ABSOLUTE PAINTING

Have you always wanted a beautifully decorated home but seem to have a hard time giving it just the right touches to make it that way? Well, decorating your home doesn’t have to be a difficult task. By implementing certain tips you can turn your ordinary home into the home of your dreams!

Although decorating tips will vary from room to room, there are a few tips that should be used in every room of your home. These things must be done before the main decorating begins.

Remove excess clutter I know that this may sound elementary, but excess clutter can really take a way from a home’s beauty. What is considered clutter? Of course, any junk laying around that is not benefiting anything, old newspapers, broken or unsightly furniture, stray items from other rooms, and decorations.

Decorations? Yes. The wrong decorations or too many decorations can become clutter. Pick out a few of your favorites and get rid of the rest. If you’re a collector, than more than likely you have clutter. Ask yourself, “Is this collection really benefiting me?” If the answer is no, then get rid of it.

If you just can’t part with the collection, consider designating one room to be your collection room. I went to someone’s house about a few months ago and the lady who lived there had about 200-300 pairs of salt and pepper shakers. It didn’t really benefit her, but it was a hobby and it made her happy. So she took the two rooms of her home that she used least and set her collection up in them. The key is to display them in an orderly fashion. Use bookcases or curios to help contain the items and eliminate a cluttered look.

Once the clutter is gone, many people will already begin to see a dramatic difference in their home.You will be amazed at how you will instantly become more relaxed and you’ll be eager to continue to the next step.

Give Each Room A Thorough Cleaning Now that the clutter is gone, cleaning will be easier and maybe even enjoyable. Go through each room and clean them completely and thoroughly. Vacuum the carpets, dust and shine the furniture, wash curtains, blinds and windows and even wipe down walls. You may find more clutter in this process in which you should get rid of promptly.

With everything sparkling clean and clutter free, you will now have a new perspective on your home. What was once the old drab thing that caused you despair is now a bright happy place that is full of potential.

Find a Focal Point Now it’s almost time to decorate but first choose a point of focus in each room. This will be the main place that you focus on during your decorating and all the other decorating in the room will complement this area.

The focal point is usually the first area that you see as you enter the room. This should display your best picture, your most lovely figurine, etc. The focal point is what sets the mood for the room and if it’s the first thing that you see, it will obviously be the first impression of the room.

If you feel that the first thing that you see would not make a good focal point, such as a coat closet, then pick another area that you feel would make a great focal point and start here. A fireplace, a bay window, or a wide empty wall are some examples of some good focal points.

Let’s Start Decorating!

Now it’s time to begin the fun part. However, decorating is still a lot of work and requires a lot of planning.

Themes

Each room should have a theme to guide you. Whether it’s a color scheme, a certain style, (such as Victorian or contemporary), or a fun upbeat theme. Walls Once the theme is chosen, you should decide if you will paint or wallpaper your walls. New paint and/or wallpaper makes everything look fresh. If you have a large room, darker hues tend to draw the room in more and give it a cozy feel. If the room is small, use lighter colors that will reflect more light giving the illusion of a larger room. If you choose to hang wallpaper, add stripes for height, florals for romance or femininity, or solids or marbles if you don’t want to paint but want a painted look. If you have an entire wall that you think would make a great focal point, consider a wall mural. When hanging wall decor, be careful not to over-clutter walls. Hang pictures at eye level. TIP: If you live in an older home or a mobile home, your walls may not be completely straight due to settling. Avoid wallpaper with stripes in this case as uneven walls will become more noticeable.

Windows

If you are lucky enough to have decorative windows such as an octagon or a large bay window, you may just want to leave these alone since they are beautiful on their own. However, adding real or artificial greenery around these windows will really add to the beauty. Not only will real plants flourish in the light, but artificial plants will also look stunning and natural in the sunlight. Decorative seating such as a Queen Anne settee or a wicker rocking chair (depending on what theme you choose) may add to the scene. This may also be a spot where you may want to add a magazine rack or table for reading by day and a pole lamp for night reading. When considering windows where you’ll be adding curtains, keep each room’s theme and colors in mind. Choose lace or ruffles for femininity or romance; this works best in bathrooms and bedrooms. Drapes are more likely to be found in living rooms, dens, and home offices. Valances are great for kitchens and children’s rooms. If you don’t want to spend money on buying new curtains, you may be able completely transform the look of ordinary curtains by just adding a few decorative touches. Floral garland or ivy may be draped along the tops of curtains, mini bouquets can be assembled and hot glued to ordinary tie backs, (this is lovely and instantly transforming), tassels or scrolled metal may also replace ordinary tie backs. TIP: If you have a room without windows, hang several mirrors and use mirrored accessories. This helps reflect light in the room without adding extra lights and gives the room depth. Use lots of mirrors in small rooms even if they have windows to give the illusion of a larger room.

Floors

When it comes to floors, a little can go a long way. Make sure unnecessary items (even decorative items) are limited or removed. Decorative rugs can be a life saver in every room and can instantly brighten things up. Large tapestry looking rugs are lovely in living rooms, dining rooms, and hardwood floors. Rugs in front of the sink and appliances in the kitchen can serve a dual purpose. They help to keep the rest of your floor cleaner and can be purchased in a variety of colors and patterns to complement your theme. The same goes for the bathrooms. When purchasing rugs, it’s better to spend a little extra for better quality. Rugs will always have traffic and if you buy low quality you’ll find yourself replacing often which gets expensive in the long run. Also, the higher quality will look nice longer. Just by keeping flooring well cleaned will make a world of difference to the room. Go beyond vacuuming, sweeping and mopping. Shampoo carpets and rugs regularly (about every three months, more or less due to traffic), clean corners and nooks, shine and polish linoleum, and thoroughly clean tile grout. You’ll be amazed how your room will sparkle!

Decorating Tips Room By Room

Living Rooms and Dens Do you have a lot of family photos that you want to display but limited room? Purchase bookcases and display photos in them. Add decorative figurines or florals among the pictures for a polished look.

Bathrooms

Pay attention to shower curtains, rugs, and window treatments. Add candles to master baths, and fun decorative accessories to children’s baths.

Dining Room

This is the room for elegance! Pick a rich wallpaper and fancy light or chandelier. Display a floral centerpiece.

Kitchen

Concentrate on the cabinets! If they don’t reach the ceiling, add decorative vases, baskets, or China on the roof of the cabinets or drape floral garland or ivy around the top. If your cabinets reach the ceiling, concentrate on the countertops or appliances. Display decorative canisters, or pretty stove burner covers.

Bedroom

Add decor that will enhance relaxation and romance. Place candles, misting fountains, mirrors and theme related comfortable bedding.

Children’s Bedrooms

Display their best toys and store others out of sight. Set the theme for fun by adding wall paper cut-outs and displaying their name in wood letters. For something really original, let your children help paint by placing their hands in paint and stamping the walls!

Advanced Decorating

If you implement the tips above and just can’t get the right look or you just don’t want to deal with all the hassle but still desire a beautiful interior, contact us to see why our Portland Oregon Interior Designer is right for you.

When it comes to reducing repair and replacement costs for your property, there is no substitute for keeping up with your monthly maintenance. Many homeowners are familiar with the high costs that can accrue when something goes wrong unexpectedly; performing monthly maintenance is a good way to keep tabs on what’s wearing quickly, as well as keep the facets of your home that are working well in good shape. There are many things in your home that need monthly attention. By taking care of these, you’re likely to avoid some big headaches (not to mention service bills) in the future.

Monthly Home Maintenance

Fire Safety Devices

Small monthly maintenance for your safety devices is important, and doesn’t take much time, at all. Even a small amount of fire damage can be extremely costly to repair, so keeping up with your monthly maintenance on these devices is an investment in your property as well as in your family’s safety!

Fire extinguisher

Check that it’s fully charged and recharge if necessary, especially if you have used it recently. Be sure you have an adequate number located in kitchen, garage, and basement. Fire extinguisher placement is also important. If it is in an inconvenient spot, it won’t be much use when it is needed.

Smoke detector

Another one of those items that is easy to forget about, but can play a huge role in an emergency. Test your battery every month and replace if necessary.

Kitchen and Bathroom Monthly Maintenance

Sink and shower drains often go unnoticed until there’s a problem. Taking these steps every month will help your kitchen and bathroom drains running smoothly. Sink and tub stoppers – Flush with hot water and baking soda.

Garbage disposal

Check safety valve and steam pressure gauge and replace if necessary; check water level gauge and add water if needed; drain water until clear of sediment.

HVAC Monthly Maintenance

Heating and cooling are two of the most pleasant of modern conveniences. Unfortunately, when something goes wrong, they can be very costly to repair (and very uncomfortable to go without). Make sure your monthly home maintenance includes a quick check of your heating and cooling systems!

Steam heating system

Test relief valve and replace if necessary; check pressure gauge and drain expansion tank if necessary.

Forced warm air heating system

Check blankets and replace if needed; check air flow; clean or repair unit if necessary.

Evaporative air conditioner

Clean or replace air filter; clean condenser or evaporator coils and condensate drain; remove snow and/or debris from outdoor portion of unit.

Heat pump

Clean or replace filter; clean condenser and evaporator coils and condensate drain.

Though monthly maintenance is something that some homeowners might let slide, doing so can make your home less efficient and can lead to higher bills or even safety issues. By taking care of these things once a month, your home will run more smoothly and repairs will be less frequent (and less surprising, too).

source: http://www.servicemagic.com/

Properly preparing your home for cold weather can save energy, help keep your winter energy bills under control, and keep you and your family warm when temperatures drop.

Heating

• Install a programmable thermostat and set it to lower the temperature at night and whenever the house is unoccupied. Lowering your thermostat by 10 degrees at night can reduce your heating bill by 10 to 20 percent.
• Make sure your programmable thermostat is:
  • Installed properly.
  • Programmed appropriately – a programmable thermostat only saves energy when it is programmed properly.
  • Not located in an unheated space, a poorly-sealed or seldom-used room, or in direct sunlight near a heat source. The thermostat should be able to sense the average temperature in your home. If it is not in the right place, contact a heating and air conditioning professional about having it moved.
• Lower your thermostat and wear socks and a sweater in doors. Lowering the thermostat by just one degree Fahrenheit can reduce energy use by 3 percent.
• If you have a forced air furnace, inspect your filters at the beginning of the heating season and monthly during the season. Clean or replace them if there is significant dust build up.
• Get a humidifier to add moisture to the air. The air inside your home can be very dry, especially in New Mexico. Moister air feels warmer, so a humidifier can help you feel comfortable even though your thermostat is set at a lower temperature.
• Install foam insulation gaskets behind electric outlets and switch plate covers.

Windows and doors

• Keep doors and windows closed as much as possible. That includes overhead doors on attached garages.
• Install do-it-yourself plastic-film storm windows. Find them at a local hardware store.
• Seal off unused rooms (as long as the room is less than 100 square feet and isn’t the room where the thermostat is located). Close the floor or wall registers and return air vents, and keep the doors closed.
• Open south-facing window curtains, drapes and blinds during the day. Close window coverings at night to keep the heat in.
• Weatherstrip and caulk windows. Check window frames for cracks and fill them with caulk that contains silicon. Putty-like “rope caulk” can help seal large cracks and save you up to 5 percent on your energy bill.
• Check all exterior doors for air leaks and weatherstrip and caulk as needed. A one-eighth-inch gap around a door is equivalent to a 6-inch-square hole in the side of your house and causes a lot of energy loss. You can check doors two ways:
  • Have someone stand on the other side of the door and shine a flashlight around the door’s perimeter. If you can see light through the cracks, your door needs sealing.
  • Hold a piece of paper between the door and the frame and shut the door. If you can pull the paper out without tearing it, you should weatherstrip around the door.

Water heater

• Make sure the water heater is set no higher than 125 degrees.
• Drain off a bucket of hot water from your water heater annually to remove sediment that will interfere with the heater’s long-term use.
• Install a water heater blanket if your water heater is older than 5 years.
• Insulate the pipes around the water heater with inexpensive, easy-to-install pipe insulation. This is particularly helpful if the water heater is in an unheated space.

Fireplace

• Never use a traditional fireplace for supplemental heating. A fireplace sucks heated air out of your home to fuel the fire and exhausts it through the chimney, and then your furnace has to turn on to replace that warm air.
• Close the fireplace damper and seal the opening shut when not in use.

More ways to save on your winter utility bill

• Get your furnace inspected and tuned up by a heating professional.
• Have your home properly insulated and weatherized.
• Measure your attic insulation. If you have less than 7 inches of insulation or if it is less than R-38 (the current requirement for new homes), consider upgrading your insulation with spray-foam or batt insulation.
  • Look for places where air may be leaking through the insulation – you will be able to tell because there will be dirty spots or holes in the existing insulation. Seal the holes by stapling a piece of plastic sheeting over them and caulking around the edges of the plastic.
  • Additional insulation can be blown into walls, and there are even options for insulating flat roofs, crawl spaces and floors.
• Replace any broken window panes and repair any large holes in attics, crawlspaces, or basements.
• Seal exposed ductwork. Ductwork sealing can help your system run more efficiently, and also ensures that heated or cooled air gets to where you want it to go. Instead of duct tape, use mastic (available at hardware stores) to seal ductwork. Mastic provides a better seal and lasts longer.
• Replace older or loose fireplace dampers. Have a sheet-metal insert installed, which will prevent some heat loss and help reflect heat from the fireplace back into the room.
• Consider converting your traditional fireplace to a more efficient pellet or wood-burning stove. Determine your payback time before investing.

Special tips for holiday lighting

• Dispose of older incandescent lights and buy new LED holiday lights. Older strings of incandescent holiday lights can use up to 99 percent more energy than new LED light strings. Plus, the wire insulation on older lights can erode and pose a fire hazard.
• Turn on your holiday lights for no more than 6 hours per day (to keep energy use down). Purchase a lighting timer to turn lights on and off automatically.
• Always unplug holiday lights before going to bed or leaving the house.
• Don’t overload your circuits. Check your fuse box or circuit breaker panel to see how much load you can add to your house, stay within these limits to reduce the risk of fire.
• Take lights down promptly after the holidays.