Category Archives: Decorating

Project “Big Girl Room” Reveal

Big Girl Room Redesign (11)

In my previous post, I focused on the organization component of my daughter Grace’s recent bedroom makeover. It basically involved overhauling her closet with the installation of a customized Elfa closet storage system. Today, I’ll reveal how the decor of the bedroom was updated in an effort to transform the room into a space she can truly enjoy throughout her teen years.

When we moved into our home 9 years ago, my daughter was almost 2 years old, and I thought it would be fun to involve her in the process of decorating her new room. I allowed her to select the paint colors of the room and celebrated her love of sea creatures by creating a homemade stamped “sea life” border around the perimeter of her room.
Big Girl Room Redesign (3)

Room “Issues”

Although there are many aspects of the room that have stood the test of time beautifully (e.g., the furniture), there was room for improvement on several fronts. First, the bedroom was dark as a consequence of the magenta paint color and the window treatment.

Second, the green wall color choice was less than optimal (remember, it was chosen by a 2-year old after all). It’s difficult to appreciate how jarring the neon green walls were by merely viewing these photos. Although Grace really enjoyed it, the color was headache-inducing for me to say the least. And after 8 years, it was time to bid adieu to the sea life border.

Big Girl Room Redesign (1)

In addition, it was becoming increasingly apparent that my little trinket collector would require more display space than this mere 12″ x 12″ bulletin board would accommodate.

Big Girl Room Redesign (12)

Finally, we needed to address a few furniture placement issues and replace the bedding, since (although cute), her 5-year quilt had seen better days.

Redesign Objectives

So in a nutshell, the design objectives for this room were to:

1.  Lighten and brighten

2. Tone down the neon

3.  Create additional display space

4.  Improve room Flow

5.  Remove “Little Kid” elements

6.  Freshen up bedding

7.  Add fun pops of color

May I present the new and improved “Big Girl” Room…

Big Girl Room Redesign (2)

Objectives 1, 2, and 5 were achieved via painting the walls and replacing the old valence with a new one that’s narrower and mounted close to the ceiling line. I chose to paint over the magenta using the white trim color in order to unify the chair rail and the bottom portion of the wall. We vanquished the neon green by painting over it with a softer, fresher shade of green.

Big Girl Room Redesign (7)

In order to achieve Objective 3, I created a display wall by covering several cork bulletin boards with magenta-colored fabric that I scored from the remnant bin at Joann’s. My daughter wanted to add cork to the entire wall, but I thought that this would be more than sufficient. We relocated her original bulletin board to the interior of her closet.

Big Girl Room Redesign (9)

The room flow was improved by switching the original position of the vanity and bookcase. In the original configuration, it was difficult for my daughter to access the far side of her room because there was insufficient clearance between the bed and the vanity. With this simple repositioning,Objective 4 was met.

Big Girl Room Redesign (6)

Now for the fun part!  After an extensive search for bedding, my daughter and I fell in love with this funky duvet/sham set I found in the clearance bin for a grand total of $38! Can you tell I’m a sucker for the clearance bins yet?!? The bed skirt was yet another clearance find at Tuesday Morning.  I love love love it! Objective 6…CHECK!

Of course, the addition of the colorful bedding helps to achieve Objective 7, but we took it to the next level with the addition of the fun paper lanterns and ribbon in a variety of festive patterns and colors. We couldn’t resist these cute vinyl picture frames that offered a perfect dose of magenta “pop” on the bookcase wall.
Big Girl Room Redesign (8)

And for the grand finale, we spray painted the letters to match her funky new duvet cover. There you have it!

Big Girl Room Redesign (4)

I’m hoping that this will be the last time we will need to decorate this space until it’s time to transform it into my craft room once Gracie goes off to college!

 Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Designer Trick: How to Hang Drapery Panels for Maximum Impact

Want an easy way to achieve a designer look in your living space?  Pay attention to how you hang your drapery panels.  A common designer trick is to hang drapery panels “high and wide” for maximum impact.

Take a look at this great illustration, which shows a rendering of drapes hung short and close verses those hung high and wide…

Homegoods illustration drapery

Source

Same window, buy very different look.  Don’t you agree?

Hang ’em Wide

Extending the curtain rod three to six inches beyond the frame on each side provides many decorating “benefits”. Not only does it beef up a window’s focal point potential, it allows extra light to flood the room (especially important when staging a home for sale) as well as enabling a clear view of the outdoors. If you are lucky enough to have beautiful window mouldings, you can hang your drapery panels wide enough to show them off.

 Hang ’em High

When you hang drapery panels closer to the ceiling line rather than at window trim height, it creates the illusion of grandeur in the form of a higher ceiling.  Don’t believe me?  Take a look for yourself…

curtain designer trick 1

Here’s another “Before” and “After” from my design files that illustrates the dramatic effect of this simple change…

curtain designer trick 2

In order to achieve this look, you’ll either have to modify standard 84″ panels by adding on a coordinating material to lengthen the panels (click here for a tutorial), or purchase 96″ drapery panels.  Some great resources for purchasing 96″ panels include:  West Elm, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Overstock.com, ZGallerie, and Target.

Although my preference is to hang the panels as high as possible, you can choose to hang them within a few inches of your ceiling line,or half way between the top of your window trim and your ceiling line.  Whatever you choose, be sure that the bottom of the panels skim the floor.

Let me leave you with some additional examples that demonstrate how proper panel placement can add style and visual interest to your room!

drapery round up

Photo credits:

1 – Relaxdeco.com

2 – Loomdecor.com

3 – Tarafree.blogspot.ca

4 –  OneKingsLane.com

5 – Indulgy.com

6 – Elledecor.com

7 – Homegoods.com

8 – Betterhomesandgardens.com

9 – Myhomeideas.com

 Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Solutions for “Ugly Mirrored Closet Door” Syndrome

Mirrored Closet Doors Cover

A client recently hired me to revamp her master closet and dressing area, in preparation for putting her home on the market later in the year.  She’s a savvy homeowner who plans to invest in a few key updates in order to make her property (which was built in the early 70’s) as appealing as possible to buyers.  This area of her home boasts several great features, including this built-in storage area:

Closet built-ins

An element of the space that will NOT appeal to buyers in its current state would be the floor-to-ceiling smoky-mirrored closet doors:

Mirrored Closet Doors

In order to stage this space properly for resale, those doors have to go.  Our budget would not allow for new doors; therefore, we explored several potential creative fixes. One solution was to utilize some type of wall covering to transform the doors, such as this awesome grass cloth example:

doorside

Source

After conducting a Pinterest search, we came across this brilliant idea of employing some type of opaque window film to create a more updated look, working with the mirror instead of covering it up:

frosted design

Source

After we made the decision to remove the central shelving unit from the closet to maximize hang space, we realized that neither of these solutions will work for our situation, since the existing doors would not close off the entire length of the closet. Back to the drawing board!

Like it has in so many previous Refined Rooms projects, Ikea comes to the rescue with a low-cost solution for our closet door woes (oh, when will Northeast Ohio get an Ikea store?)

ikea panels 2

I’ve most often seen Ikea’s panel curtains used to replace hideous vertical blinds, but they can also be used as a room divider, as well as in place of a door to hide open storage. Ikea offers 18 different panel designs, ranging in price from $4.99 to $14.99 per panel.  For this particular project, the total cost of panels and hardware comes to around $80…significantly less than new doors.

The client was sold on this solution immediately and will be ordering and installing the panel curtains in the coming weeks. I promise to post the “after” photos when the closet makeover is complete. Until then, I’ll leave you with this visual…

ikea panels

Is there a place for Ikea panel curtains in your home? Hop on over to their website and check out all of the snazzy designs they have available.  Maybe one of them is right for your space.

Interested in learning more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit RefinedRoomsLLC.com.

Olioboard E-Design: A No Cost Resource for Your Next Room Makeover

Olioboard Collage

Have a space in your home that’s in dire need of a makeover? Do you wish there was an affordable way to enlist the help of an interior designer to create a blueprint for transforming your room from drab to fab?

Let me introduce you to Olioboard.

Olioboard is an online moodboard tool used by interior designers & enthusiasts to create 2D and 3D room designs using real products from the most popular home decor retailers.  Historically, mood boards generated by this design tool were reserved for paying clients.  With the recent introduction of Olioboard’s free e-design service, this is no longer the case.

E-design customers get matched with their very own e-designer who will provide custom “shoppable” designs for their space. You can choose which items (if any) you want to purchase from the room design and make your purchase directly through Olioboard. Items are shipped for free to your door (for orders over $50).

When I learned about this new service, I decided to try it out for myself. I’m ready to give my family room an overhaul this year, and although I have my own vision for how I want the transformation to unroll, I thought it would be fun to incorporate ideas from one of the Olioboard e-designers as well.

After creating an Olioboard account, I initiated the e-design consultation by completing their client questionnaire.  During this information-gathering process, I communicated my overall vision for the space, my style & color preferences, the room dimensions, my budget, and my preferred shopping sources (e.g., Pottery Barn, Pier One, West Elm). I was also asked to upload photos of the space. Olioboard uses this information to pair you with a designer on their team who specializes in your particular style preference (e.g., modern, traditional, coastal, etc.).

My e-designer contacted me within a few hours of submitting my client questionnaire to ask a few clarifying questions. In less than 2 days, the first draft of my design mood board appeared in my inbox (wow! that’s quick!). I was really impressed with the design, but wanted to tweak a few things. I was able to communicate directly with my e-designer via email in order to provide feedback on the draft. In less than a day, the revised mood board arrived.

L-O-V-E  I-T!Olioboard Edesign 1

This interior designer clearly understood my vision and delivered a completed room design within my specified budget. I love that she provided a few options for key pieces, such as the coffee table and t.v. console. The mood board is an essential component of the design, but…where should all of these lovely pieces be placed in the room?

This is the question I posed to my e-designer, and in response, she sent me this detailed floor plan, which left no question unanswered.Olioboard Edesign 2

The free mood board and floor plan are awesome, but what’s beyond awesome is this feature:

Olioboard Edesign 3

Your e-design consultation culminates with an item-specific shopping list with links that enable you to purchase the items in your design board directly from the Olioboard website. I know what you’re thinking…and you’re wrong. The price you see on the retailer’s site is the same price you will find on Olioboard. Too good to be true? I know, right?

I did mention that all orders over $50 include free shipping, right?

So my question to you is…what are you waiting for? Take advantage of this amazing resource and go tackle that room makeover! When you do, be sure to come back and share your experience with the Olioboard e-Design Service (as well as an AFTER photo of your space).

To learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms LLC, visit www.refinedroomsllc.com.

Update Your Outdated Light Fixtures: No Electrician Necessary!

As an Akron/Canton home stager, one of the most common recommendations that I find myself making during the staging consultation process is to replace outdated light fixtures. Outdated builder-grade light fixtures do nothing to enhance the appeal of a property.

effortless lighting updates 1

Homeowners are sometimes reluctant to follow through on this recommendation because they don’t want to incur the cost of an electrician to install new fixtures, or deal with drywall patching and other minor repairs that often go along with the process of replacing a fixture.

Fortunately, there are a variety of relatively pain-free options for dealing with this home staging challenge. Today, I will highlight four of these options:

1.  Spray paint your existing fixture

If your lighting fixture is of the dated brass finish variety, but has “good bones” so to speak, then spray painting it may be your best option.  All you have to do is head on over to Pinterest and do a quick search for light fixture painting tutorials, and you will have all of the information that you need to pull off this easy D.I.Y. project.  For instance, check out this step-by-step guide at Folk Lifestyle.

Effortless Lighting Updates

Source

2.  Change out the shades

If you have a chandelier that screams 1993, it may simply be time to change out the chandelier shades.  Replacing traditional bell-shaped shades with a more contemporary drum shade in a neutral color such as the one featured below can sometimes make all the difference.

effortless lighting updates 2

Source

3.  Use a conversion kit

Many home improvement stores now offer various conversion kits that make changing the look of your light fixture a snap.  For example, many popular home decor sites such as Ballard Designs and Home Decorators Collection sell conversion kits that enable you to easily transform a recessed light into a pendant light:

effortless lighting updates 3

Source

 Got “Hollywood-style” bathroom fixtures?  Despite the name, this type of fixture is anything BUT glamorous!  Lowes offers the Vanity Light Refresh Conversion Kit to remedy this common eyesore.

hollywood fixture conversion kit

Source

4.  Install a wireless LED light

Another option for adding on trend lighting in your home is the use of wireless LED lights that can be installed anywhere and requires no wiring.  You could remove your old light fixture and simply place this new one on top of the fixture mounting plate.  This option is also great for creating additional lighting in a room in which the current lighting is inadequate.

This fixture sold in the Improvements Catalog requires 2 D-size batteries includes a remote control wall switch so you can turn it on and off just like a standard light.

effortless lighting updates 4

Source

Bottom line:  if you are selling your home (or just want to freshen it up a bit), there’s no need to be intimidated by the process of updating those fixtures any longer!

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms?  Visit Refinedroomsllc.com

Go Under the Bed to Uncover Hidden Storage Potential

 

As a professional organizer, I spend a lot of time with my clients exploring measures they can take to maximize the storage space within their homes.  In previous posts, I’ve described the importance of “going vertical” and using the backs of your doors to expand your storage possibilities.  Today, we’ll explore an often untapped area in your home that can serve as extra storage space…under your bed.

Let me begin with the disclaimer that feng shui experts are not keen on the idea of using the space under your bed to for storage.  I’ll leave it to you to determine whether the less-than-optimal fung shui is outweighed by the extra square footage that you will gain by utilizing the space under your bed’s footprint.

Bed Risers

The most common way to render “under the bed” a useful space is to raise your bed off the floor a bit.  I’ve seen people use wood blocks or even cinder blocks to elevate their bed.  Did you know that there’s actually a product that is made specifically for this purpose?

Bed risersSource

You can purchase a set of bed risers at almost any of the major retail stores.  They come in varying heights and are typically made of plastic or wood.  The one featured above comes with a bonus electrical outlet.  Fancy!

Captain’s Bed

Looking for a great storage solution for a small bedroom?  Perhaps a captain’s bed is the answer.  These beds boast built-in drawers beneath the frame that make use of the space between the floor and the bed frame.  The captain’s bed can eliminate the need for a dresser or chest of drawers in your bedroom, which will make the room feel more spacious.

bed solutions for small spaces 2 Source

There are so many cute captain’s beds for kid’s spaces available today.  Many of them offer open cubby spaces in addition to closed (drawer) storage, like this one:

bed solutins for small spaces 3Source

 Murphy Bed

Need a place for the occasional house guest to sleep, but don’t have the luxury of a designated guest room in your home?  The murphy bed is the ideal solution for you.  What is it you ask?  A murphy bed is a bed that is hinged at one end to store vertically against the wall, or inside of a closet or cabinet.
Pull it out when you need it on those few occasions during the year:

bed solutions for small spaces 5

Source

…and push it back up and out of the way when the bed is not in use. Voila – instant square footage!  This particular brand gets an A+ for clever design.  Did you notice that the bed support doubles as a desk/work area?

bed solutions for small spaces 4 Source

Storage Bed

It looks like a typical upholstered bed, right?

bed solutions for small spaces 7

Source

Wait for it…

bed solutions for small spaces 6Source

Ta da!  How’s that for the unexpected?  a storage bed such as this one can yield up to about 50 extra square feet of storage space.  Not too shabby, eh?

Moral of the story – if you are pressed for space, don’t overlook the wealth of opportunity that lies underneath your beds.  Got another way that you utilize your under-the-bed space?  I’d love to hear about it.  Be sure to leave a comment below.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher and Refined Rooms?
Visit RefinedRoomsLLC.com

Beyond the Gallery Wall: Creative Photo Display Ideas

As I prepare to leave today for the Association of Personal Photos Organizer’s (APPO) conference, I thought it would be appropriate to address photos in today’s blog post. Specifically, I thought it would be fun to share some uber-creative photo display ideas I’ve come across that ain’t your typical gallery wall. Not that there’s anything wrong with a gallery wall.  It’s a classic and timeless way to decorate with photos:

Source

If you want to create a traditional gallery wall, there are a number of great DIY tutorials out there to assist you with the planning and placement process. Today, however, we are going to explore some photo display options that are a bit more “outside the box”.

1. Mixed Photos and Accessories Wall

This eye-catching wall display includes photos interspersed with art and wall accessories. You don’t have to be a photo purist…mixing things up creates serious visual interest. Just be sure to include some sort of unifying element that ties the entire collection together, such as a consistent color, texture or shape.

Accessory and Photo Wall

Source

2. Wire and Clips Display

For the high school or college student searching for a cool way to display their volume of Instagram photos (for those students who actually print their photos), this method offers the perfect blend of functionality and kitsch. Simply string a piece of wire, twine, or thin rope across the expanse of your wall and use clips to secure the photos to the wire. You can purchase ready-made kits designed specifically for this purpose. This method of display enables easy change-out of photos; it works great for more casual rooms in the home, such as playrooms, craft rooms, or even some family rooms.

Wire and Clip Photo Display

Source

3. Plank-Mounted Frames

Talk about a statement-maker! This set of gorgeous handmade photo frames mounted on pretty painted planks is available at the Project Cottage Etsy store. I envision these being displayed prominently on a fireplace mantle. Can you see it?

Plank-mounted frames

Source

4. Photo Collage Wallpaper

Have you heard of We Montage yet? It’s a company whose motto is to “live beyond the frame.” You can upload your digital images to their website to create large-scale photo collages in the form of a removable “wallpaper” that easily adhere to your wall. This method of photo display is a useful option for spaces in which hanging photo frames is not practical.

We Montage Photo Collage Wallpaper

Source

5. Wrap-Around-The Corner Photo Display

If your goal is to introduce “The Unexpected” into a room, this product is sure to please. This picture frame is designed to wrap around 90-degree corners. What a truly innovative way to display those photos, don’t you think?

Wrap Around the Corner Frame

Source

6. Heart-Shaped Collage

Since Valentine’s Day falls at the end of this week, I couldn’t resist wrapping up with this simple, yet design-savvy display option – affixing a collage of photos to the wall in the shape of a heart. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to accomplish this with ease.

Heart SHaped Photo Collage

Source

Displaying cherished photos is a powerful way to make your house feel like home. I hope that you come away from this post inspired to embark on your own unique photo display project. If you do, please return to the blog and tell me about it…and include a photo of your completed project!

For more creative ideas for displaying photos in your home, take a look at the Refined Rooms Phabulous Photo Display Board on Pinterest.

 

 Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher and Refined Rooms?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com

 

Refined Product Best Pick: Grandin Road’s Andros Sliding Trunk

 
As a new component of the blog, I will be featuring Refined Product “Best Picks”– products, furniture, accessories, and organizing tools that perfectly fuse form and function.
 

Today’s Best Pick is the Andros Sliding Trunk, brought to you by Grandin Road.  This fabulous piece can function equally well as a bench (at the foot of your bed, in an entryway) or as an ottoman.  Of course, any piece of furniture that is multifunctional and provides storage is a winner in my book!
 

Source

 

The Andros Sliding Trunk also boasts a clever design. Have you ever had to access the contents of your ottoman, and been annoyed that you have to remove everything on top prior to opening it? Not with this piece. Simply slide the lid tops to each side without moving a thing. Genius! It even comes with a removable wood tray that sits inside the interior track.
 
If you are looking to introduce a coastal vibe into your space and are in need of additional storage, this piece is a must-have!
 

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms LLC?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com.

 

Look to Pinterest, Houzz, and Zillow Digs for Interior Decorating Inspiration

I’m sure many of you have engaged in the “old school” method for drawing inspiration for a home decorating project…thumbing through home decor catalogs/magazines and tearing out the pages that contain appealing images…

Design Inspiration1

How many of you have file folders filled with catalog and home decor magazine pages collected over the years?  These pages may contain images of the perfect color palette for your master suite; or perhaps those files contain a great example of just the right furniture configuration for your family room, or an innovative window treatment idea.
The digital age has brought about an evolution in the way we research and gather information across all aspects of our lives, including interior design.  Today, I’ll share my top two online resources for interior design inspiration.  As a bonus, I’ll introduce a promising new resource to keep your eye on as well.

Pinterest

Pinterest came on the scene just a 3 short years ago, and is currently the 4th most popular social media website in the world.  In case you aren’t familiar with it, Pinterest is an online pin board…essentially a digital version of your file folder containing ripped out magazine pages.  A “pin” is a link to an image or video that a user has added to Pinterest.  Users can add a pin from a website or upload an image directly from their computer.  Any pin on Pinterest can be repinned, and all pins link back to their source on the web.

Pinterest boards are used to organize your pins by topic. You could pin ideas for bathroom paint color and faucets to your Bathroom Renovation board, for example. Boards can be secret or public, and you can invite other people to pin with you on any of your boards.  Here’s a screenshot containing some of my Pinterest boards:

Design Inspiration2

When you follow someone on Pinterest, their pins show up in your Pinterest home feed. You can follow all of someone’s boards or just the ones you like best.  Not only do I use Pinterest as a mechanism for capturing general design ideas, I also create project-specific boards for client projects that the client and I can use to communicate ideas, share product/sourcing  information, etc.  It has become an indispensable tool in my business.

Click here to link to my Pinterest Boards

Houzz

Houzz is the the largest collection of interior design and decorating ideas on the InternetWord of warning:   when you enter this website, you will be engulfed in a sea of home decor eye candy!  Most of the image collections that are posted on Houzz represent the work portfolios of interior designers, decorators, and home stagers.

Houzz users can gain inspiration by browsing images sorted by room type and design style.  They can post to discussion boards to ask for or offer advice concerning their own specific design dilemmas.  They can source products that are featured in room design images, and even research local design professionals in their area.

 Design Inspiration3

Similar to the Pinterest board, Houzz enables it’s users to organize their curated images into categories via “Ideabooks” that can be shared with others to facilitate collaboration on a particular project.

Click here to take a look at my Houzz Ideabooks
&nbsp

ZILLOW DIGS

You may be familiar with Zillow, a popular search website for real estate listings and real estate market information.  They’ve recently introduced Zillow Digs, an online community for home design ideas and inspiration.  Similar to Pinterest and Houzz, this site lets you browse images and save them to idea boards. You can search by style cost, and room type.   But Zillow Digs boasts one unique feature…it  provides an estimated cost for the project.  I am looking forward to exploring this site in greater detail in the coming months.

Design Inspriation4

So there you have it.  My short list of “go to” websites to get my creative juices flowing when embarking on a new redesign/home staging project.  How about you?  Do you have any great online resources to add to the mix?  If so, please share in the comments section below.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher and Refined Rooms?
Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com