1. When painting, use specially formulated paints for low odor and low VOC (volatile organic compounds- the stuff EPA regulates to control air pollution) emission. These paints are available in latex flat, eggshell and semi-gloss finishes- so they’re also easy to apply and clean up
2. Choose colors carefully in your home- they will affect your emotional and physical states. For example, a soft yellow can evoke feelings of happiness and warmth, while a harsh yellow can cause uneasiness in a room. Bright colors are stimulating- perfect for a dining or play -room, while warm neutrals are calming and serene and give off a quiet luxury in bedrooms and living rooms. Know the effect you are going for in each room before deciding on colors.
3. Use water-based, rather than petroleum-based, finishes on your hardwood floors to limit chemical odors and fumes during refinishing. Or, if installing new floors, choose pre-finished hardwood that requires no sanding or top coating so you won’t bring unwelcome dust and chemicals into your home.
4. Consider cotton area rugs instead of wool or synthetics for rooms that require more than just a bare floor. They’re soft, colorful, inexpensive, less likely to cause an allergic reaction than wool and have none of the chemical odor usually associated with synthetic carpets.
5. Purchase a large decorative basket with a washable cloth liner or purchase a wooden shoe tray to leave at the door and hold shoes. Removing street shoes at the door keeps the petrochemicals in street tar and resurfacing materials from moving through your home. Your floors will not only be “healthier”, they’ll last longer and look better.
Choosing the perfect color for your home is an arduous task to say the least. Let’s not even mention balancing the preferences and aesthetics of your spouse or kids. So when I received a color question via email, I could immediately understand the difficulties that writer faced in picking the perfect color for her family room.
Here’s the dilemma:
“My husband wants to paint the family room red. The family room wall on the back of the house extends through the breakfast area…so whatever color is painted on this wall will also appear partly in the kitchen/breakfast area. My husband thinks we should leave the bookshelves and area above the fireplace painted white. Should I paint the other two walls red? If only one wall should be red, which one is red and what color would look good on the other family room wall? I’d also like to paint the kitchen walls. But what color to paint the kitchen if one/both walls in the family room (and possibly a little in the breakfast area) are red?”
Here’s what I told her (this applies to anyone trying to choose the perfect shade for their walls):
I’ve read and re-read your email and I’ve tried to think of things to tell you, but emailing you the right paint color(s), even if it is one of 276 shades of red, would be like choosing hair color and make-up for you via email. Without a “look see” in person, I would be swinging in the dark.
Which leaves you with three options:
1. Try a few colors on the wall for yourself. Put a sample of the red, or whatever color you prefer, on the walls in all the areas and see how you like it.
2. Buy my book by clicking this link: http://www.amazon.com/Slob-Proof-Real-Life-Decorating-Solutions/dp/1592577695/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211561624&sr=1-1. It gets five out of five stars (and none of the reviewers are my friends or family!) and it includes a complete color palette to use as a guide and an entire chapter on how to choose paint colors.
3. Hire a professional to give you a color plan. That can be me or anyone you like, but perhaps there are colors and techniques you haven’t considered that would be a better choice than red- a choice that you and your husband will both love. There are thousands, literally thousands of possible colors. Ask for in-home help from someone who gets regular training and works with color day in and day out.
If you’re like me, the little stars living in your home aren’t out on opening night- they’re home ruining your house! Perhaps it’s your partner or spouse (and here I really mean husband) who made a mess and forgot that you don’t have maids and servants on a twenty-four hour schedule. Tired of watching your family ruin your furnishings? Don’t despair- you need not resort to plastic slip covers. Just decorate with your slob(s) in mind to save your home and your sanity:
- Keep Wite-Out on hand at all times. It may be obsolete for correcting typos, but it’s a miracle when it comes to camouflaging dings and scuff marks wherever you have white trim around your house- like door frames, baseboard molding or chair rails.
- Think your family belongs in an institution? Then cover your walls with institutional paint! Use what the builders choose for dormitories, gymnasiums, locker rooms, hospitals and cafeterias. These acrylic-based paints are specially formulated to give a thick, consistent coverage with greater durability than home use paints. And because they are made for closed spaces, they have no unpleasant odor when painting indoors.
- Laminate your most heavily used dining chairs, if most of your slob’s dinner is left on his chair. Almost any fabric can be laminated, just ask your fabric store or decorator where to send it. New flat finish laminations provide an invisible, moisture and stain proof barrier on fabric, making it virtually indestructible and inconspicuous too.
- Not into coasters? Neither am I. Protect wood finishes from wet glasses, hot cups and scratching with clear glass tops made to fit your table tops. Sure, you’ll have to wipe them, but you’ll protect what’s underneath from everything your slobs may put on top.
From carrying bags to clothing, pet-friendly décor is all the rage. If there’s an animal at home, be it a pet or a significant other, take special care in choosing upholstery fabrics that hide scratches, shedding hair and unpleasant animal odors. Here’s how to keep your furniture in tip-top shape when living with your feline and canine friends:
- Choose Leather: Seating covered in leather that’s been coated with a protective sealant will help prevent staining and scratch marks from showing in your animal house. Shedding hair glides right off and leather doesn’t absorb smells. When shopping for leather, try this test. Run your fingernail on the leather sample. If it doesn’t leave a mark, the leather has more than likely been glazed or coated with a protective finish and would be a perfect choice for hard-wearing upholstery.
- Consider UltraSuede and UltraLeather: These are synthetics made from polyester and polyester/nylon blends that come in hundreds of colors and price ranges. If your pet sheds, the suede-like fabrics may be tougher to clean since hair will stick to the soft surface while the leather-like choices will wipe clean. But both have stain resistant and scratch-proof qualities equally suited for animal environments . The higher the quality you choose, the more real the product looks and feels. They’re as good as it gets when it come to low-maintenance, stain and scratch resistant upholstery coverings.
- Look to Outdoor Fabrics like Solution-Dyed Acrylic: Sometimes sold under the trade name “Sunbrella” these outdoor fabrics offer great protection because they are made to be moisture, mildew and stain resistant. Best of all, these outdoor-quality fabrics come in a vast array of textures, colors and prints- so you won’t be limited to smooth solid-colored choices as you would with the suggestions above.
If the shelter and style magazines have their way, this year’s well-dressed dining table will feature nothing less than oversized chargers (the large decorative platters that go under a dinner plate), multiple pieces of stemware (for switching between your merlot, shiraz and cabernet) and coordinating placemats and centerpieces. With so much “stuff” at each place, it’s crucial that you leave enough space between each setting for every dinner guest to feel unrestricted and move with ease. Follow my guidelines and you’ll have happy, comfortable company at your next formal soiree!
Each dinner guest at the table needs a minimum of two feet of space on the table for their place setting and dining comfort. If you do indeed use multiple stemware or oversized chargers in your place setting, then you need to add more space per diner. Each dining space at the end of your table should have a minimum of 6 inches of free space on each side edge of the table. So, measure out each two-foot dining space after coming in six inches on either side edge of the table. Use these guidelines when determining how many guests to invite to a dinner- they tell you how many adults can fit with comfort at your table. Of course, throw all the rules about dining space out the window if we’re talking about close family members at the dining table. In that case, squeeze everyone in- the more the merrier.
How big can you go? A dining table should be sized so that no less than 36 inches of clearance room is left between the table’s edge and your wall, sideboard or other piece of furniture. Leaving adequate space around your table gives a more open, elegant, star-like quality to your dining experience. Now, what’s for dinner?
