Design Resolutions

January 21, 2021 Melissa Parr

Many people choose to make resolutions to improve their life and use the fresh start of the new year to achieve their goals. Often times, you will find people hope to lose weight, learn a new skill, or to improve their finances. While these are all wonderful things to focus on, we should not forget to also work on our interior spaces. If 2020 has taught us anything, it is the value and importance of home and family. I think we should make 2021 the year to improve our homes and I have come up with a few ideas to get you started!

Create a Designated Home Office

If you or your family are STILL are working from your dining room table or kitchen island, it is time to carve out a designated space for a home office. The trend of working from home will only continue to rise in the future and it is very important to have a space where you and your family can be comfortable and focus on your work.

Remodel a Bathroom

An entire home remodel can be expensive and overwhelming, so sometimes it is best to take it room by room. One of the best places to start is with an outdated bathroom. Give it some new life with updated tile, plumbing and lighting fixtures, and a new vanity.

Organize your Closet

We are all guilty of neglecting our closets! If you don’t have a built-in closet system, it is time to invest in one! They help to keep your closet organized and while you are pulling out all your clothes for the install, it is the perfect time to go through and get rid of old pieces you no longer want or need! I always tell myself that the more I get rid of, the more there is room for new pieces.

Update your Look

If you have an old, cheap or worn out piece of furniture in your home, it is time to REPLACE it! You do not need to hold on to anything that isn’t adding to the aesthetics of your home. Upholstery is usually one of the items that can get worn down quicker than others so you should consider replacing or reupholstering anything with stains or tears in it.

Refinish a Furniture Piece

Some of us have antique pieces, sentimental items, or great curbside finds that may be an eyesore in our home but are worth keeping! If so, it is time to refinish or paint that piece and bring it back to its former glory! I find it can be a lot of fun to get your hands dirty and pour your heart into making an old piece look new again. Check out Pinterest for TONS of great ideas on how to accomplish this!

Finish an Incomplete Project

Are any of you guilty of a half-finished project? I think most of us are, so this is the year to finish them! Pick up your hammer and finish building that piece of furniture, hanging that art piece or fixing that plumbing work that is still on your to-do list. With all this extra time spent indoors these days, there is no excuse for a project left unfinished!

Transform a Room

If you have a room in your house that you don’t use very often, consider all the ways you can make it functional again. Whether it becomes a guest room, office, workout room, craft room or a gaming area, find something you can do to make it useful again. If your rooms are all functioning well but haven’t been updated in a while, then it is time to change up your look! Consider finding some new bedding, artwork, accessories, or a paint color change to make an old space look new again.

Deep Clean

This is the most dreaded task for everyone…the deep clean. This is the time where you should get on your hands and knees or bust out the tall ladder and get to work! I am talking about cleaning baseboards, tops of cabinets, ceiling fans, plant shelves, and under furniture. If you have lived in your home more than a year, then it is time! You will be surprised how much your home needed it and how good you will feel after it is all done.

The Home Office

June 4, 2020 Melissa Parr

Although these words may make you cringe now more than ever, the home office is not as dreadful as you may think! There are definitely some key strategies you can implement to make this space as functional and practical as you would like it to be. I highly recommend that you apply these tricks to your home office (or if you are back in your commercial office) in order to make sure that your space is performing for you!

Dedicated Space

Personally, I think this is the MOST important element of having a productive home office. You will never be successful with accomplishing your work if you are setup on a coffee table, recliner, kitchen island, or dining room table. I highly encourage you to invest in a desk and a quality chair and put it somewhere that you will be comfortable staying for a long period of time. For some, this is a spare room or nook in your home. Others enjoy looking out of a window. For me, I like to be in an open space but I like to face the wall so I am not disturbed. Play around with the placement of your desk until you feel that you are not distracted at all and you can solely focus on your work.

Lose the Distractions

Speaking of distractions, we all know that working from home presents its own challenges. Kids, pets, TV, laundry, dishes, spouses, roommates, home improvement projects, and daily tasks can all occupy our minds while we are working from home. I always try to dedicate an hour of my time in the morning and half of my lunch break to taking care of the day-to-day household chores. I always save my home projects for the weekend and make sure my pets are taken care of so I can focus on my work. For me, playing music in the background is a great way to shut out all the noise and remain focused. Kids, as we know, can be another story but we have to do what we can to make sure we dedicate our focus to the tasks at hand. I also advise you to make sure your TV is turned off while you are trying to work.

Ergonomics & Functionality

This is one of the most important, yet often overlooked, elements of a home office. I spent over two years working at a commercial office furniture retailer where I studied the proper way to sit at a desk. This might sound crazy, but YES, there is an exact science to how you are sitting at your desk. By making sure you are sitting and working correctly, you can reduce stress and potential future injuries caused by sitting in awkward positions. First, the top of your computer screen should be at eye level so you are not having to drastically bend your head down to focus on the center of your screen. Your armrests and keyboard should be level so your arms remain parallel to the floor. Your knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. Also, make sure your back is supported and you are not bending or slouching at any time. You will find that these adjustments will really improve your motivation and help your productivity.

Declutter & Organization

This tip can be tricky for a lot of people who spend countless hours at their desk. I find the neater and more organized my space is, the more I am able to focus on my work. I understand the frustration of not being able to find the paper you are looking for or having to search through all of your desktop folders to find the right document. I feel that if you can organize your desk and office, make designated physical and digital folders, and keep your email inbox categorized and clear of unimportant emails, you will find that you are not being pulled away from your work. You can also try unsubscribing from spam emails or just leaving your email closed and only checking it every half hour to hour so your attention always remains on the current task.

Aesthetics

Finally, your office should be a reflection of your home, taste and style. Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself and your office! Having the proper storage and materials will only help you to be more productive in the long run. Your office should be located somewhere that you want to be and a place that you gravitate towards. If your desk is worn down and junky, you won’t feel the desire to sit there and work! Remember, investing in a home office (really your entire home in general) is self-care and self-improvement. Upgrading your home only makes you feel and function better!

Climbing The Ladder

May 22, 2020 Melissa Parr

When I was a kid, I always loved climbing and exploring! I try to embrace my inner child in certain elements of my designs because I think it is important to incorporate a certain playfulness in the right space. After all, who doesn’t love to have fun in design and let their creativity flow?!

Visual Interest and Dimension

It is so important to add layers and dimension to your space. Without dimension, your design will fall flat and become lackluster and dull. I feel the best way to bring in texture is through your art and accessories. They can be the element that brings the whole design together. A ladder can be an exciting way to add a pop to your space and bring life to an otherwise flat run of cabinetry or wall space.

A Hint of Whimsy

Whenever I think of rolling ladders, I think of the library in Beauty and the Beast. Who hasn’t dreamed of having a grand space full of books as far as the eye can see? Adding in a ladder is the perfect way to add a little bit of fun and whimsy to your home library. They are also very functional for those top shelves that are hard to reach!

Raising the Height of Your Space

Speaking of top shelves, if you are anything like me, it is difficult to reach some of the items at the top of your pantry or on the higher shelves of your kitchen cabinets. If you incorporate a ladder rail along the tops of all of your cabinets, you can access anything you need and you have the potential to raise the height of your ceilings and cabinets if you are doing a new construction or remodel project. I always try to make my cabinets touch the ceiling when possible. If you think the ladder will get in the way, you can always add a small hanging spot on the side of your cabinet run to store the ladder when it is not in use.

Decorative Elements

I always try and include three-dimensional decorative elements into my design. It really makes your space come alive. With a ladder, you have so many options for the finish and the construction. The design opportunities are endless. A decorative rolling ladder is essentially a piece of art in your space. It is a sculptural element that is also functional while bringing the whole design vision together.

Versatility

One of my favorite things about a rolling ladder is how versatile they are! You can add one in your kitchen or pantry design. They work perfectly in a home office or library space. They are also very practical in a closet or even a home bar! The options are limitless and the fun is contagious! If you decide to incorporate one in your design, please share your pictures with me! I hope you all have a fantastic Memorial Day Weekend!

via Raw Creative of Aurum Food & Wine in Breckenridge

Eight Stay-At-Home Projects

April 23, 2020 Melissa Parr

As we continue to stay home and stay safe, many of you have probably considered taking on a few home projects. Now is the perfect time to focus on making improvements to make your home more functional and enjoyable. I always find that diving into a project helps to pass the time and keep yourself occupied.

One of the easiest and most effective ways to completely transform a room is with paint. I like to use lighter colors to keep the room feeling bright and open. I try to stick with 3 to 5 colors to encourage flow and to keep the home feeling cohesive. One of my favorite paint colors is Classic Grey by Benjamin Moore. It is the perfect off-white in my opinion because it has a little grey, a little cream, and reflects the colors around it (shown in the picture above).

Our closets tend to be one of the most neglected spaces in our home. I try to organize and declutter my closet at least twice a year. One tip that has always stuck with me is to turn all of your hangers around at the beginning of the year. Once you wear the garment, return the hanger to its original position. If you haven’t worn something in a year and the hanger is still turned the opposite way, it may be time to donate!

We all have family photos or pieces of art lying around that we aren’t sure what to do with. I love hanging a gallery wall with personal photos or creating an art wall with coordinating pieces. I recommend laying the pieces out on the floor or even a large piece of butcher paper so you can play with the design until it’s perfect. To make it easier, outline the art on the butcher paper, mark the hanging spot, and tack the paper to the wall so you can make all of your holes at once.

If you are tired of the same look in your bedroom, try updating your bedding. I like to use a neutral base and then I can add on pillows and blankets with different colors and patterns on top to create a new look. This makes it easy to swap out pieces as you grow tired of them or change the look for each season.

Pantries are a simple space to tackle and can easily be organized with storage containers, baskets, and labels. If you are someone who likes to change up what’s stocked in your pantry, try using chalkboard labels. This organizational system is a great tool for keeping track of food that has gone bad and keeps items all in view so nothing gets hidden in the back.

Do you have several accessories and decor pieces floating around that you haven’t used in a while? Try rearranging your bookshelves to bring new life to your home and change up the look of your space. It is amazing what a few little changes can do to revive a room.

If your home came with some lighting fixtures that you don’t care for, it is time for an upgrade! There are so many shapes, finishes, and sizes of light fixtures that you can incorporate into your design. I love large pendants because they can be hung in pairs over a kitchen island or a dining room table to add visual interest.

Finally, I am sure most of you are working from home for the first time and many of you have probably set up shop on your dining room table. In my opinion, this can be uncomfortable and can be a distraction. This is the perfect time to find a dedicated home office space with a desk and an appropriate office chair. This will boost productivity and can be a great place to work at in the future.