What Does Walking And Interior Design Have To Do With Your Home Renovation Or Remodeling Project?





One Step At A Time

What does walking and Interior Design have to do with Your Home Renovation or Remodeling Project? 

So now you're wondering what does the photo of a person wearing sneakers have to do with interior design or with you? 

Valid point. But as usual, I have a story to tell you that explains it all!

The person in the photo above is of me on my daily walk. I walk to keep fit, to de-stress, and to listen to podcasts about Internet marketing and wellness. But what I'm really doing is the process of keeping fit and the process of keeping knowledgeable and less stressed. 

Stress? How is being an interior designer stressful. Yes, I work in an industry that creates beautiful furnishings. Yes, I'm my own boss. But if you followed me on a typical day you would see a woman who is juggling projects, meeting clients and vendors, handling scores of paperwork, etc. In other words, I wear many hats while I handle the process of interior design. 

My process is the way I approach each client's project. It's a systematized way to stay on track, to keep the project moving in the right direction. As long as I stay in process, I can control or lessen the stress of managing many projects. 

Lucky for me that I like the process. I like the record keeping and research almost as much as creating a room concept. Lucky for my clients that I start the day with a walk and feel less stressed at the get-go.

 If you're planning on building a new house, renovating an existing house or room, or remodeling a kitchen and bath you need two important things. First, a daily exercise plan like a walk to keep you less stressed. Second, you need a team to support you all the way through your project. If you already have a few thoughts going like the ones below, it may be time to find help before it's too late. 

 Questions or thoughts that you might have or worries that keep you up at night might be:

• I'm not sure what to do next
• Afraid I'll make the wrong choices
• Everyone wants to put their 2 cents in
• I'm not creative
• Decorating scares me
• We don't agree on how to decorate
• I feel I need a professional opinion

 Maybe I missed a few worries! What is on your list today? 

For professional interior design for your home, office or commercial project call:

Mary Alice Smith of M. A. Smith, Ltd. - an interior designer serving New Jersey, Ocean and Monmouth County, the Jersey Shore and metropolitan New York areas.

To schedule an appointment call: 732 690-2030 or email me at masmith729@comcast.net.

M. A. Smith Interior Design 

732 690-2030

masmith@masmithinteriordesign.com 

Allied Member ASID
http://masmithinteriordesign.com















Are you stuck with your renovation project's to-do list? 

It's true - somethings never seem to change - like your to do list. But if you're like many of my clients, there comes a time when you just have to go ahead and get your project going.

But where to start? You can start here by reading a few posts written for people just like you.

A little confirmation helps you to know you are not alone. So here are some ideas for you to read to get you started. The link below is a short piece about the need to block out time and make a commitment to get started. It might start with contacting a contractor, builder or architect or you might start by visiting home centers and kitchen and bath stores. 

Start here first

Great, now you're warming up to moving ahead. But you still have questions or concerns about building or renovating. The more you understand the building process, the better you will be when the time comes to find your kitchen and bath cabinets, plumbing, appliances, tubs, etc.

If you're in a coastal area, you want to make sure that your home will be built for longevity.

Now read this

It's really that simple. Once you understand what's needed in the construction process, you can jump to the fun part - design and decorating. However, before you head back to Pinterest to get ideas, let's take time to discuss how you plan to use the room you are building or renovating.

This part will make you relieved and ready for a great change

In the end, your project is about creating your vision of the best home. Home should be a place to be comfortable in with everything that pulls at your heart strings. And by the way, I value this quote from The One Thing book that says "Perfection gets in the way of what is possible". In other words, it's okay to want something wonderful, but don't let the fact that it isn't "perfect" (nothing is here on earth you know) keep you from enjoying all the wonderful things about your home. 

If you're still frozen, consider calling an expert to help you make decisions and who values the things that you love. 

Mary Alice Smith - 732 608-7583

M. A. Smith Interior Design 

Residential and Commercial Interior Design

E-mail: masmith@masmithinteriordesign.com 

Allied Member ASID

Member of Kiwanis Club of Greater Toms River 

Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce

Website:  http://masmithinteriordesign.com

Serving Coastal New Jersey homeowners and businesses for twenty years

What My Best Clients Do To Avoid Stress and Get Their Projects Done (So They Can Enjoy Their Homes)

Is Decorating Your Home Scary?

If the idea of a home renovation leaves you at a loss for where to start -   
Surprise! - you're in the right place! I know you have decisions to make, people to contact and budgets to stick to. Yes, all of that takes time.

It will take time to meet with architects, contractors and interior designers to help you decide what to keep in your home and what will change.

But, remember, if you take the time, you can eventually enjoy the good things in life - like your home! But you say "I hardly have time now!" Yes, that's true.

It's all about small wins.

Every small win makes my successful clients want to get to their next small win.

And so it is with home renovations or decorating. You schedule meetings with your contractor and interior designer, the first important win.

You discuss the project, another small win. Each day is a day to enjoy the feeling of getting your project off to a great start. Each day you will enjoy a small win or even many small wins.

What a great perspective and a great way to view change! Now, go click your heels and repeat:

"Today I will have small wins, one or many" - it's your mantra, your day to get your project off to a great start!

Call for professional help, for a nudge to get started, for the best year ever:

732 690-2030

M. A. Smith LLC Interior Design
1288 Beauchamps Place, Toms River, NJ 08753
E-mail: masmith@masmithinteriordesign.com
Allied Member ASID

http://masmithinteriordesign.com
Blog: HouseZenGarden
Blog: BestDesignCoach.com
Serving New Jersey and Metropolitan New York City and coastal CT

Do You Feel Anxious About How Long It Might Take to Decorate Your Home?

What To Do if You Feel Anxious

About How Long It Takes To Decorate Your Home

 

 

Does the idea of starting a decorating project or renovation make you feel queasy and unsettled? Often just the thought that decorating takes too long is the thing that keeps you from moving forward. But there are some things to consider to alleviate your angst and get your home design project going fast at last!

 

If lack of time is your problem the solution is to have a plan that works, fits your budget and calendar goals.
 

For instance, last year I helped a family decorate their Jersey Shore home within a months' time. The whole job had to be done by the 4th of July and I had one month to complete the job!

 

While the family had some usable furniture, the home needed new paint colors, sofas, tables, bedding, rugs, artwork and prints for walls to give it the look they wanted. After meeting with the family, discussing their wish list and budget, I set out to find the pieces that would give their home the 'Jersey Shore' vibe without looking trendy or 'sea-shelly'.

 

The beauty of how I can manage a challenge like this project is in the way I am able to email photos of furnishings I find in an emailable file. My clients can review the file at the end of the day, so we can discuss the pieces that most appeal to them. Along with the photos is information showing dimensions and price points for each suggested furnishing organized by rooms. 
 

This way, my clients are involved in reviewing my suggestions so they can make the right decision, without the hassle of spending hours shopping for furnishings or in endless meetings with a designer.

 

Because they enjoyed the use of my years of experience and expertise, their home was decorated not only to reflect their personal taste, but was ready in time for the summer and also had the special attention to detail that comes with a designer's artistic eye for detail.

 

Fast Track Interior Design - The interior design system that gets your project to goal

M. A. Smith, Ltd. Interior Design
1288 Beauchamps Place, Toms River, NJ 08753
732 690-2030
E-mail: maryalicesmith@masmithinteriordesign.com

Allied Member ASID

http://masmithinteriordesign.com
Blog: HouseZenGarden
Blog: BestDesignCoach.com
Serving New Jersey and Metropolitan New York City

 

 

 



From Rubble to Raves - Restoring Homes Devastated By Hurricane Sandy

Photo taken at Shutters, Little Silver, NJ

From Rubble to Raves -  Restoring the Home Will Bring Back the Feeling that "Life is Better at the Beach" 

 

If you look closely at the photo above, there is a backward reflection of a sign that reads "Life is Better at the Beach." Well, while that may often be true, right now beach homes here in New Jersey are grasping to regain a shore footing.

 

Walls are gone or bare of sheetrock and insulation.  Floors are ripped of plank flooring and rooms are void of the history of decades of summer. The homes of the Jersey Shore are waiting to be reborn.

 

The process of remodeling is not pretty. It's grunt work - work for the trades and the contractors. But at some point, the view will change and the emphasis will be on how the home will look once its finished. Once finished, friends will rave at the beauty of the remodeled home along the Jersey Shore or the banks of Long Island.

 

The excitement will start when finally the sheetrock is installed. Suddenly, the homeowner will feel a need to make decisions on wall color, furnishings, window treatments and lighting. A feeling of excitement and a crave to decorate will take over their lives. Instead of looking back, Jersey Shore and Long Island homeowners will be looking forward to their homes at the shore.

 

A week after the hurricane, like many homeowners, I also thought I was finished. My clients for the most part have lovely homes along the Jersey Shore and Long Island Sound. Projects stopped in mid-stream. Prospects for future work dried up, their homes were severely damaged or gone.

 

The rebirth of the New Jersey and New York beaches will take time, but with each day another house is close to becoming a home again. Every week will bring us all closer to that place and time where we know that life is better at the beach.