Trevor & Jacqueline Howard
RE/MAX Real Estate
100, 10510 121 St, Edmonton, Alberta
P: 780-488-4000
F: 780-426-5700
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Thursday, March 24, 2011 - Spring Clean or Spring Dream

I don’t know about you but spring brings out the “nester” in me, sometimes worse than either of my pregnancies, according to my husband! Especially after a winter like ours that seems to have no end in sight, I want change! Paint the bedrooms, change flooring, new kitchen, build a gate, new furniture CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE!!

Then reality (in the form of my loving husband and 3 darling children) sets in and dashes my elaborate, HGTV-worthy ideas. “Mom, I don’t want to share a room with my younger brother, can’t I just sleep in the basement (with the multitude of video games) while you paint my room?” and “Why do I have to have her dresser in my room while painting?” All these question have to be answered before I can even get a straight answer on color! Then I need to schedule the best timing to complete this while juggling hockey tournaments, school events and the rest of daily life.

So am I sick of my current décor or just sick of winter? Either way, this is the best time to do something creative. It may be too cold to stay outside all day playing in the yard but it’s not too cold to leave a window open airing out fresh paint!

Spring is naturally the time of year for change, it’s happening all around us. Soon (I promise!) trees will bud, shoots will poke through the frozen ground and we will be surrounded in beautiful living breathing color. Taking our cues from nature for our home is safe but can also go horribly wrong! In this industry I have seen some great homes, very well put together, and some not so.

If I could teach all the inspiring decorators of one thing, it would be this:

LESS IS MORE!!

Chose a common theme for the whole house, accenting the personal rooms (bedrooms, office/den) with your personal touches while keeping common rooms (kitchen, living room, diningroom) calm and inviting.

Now this doesn’t mean forget color beige, beige, beige … not by any means. However, painting every room a different “favorite color” can cause your home to look like a two year olds crayon box. Also, if your favorite color is blue and you find various shades for throughout the house it will fast become known as Smurf-ville.

If you are confused about decorating your home, here are 10 decorating do's and don'ts for you to follow.

  1. Do make sure that you draw out a floor plan for your design before you even touch a room. The floor plan should include the dimensions of the room as well as the windows, doors, and other special features. Take the floor plan with you when you go shopping for anything to make sure it fits. Measure!
  2. Don't rush into decorating a room without giving it actual thought. You want to be sure that you actually put your personality into the style of the room. It should be thought out and not just done on a whim as you may regret what you did after a short period of time and then you are back to the drawing board.
  3. Do identify the focal point of the room before you start placing the items in the room. The focal point could be a variety of different things such as a fireplace, a piece of furniture or a window.
  4. Don't block pathways in a room so that people can't easily wander around the room. There should definitely be natural pathways in the room and it should flow well as you want people to be comfortable and the room to be natural.
  5. Do pick a specific decorating theme and style for each room. Just because you have a modern kitchen doesn't mean that you can't have a country bedroom.
  6. Don't choose the color of the walls from a paint chip. Instead when you have narrowed down your choices to one or two colors, purchase a quart or sample size of the paint and paint a few areas of the walls. Depending on the light of the room, the paint can look totally different than what the paint chip looks like. You may also find that you like a color for small areas but when painted on all the walls in the room it is not very appealing to you.
  7. Do use contrast in the room to add some character and interest. For example a contrasting piece of furniture can be placed against a wall to highlight the furniture and make it more interesting. The room does not all have to match as contrasting colors are a great way to decorate.
  8. Don't forget the small details. Once you have gotten all the big items on your list out of the way don't forget about the small aspects that can really change the look of the room. Pieces of art, candles, shelves, baskets, flowers, and figurines can all add special interest to a room. Don't forget these items in your decorating plan.
  9. Do forget about what others think of your room. If you like the room and you like being in it then that is all that matters. Just because a guest didn't like doesn't mean that you should change it. Remember that it is your home and your personality and taste that matters, so go ahead and get creative.
  10. Don't overcrowd your rooms. You don't have to display ever object that you own or every piece of artwork that catches your eye. You don't want your home to look cluttered. A way to get around this is to change your décor items every once in awhile so that you can display the items that you love but not all at once.

Follow these 10 do's and don'ts for decorating your home and you can be your way to a stylish home that fits you.  (Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3612075)

And for a little extra help with all those renos you are now geared up to do, please follow the link below and make sure you are entered for a chance to win up to $17,500 in home improvement packages from RE/MAX and the WHL in the RE/MAX Home Team contest!

posted in General at Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:49:54 -0600



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