DETAILS make ALL the DIFFERENCE.

A closer look at the fabric we chose.  Nothing too crazy...a very simple grayish linen was the main fabric...crisp looking with a bit of texture.  Perfect.   

  

Next, we looked for a pop of color for the valances...the WOW factor that would make you look closer at the window treatment.  It was the easy choice because the main accent color in her kitchen is RED...as seen in her pendant lights above her island, in her art work, and in the window seat cushion.

Loved that the accent fabric was a bit quirky...it has a fancier "sheen" to the fabric compared to the earthy linen...and the gray in the circles matched the gray linen just right.  My client was sooooo excited with this fabric, but I was secretly even more pleased.  If you know me well, you know I have a "thing" for circles.  I don't know what it is about this simple shape, but it is my favorite and was so glad to be able to incorporate it into this design.

 

I have to mention that I attached the above photo because it is a tricky window...a bay window...a window with angles.  Angles are hard for almost everyone...but not my seamstress!  She is amazing with them, and this is one of just many reasons I respect her work. 

I love my seamstress for lots of other important reasons, as well.  

• She is quick.  
• She is affordable. 
• She is personable.  
• She will make what you think is impossible, possible. 
• She knows how to measure correctly each time...on any project, on any curve, on any angle...and she gets it right.  
• She figures out how much fabric you need...and NEVER makes you buy more than you need.  
• She whips up your stuff in no time...no joke.  
• She shows up at your house with a drill or a ladder or a steamer or her actual sewing machine...and VOILA...everything is in place...and looks just AMAZING!  

And, if by chance, something is not perfect, she will make it right...and quickly.  Thank you, again, Karen for such beautiful work.

Kitchen Nook Design Dilemma SOLVED.

Love. It.

Stay tuned for my next Design Dilemma post...BEIGE has taken over!

Kitchen Nook Design Dilemma

Kitchen Nook Design Dilemma...

Below is an email I received from one of my latest clients:

So....we built the nook in the kitchen, and rushed to have a cushion made. I thought I did not want any window treatment on the bay window. Cut to a year later...I want the window treatment, but don't necessarily want to re-do the entire cushion fabric. Help! I am not good at coordinating fabrics - especially when one is already set!! I like simple, clean lines and nothing frilly.

Kitchen Nook/Window Seat

Indoor/Outdoor Fabric

Better Picture of Existing Darling Window Seat Fabric

My response to her was simple.


"This is NOT a dilemma....this is going to be so easy and fun!  Relax...don't worry!  You do not need a new cushion...it just need to be REworked...add some batting over the foam to tighten up the look of the fabric.   Give me one hour at the fabric store with you and you will have an amazingly REfreshed look.  The new fabrics we will choose will make your current window seat fabric look even better than it does now.  The new valances and REfreshed throw pillows are going to really finish off this space.  You will LOVE it, I promise."


She trusted me. 


We met again at the fabric store.  And in less than 30 minutes, we had all the coordinating fabrics chosen, cut, and paid for...ready for the seamstress to pick them up that night.  We were both thrilled!


Bam! 


Can't wait to see how the Kitchen Nook REdesign turns out!!!


Stay tuned for the finished look....