I get asked a lot how I decide what to put in my houses, or how I make sure everything goes together. Many people don’t have the “vision.” But for me, I honestly just choose things that I like. I love watching DIY and HGTV, flipping through “Better Homes & Gardens” or browsing Pintrest and Houzz in my free time. I spend so much time looking at ideas, that when I see a space, I can pretty quickly tell what would look great in it.
In this room, I knew I wanted to make it light and bright, but also wanted a pop of drama. We went with hardwood floors, but chose to lay tile where there was the most foot traffic (for both durability and style). I also wanted to play off the beautiful fireplace and draw your focus to that wall so we painted it a deep tan that paired well with the other colors in the room. Sheer curtains and oil rubbed bronze light fixtures add a feeling of whimsy to the room.
For me, it’s less about doing everything in a certain color scheme or style, and more about choosing things that are welcoming and make my house feel like home. You can accomplish this in any style or with any color scheme. In our last house we chose to do earthy tones, tan paints, dark brown hardwood and light tan travertine floors, tan and white granite and white cabinets. I loved the look that we achieved, and most importantly it fit the architectural style of the house.
The house we just bought is an incredibly traditional space. And lately I’ve been falling in love with modern and contemporary interiors. But a true contemporary feel just won’t work for this space with its 8 inch crown molding and decorative paneling in multiple rooms. So I’ve opted to blend modern and traditional and we’re going for a transitional feel. We’re accomplishing this with cool grey colors, touches of modern (like lighting and sleek stainless appliances), bright white trim and cabinets and light white and grey quartz countertops. We’re maintaining the character and charm of the house by painting the paneling, adding a wood accent wall, sliding barn door and all the original trim work. We’ve highlighted the beautiful gas burning fireplaces with quartzite and marble and are doing stacked stone accents around the kitchen island and wet bar. We’re three weeks away from finish out and I simply can’t wait to share our finished product.
This was one of only two bathrooms in our first house. I knew all of my guests would see it and so I wanted it to be beautiful. I chose a pretty glass tile pattern that played off the light travertine floors and shower. The light gold framed mirror and Sea-Blue accents make this room feel calming and spa-like.
So, the bottom line is, you need to look at several factors before you jump in with both feet on a design path:
- What is the architectural style of the house?
- What do you REALLY LOVE? Because you’re probably going to live there a while.
- What finishes are important to you? Is it flooring, paint, fixtures, granite/quartz/marble? Do you want Chrome, bronze, gold, brushed nickel fixtures?
And then… use your money wisely. We’ve never had a project come in on budget. Ever. But that’s another post in and of its self. Choose to update things that will make the most impact. Lighting, flooring, PAINT, Kitchens and bathrooms. These all give you great bang for your buck.
Happy renovating.