Tag Archives: DesignPro

Is Your Home Haunted?

30 Thursday Oct 2014

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Many of us live in a haunted house and don’t even realize it.  I don’t mean haunted in the traditional sense; like the kind you go to on Halloween or an abandoned mansion you may see in the movies.  But, our homes can be and often are haunted by the ghosts of our own furnishings.  We tend to keep possessions and stuff we don’t really need anymore.  Look around you…  do you still need to display that trinket you bought on your vacation in 1985?  How about the framed wall hanging that says “Have A Nice Day” your Aunt Ruth gave you for a housewarming gift when you moved in 20 years ago?  It’s time to go through and refresh your accessories.  Edit out what’s old and just a dust collector.  Arrange like things that are precious to you in a collection, not spread over every surface.image

Another way you may be living in the past is your upholstery.  When was the last time you had those chairs recovered?  Maybe it’s time to stop living with what you liked when you first moved in and just haven’t really looked at in many years.  Over time, upholstery fades and discolors.  Wear and tear from a busy family really can take its toll on furniture.  Paint colors will change over time and can look dreary and drab.  Try freshening up those rooms with a modern color or new wallpaper.

Pictures and artwork can also really make your home feel dated and old.  Your tastes have probably changed, you might like abstracts now but just can’t part with the landscape you bought at a garage sale a few years back. Maybe there is art you’ve had since college, and it has memories.  But those memories might be holding you back, keeping you in the past.. when you should be looking to the future.

It’s easy to go day-to-day thinking that next year you’ll buy a new sofa, or paint the den or have that painting reframed.  But days turn into months and months into years, and before you know it.. you are living in a home from yesteryear.. Yes, a haunted house!  Haunted by old, used and sad furnishings and colors.  Make a change before those ghosts decide to just take over.

Oh, and be spooked by a real haunted house.  Happy Halloween!

How To Live In A Home, Not A House!

20 Friday Jun 2014

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Life today is like a roller coaster – full of ups and downs and periods of suspense. Our home, then, more than ever before, should serve as our shelter, a safe refuge from the alarms of an uncertain world. That’s something we all know. But there is much more than that…

The pleasant background you have created is only half the job. Have you created something that reflects your taste and personality and that contributes to your happiness? Oddly enough, happiness and graciousness in home life can be achieved only through constant daily effort. Your measure of success will depend on your degree of civilization. Only the house that is planned in advance and designed soundly, step by step with an eye to a perfect balance will turn out successfully. But the house you decorate will be a dead thing, unless it is a house where people LIVE!  Activity is an essential part of an attractive house.

I have gone into houses that make me want to turn and run. These are the homes that are thought of only as a place to eat and sleep or a house that has been decorated for pure display. Your home should mean something to you. It’s a basic instinct. A home with a life that centers on food and sleep is not really a home, it’s a house. Beauty and graciousness, joy of living, being used in every part, these are the things that make a house a home. A house, like a dog, must be loved before it will show the best side of it’s nature.

Don’t fall for believing a great decor is one derived straight from a catalog or a picture online. Don’t feel that you have to follow rules or keep to the vignette you see at the furniture store.  Give your home your own spin, your uniqueness. Your home is not just a house.. it’s who you are and should say so. The most comfortable homes are the ones that look lived in, that feel as familiar as an old blanket. A guest should be able to walk in and know this is your home, this is your life, this is your family!ImageImage

The two rooms above look to me like homes that are beautiful and well designed, yet show the owners personality and vitality. They are cozy, yet warm; colorful yet peaceful. Find the things in life that make you happy and incorporate them into your living, into your home. Have fun!