Rediscovering My Passion for Crafts

 I have always admired my friends who are creative, who produce and display their "art" in their homes. You walk into their house and know right away, these are artists! 

I love handmade items; knit or woven pillows, macramé and woven wall art.  I like to knit and have made many scarfs (and baby blankets) for people over the years.  When we moved, we wanted to limit all of the "extra stuff" we had.  My daughter's had left a lot of the things I made them at the house when they moved out on their own. When I was packing, going thru everything, they chose not to have me keep or send it for them.  I regret that, as I really loved so many of the projects I did; the colors, the stitch I chose to learn - many of them had "extras" such as antique buttons or jewels sewn on them.  

I recently knit my mom a scarf... she loved it!  I had one extra skein of yarn so I made myself a cowl and thought, "this would make a beautiful pillow! " I could not find that yarn again, so I went to my new favorite yarn store in New Hope called Twist!  The owner of the shop is lovely and everyone I have met there has been so helpful.  I bought a beautifully dyed yarn called Rasta and fell in love with the colors.  

The knitters there that day helped me figure out how large of a panel I could make, using a seed stitch with one skein of yarn ... I brought a sample swatch of my knitting to show them, to ask their advice.

I used a circular needle #13 and am so happy with how it came out!

Here you can see how vibrant the colors are!

This yarn brand has so many gorgeous hand dyed colorways and they are so soft and saturated! Offered in so many colorways!

When I finished I wanted to make a pillow shell in a color that would work so that you would not see it "grin" through. I planned to go to the fabric store to buy solid fabric and a pillow insert.

I got very lucky and found a ready made pillow with a very cool design at Target for $20 in the perfect color .... however I did not want a square pillow, I wanted a boudoir  (rectangle) shape.

I opened the pillow at the seam, took out some of the stuffing, cut the fabric back to the size I wanted.  I then sewed the pillow closed to fit the size of my knitting; (pillow was 18 x 18 in - I made it 18 x 14 in.). Using embroidery thread to match the base pillow, I stitched the my knitting to the back of the pillow, so that I could use the pillow on either side!

I could not be  happier with the outcome!

I love adding my own touch to the house, especially when it comes out this good!

Don't let your inhibitions or fear that it won't be "good enough" stop you from allowing your creative mind to work!

New House.... New Hope (Pennsylvania, that is!)

 When I look back at my blog posts so many of them have to do with color.  How color affects our mood, how easy it is to use color to update your home and your MOOD!

THIS POST IS NO DIFFERENT - Color affects my mindset.  For all who know me, I LOVE street art!  This is my street art... for now!

Recently moving to "our bucket list town" of New Hope, Pennsylvania part of me wanted to examine what do I want from this house...  how can it be an expression of who we are?

We have been coming to New Hope and her sister town of Lambertville for decades now; spending weekends riding our bikes along the Delaware River on the towpath, visiting galleries, meeting artists, finding great coffee and food; we have always felt a "pull" to this area.  The art and culture here envelopes the every breath!  

So, how did I want to start my next chapter here?  

I wanted to drive up to my new home and feel like, wow, I LIVE HERE!

I want to show you how easy it is to add color to the outside of your house, giving it a personality of it's own!  I work from home (since Dec. 2019) my office is situated in the front room, window facing the street.  This allows me to see my new neighbors walking by with their dogs, or friends. 

I am kind of thrilled at how many of their heads I have turned with this update!  

Here are the BEFORE images... beautiful stone front, landscaping needs some loving care...

Here are the AFTER images!

A strong pop of navy blue... classic yet artistic

We tried a few colors, starting with the Historic colors offered by Ben Moore - I need to follow my own advise that I offer friends and clients... paint a sample on the area you will be painting to look at the color at all times of the day; morning, noon and night to be sure you "like" it.

We ended up with 2061-10 Deep Royal - described by Ben Moore as : A dark, distinguished navy that verges on black

We took out the center boxwood in front of my office window and purchased a beautiful ceramic planter.  With the help of Donna @Gaspers she was able to guide us to the right plants to put in here... perennials and deer resistant with "pops of color" . Donna told us to put crushed water bottles in the bottom, cover with landscape fabric and then special gold potting soil to give the plants the best chance to make it thru the Fall and Winter... the bottles in the bottom help so the planter will drain and not fill with water and crack in the cold of the season.

  

Don't be afraid to try something new!  A new color, add a planter, flowers.. anything and everything that will make you feel good!  You have nothing to loose! Like a good friend of mine would say "WHY NOT"  (thanks amanda  - @indoorfangs  best spin instructor; kept me sane during Covid and still does!)

Re-Purpose Functional Furniture

 Did you ever have a piece of furniture that "works" for you, but over time starts to look old and worn out?  Yet you cannot bear to toss it.... This was the case for these folding tables that we use in our family room.  We love to relax and watch a movie and have dinner at times.  

Most people call these TV Tables!  LOL - which they are in every sense of the word, except they do not hold the TV, they hold the food you eat while watching TV....

I remember growing up they were metal, some with floral prints, an edge all around.  If you were fancy you had a stand that housed them!

Mine were simple, just wood - but over time got scratched and stained.  When we were updating our family room I added a new coffee and side table, however I could not stand the thought of just throwing these away.  

Repurpose, rejuvenate, restore!!!  My favorite things to do!

All you need .....  spray paint, painting gloves, a tarp and a little bit of time. It is also helpful to use this special nozzle head/handle to spare your hand of paint and getting cramped from holding down the sprayhead.

Here is the before and after.....  

I painted them black to match the buffet/TV stand in the room and the accents of the new coffee and side table wrought iron legs. 

Simple Updates... Bringing more light and life into a room!

As I look around my home I have been on a mission to make big changes that do not break the bank. Updating rooms by painting, or re-arranging furniture... things that do not take a ton of time or money but make a huge visual difference can be challenging and fun . 

I know I have suggested this in past posts ....

Did you ever try taking down all the art in a few of your rooms and moving them around? Creating new groups, maybe changing the frames? You would not believe what a difference this could make!

I did this with furniture...  the room settings and arrangement of the pieces I own.  

As we go through the process of thinking and re-thinking downsizing and what that would look like, we have taken multiple trips to furniture stores to try to get inspired.  The argument of "well if we are moving, we need to think about the new space, and not knowing how big it will be, we should hold off".  

This can paralyze you!!!

I love my family room, the size and layout work - but the furniture and carpet?  I was just tired of it all!  In light of the unknown space we might find, we decided to move the sectional sofa around and follow some of the "set up" trends we are seeing in stores; one being using the ottoman as a "backless" sitting area, not as a foot rest or coffee table!

Here is the room before...  you can see this beautiful wool rug (a big investment at the time).  As much as we loved it when we purchased it, we are "bored"... 

I wanted to re-arrange the furniture and add a new carpet that was lighter and would lift the feeling of the room.  The folding tables too, as functional as they might be, and we use them often just looked worn and old.  

** this will be another quick post next.. stay tuned!

Here is the rug we chose to replace this - a foot smaller in each direction; a larger scale pattern, with taupe, grey and touch of teal - matching perfectly to the room!

             Next we were in search for a coffee table and some other items to add to the room to "update" the look.  

When you spend so much time in a room you want a place that feels conversational and comfortable.

Re-arranging the furniture and purchasing the tables was the first step, while we waited the delivery of the new rug. 

• You can see how we inserted the ottoman as a bench seating between the chaise and sofa; purchased a few new pillows, a coffee table, side table (not shown here) and then the swatch of the new rug there to show how much different and lighter it will be!

We did not want to paint the room and we were not prepared to replace the sofa or furniture yet.    I looked in so many stores for the perfect coffee table and found this at a local Home Goods!  Loved the recycled wood look, and the fact that it was round, was so perfect for so many reasons!  It gives space to walk around without crowding the room, no corners to hit your knees/ shins and with our first grandchild on the way, we will have less corners to cover!      In addition, the legs for both new tables match the black accents in the room, including the furniture you cannot see in this photo, that the TV sits on top of...  it is important to look for pieces that "work together" when adding these small changes to a room.

I will spare you the multiple photos each time we added something... here is the final image below!

In the end, I updated the room with the following steps:

Home Cleansing is Cathartic

After 21 years in our home we decided to clean house ...

That is not to say that we didn't keep the house clean.... but the amount of "things" you accumulate in that time is unbelievable. I look at my two dear friends Lisa and Rena who live in these beautiful small spaces in Manhattan. Their homes always seem to be in order, even their medicine cabinet and bathroom countertops are clean and inviting! Small space living... I have a lot of space and need to learn that you do not need to fill it!

My daughter lives in a beautiful home in Richmond and just has a sense of "what she wants and needs" and does not take in anything extra!!! She only buys or takes items that "fit" - her style and her space. She really knows and sets her boundaries! 

I always found the space for one more thing; one more set of sheets, blankets, dishes... if I liked it and wanted it, I found space for it. My kids joke that they grew up with a "sheet and blanket museum" aka our linen closet ...  To be fair, I have been in home textiles for over 20 years so needless to say I have collected "just a few things"! If it was soft and wonderful, I had to keep it! The good news is that when my kids moved to their own places, I had a lot to give them - not that they wanted it, LOL! 

How do you decide what to keep? I find I am asking myself "why did you save this in the first place?" 

Catharsis is the purification and purgation of emotions—particularly pity and fear—through art or any extreme change in emotion that results in renewal and restoration. as defined by Wikipedia

As I read this I think... I am not sure I agree with the pity and fear part of the definition - yet then I think, well maybe the fear of letting go.. of an item, or more so, a memory.

Small things are easier to go thru and give away - the souvenir you wanted from that flea market in Mexico on vacation; the wooden carved dolphin or duck.. what were we thinking? Yet these items have sentimental value, as I learned when I wanted to toss them and my husband didn't. Memories attached to certain items have kept us from purging too! 

When I worked for RL, I was responsible for all International Licensing - I worked with a company in Mexico and traveled there a few times.  The owner of the business sent me a beautiful wood piece of furniture, that unbenounced to me, arrived one day.  It is made of distressed wood, rich in character and I was grateful- it is small and has been with me for over 25 years - so it is sentimental in a way; a reminder of my accomplishment, time and travels.  In those years I have filled the drawers with birthday, anniversary and greeting cards I have received ... again sentimental!  Why was I saving these, when would I ever look back at them, yet when I received them I could not bear to just "throw them away"!

Every drawer is FULL!

Now as I am going through my house, looking at what I love, asking myself...how can I "lighten the load", what would I take with me if I moved to a smaller space?  I decided I have to go through these drawers... 

and examine my initial question.... asked and answered.

This one task will take time because I now want to go through many of these things, read them, think back and enjoy the memory... the reason I saved them - 

Take the time to look around you - this year, in a time when we have had to be alone with our thoughts, our homes... is the time to think about getting rid of what no longer serves you

Cleaning your house is cathartic... it is freeing in a way!
It also allows space for new - time, adventures and what new things lie ahead of us!

Guest Room Reno continued.... wall color matters!

As you follow along on my journey, maybe looking for ideas, curious how others address change; here is just a quick update to our guest room renovation.... a forced change that worked out beautifully! I shared with you the images of the final room - here is what I did: • tore out the wall to wall carpet and cleaned the "almost new" wood floors underneath. Not sure they ever saw the light of day, they were is such good condition, we got lucky! • kept the furniture and moved it around • added new neutral bedding with pops of color in the decorative pillows • took everything off the walls, including the shelving (sold them on FB Marketplace).... However this is where my journey ran into a hurdle

I could not for the life of me find the color I painted this room! My daughter loved this color and I was determined to keep this one room with "color". It was fun, bohemian in a way with all the decorative items I added and I wanted a custom look to at least one room. 

  I guess we were destined to paint almost the entire house though... 

so after getting a sample of the color I was sure it was, matching it back to the Ben Moore fan deck- it did not match : ( Granted, I only put on one coat, over white spackle, but it was no way dark enough so I knew that I was going to have to paint the entire wall. At that point "handy husband" said, we might as well give in and paint this room neutral ( as the real estate agent who saw the house said we should for best look, when we are ready to out the house on the market). I went kicking and screaming and finally gave in... 

 Here are the final results of the renovation - the room does look bigger, brighter and I am sure that someone looking at the room will like it, or at least be able to see "their" potential for it. Sometimes you have to be open to change; even when you are holding on for sentimental reasons! (my daughter loved that color!)

Make Old New Again! Repurposing a Wood Tray

I love to repurpose furniture and household items!

Whether is it a chair or a smaller project, you too can make something new again! Take this old serving tray, I use this all the time; to take food into another room, to serve meals outside, especially for guests. This old tray has seen better days yet it is a great size and in really good shape, with the exception of a few nicks and scratches.

I am going to show you how you can rejuvenate this tray to make it look new, and customize it to fit your style.

Supplies you need:

• Decorative paper for the inner base of the tray

• Ruler (best to have one with a cork backing)

• Exacto knife with a new blade

• Cutting board or surface

• Mod Podge - this is a sealer and a glue

• Foam applicator

• Fine or medium sandpaper or sanding block

• Polycrylic - water based sealer

• Paint brush

Michaels and many other craft stores sell scrapbooking papers in so many different patterns, styles and colors! Decide the look you want and the size you will need. Before you choose a paper, be sure to measure the object you will be updating to be sure you get enough. The largest paper I found was 12 in x 12 in. For my project I only needed two pieces (I bought four just in case I messed up, lol). You can also use craft paper, wrapping or magazine paper! Lay the paper out to see how the pattern matches up side to side and top to bottom. Some designs will be able to be cut to work, others might look funny and very mismatched.

SIMPLE STEPS:

1. Cut paper to fit the surface you are covering. Use the ruler to measure the dimension of the surface and carefully mark the paper. Place the paper on the surface to be sure it all matches up so you are happy with the layout. Put paper aside.

2. Using fine or medium sandpaper, sand the wooden tray to remove all dirt, marks and scratches; brush or dust off excess sawdust and wipe down with slightly damp paper towel.

3. Coat base of tray with Mod Podge; this acts as a glue to adhere paper to wood surface. Coat evenly.

4. Lay paper into base, as you tested in pt. 1 and smooth out with your hand to take out all bubbles and wrinkles. In some cases, depending on the look, you might want some textured wrinkles in your paper. Be sure to keep this in mind when you are cutting to size.

5. Let dry 15- 20 minutes

6. Coat top of paper once dry with a thin coat of Mod Podge and let dry 15-20 minutes.

7. Finally, coat with polycrylic, over paper and wooden tray to protect against dirt and for a smooth protected surface. This will also make it easier to clean. I like to put at least 2 coats of the polycrylic; be sure to let fully dry in between coats.

Now you have re-used, re-purposed, and rejuvenated a great decorative piece!

Guest Room Reno... Downsizing? Start the process of staging your house!

This post is about how easy it is to change a few things and give a room a whole new look.  You have to think outside the box, if you will... move around some furniture, art, lamps.  Whether you need a new look or, like us, you are thinking... "why do we need this much space", it is always fun to update your home.  

A little background before I dive into the design stuff... ( you can skip to the bottom, but you might enjoy how we got here).

We have been "empty nesters" as most will call it for over 6 years now.  The home we purchased to raise our children was a mindful planned out venture.... best school district, close to your temple for easy car pooling to hebrew school, and their friends in both plus right here in our neighborhood.  I realize what a luxury this is!  Now this house has too many rooms... we keep their bedroom doors closed most of the time.  So basically we are living in our bedroom/bathroom and the first floor.

When each of our daughters moved out; whether it was to move into their first college dorm room, apartment on campus, locally or in NYC with friends, we always did what we could to help... and boy do we feel we have moved them enough for a lifetime!

The issue is that with every one of their moves, we gained more STUFF!  As they moved out on their own as adults, a lot was left behind... much due to the fact that one moved across country with as much of her belongings that would fit in her civic!  The other is in a NYC apartment... need I say more?!

We are both still working, so location for us is still really good for our commutes. Mine is down the stairs and to the left.  My husband; some of you know as my Handy Husband, has a reasonable drive to the Shore.  As we consider where to "move" where do we "want to be" we have started to "downsize our belongings"... and over time ridding ourselves of items we really do not need or have purpose for - such as VHS tapes of Disney movies!  LOL.  With Disney Plus, we can always access the kids old favorites for when the time comes to share them with their kids, if we are so blessed.  Old printers, an end table, hangers upon hangers... really trying to minimize what we keep.

OKAY - design posts... getting to it!

As we ponder these questions we have started looking at locations and some homes for sale.  This means we need to be ready to put our house on the market if we are to find something we love - we will need to act very quickly!

So, another bedroom renovation to show you!  It is the last room in the house that still had wall to wall carpet.  I mean... what else were we going to do on a rainy Memorial Day weekend towards the end of (we hope!) Pandemic?!!

We didn't fully re-decorate, this room was in pretty good shape.  We moved the furniture around, packed up the stuffed animals and books on the shelves and tore up the carpet!  We added this fantastic area rug we found online, changed the bedding, threw out the old ugly bedskirt and bought some new accent pillows.  

*Craziest thing is that this area rug is the same as one that we fell in love with in a house we saw when looking at options .... by chance, compared the images we took and it is exactly the same!  

How lucky was that!

Take a look....

A few new decorative pillows and it looks like a new room!  Minus the 30 year old TV!  Sorry, again I did not take true before photos - these before shots show the room a little after as we got started...

BEFORE SHOTS

Worst part was tearing the carpet out and all the staples that had to be removed from the floor.

The best part?  An amazing hard wood oak floor underneath, that we think was never exposed!

AFTER THE RUG WAS REMOVED.... same bedding, pillows, etc...

This just was not enough for me... I wanted this room to "feel better" so when someone walked in to see it they would think

.... I want to stay here!

We moved the dressers to one wall, will eventually hang the mirror.

FINAL SHOT

Moving around the dressers made a difference in how much larger the room feels!  

With the addition of new bedding (a quilt set I designed for a Wal-Mart private label program, new decorative pillows, a new cushion for the chair (actually the original red one I bought...) swapping the throws, nightstand and the lamp from another room, buying an accent rug... the room came to life!  

I am going to take down the shelving for a more open look and I did add that cute Frieda framed piece I found at Home Sense! 

Paint and Color Cures for Old Outdoor Furniture

 We all spend money on things that later we look at and think ... I wish this looked as good as when I first bought it!

As the weather improves, and people are able to start to "get back at it" being vaccinated from Corona virus and feeling a bit more free to socialize, our desire to be outside and with friends and family grows.  I feel it is a luxury to have outdoor living space; with my pots of flowers and a deck to relax and entertain.  I do not take these things for granted!  

I have these two white resin adirondack chairs and have always loved the "look" of them, as a relaxing seating area out in the yard.  Over time they have weathered... and we have power-washed them year after year.  When you look at the cost of replacing, you think... what????

I am all about "re-purposing, re-working and re-inventing" in every aspect of my life; my good friends and certainly my family can attest to this.  I am just thrilled with how they came out!

Here is the before images of the chairs and little side table.  We used Rustoleum Ultra Cover Paint and Primer.  You cannot believe how many colors are available!  

Taking my daughter's advice I watched a few You Tube videos and learned that there is a great tool that saves your "trigger finger"... it attaches to the top of the spray can and has an actual trigger that allows you to get an even coat and no paint on your hands!

We chose a color to match back to some of the accessories and decorative pillows we purchased for the deck furniture.... we wanted a POP of color!

Choose a spot to paint; lay out a tarp.  You can used one of the lightweight plastic tablecloths you get at the dollar store, or even an old shower curtain liner.

Place your items on the tarp - take note of the wind.... 

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!  You want to be "downwind" of the paint as you spray the items you are re-purposing!

Be sure to move with the lines of the item; long steady strokes and as even as you can get them so you do not have any drippings. Have a paper towel nearby to "dab" them if needed - you need to do this right away before they dry.

You can see from the photo here that the table was very badly stained.  We powerwashed all of the items before we started and made sure to use a towel to dry them all thoroughly.

Once you have finished painting all of the items you are re-purposing.... let the items sit out to dry.  I love to see the lines from the paint; like shadows!  This restoration was quick and easy!  You can bring anything back to life with a little paint!

Now you can see below how pretty this color is in our garden and how well it goes with the new accessories we added to our deck!

We plan to put in some more flowering bushes behind these for a nice backdrop... for now we love looking out as this pop of color! 

Throw away those winter blues for a new shade of happy. Allow yourself to get inspired!

Winter blues can be cured with a great day of warmer weather, as we have had this week! With everyone starting to feel a little more freedom we still continue to update our homes; want something fresh and new!

  This time of year we are all so done with winter and the cold, especially here in the Northeast!    We have all been inside and mostly isolated for a year, looking at the same four walls.  People have been more inclined to update their rooms with a fresh look, so they can feel good about their space, and now that they can start to see their friends, and have company again,  they will oohh and aaahh over how nice everything looks when they visit.

We all want a fresher look, cleaner, brighter and updated.  

An easy way to rejuvenate a room is with a fresh coat of paint.  I cannot walk into a paint store without gathering and collecting paint swatches, making new palettes which awakens the need in me for change!

Contractors will tell you that this is one of their craziest times. Especially now that Covid is more under control and people are less afraid and getting vaccinated.  Contractors can hardly keep up with the requests for quotes, let alone the job.  Many people hope to make changes to the inside, before they all start working outside; spending time in the nicer weather on outdoor projects. DIY stores are putting out flowers and bulbs and this "Spring cleaning" idea allows us to get ready for that and makes us crave for something fresh! 

  The big question most ask me as a designer is "where do I get started?"

Allow yourself to be inspired... all you have to do is look at what makes you feel good, what color is it, is it flowers that have a scent that is reminiscent of a time that makes you smile?

Living near a great small downtown... Princeton, NJ gives me the opportunity to walk around town, the University campus and the great stores! Grab a coffee, wander around streets of this historic town... the architecture, the art museum - so much culture here.... allow myself to get inspired!

 Palmer Square is exactly as it sounds, a "square" block that surrounds a "green"... a patch of grass where in the summer they offer concerts and movies. I always head down to this quaint, very unique home store in town called Homestead... They recently moved to a new location just outside of town, and the beautiful items they have are so inspiring.  They have a great way of pulling things together, offering very unique items and making you want and feel the need to buy something new to add to your home! If lucky you can catch the owners there and hear about a new piece he designed and repurposed from some very cool antique! This is a great source of inspiration for me, something always catches my eye- colors or the way things are put together that might work in my house.  

As you saw from one of my previous posts, I have a favorite art gallery store located in the heart of Princeton; Cranbury Station Gallery. If that didn't help my longing for springtime and flowers, and inspire me to create, nothing would!  Thankfully they were able to stay open in spite of the lockdown. Stop in, browse the art, the owner is a wonderful painter!

 So if you too are inspired by your surroundings, and crave something fresh... go down to your local paint store, pick out a few chips in colors that ignite your soul, stop in to your favorite store and buy something that makes you smile - paint the room, move some things around - add that new item you bought (doesn't have to be anything big to make a difference, even just a candle) and brighten up your home!

Personal Space to unwind... creating a home gym

Designing in a Pandemic.... 

Who ever thought it would be over a year and we would still be here, at home, staring at the same walls. For most, we saw things in our houses that had to change; whether this was cleaning out a closet, tossing clothing that we never wear, haven't worn in years or just didn't like anymore... or the simple exercise of cleaning those little corners or the rooms you never spent more time in. 

We looked more closely at how we surround ourselves, what a room "feels like".

We asked ourselves if this was the "space" that we wanted to be in; that made us feel good. 

I started working from home a few short months before everything closed down. I had a bit of a head start setting up an "in house" office... I showed the make over in an earlier post. 

The issue with working from home is that it is allways there; no, that is not a typo, LOL! 

I quickly realized you need to set boundaries for yourself, hours you will work, eat.. and not just sit at your desk endlessly. My office faces my front yard, so I would see my neighbors walking their dogs or out for a stroll and knew I had to carve time out of my day to get some fresh air... even in the dead of winter. 

What changes did you make? To your routine, your house, yourself?!!! What questions did you ask yourself, what did you need...

I was commuting to NYC every day for work, taking Soul Cycle class four times a week, seeing friends, and clients. This routine worked for me. In Dec. 2019 I made a job change and started working from home.... I needed to find a new routine. I joined a second gym, belonging to one at home already, and continued to go into the city to once a week. One reason was to take that SoulCycle spin class with my daughter, I then would comp stores for work; it kept me connected to the city. I mean, who wouldn't be happy about not having to commute every single day?!  I added a new membership at a very new and cool gym at home, worked out at least 5 days (between @orangetheory and @Lifetime). I found a new normal, where I could work from home but still have my socialization and exercise. I met new people and loved the schedule I set, all based around the classes I was taking. I could do this! 

 

Then on March 12th, I came in to the city to ride with my favorite instructor, @melaniegriffith, with my friends I had made in the class over time... had lunch with my old colleagues who flew in from CA for Market Week, and somehow I knew it was my last day going to the city for some time. I visited my daughter and took the train home. I heard rumors about the growing numbers of covid cases and that the city, as we knew it, was closing down. Market week was pending and everyone who was preparing for clients to come see their new developments was stopped mid-step and told for the first time, in my career in home textiles, that market week is not going to happen. 

 Slowly everything closed - gyms closed... I could feel that this isolation was not going to be easy. 

So where is the design topic, where I tell you about a new project?

Right here! 

 I felt I had to first "set the scene" build the story and let you understand where the need came from and why I had to create a purposeful space for myself at home a home gym.. a place to recuperate, invigorate and escape to in my house.

First you need to know that we have been empty nesters for some time now. We also have been in this house 21 years this coming May! That being said, I have a lot of great exercise equipment.. and then a spin bike I inherited from my youngest daughter who is a SoulCycle Spin instructor for the past 6 years... it has cages on the pedal, but I did not let that stop me for the first 6 months of quarantine! LOL! Here are the before shots; as you can see my mess and lots of stuff that we have accumulated over the year, including the stuff my kids left behind when they moved out.

Before shots with so much stuff!

 

I was determined to create a sanctuary; an at home "dark room" that I could spin in, listen to the best music, and just disappear and work out...

 

I cleaned out the space, rearranged the room, put up the most beautiful wall mandala decals! 

So bohemian!

Then I was lucky enough to have the best brother and sister in-law; in October I received the best present ever - the final touch to my space!  

The piece dé resistance! A Peloton! 

 Look at this space! I could not be happier! 

Now onto the other room renovations needed. 

For now, at least I have an escape, and I have to say, I spend so much time in "MY GYM" that it was worth it!

Create a space for yourself! 

We all need a place to breathe, to feel good... do this for yourself, if not, then who will? If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we need to look around and live in the present... you never know what is around the corner. ... and if you didn't notice, there is an extra bike - come ride with me! I promise the music will be amazing!

Empty Nest? Time to update some bedrooms!

 It has been way too long since our kids lived home... we miss their voices, singing, music we used to hear echoing through the house.  When they visit, it is wonderful; but as we examine the house, the rooms, the colors... boy do we need to clean and update!

As a designer my kids knew I loved to decorate and re-decorate - I was all ways ready for a color change, a new look (yes, all ways, in every way)  I find it so much fun to redefine your space.  Being in the home textiles industry for over 20 years... bedding, blankets, throws, dec pillows are my thing!  I design every day for others, why not my family and my house.

Well, it was time ...Back in the day warm dark colors were all the rage; now it is about 

"clean and classic".  

Neutrals Rule!

Out with the deep dark mocha that we had painting on the ceiling and the walls... WOW that is a job!  It took 2 coats of Killz and then 3 coats of the soft off-white we chose.  The ceiling took 2 coats of primer and then 2 coats ceiling white!

TIP: if you are trying to cover a dark color; be sure to use a primer and be prepared to do at least 2 coats of paint, especially if you plan to use a much lighter color in the end!

A dark mocha on the walls and ceiling!

Thankfully I have a "Handy Husband"
who is a great painter!

Once we finally covered this dark color on the walls and ceiling we were so happy to look down the hall to this fresh new room!  I made use of our existing art, window treatments and furniture... no reason to invest in new at this time - 

I did add a pop of my favorite color; a soft teal cotton coverlet; some inherited pillows from my daughter, a plant relocated from my room and a new rug....

I am only sorry I did not take true before pictures prior to taking everything out and covered it all with the drop cloths....  I am always in such a rush to get started I often forget this step.

We tore up the carpet... that has been in this room since we moved in 20 years ago!!!!

The original wood floors underneath had never been exposed, except of course when the house was built back in the 70's! 

They were in perfect condition!

When you take out carpet expect tons of dust and dirt; the back of the carpet along with the foam over years starts to deteriorate so that was a mess!

All the base molding was removed and my "Handy Husband" got a beautiful high profile base and quarter round, painted it to match the trim in the room and it looks amazing!  So happy he has a nail gun!

I still have a few finishing touches I want to add; linen panels to soften the look of the wall and windows and a few more pieces of art for the walls - some of my dad's photography...

Very happy with our renovation... the kids like it too!