Healthy Home: Air Quality

Did you know that the air inside your home is likely to be 2-5 times more polluted than the air outside your home? Why? Building materials, furnishings, finishes, and household items like cleaning products emit toxins that negatively impact the air you breathe creating poor air quality.

What can these products cause?

• Eye, nose, throat, and even skin irritations

• Headaches

• respiratory illnesses (including asthma)

• Increases risk of cancer

A truly healthy home can improve your energy levels, increase cognitive function, boost productivity, and decrease stress. Over the past 30 years we've unknowingly welcomed a whole host of artificial materials and toxins into our living spaces through paints, furnishings and flooring, while sealing up the house with double glazed (dual pane) windows. 

To reverse these affects, we must address some of the most important issues:

PAINT

If you're painting your home, choose paints that doesn't contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's), which give off gas as paint dries and hardens over time. Sherwin Williams introduced a line of zero-VOC interior paint that also incorporates a new technology to reduce VOC levels in the air and to eliminate indoor odors from pets, cooking and smoke.

If you are remodeling or build a new house, consider using CertainTeed Gypsum’s AirRenew Essential IAQ wall board (construction material that makes up walls in your home). It cleans the air by capturing VOCs and formaldehyde, converting them into inert compounds.

PLANTS

Many house plants help purify indoor air. Snake plants, spider plants and Boston ferns, in addition to ivies, lilies and palms are all great air purifying options by removing CO2 and toxins, and releasing oxygen in the room. These are especially important to include in your home if you have double pane windows and/or minimal air circulation.

NASA's Clean Air study ,which investigated the air quality improvements of introducing plants into environments has shown that there are many psychological benefits, including recovering from stress, recuperating from illness, and re-energizing.

VENTING

Good ventilation allows fresh air in and stale air out. Bad ventilation can aid the growth of mold, which needs moisture to survive, and is a major source of poor indoor air quality. Eliminating steam by turning on the bathroom fan before getting into the shower will significantly reduce the likelihood of mold growth in your bathroom. If you are in the market for a new bathroom fan, consider installing one with a humidity sensor. The fan will automatically turn on when it senses a high level of moisture in the room.

Another ventilation issue is the build-up of dust and toxin build-up. Vacuuming regularly and getting a high-quality air filter can also help collect dust for disposal and keep your air quality. Be sure to replace your HVAC vent filters often as well to help aid in keeping your air quality.

Top 3 Interior Design Mistakes to Avoid

I get asked this question alot, so I wanted to share the top 3 Design Mistakes I see most often, and how you can avoid them. By now, you probably already know that bad design choices can cause stress and anxiety, neither of which are emotions anyone wants to bring into their home. It might sound silly, but small teaks and changes to your home can actually bring stress and anxiety levels down. If everyone had a well designed home, who knows, maybe there would be less need for pharmaceuticals (one can only hope!), but having a well designed home certainly couldn’t hurt!

What kind of Art you should hang in your house

Have you ever thought about what kind of art would look best in your room? Or maybe you are trying to decided between several art options for your space. Let me give you a little advise:

• Personal art (photos) are to remain in personal spaces: bedrooms only.

• Pick two to three types of artwork; photography, oil, paper, acrylic, etc.

• Now pick 5 colors that you like (I usually suggest one cool color (blue,green,purple) and one warm color (yellow, orange, red) along with 1 additional cool or warm color, and two neutral colors.

• Find art work that has only the colors you have chosen and that are the type of artwork you have chosen. By doing this, you have created a color scheme for your home.

• It is usually best to have neutral colored walls where you plan to hang your art, unless your artwork is only a neutral color (Neutral, Black, Grey, White, etc.).

• Your frame is arguably one of the most import parts of your artwork. A rustic wooden frame can make a room feel casual, while a silver leaf frame with a double white matte can make a room look elegant. If you choose to get your artwork professionally framed, tell the framer what feeling you want your home to have- this will help him/her narrow down what options will best fit that feeling. And of course- consult a designer!

• See my post [HERE]: the 5 best ways to display art

• See my post [HERE]: the 10 best website to buy art

How to Determine Your Budget

Let’s not focus on what you “should” spend, but instead what you are comfortable with. I like to call it value engineering- we can mix higher end items with lower end items- it all depends on where you want to invest your money. For instance if you like to entertain people and often have movie nights, I would suggest putting more a focus on a comfortable sofa and seating arrangement and less on accessories or art- we can find some great options at a fraction of the cost. Or if you like to surround yourself with well curated accessories, we can put more focus on these items, and less on the furniture in the room.

Now what would you feel comfortable investing into the purchase of your sofa? $10,000? $6,500? $3,000?

*** go through each item in the room- keep a running budget list going. Once you have gone through all large items in a room, add up all items- this is now your rough budget.***

Home Design Mistakes : Downsizing

The most common mistakes I see people make in their homes has to do with scale. I have seen countless clients downsizing and trying to bring their over-sized furniture with them, only to discover that none of it fits in their new home. When you downsize, you need to also downsize your furniture so that your space doesn't feel overwhelmed.

If you are considering downsizing make sure to measure your furniture and measure your new home before you start to move. There's nothing worse than carting an 11 foot sofa to your new home to find out it won't fit and it will have to sit outside until you can figure out what to do with it.

It might be worth the money to hire a designer to do this work for you as well. A designer should be able to measure your existing furniture and measure your new space and let you know what pieces you should take with you and what pieces you should sell or give away. 

Another rule of thumb is to only bring quality furniture with you. That table from IKEA should not come with you, there's no sense in keeping low quality furniture like this in your new home. When you downsize and move into a smaller home, the small details like the quality of furniture will become more apparent in your new home since there will be much more valuable real estate in a smaller floor-plan.  

ORGANIZE AND DECLUTTER YOUR HOME BEFORE YOU DOWNSIZE

UCLA once did a study on the affects of clutter in a room called “Life at home in the 21st century”, this study was based on a groundbreaking, four-year, ethnoarchaeological CELF study conducted in 2001-2005. What they found was that a staggering number of possessions and an array of spaces and furnishings that serve as the stage for multiple family activities can tell us a lot about who we are as a society.

The results were astonishing! The cluttered homes caused as much stress as postpartum depression based on their cortisol readings. Think about that for a moment…the clutter was literally causing depression. As the clutter begins to pile up, your stress levels raise as well. If you don’t do anything about the clutter, eventually you will have a mental break point. A point at which the stress becomes too much to bear, and you give into depression and loose all motivation to clean up the clutter that is causing your stress induced depression. Only furthering your depression deeper. It’s a loose-loose cycle.

So how do we stop this cycle? Read my book “How to organize and declutter your home” to learn all the steps you can take to creating a life of freedom from clutter and depression.

Does your house feel like cluttered chaos? Do you feel overwhelmed or chaostrophic in your own home? Getting your house organized can be overwhelming. Where do you start? How do you separate what you need in your home from what you want in your home? There are many steps to getting organized, but this e-book will guide you through the whole process one step at a time. You will work at your own pace, and accomplish one goal at a time, and before you know it, your entire home will be organized and clutter free! Each step is tried and tested, by me, to get your home organized and help keep it that way without making it feel like you are carrying the world on your shoulders while trying to juggle every aspect of your life all at the same time.
Your home reflects how you see yourself, and now is the time to let your brilliance shine! Now is not the time to let what other’s think get in your way, you are on a mission! A mission to show everyone (or perhaps just a disapproving mother-in-law) that you’ve got a beautiful home and you did it all by yourself (This e-book can be our little secret!). Maybe you just moved into a new place and need help organizing each room, or maybe you have been living in your house for years and are finally fed up with the dysfunction of your space- no matter your reason, I am glad you are here, and I want you to know that I can help.

Check out my guidebook How to Organize and Declutter Your Home

How to Organize and De-clutter Your Home Part 5

How to Organize Your Home:

You should have a designated space to keep Emergency Information as well as Personal Information. If something were to happen to you, and your family needed access to these types of documents, you don’t want them to have to dig around through your desk, spending hours of precious time looking for what they need. Here are some of the items I suggest you keep in a safe place:

• Marriage Certificate

• Birth Certificate

• Adoption Papers

• Citizenship Records

• Divorce Papers

• House Deed

• Mortgage Papers

• Death Certificate

• Automobile Titles

• Service Papers

• Leases /Contracts

• Will

• Patents and Copyrights  

• Passports

• Life Insurance Policy

• Health Insurance Card (s)

• Copy of your License

• Medical Directives (should you not be able to speak on your own behalf, a medical directive will ensure your decisions are followed)

• Emergency Medical Contacts (primary physician’s phone number, etc)

• Medical Information (blood type, allergies, etc)

• Up to date photo of everyone in your family, including your pets (in case someone goes missing)

• Finger Prints

• Pet Insurance

If security is a concern of yours, then store these documents in a safe, locked drawer, or in a safety deposit box. Here are the items I suggest you store in a secured space.

That wraps up our 5 part series of how to Organize and Declutter Your Home! Now is the time to buy my e-book on Amazon for a copy of your own list of items to consider when trying to organize and declutter your home. 

How to Organize and De-clutter Your Home Part 4

Here is a Declutter Checklist for your entire home:

Kitchen

• Create Space for Every Item

• Donate Mismatched Items (Dishes, Cups, etc)

• Toss Old Coffee Mugs and any dishware with a stain

• Limit Water Bottles

• Add Drawer Dividers

• Toss Stained, Mismatched or Broken Food Containers

• Throw out all old Spices and Expired Foods

Bathroom

• Toss Old Shampoo/Body Lotion, etc. Bottles

• Limit yourself to 2 shampoos/conditioner, lotions, etc.  

• Limit hairstylers, and store them in a basket or under your sink- out of sight.

• If it hasn’t been used in three months, toss it.

Linen Closet:

• Toss old towels and sheets that are stained or frayed

• Toss towels and sheets that don’t match

Office:

• Tackle one drawer at a time.

• Bundle like items together (Pens & Pencils, Envelopes, etc)

• Shred Papers that are not needed

  • After 1 Month: Receipts, Deposit/ ATM slips, Reconciled Bank Statements

  • 1-3 Years: Paycheck Stubs, Mortgage Statements, Expired Insurance Records, Charity Donation Receipts

  • 7 Years: Tax Returns, W-2 & 1099, Medical Statements, Real Estate Tax Forms

Your Closet:

• Have you worn it in the last 6 months?

• Will you wear it in the next two weeks?

• If it is Broken/ Has any holes, will you get them fixed?

• Does it fit well?

• Would you buy it now?

If you answered “yes” to all of the above questions, then keep it, however if you answered “no” to any of these, then you should probably toss it.

Check out the entire series on my e-book on Amazon Here:

The Best Material For Your Kitchen Countertop

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There are many options when it comes to countertop material options including some of my favorites:

• Granite

• Marble

• Travertine

• Terrazzo

• Quartzite

• Limestone

• Onyx

 

Most countertop materials are made of a natural stone, however there are some Quartz (composite materials) that are made to look like the real stone but hold up to wear and tear much better than a natural stone. For example:

• ColorQuartz

• Caesarstone

• Cambria

• Silestone

The Best Dimensions for Your Kitchen

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To ensure your kitchen  is functional, comfortable, and safe, use the following dimensions - all of which are suggested minimums unless otherwise noted.

Countertops: 36" Height, 25" Depth

Drawers: 4+" Height, 22" Depth

Vanity Base: 32-34.5" Height, 18-21" Depth

Medicine Cabinet: 30" Height, 4" Depth

Lower Cabinets (kitchen): 34.5" Height, 24" Depth

Upper Cabinets: 30-42" Height, 12" Depth

Space Between Countertop and Upper Cabinets: 18"

You may have heard of the “perfect triangle” in a kitchen, where your appliances are located at each point of a triangle within your kitchen. For instance, look at the diagram on the right. Each space should be approximately 4-9 feet.

Interior Trim Tips from a Professional Interior Designer

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• The best baseboard size is usually 6” tall, but can range from 4”-8”.

• Windows that have casing often frame a window nicely, especially if you don’t have window treatments. So if you have the option to trim your windows, I suggest that you do.

• When picking your door casing I suggest to use the same casing as the window if possible so that you have consistency.

• Adding crown moulding can make a room feel more elegant, but keep in mind if you are on a budget, it can be very costly.  

Want to learn more? CLICK HERE and sign up for my e-course "Everything You Need to Know about Interior Design". 

How to Choose the Best Wood Flooring for Your Home

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There are many types of wood flooring options that come in many different sizes, shapes, and variations. Wood is durable, and can help absorb sound.

Hardwood comes in many different types of species, board widths, colors, textures, hardness, finish. Hardwood typically costs $3- $10 a square foot. The following are some of the most common wood floor species:

• Ash

• Beech

• Birch

• Cherry

• Maple

• Walnut

• Teak

• Oak

• Pine

• Cork

• Bamboo (is actually a grass, not wood, but is often categorized as wood flooring).

You can paint wood floors using traditional oil-based enamel wood paint, or latex enamel wood paint. Try get a paint that contains polyurethane. This chemical adds strength and is great for slightly humid environments. If you can’t find one, you can always apply a coat of polyurethane afterwards so don’t worry about it. There are four levels of sheen for wood paint and each has a different reflective quality defined by the percentages below. Starting from the shiniest, they are glossy (75%), semi-gloss (55%), satin (40%) and matte (20%).

The 5 Best Ways to Display Art In Your Home

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Below is a list of the 5 best ways to display art in your home.   

Art Wall Display’s are one of the easiest ways to display multiple artworks together on one wall. I suggest starting an art wall display on your largest wall. This could be in your living room or dining room. You could put it in your bedroom, but usually art walls are meant to be shown and are best in more public spaces.

When you start to layout your art wall start with the largest piece that you have and place it in the center around your eye’s view (usually this is about 5’-5” above the floor) and layout your frames so the space between each frame is approximately the same distance.

Try to keep the vertical and horizontal edges of these frames lined up as best you can.  

Displaying three large photos together, called a triptych, is a great way to create rhythm and repetition. It also can create a great focal point.

This display often looks great above a sofa or bed, or even in a hallway or entry way.    

Sometimes these three images are different images that relate to one another, or sometimes these three images are three sections of one larger image.

Art Wall Display’s are often used with staircases one of the easiest ways to display multiple artworks together on one wall.

When you start to layout your art wall start with the largest piece that you have and place it in the center of your staircase (stand on this middle stair and place the artwork at eye sight on the wall) and continue to layout your frames as you walk up your stairs.

Try to allow for equal space between each frame.

Try to keep the vertical edges of these frames lined up as best you can.    

Floating art shelves are also a great way to display multiple pieces of art together, This is one of my favorite displays since you can change out the art easily depending on the season. I suggest displaying 5 frames per shelf varying in size for the best balance.

Your shelves also don’t have to be stacked, they could be offset, but make sure your shelves overlap by at least one third.  

Displaying six art pieces of the same size on one wall is also a great way to cover a hall or an entry, or even behind a large sofa. These pictures could all be different, or perhaps they are all the same subject, color, medium, etc. this will create repetition and balance.

I suggest that you purchase all the same picture frames from one location and if the frame comes with a matte as well, decide if you will use it.    

The Best Size Pillows for Your Home

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The best pillow arrangement for your Livingroom sofa will all depend on how large your sofa is.

If you have a settee try an 18x18 and a 12x20 pillow at one end of the sofa.

If you have a sectional try three pillows at the corner unit in a range of sizes: 22"x22", 20"x20", and 18"x18". At each end of the section try one 22"x22" and one 20"x20".

If you have a sofa try one 22"x22" and one 20"x20" at each end of your sofa.

If you have a club chair, try a 12"x20" lumbar pillow.    

The Two Types of Shower Systems To Consider in Your Bathroom

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There are two types of Shower systems: Electric and Thermostatic Mixers.

Electric Showers take water from the main cold water line and heats the water. This option is best for households with families or where there is a limited hot water supply.

Thermostatic Mixer Showers require no pump and have a faster flow of water and provides the safest shower system.

The Best Height to Hang Window Drapes in Your Home

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You want to mount your drapery rod as high on the wall as you can, but under neath any crown moulding. If your ceilings are taller than 10 feet, you will most likely need custom drapery since most sizes available only reach up to 10 feet in length. You want the bottom of your drapes to gently graze your flooring, so if you are going to change your flooring, be sure to do this before installing your drapery.   

Designer Tip: My personal go-to style is a full tab back panel linen or sheer drapery depending on how much privacy is needed. 

9 Interior Carpentry Ideas to Consider for Your Home

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A fun (and cheap) way to dress up your walls is to treat them with a carpentry finish.

There are a lot of carpentry wall treatment options including the following:

• Shiplap

• Tongue and Groove

• Rustic Channel

• Rustic Vee

• Board and Battan (pictured)

• Plywood

• Bevel

• Dolly Varden

• Clapboard

And there are a variety of ways you can use these treatments in your home. One of the most common ways to use this treatment is to create a wainscot around the room, which means that the carpentry is applied to the walls usually around eye sight height (roughly 4 ½ -5 ½ feet) from the floor.  

How to Choose the Best Type of Rug for Your Home

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Excluding natural materials, nylon, polyester, and olefin are the mostly widely used fibers in carpet manufacturing, and each offers qualities useful in specific applications. Even though nylon is the most expensive type of fiber, it is also soft and resilient, which makes it great for any room in your home. Polyester is less durable than nylon, but quite cost efficient – offering a high level of resistance to stains, which makes it an ideal choice for areas such as dining rooms. Olefin is solution dyed, which results in a highly resistant stain carpet that can be cleaned easily without color loss. Unlike many other fibers, olefin is fade and mould resistant, which results in a carpet that works well both indoors or out. Often times carpet requires pads for added cushion that go under your carpet as well.

What Thread Count Really Means

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When it comes to buying bedding there are mainly two types of weaves when it comes to bedding.

The way in which fabric is woven also has a major effect on its feel. Percale is woven in a basic criss cross weave (one-over, one-under) and has a thread count higher than 200. It tends to be more crisp and cool, like a classic button down shirt. Cotton Satin fabric is made using a satin weave structure (four over and one under), which gives the fabric a sheen and silkier feel. But that doesn’t mean satin is better than percale, they each provide their own unique experience.

Though most consumers think thread count is the way to choose quality bed linens, the truth is, it is the quality of the cotton and where and how it is woven, that matters most.

Everything You Need to Know About Bathroom Tile

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There are so many options when it comes to choosing the right material for your bathroom including the following:

Ceramic Tile: made of clay

Glass Tile: made of glass and often made in a mosaic (small tiles) which are usually sold on a sheet

Stone Tile: Natural material quarried from the earth

Porcelain Tile: Porcelain is a manufactured material made of a composite of natural stones

Average Pricing:

Flooring: $9.25/sf

Wall Tile: $5.90/sf

There are so many options when it comes to tile layouts, here are just a few common ones:

• Offset (½ or in ⅓’s)

• Straight set (aka: stacked or grid pattern)

• Herringbone

• Chevron

• Basket Weave

• Soldier Course

Designer Tip: I highly suggest hiring a professional tile installer! You would not believe how many times I have seen homeowners in tears because they spent a fortune on their tile, only to have to rip it all out and start over because they tried to install the tile themselves without knowing what was best for their home. If you plan on installing the tile yourself make sure you use the correct thinset or mastic so that the tile doesn’t “slip” down the wall, and talk to a professional about your installation options.  

Types of Window Shades to Consider for Your Home

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There are many types of window treatments available ranging from drapery to shades and shutters.

Below is a list of style options for shades:

• Roman

• Venetian & Mini-Venetian

• Matchstick or Slat

• Roller

• Tie-up

Shutters are usually come in a standard “plantation style”. Vinyl shutters are great for wet areas like around the kitchen sink and bathroom.  

When it comes to the fabrication of drapery there are many different options, however many styles are outdated.

My personal go-to style is a matchstick shade.