Summer is the best time to tackle any garage projects that may be on your mind. From upgrades to cleaning and organizing, there’s nothing like a fresh breeze and warm weather to kickstart your garage improvement efforts. Garages tend to accumulate a lot of stuff, so if you’re at a loss for ideas when it comes to tidying up, we’re here to offer you a few pieces of advice that will help you get started.
Curb appeal is an art. Whether you’re trying to sell your house or make all the dog walkers “ooh and awe” while walking by, we have all the tricks for you, specifically when it comes to all the fun and bold things you can do with your front door. The key? Make it memorable!
A quick tip to get started: remember, front doors are all about making a statement and boldness. Don’t be afraid when paying attention to that front door. It centers your home and it’s the first thing people focus on. If you’re going to be daring anywhere in the home, this is the place to do it.
The year is just over two months old, and the trends in home design for 2021 are already becoming very apparent. While the ongoing pandemic continues to make its mark on design sensibilities, the desire to live a more natural, sustainable life is a major factor in its own right. As a result, be sure to keep an eye on the following stunning design trends in 2021.
Alright, it’s time to declutter. Specifically, in your kitchen and living room space.
We’re sure both of these spots the most popular areas you spend the most quality time in: cooking, conversing, playing board games, watching reruns of Survivor, midnight snacking or all of the above. The kitchen is the heart of the home, the center of every big emotion and family bonding moment. The living room is a space built for relaxing; spreading out. With that, they can also become a space of distractions and busy vibes. Suddenly, the kid’s homework is sprawled all over tables. Crafts, magazines and books take up half the space in the living room. The kitchen has a plethora of cutting boards and containers strewn about the counter space. Life gets in the way of space, sometimes, and that overwhelming feeling takes over.
In the beginning of the pandemic, we were all sort of “throwing together” an at-home workspace. We substituted used old dining room chairs for desk chairs. We worked from the comfort of our couch. We used our bedrooms as conference rooms and couldn’t find anywhere to stack all of our planners and invoices. We quickly realized that set-up wasn’t going to cut it (our backs started hurting, clutter was everywhere and the energy in the room was feeling chaotic). Also, like most of us, you may have had a minor pivot where you suddenly wanted to sell everything in your home. Why? Because home quickly turned into a “working space” rather than a “living space.”
Good lighting in a home is sacred. Certain lights affect our mood and impact a space more than a paint color or piece of furniture. Lighting is impactful and there are so many inspirational ways it can be blended into home design. (Quick Writer’s Note: I am a big, big fan of good lighting in a home. I learned this from my mother, who deeply believes lighting can heal people. It’s a thing!) Whether or not it’s a S.A.D. lamp, a lotus pendant chandelier, a pink light bulb or sparkling string lights…whatever gives you joy is part of the solution here. Your home should be a place you want to spend time and lighting is a grandiose part of that.
Life truths are plentiful in life and one of them is, certainly, that a nice organized closet is a visual form of therapy. (Writer’s Note: What? You’re not perusing the #organizedhome hashtag on Instagram like I am?). Anyway, we’re assuming that’s why we find ourselves decluttering our homes in the springtime. The birds are out, the world smells fresh and the weather is warm. We feel good and organizing suddenly sounds right. However, why are we waiting for the spring to organize our space? We should be doing this in the middle of winter. It will free our mind, make us feel like the best version of ourselves and when anyone opens the linen closet during a happy hour Zoom call, 800 random items aren’t going to tumble out in front of your friends. Win, win!
These clients wanted a low maintenance, side-yard entertainment and dining space that would flow from their newly remodeled kitchen and look intentional rather than as an afterthought. Horrible soil conditions, an unfortunate electrical service location and the elevations of the driveway and doors presented many challenges to senior designer Heather Sweeney.
The team combined smart material selections, innovative construction techniques and a stepped design to create a traditional outdoor living environment with a modern touch that is as functional as it is beautiful. Colors and shapes are so well integrated it truly looks like an extension of the house itself.
The landings and stairs flow organically from the patio doors to the lawn below. The mix of materials, angles and shapes blend with strategically placed plantings for privacy and visual balance.
When our clients bought their home in the 90’s they immediately updated the kitchen, but the design did not withstand the passage of time. Complete with white oak cabinets, a failing in-floor heating system, a non-functional island, dated appliances and a too small sink, they knew they needed an upgrade!
Functionality was a huge factor in renovating their kitchen; they simply did not have great counter space, the cook top on the small island was not ideal and the flow of the kitchen was impractical. Another concern for our clients was accessibility. Although there seemed to be plenty of storage, it was hard to access items in the upper pantry shelves, countertop appliances were stored down low making it difficult to access, also the microwave was far from the main cooking space.
Senior designer Becca Bastyr’s vision for the space was to provide better functionality and accessibility while also giving it a more updated aesthetic. By blending craftsman finishes, two toned cabinetry, smart storage solutions and all new appliances, our clients were over the moon excited for their new and improved space!
The main level of this home has a beautiful wood-panel pub that led to a deck that was barely big enough for a grill. The clients wanted to open the room to a much more substantial deck to accommodate larger gatherings and integrate the indoor and outdoor living spaces while preserving privacy from the neighbors.
The new space needed to offer relief from evening insects and untimely showers, but also extend the outdoor season and add direct access to the yard. The roof line was low and the side yard setback restrictions dictated that the new structure could not extend beyond the side of the garage.
So, senior designer Heather Sweeney created a complete solution with a tall, mechanically-louvered pergola, disappearing screens, a line-of-sight fireplace wall, glass bifold doors and an open deck that wraps around the back of the house. While it extends the pub’s black and brown tones, the project achieved the clean contemporary look the clients desired.
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