It’s SPRING! Being outdoors is the antidote to cabin fever you’ve been craving.  Whether you have a small balcony or patio, or a deck the size of a small airport landing strip, you can take advantage of the space you have and turn it into your own private escape with an outdoor room makeover.

This is the first of a series of outdoor room redesigns meant to illustrate common situations and how they may be transformed.  This is a true redesign-the makeover was accomplished using only what existed in the home.

Before – A medium sized deck with basic outdoor furniture was arranged with a large open space for gathering. Seating lined the railing and was available to be pulled into the space as needed. The reality was that it never moved. The color of green unified the various pieces but also contributed to the rigid feel. The grill, serving cart, table and chairs were crowded together in the far end of the deck in an attempt to make them more convenient and to create a dining area. The remaining space was certainly large but awkwardly arranged and the homeowners felt it was uninviting.

After – To make the most of all of the available space, zones were created for grilling, dining, entertaining, serving and for conversation, with plenty of room for moving about.

The electric grill was relocated to provide a safe buffer zone between it and guests. The serving cart became accessible to both grilling and entertaining areas, ready to be rolled into the dining area when needed. A conversation grouping makes better use of the open space and beckons visitors. It can be easily expanded by bringing in the dining chairs, something guests were hesitant to do when the space was empty.

Weather resistant accessories were selected from the home’s furnishings to add color, comfort and interest. The green of the furnishings became the perfect neutral backdrop to the patterns and textures. The eclectic mix created a better transition between the feel of the house and the outdoor room. The result is an extension of the house that is multi-purpose, functional, attractive and welcoming.

Pam Faulkner
Faulkner House
Interior Redesign, LLC
703-689-9886
www.FaulknerHouse.com

At the end of a busy day, wouldn’t you want to come home to a warm pleasing and wonderful space?

IRIS (Interior Redesign and Staging Industry Specialists), an international, non-profit organization of professional redesigners and stagers announces IRIS Get Redesigned Month^SM a national industry-wide event dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits of redesign and of hiring a professional redesigner.

“What better time of the year than fall to prepare for more hours being spent indoors after a playful summer season outdoors,” says Anna Jacoby, Vice Director of IRIS and owner of Anna Jacoby Interiors located in Fremont, California.

“An Interior Redesign can give your home a new look and feel without having to purchase anything new. IRIS members are professional interior redesigners trained in the practice of using what you already own to create a new warm and inviting environment.  We arrange your existing furnishings, artwork and accessories to give your home a designer look without the designer price. Most redesigns cost less than purchasing one new piece of furniture.”

With almost 800 IRIS members ready and available to assist, it is easier to attain than most people think.

IRIS is gearing up for Get Redesigned Month^SM with several industry partners and a nationwide campaign. IRIS members will redesign thousands of people’s homes during this month-long event. IRIS’s chapters and
members will hold events throughout the country during October to raise awareness of this beneficial, budget-friendly service.

Here are five of Anna Jacoby’s favorite redesign tips for you to implement in your own
home:

1. Rather than line up furniture around the perimeter of the room, pull the furniture away from the walls, even if it is just a few inches. This actually makes the room feel larger and creates a more intimate
   conversation area.
2. Don’t hang artwork too high. The center of the artwork should be 60-65” off the floor.
3. Arrange your furniture using the focal point as the basis for the arrangement. The sofa should face the focal point directly, or be angled to the left or the right of the focal point.
4. Arrange accessories in odd-numbered groupings, and aim for a pyramidal effect with a tall item, then a shorter item, then an even shorter one.
5. Just because an item has always been in the living room doesn’t mean it has to stay there. Exchange items throughout your house to create a new look. Trade the living room lamps for the bedroom lamps; trade the coffee table for the trunk in the family room; bring the painting from the dining
   room into the living room. You’ll be amazed at the results!

For more information about this topic, please contact Anna Jacoby at Anna Jacoby Interiors 510-490-0379 visit her website at www.annajacobyinteriors.com and www.RedesignBusinessTraining.com.

Redecorate Your Home

You know when they reveal the newly renovated rooms on shows like “Trading Spaces” and people cry, jump up and down, and cover their mouth with their hands in shock? A redesigner gets that same reaction in their clients’ homes without spending one cent!

Redesign is the art of doing a one-day makeover in your home, using your existing furnishings.  The basic tenets of feng shui are balance, harmony and being surrounded by things you love.  This is what happens when your home is redesigned.  A redesigner uses design principles such as flow, balance and scale to ‘design’ your home and highlight the things you love.   Your home should reflect your personality, and this is what a redesign does.

Often people think they need to buy new things to have a home they love. However when the furniture is properly placed, the art hung in just the right spot, and the accessories artfully arranged, they find they don’t need to buy anything new after all.  They love it just the way it is.

Many people can waste thousands of dollars on new furniture that doesn’t work in the room. Getting a redesign first will stop that.  A redesign will set the foundation for your home.  Then, if there are one or two pieces you still need to buy, you will know exactly what to buy – how big, what color and where it will go.

In order to redesign your home, you need to start by taking everything out of the room.  This gives you a clean-slate perspective.  Remove the furniture, all the art on the walls, and all the accessories.

Proper furniture placement is the most critical part of designing your home. Often people buy new accessories or even art, trying to fix a room.  It doesn’t work.  If the furniture placement is wrong, it doesn’t matter how many accessories or pieces of art you hang, it still won’t work.  Your furniture must be properly placed, balanced in the room, with a cozy conversation area facing the primary focal point of the room.

Once the furniture is properly placed, you need to add the lighting. Many homes don’t have enough lamps.  There should be at three lamps in the room for adequate ambient light.  These three lights should be placed in a triangle, to get light throughout the room.  In addition, you should have reading lights near chairs or sofas where people read, a light for sewing, or working at a desk.  You can also add some nice accent lighting to highlight special pieces if you wish.

Now that you have the furniture and lighting placed, you can add the art. Art should be hung to work with the furnishings in the room.  Most art is hung too high.  Remember that art is viewed from a seated position everywhere in your home except the hallway and foyer.  It should be hung 6-10 inches over the piece of furniture under it.  You also need to pay attention to the colors in the art and the furniture.  Hang art to work with the furniture under it.

Now you can add the accessories (or jewelry) in the room. Again, pay attention to the art and the furniture and use your accessories to work with the art and furniture.  This will create beautiful vignettes throughout your room.

There is no greater delight than a home you love to be in, and one that you’re proud to show your friends.  You probably already have everything you need for that wonderful home.  It just needs to be put in the right spot.

Val Sharp is the founder and past president of the Canadian Re-designers Association and the author of “The Art of Redesign – 5 Simple Steps to No-Cost Redecorating”.  She instructs people in starting their own interior redesign and home staging business.  If you want to become a redesigner or home stager or you want more information about Val and her book, stop by www.sharpredesigns.com

Redesigning Your Home

Imagine you are struggling with the placement of something, or feeling frustrated or in a rush. How creative are you in that moment? My guess is that your creativity goes right out the window. Imagine instead that you are feeling joyful, playful, and child-like. What possibilities are now open to you? Would you ever think of using that old wrought-iron gate from your garden as a focal piece on the dining room wall if you weren’t feeling playful?

Creativity lies in the joyful ‘try anything’ side of you. So pay attention to your frame of mind when redesigning your home. Adopt a child-like, playful attitude. If you find yourself struggling with something and it feels hard, then stop and do something else for a while until you’re feeling playful again.

You also want to stop yourself from analyzing and planning. If you spend too much time looking at the room and thinking about what to do, you will be using more of the left or logical side of your brain. Alternatively, if you are physically moving things around to see what works, you will use more of the right or creative side of your brain. So turn off your brain and start just moving things around. Try everything and anything. I call this “throwing spaghetti at the wall to see if it sticks.” Sometimes you’re right, it doesn’t work. Other times you get fabulous surprises and ‘the spaghetti sticks.’

Here are some tricks you can try to maintain a playful mood:

• Look in a mirror and make funny faces at yourself.

• Go for a walk around the block or to the nearest park. The outdoors is a great place for inspiration. Try skipping instead of walking.

• Turn on your favorite music and dance around the room.

• Start trying truly crazy ideas that you know won’t work. Be silly – put shoes on the mantel; drape earrings on pictures. This frees you up to try new ideas

• Hum silly tunes like children’s songs or 50’s music.

• Have someone over who makes you laugh.

• Have a ‘girls’ redesign party in your home. Invite a few friends over to help redesign your home. Try everyone’s ideas and vote on which ones work.

Okay, now that you’ve got the right frame of mind, you can truly create a home that reflects your unique personality. This is not serious business. It’s play! So enjoy yourself. You’ll get far better results.

Val Sharp is the founder and past president of the Canadian Re-designers Association and the author of “The Art of Redesign – 5 Simple Steps to No-Cost Redecorating”. She instructs people in starting their own interior redesign and home staging business. If you want to become a redesigner or home stager, or you want more information about Val and her book, stop by www.sharpredesigns.com

interior redesign

At the end of a busy day, wouldn’t you want to come home to a warm pleasing and wonderful space to hang your hat ?

IRIS (Interior Redesign Industry Specialists), an international, non-profit organization of professional redesigners and stagers announces IRIS Get Redesigned MonthSM a national industry-wide event dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits of redesign and of hiring a professional redesigner.

What better time of the year than fall to prepare for more hours being spent indoors after a playful summer season outdoors, says Sandy Knutson-Grebner, member IRIS and founder of Look Again Interior Redesigns.

IRIS members are professional interior redesigners trained in the practice of using what you already own to create a new warm and inviting environment. With almost 1,000 IRIS members ready and available to assist, it is easier to attain than most people think.

Whether it is your home or office, a professional redesigner can achieve the results of creating the sanctuary you’ve always desired.

IRIS is gearing up for Get Redesigned Month with several industry partners and a nationwide radio campaign. IRIS members will redesign thousands of people’s homes during this month-long event.” 

IRIS’s chapters and members will hold public events throughout the country during October and the annual event will be launched at the organization’s education conference and expo in San Diego October 8-10, 2008.

Please contact Sandy Knutson-Grebner at Look Again Interior Redesigns (630) 862-5472 to schedule your room redesign. http://www.lookagainredesigns.com/