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

Allied Member ASID

Member of Kiwanis of Greater Toms River 

BIO

http://masmithinteriordesign.com

Blog: Coastal Confidante Blog 

Blog: BestDesignCoach.com

Serving New Jersey and Metropolitan New York City

Part II - Designer's Best Kept Secrets to a Successful Project

Renaissance at Manchester NJ new Lobby's Installation Day

The minute you see the photo above, you may have wondered why I used this image today. Yes, it's a lobby and not a home. But the design process to arrive to this special installation day is the same, whether for residential or commercial design.

The process starts with gathering information as I discussed in the last blog post. We discuss how a room is used or will be used. What do you like or dislike when you think of the room as it is now. And, what changes in the room would make you happy.

(The former Lobby before updating)

For instance, our design committee at Renaissance discussed the dissatisfaction with the old layout of the room. We discussed how much seating should be included (as well as a change in color scheme). Once I had the basic information on the flow (or access from one area to the next) and the need for ample seating, I measured and then created the floorplan you see below.

We expanded the carpeted area to the rear of the room and shortened the carpeted area in the front of the Lobby. This created a more open feel and direct access from one hallway to the other.

The intent of the space is to add seating arranged for conversation.

However, the space is not meant for lengthy meetings, so we left out the use of side tables next to the sofa and armchairs.

The result is a more updated, open and airy lobby that is a great departure from the former layout.

Yes, floorplans are helpful. But sometimes a 3D drawing gives our clients an image they can understand.

This drawing shows the highback wing chairs that work beautifully in a room with a high ceiling. Also, it's more interesting to vary the heights of sofas or chairs.

We stayed on course with the committees' request to keep the traffic flow around the seating area and within the seating area easy for residents to use.

So now you know this designer's secret to successful projects - start with information gathering and design spaces that are comfortable to use for all.

From new construction, renovations and room refreshing, we work a plan and plan your design around your life, your family and your budget. 

The 5 Most Important Questions I ask my Clients

The 5 Most Important Questions I ask my Clients 

Photo courtesy of Copeland Furniture - made in Vermont

Now that summer is behind us, we look to the next few months as a new start. If you're like me, you feel like hitting "refresh" as soon as September rolls around. 

I definitely need a new look and a new perspective in autumn. And, just like my clients who hire me to give their homes a new look, I also need to change up things inside and outside our home. 

But in order to change, you first need to know what needs changing. It's hard to prioritize and decide what should stay, what should go or what look in your home needs a re-boot. 

So I have to pretend I'm my own client in a way. I have to ask myself the same things I ask my clients. For instance:

1. How do you want to use the room or space (indoors or outside)? Do you need more seating, less seating, more space for entertaining perhaps?
2. What are the things you love about this room? Is it the light, the fireplace, the colors used on walls and furnishings?
3. What are you most dissatisfied with the room? Is it too small, too large, too plain? 
4. What rooms in Pinterest, House Beautiful or Architectural Digest have you consistently loved? Are you a fan of Ralph Lauren, Miles Redd, Restoration Hardware?
5. What is your budget? Are you ready to renovate to the extent of changing floors, opening up a room, or is it more cosmetic with new furniture and new paint colors on the walls? 

To help you make a change, I'll share with you my journey in my own 'Autumn Refresh'. I'll start with the first question on the next post. See you then!

Valentine's Day - A few different ideas for Gifts

With only days away, do you have to come up with a great Valentine, Birthday or Anniversary gift idea?

 If you're 5 years old, you can get away with a handmade card from school, but not now. So now what to do, what is a different kind of gift, what would they love to receive?

Here are a few ideas to get you going in the right direction fast. (You only have a week or so!) The first ones are for men, and the last are for the love or loves of your life.

For the men in your life:

• A monthly gym membership - for a "core strength and conditioning program."
• Dinner at Charlie's in Bay Head, NJ  - fabulous atmosphere and great food. 

For wife, mother, grandmother, sister or girlfriend:

• A two hour interior designer consultation at $150.
• A four hour interior designer consultation at $295.

Now is the perfect time to help her get her home ready for spring, for renovation or for staging a house for sale. A two hour Gift Card towards a consult on a room of your choice includes:

1. Paint color ideas to make a room come to life (finally the right color!)
2. A better floorplan concept - great for Living Room and Family Rooms
3. Arranging accessory ideas for tabletop, bookcases or a mantel 
4. Window treatment or lighting suggestions to bring a room to life
5. Lighting suggestions to give a room the atmosphere to feel and look great in

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

To schedule an appointment call: 732 690-2030

M. A. Smith Interior Design 

masmith@masmithinteriordesign.com

Allied Member ASID

Member of Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce

Member of Kiwanis Daybreak of Toms River

http://masmithinteriordesign.com

Blogs: HouseZenGarden and Best Design Coach

Five of my Favorite Myths or Secrets about Decorating your Home with Paint

Photo courtesy of Country Living 

1. Dark paint colors make a room look smaller - wrong! Dark paint colors give a small space the oomph it needs to look important. There is a warm and enveloping feeling that you can't always get from a pale shade of paint. 
2. Trim has to be either stained or painted white. Please give this one myth up ASAP! In our own home we used a medium shade of gray on our formerly lackluster white interior doors. 
3. Gray paint is not a warm color. Wrong again! Yes, some grays are cooler grays, but there's a warm gray for everybody. We used Benjamin Moore's Edgecomb Gray on our hallways and Foyer. It's a beigy/soft/greige that changes throughout the day. It's perfect if you want to be 'engaged' but not commit to gray. 
4. Everyone in the house has to love the color I choose. Trust me, not everyone has the faintest idea of what paint can do for a house. For instance, if your toddler craves purple, would you respect her choice and paint your home purple? If you're unsure on what color to select, look into hiring an interior designer to help make the best choice of color. 
5. All paints are the same, so buy less expensive paint. After twenty years in the business of interior design, I can speak as an expert. Do buy good paint, it will look and last better than cheaper paints. 

Lastly, (as much as I love my painters) let them do their work but save the color selection to you or your designer. Not every color looks the same in every house. I've seen paint colors in my clients homes that I would have loved in my home. But, we have different light, floor color, furnishings and all that can change how a color looks. 

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

To schedule an appointment call: 732 690-2030

M. A. Smith Interior Design 

masmith@masmithinteriordesign.com

Allied Member ASID

Member of Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce

Member of Kiwanis Daybreak of Toms River

http://masmithinteriordesign.com

Blog: HouseZenGarden and Best Design Coach

Three ways to Get Inspired for your Home

Where do designers go to get inspired for their interior design projects?

Even the most acclaimed designers have days when they feel uninspired or can't find the answer to a design problem. Sometimes it seems that there is no answer. You mull over ideas, talk to friends and still you're not sure what to do.

Today I'll offer one of the easiest ways I unlock my creative juices to get back on track. It's so easy, you'll wonder why you didn't do it yourself!

Grab a shelter magazine such as House Beautiful or Coastal Living. Or, go to your favorite website such as One Kings Lane, for ideas. (Today they have Bunny Williams Home as a feature design resource.) Also revisit your file of magazine tearsheets that you've been accumulating for your home design project. Chances are you already earmarked a page or photo of a room, or a garden project that called to you and will unlock the idea to solve your design challenge.

Look for my next tip to get you inspired. What's your design challenge today?

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

Arranging Furniture Around A Fireplace Made Easy

Armchairs instead of Sofas or Loveseats

How Successful Rooms Are Created

This photo reminds me of a successful outcome for a client who had a space problem in an open floorplan room.

On one end of the room we chose a large sectional for watching their TV. At the other end of the room we decided to place a lovely bleached oak dining table with French blue dining chairs.

The problem was what to do with an off-center fireplace wall that was somewhere in between the seating and dining areas of the room.

Since there was ample space in front of the fireplace, we decided to create a special and intimate seating area - Four upholstered chairs with swivels surrounding a round table for drinks or coffee.

However, early in the design phase it looked like only a loveseat or two armchairs facing the fireplace would work. Yet once I had the floorplan drawn to scale, I determined that the fireplace 'nook' had the capacity to become a very special space for entertaining friends by using four armchairs instead of the usual loveseat.

Answering this challenge reminds me of Steve Jobs who once said "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."

For my clients, this was a solution that looked great and worked for years to come.


Lesson: Never underestimate the power of taking the time to draw a floorplan to scale and to open your mind to more than either or solutions.