How Should I Decorate My House?

Whenever I sell and stage a home or think about making changes in my own home, I wonder what kind of furnishings I should use. It's sometimes hard to know just what to use, what will look good or if I'm really confident that I'm making a good choice. I think I've just discovered a solution that can help me or help my clients. There is a new design service available that will let you "try on" furniture before you buy it. Modsy was created after Shanna Tellerman and her husband moved into a new home three years ago. She found many ideas on Pinterest of things she liked and rooms she like but was uncertain how to go about creating the rooms and the feelings that she liked. So she created Modsy. It's a virtual design service that provides 3D visualizations of a fully decorated room in your home that is created according to your taste. Each furniture piece and decor item has been sourced from several hundred retailers and is scaled to your room. You just take a style quiz and upload a photo of your room and several days later you get two virtually styled versions of your room You have options to change furnishings or decor and then make your purchase knowing what it's going to look like in your room.

This is such an interesting idea and I'd love to try it out or talk with folks who have used it and learn what they think. If you want to read more about it and see examples of how it works, you can read more about it here. Decorating with Modsy

Have You Used Houzz?

With the internet accessibility increasing every day and the popularity of smart phones and tablets it's no wonder that we're seeing more more websites offering advice and services, DIY information, sales, home deliveries of food and drink, dating services and more at the click of a finger. One of the websites that has become more popular in the past several years is a website called Houzz, They have many design ideas for a home owner. Once you've created your account you will have an opportunity to save ideas to an idea book. You can search for vendors, photos, search by rooms, and even looks for stories and advice. For homeowners or renters or just interested parties this is a great place to collect ideas and information for your home resource. Do you collect ideas and save them in the cloud? Do you use Pinterest and Instagram for your search? Houzz might be another website to consider.  Houzz

New Trend: Calming Drinks

Did you know there are companies putting fragrance and flavor in our food? Perfume, yes, but the food we eat, the beverages we drink, even pumped into rooms and...am I the only person who thinks this is super creepy?

Chemicals, not the real deal.

Here is a article about the latest trend in drinks, calming drinks...

Anastasia Faiella

This woman used to be a painter, now an interior designer. I see how that can work for a visual artist.

her website:  http://faiella-design.com

Wood and Relations

My father was a cabinet maker for 36 years. We lived in a house with exotic woods. I joke with my siblings that we should "part out" the house when we sell it, because the wood is now so precious and who could love it as much as we did? ( my siblings are horrified by this suggestion, by the way).

Here is an article in Dwell magazine about a guy who kept all the wood (plywood, mostly, not very exotic) from his grandmother's house in Poland.

do you Really want to sell that house?

OK! This house has finally been renovated. (Poor souls) and now it seems to be...for sale? This sign is about 3 inches by 5 inches. It's a bit of cardboard on a stick. Written with a magic marker, is, "for sale". I walked past an caught the sign. Is the grass (new...just put down in strips) for sale, or the house? How do you buy it? No number or way to contact anyone. Good luck.

Banks, money and all that

Here is a little peek into a neighborhood bank branch's weekend remodel.

Garden Chairs

These are a couple of fabulous chairs! One with the willow twigs so tall they disappear into the trees they sit under...the other with fish head and fish tails as part of the design.

Furniture as Art

I recently went out furniture shopping with a friend. We went to the usual places. Crate and Barrel in University Village won our choice for several pieces, including dining room ad living room furniture. When shopping through Ballard, we stumbled into Collective and saw some cool wooden pieces made from reclaimed wood. They were truly beautiful. Check this out.