When you walk into your family room, does it say “fun”?  Does your kitchen say “comfort”? Does your living room say “life”?  Exactly what does your home say about you?

If your dreams spell “Action…Thriller…Romance” but your rooms spell “boring”,  perhaps now would be the perfect time to reinvent your home. 

Reinventing Home offers an array of services just right for you…regardless of how great (or small) your need and budget. Whether you are a “DIY”er (Do-It-Yourselfer) who just needs a little advice or a helping hand,  a frustrated decorator with big dreams and a small budget,  or you just won the lottery and need to furnish your new mansion…

Reinventing Home is the right solution for your heart throb! 

Dare to dream...  and  Contact Us to schedule an appointment soon!

In dreams, we enter a world that’s entirely our own
~ Steven Kloves, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Movie)

Decorating Tips

Did somebody say “decorating tips”???? Of course we have decorating tips! Read Drama 101 For Dreamers: Decorating to Your Heart’s Delight for fun, practical, trendy tips, ideas and suggestions to help put the “heart” back into your home.

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Drama 101 For Dreamers

Decorating to Your Heart’s Delight

If the thought of new décor causes  your heart to throb, but your budget brings your racing heart to a rapid halt, do not despair. Following are several  ideas and suggestions you can implement  that will render terrific results at little or no monetary cost.

Before you launch headlong into your project, consider the end result…what do you want the project to accomplish when completed?  Why are you embarking on your project?  What furniture and accessories do you have or need to achieve your end result?   What, realistically, is your budget and timeframe?

These questions are important to consider for a number of reasons.  Just like a roadtrip, the longer it takes to reach your destination, the more time is required in planning the trip. You wouldn’t consider traveling crosscountry without a map and itinerary.  Proper planning will afford  you greater enjoyment with  fewer detours or wasted resources. 

Once you know where you are going, determine how prepared you are to get there.  What furniture and accessories do you have? What is their condition? Perhaps you are a newlywed and have a few new basics and nothing more.  You may be starting on your own with your parents discards or garage sale finds. Perhaps you have collected many things over a long period of time, or have acquired many odds and ends as gifts or an inheritance. Maybe you are in a second marriage and have two households of furniture to blend together.  Whatever the case, you need to know what you have and what you need.

If you know the STYLE or look you want  you are already a step in the right direction. If not, perusing your favorite decorating magazines can be a great place to start. Create an idea book...Tear out photographs of things you like and make a scrapbook. Note or circle what, in particular, works for you and why.  This exercise will help you focus on what is important to you and serves as a guidebook  in charting the course to your destination.

Next, examine your personal inventory with the following questions in mind:

• Do I have any key components on hand that  will help me achieve the look I want?
  
• Do I have items that are similar in shape or size to the things I find appealing?
  
• Do I have the funds to immediately achieve my goals? If not, am I willing to wait?
  
• What are my alternatives?

If you are really on a shoestring and are willing to be flexible,  it is entirely possible to achieve a cohesive, well executed room  that will  meet your interim needs and provide satisfaction, function and  enjoyment.

Many items around your house, even in your garage, attic or basement, can be repainted, refinished, modified or adorned to become new pieces of furniture or new accessories.  An old, dated kitchen pendant  could be replaced with one you create using a collection of cups and saucers fitted together to become a chandelier.  That old olive jar in the cellar would make a wonderful lamp base for a new table lamp in the family room. How about converting that old luggage into a trendy coffee table or end table that also doubles as storage?

If your furniture is worn but stable, perhaps a new furniture arrangement will take the focus away, or it can be hidden with the right throw or an inexpensive slipcover.  If you sew, there are many simple to follow directions for slipcovers available in guides at your local fabric and craft stores.  Consider using an old bedspread, sheet or closeout fabrics as possible sources for free or inexpensive fabric options.

Has your old headboard become a headache?  Your footboard an eyesore?  Maybe it could be modified into a more pleasing size or shape then painted, stained, adorned, or perhaps wrapped in foam or cotton batting and covered with fabric. 

Check your linen closet for sheets , tablecloths or bedspreads that might be repurposed as fabric coverings (great for pillows, too). Check designer fabric outlets for remnant fabrics that would match your décor and can be purchased at deep discounts.  Your linen closet often harbors the solution to inexpensive window treatments, wall coverings and other soft  accents and accessories and may provide the answer to your room completion.   Consider all the options. 

Go Zen! Eliminate your headboard and use the metal bed frame only to support your mattress and boxspring. Alternatively, create a platform and eliminate the boxspring.  Make an inexpensive wooden or concrete block frame and top it with a solid surface equal in size, or slightly larger than the mattress. Ideally, the frame should be smaller to create a toe-kick.  Paint both black.  (Be sure to add enough crossbars within the frame to prevent collapse).  Hang a matchstick blind (Could there be one in your attic?) behind the head and instantly create an Asian ambiance for a designer feel.  

For a fun, contemporary look, try grouping together canvas squares of equal size painted in simple motifs, geometrics, or solid colors. Hang them in a tight arrangement  in lieu of a conventional headboard.  Alternatively, stretch textured solids and/or geometric print fabrics on wooden frames and hang them together to make an impressive statement.

To add height and softness, hang fabric behind the bed. Alternate colors for a fun, trendy look.  In lieu of the expected rod , try clip-on rings anchored to individual hooks screwed directly into the wall. For a traditional feel,  try layering with a soft top treatment for an added dimension and interest.

Inexpensive unfinished wood trim can be stained, painted, or faux finished to match your décor and applied to the wall to create a frame behind the bed.  Try bamboo for a Zen look or picture mold for a more traditional look.  Paint the interior in a contrasting color, or paper the interior in an interesting texture or pattern to add interest, create a focal point, and give the illusion of a headboard.

If you have lots of space but little furniture, consider making room dividers by hinging together old shutters, doors, or full length mirrors.  Check salvage or building supply stores for closeouts or discontinued items that can be purchased for less.  If you find anything in the size and shape you need, ask yourself if it can be painted, covered, refurbished, or otherwise repurposed  to meet your requirements.

Add instant ambience by mounting a fireplace surround to a wall and dressing the firebox opening with a decorative screen, painting, candles, plant or tilework.   Affix the tiles to a mounting board which could be anchored to the wall but easily removed later when your dream furniture becomes a reality. 

Salvaged doors and windows anchored to a wall can instantly create architectural interest. They also provide weight, height, and balance to sparsely furnished rooms. This is a savvy solution to fill void space.   

Before investing in something new, consider renewing a possession you already have.  If something is the right shape or size  to fit a space, ask yourself how it might be modified or refurbished to substitute for a desired item that would otherwise have to be purchased.

If you have been blessed with an abundance of possessions but none of them seem to work together, start by emptying the room. Divide all of your possessions into like categories (pictures together, baskets together, candlesticks together, etc.).  Revisit your idea book and your goals and determine which items, if any, work with your vision. 

Next cull for items you know you need but do not appear to have. If you have similar items but eliminated them on the basis of style or color, ask yourself if they can be refurbished or adorned to become the needed new and useful piece.

Be sure to check other rooms and areas of the house for items that may be  better suited to your project and vision.  A little creative rearranging can go a long way.

If after assessing your inventory you determine that the purchases required exceed your budget and you  are not prepared to wait for a change, an interim plan is in order. Evaluate whether there are enough items of a similar style, or that can be reinvented,  to provide an interim solution.  If the end result is “too little”, consider going Zen or contemporary while you wait. As both looks are minimalist, it may be easier to achieve a cohesive plan that is appealing. You may also discover that an uncluttered palette will facilitate a later transition into your future dream.

Keep your most expensive pieces in neutral colors or transitional in design to accommodate change. It is easier and less expensive to change pillows, paint and accessories, than to replace expensive furniture items which no longer match your taste or style preferences. 

If you rent or anticipate moving, consider the size of  items you buy.  Two loveseats  would be easier to accommodate in a downsize than one large sofa.  The same is true of rugs. Consider using two smaller area rugs instead of one very large room size rug which you could find difficult to place.