August 25, 2021

Selecting the Perfect Paint ColoR

Guys...paint is hard. And that is coming from someone who has practically perfect color vision. There are so many factors to take into account when selecting a color like the undertones, lighting, saturation, and hue. Growing up I remember my parents getting an itch to paint a room and going off to the hardware store in the morning to get a couple of gallons of paint. Yep, easy-peasy. WRONG. They’d paint the room and then go right back to the hardware store to get a less “intense” color and while I admire their confidence in selecting a color (I NEVER remember them picking up samples or stewing for weeks in selecting a color) it definitely always ended up costing them more money, time and effort.

So, having helped countless people select paint and seeing lots of bad paint choices here are some tips:

1. DO YOUR RESEARCH

   I know that it should just be as easy as picking a few paint chips from the paint store but I actually like to do a little research online first. There is an overwhelming amount of information about popular colors and their undertones and even info on what colors of paint can compliment or hide certain aspects of your home that you might not be in love with. Collect a small list of 5-10 paints that you would potentially want to try.

2. KEEP IT NEUTRAL

   I can say that almost 100% of the paint colors I have selected for clients or for myself (minus a few kid rooms) have been in the neutral zone of my paint decks. I could basically rip out 3/4 of my paint deck because I have NEVER EVER used them. There are lots of colors in the neutrals that “read” other than white, beige or grey…so my advice is to look there first. For example: the picture of those gorgeous moody green cabinets? The color is SW Anonymous and it’s ACTUALLY in the gray family of colors.

3. GET THE SAMPLES

   A. I know it costs a small fortune to get all those samples but it is MUCH better than blindly selecting, painting and then having to do it all over again. I recommend painting a good size swatch ON the actual wall (be sure to label them) in several different places to see how the light changes it. Make sure to look at it at different times of the day- you’ll be shocked how different a paint can look.

   B. If you aren’t a fan of painting on the wall, there is a great company called Samplize where you can purchase peel and stick paint samples for a small fee with access to all the major paint supplier’s colors. This option is a lot less messy and the samples are portable so you can move it easily to different locations or remove them when you are having a dinner party so everyone doesn’t know that you are considering painting because you have those dang paint samples painted on your wall that have been there for 6 months because you can’t decide (sound familiar to any of you???).

4. TAKE YOUR TIME GETTING IT RIGHT

   Don’t rush this decision. Take your time and if you don’t love the samples you got, then get more. Keep working at it until you are happy with it. There is nothing worse that laying on your couch after painting and giving your new paint color the stink-eye because you hate it.

August 11, 2021

Designing with kids in mind

t’s not true what people think. That saying about not being able to have nice things when you have young kids — you’ve probably even said it a time or two. Kids definitely know how to test the limits with furniture (as with most everything else in life (ie, bedtime, screen time, parents’ sanity)) but I’m going to share some awesome tips on how to have two seemingly opposite worlds coincide peaceably together. It is possible to have a beautiful, well-designed home with young kids. Here’s how:

• Utilize Kid-Friendly Fabrics:

  • If leather is an option I would most highly recommend this. Kids have lots of accidents and leather makes clean-up easy, and non-stressful. Not everything has to be upholstered in leather if you’re not crazy about that look. You could have your main sofa be leather and a couple of accent chairs in a patterned fabric to add more warmth to the space.

  • If you opt to do a fabric upholstery look for ones that are labeled “Performance” these will help create a barrier that prevents liquids from seeping into the fabric weave and ultimately the foam. It doesn’t do a lot with normal dirt and soiling but you’ll sure be grateful when your child’s bottle, or sippy cup leaks and it can be easily blotted up.

  • One more tip on choosing fabric: look for one that has color variation in the weave-this will help to hide any stains that might occur as opposed to a solid fabric.

• Invest in Creative Storage Solutions:

  • Kids have A LOT of stuff. Seriously…so much. When purchasing furniture be smart about finding pieces with a good amount of storage. Coffee tables, sofa tables, media cabinets, end tables, and bookshelves could all potentially hide kid’s toys, books, blankets, stuffed animals- you name it. Get creative with how you use furniture- at one point in my life I used a vintage buffet as a sofa table and it held games, puzzles and blocks. Vintage furniture generally has a smaller scale so you can utilize it in a lot of different ways. Baskets on bookshelves are a great way to hide and contain small toys and books while still having them be accessible for little ones. Benches at the entryway can have baskets underneath for storing kids’ shoes. Anything you can do to hide the clutter-that’s the goal here.

• Incorporate “Yes Touch” Items into your Design:

  • Have you ever taken a kid to a museum and everywhere you looked there were signs that said “Do NOT Touch” and all your kid wants to do is touch LITERALLY everything that they aren’t supposed to??? Well, there is already enough “Do NOT Touch” items in a little person’s world to add more at home. Let some of the “don’t touch” stress around your accessories and design go by incorporating “Yes Touch” objects that are actually meant and okay to be played with, Here are some ideas:

    • Putting a tic-tac-toe board on your coffee table is fun and invites play

    • Putting a jar of dice and other game blocks on display (this is especially cute on a game table) is great for picking up a quick game together with your little ones

    • In my house pillows are for playing the floor is lava and building forts (I know this isn’t everyone’s parenting style -but I’m pretty laxed about it). If playing with pillows is your kind of thing be sure to purchase pillows where the cover can zip off and easily be thrown in the wash. Also be sure in invest in feather pillows that are double bagged so feathers aren’t poking out.

    • There are some toys that are just too big to store out of sight. Ahem- yeah that’s right toy kitchen- I’m talking about you. Luckily there are lots of styles and it’s easy to find one that isn’t a complete eye sore and can blend in with your design aesthetic.

    • Creating a reading nook with a cute rug and a teepee is a fun little zone that is welcoming to your little ones and an adorable addition to your living space.

• Be Smart About Rug Purchases:

  • If you have wood floors, rugs are an absolute necessity to protect them from all that kids will put them through. Here are some tips when purchasing rugs:

    • Look for rugs with random color patterns (this will help disguise any stains)

    • Rugs with wool are more expensive but are naturally stain-resistant because of the lanolin in the wool.

    • If you’re on a tight budget use an outdoor rug under the kitchen table. These are meant to withstand the elements and if it can do that, it can certainly take some mac-n-cheese being dropped on it repeatedly. You can also scrub and hose these kinds of rugs off if they are starting to get icky.

• Be Mentally Prepared That Accidents Happen:

  • When things have gotten broken by accident I always remember this saying “We didn’t buy it to set on the mantle,” Obviously, I don’t want things in my house to get ruined or broken (I’m sure I’m not alone in this) but ultimately we purchase things that are meant to get used, handled, and lived in. I’m happier with this mindset and it helps me move on when I have to say good-bye to something. Oh, and most “good-byes” lead to a very happy “Hello” when I get to pick out whatever it is I’m replacing.

  • If you’re the type of person that will call and report incidents to your furniture you should definitely invest in a Furniture Protection plan when purchasing your furniture. They cover all sorts of damages and can help you feel more at ease with kids in your life running around with open Sharpies. (Not that has ever happened at my house. Nope. Never).

Hopefully there were a couple of tips that you found useful and can begin to use in your home. EspecialIy if you’ve always been of the mindset that you can’t have nice things with kids around. Are you going to have priceless possessions on your coffee table and white everything? Probably not, but with a few modifications you can still have a beautiful space that the whole family can enjoy stress-free.

May 28, 2021

Design Editing

The other day we had a fantastic project install. Our boho-desert-glam bedroom came together so nicely! When I get ready for an install I make a plan of all the accessories I’ll need. And then I double it. And sometimes triple it. I ALWAYS like to have AT LEAST a couple of options for each accessory on the day of install to kind of play around and see what works best with the design (and for the record “play around” is the official name for moving and fiddling with accessories until they find their proper home).

While I’m shopping for accessories and pillows I’ll purchase anything that I think will go really well with the design and while I’m carefully wrapping and bagging everything I think to myself “oh, yeah. This is going to work so great.” Or I will have favorite little pieces that I think are adorable. And the crazy thing is, sometimes, I don’t even use those pieces. I try, but it’s like the design just, kinda, rejects them. You can’t force something that the design doesn’t want.

It’s always a magical experience watching a design take shape. Almost like I’m not actually in charge of how it turns out. The design has its own voice and plan and I am just its facilitator to make sure it turns out the way it had always intended. I was mentioning this connection with design to someone the other day and they said that authors are the same way when they are writing a book. If an author puts words into a characters mouth that don’t belong there, the character will let them know.

I don’t know which pieces are going to work right off the bat, it’s trial and error. It takes stepping back and analyzing, and mostly just…listening. Listen close enough and the design will tell you when you have it just right. It’s an amazing process to get to be a part of. Just me and a design developing and growing together.

May 11, 2021

How We Came to Be

During the pandemic there were A LOT of unknowns. I was working as a designer at a great company but in July of 2020 I found myself needing to make a lot of decisions in regards to my children. I have 4 kids and I honestly didn’t know what would be best for them. Send them to school only to have them be forced to do Zoom school all year? I didn’t know much, but I knew that WASN’T what they needed. I decided that I would do exempt school with my older kids and send my younger kids to school and hope for the best. Through all that it became impossible to tell my employer when I would be available to go to appointments, so I took a step back and worked on some social media stuff-but it made me sad because I LOVE designing. It was my intent to just find a routine and a schedule with my kids that allowed me to continue working but as the weeks and months went on I knew that my “new norm” could never accommodate what my old job needed from me…and so the seed to begin my own business was planted.

I talked it over with my husband, Jeff, basically non-stop for weeks. Pros/cons. Possible names. The fears. The excitement. And if he thought I talked about it a lot, he would NEVER be able to handle the constant torrent in my brain. And then one day, I just did it. I filled out the paperwork and took the next steps.

The name “The Tailored Home” was chosen because I wanted to focus on creating homes that are a perfect fit for my clients. Creating something that represents their personalities. Bringing back to life something that’s boring or stale. Truly customizing design to the way my client’s live life. But I’ve just realized that the name “The Tailored Home” represents more than a name of my business. It is the reason my business was created in the first place. A way for me to continue doing what I love- designing and creating in a way that is tailored to the time and schedule that I have and it is truly a “Perfect Fit” for me (that’s my tagline-if you didn’t pick up on that). :)

May 3, 2021

And So It Begins ... Again

Wow! It’s been a long time since I’ve written a blog post-basically not since 2012 when you had to upload photos to your computer from a digital camera, and you’d anxiously check every day to see if any of your friends updated their blog. Yep. I recently checked my old personal blog and there have been no updates from my friends for 9 years. So I might be a little rusty, but “They” (the unseen and unknown powers of the business world) told me that I had to a have a blog to tell my “Story” (which is code for SEO (search engine optimization). But I’ll play along-so welcome to The Tailored Home.