5 Easy Steps to Refresh Your Home This Fall 

This is you and/or your designer- making your project happen with a Plan

The Fall season is finally at our doorstep - yay! But wait, all those projects you thought you were going to do last season  - are they still not done?

A project can be as small as re-arranging your bookcase or as large as planning a new kitchen or bath. Either way, the best laid plans all have one thing in common - a schedule. 

 I understand life gets in the way and other things beckon. But, nothing will change unless you do the following scheduled steps that I do to get started:

• Start with a writing a list of the ONE thing that needs to be changed 
• Create a file of pages of your favorite rooms, homes or gardens that you love or just go to Pinterest and create a board of the top rooms you love
• Break the list into steps needed to complete your project
• Add dates to complete each step onto your calendar
• Call the one person who can help you complete the steps

For instance, our Master Bath cried for a renovation. However, I am so busy helping my clients with their renovations, I have little time to spare. But after working on the layout and selecting the tile, vanity, etc. we were ready to make our first appointment with the contractor, my plumber and my tile installer. Once you have your team in place, you'll find the project will get going. 

Now that our Master Bath is done, our Family Room is next on our list. Our ONE thing that needs to be changed is the paint color. I'll keep you posted with what I have in mind, but for now, I've got to go and do the ONE thing on my exercise list for today.

For professional help, for a nudge to get started, for the best year ever call Mary Alice at:

732 690-2030

M. A. Smith Interior Design

1288 Beauchamps Place, Toms River, NJ 08753

E-mail: masmith@masmithinteriordesign.com

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How to decide What to buy for your Home when your Choices are Limitless!

Red or Green, Traditional or Transitional - the choices are limitless. What will you do?

Photo courtesy of Microsoft Office

Recently, I visited the Marketplace Design Center in Philadelphia to choose upholstery fabrics for a client. With ideas in my mind, I pointed myself in the direction of my favorite showrooms for home fabrics, wall coverings and furniture.

Simple, you might say. But, I have seen clients freeze at the sight of hundreds of fabric samples on the showroom racks. However, after years of working for clients, when I see those fabrics I approach with a sense of calm and anticipation, rather than fright.

There is a problem for some people when they have too many items from which to choose. In his book the The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains that "...as the number of choices grows further the negatives escalate until we become overloaded. At this point, choice no longer liberates but instead debilitates. It might even be said to tyrannize".

So, the next time someone near and dear says to you - "Why use an interior designer?", point them to the prologue of The Paradox of Choice. Then and only then will they understand the complexity of choice in decorating a home, amidst as Schwartz calls it "an overload of choice".

With that in mind, here is an idea to get you going on your project today:

Call an interior designer today, to keep your project manageable and organized.


Have a great day!

Mary Alice Smith
M. A. Smith, Ltd. Interior Design
732 690-2030