August 07, 2013

Stuck in your kitchen? Tips for a makeover!

August 07, 2013/ Wrenda

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press• August 3, 2013

Kitchen painted in Benjamin Moore neutrals.

Just one look through House Beautiful or Coastal Living and you will start thinking about redoing your kitchen.

It is the hub of activity, the heart of your home. And if you every plan to sell, you will find thatitis the most important room in the house.

But often the most expensive redo in your home, it may be out of the question. Or not!

Okay, so ripping out the walls and “opening up the room (as all of the home shows say)” is pricey and maybe not currently in your budget. What is a homeowner to do? We all want a beautiful kitchen. Right? Here are a few tips that will give you a quick kitchen update without spending a fortune.

But first, some things to consider.

Do your homework. Have a plan. This may be a good time to call in a designer. You may think that you can't afford this step but if you are on a budget, a two hour consultation will help you make some decisions and decide where best to put your money.

Determine your look before you begin to shop around. Are you just looking to refresh your kitchen or are you ready to make major changes? Are you overwhelmed about what to do and how to get the most bang for your money? Do you want painted cabinets or wood stained? What type of flooring? Countertops and what kind if any, backsplash?

Okay. So let's begin with a few tips that will make a BIG difference if you are on a budget or need to sparkle it up for resale.

For space above cabinets: create a pretty vignette of pottery and artwork. • Change the color. This will give you the most for your money. If the space is small, keep everything in a neutral palette. If your space is huge, give it a warm, personal feel.

• Declutter! Take everything out of each cabinet and drawer and clean thoroughly. Put back only what you need and use. This will make you feel like you have a new kitchen!

• Change the cabinet hardware. Big impact for a moderate price. Favorite sources: Restoration Hardware, Anthropologie, Home Depot.

Photo: Blacksmith pot rack from Pottery Barn.• Hang your pots and pans. This has a nice designer look and can be done in even the smallest kitchens when hung flush against the walls. Favorite sources: Crate and Barrel; Bed, Bath and Beyond; Pottery Barn. Also check restaurant suppliers.

• Havea pantry? Paint the door! This costs very little and will instantly brighten things up.

• No island? Create one. Flea market finds or an industrial stainless one on wheels will be versatile and useful in your space.

• If cabinets do not go to the ceiling, please remove all greenery. It cooks bad, collects dust and need I say more. Just take it away! What to do: Fill in the space with crown molding that goes to the top OR purchase rope lighting and place on the top of the cabinets for a nice effect OR create a pretty vignette of pottery and artwork.

• Need new cabinets but not in the budget? Two suggestions: Have them refaced. This can be done for a fraction of the cost of new and will totally change your kitchen. OR select a couple of cabinets and put glass fronts on them. Buy some pretty, colorful dishes at HomeGoods or Pottery Barn and brighten things up instantly.

• One of my favorite tips for a bar area: Use wainscoting in an accent color to bring in some textureand a pop of color. Very inexpensive and you can do it yourself!

• New bar stools or paint or reupholster the existing ones. Source: www.grandinroad.com

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator. Her practical and affordable interior decorating helps clients transform a house into a beautiful home. Home Inspirations appears the first Saturday of each month. Visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 949-1808 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

June 01, 2013

Tips for creating tablescapes: dazzling works of art for your home

June 01, 2013/ Wrenda

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press• June 1, 2013

Accessories are the most important part of any interior decorating project. They are the finishing touch. They make your home. They are personal and reflect your lifestyle. But often it is a bit of a challenge as to exactly what to do with your accessories. Where to put them and how to arrange them.

Pottery Barn's sawhorse console table is perfect for creating a themed tablescape with candles, mirror, flowers and treasured beach objects. Photo: Pottery Barn.

Tablescapes and vignettes to the rescue. They are the most creative, fun and cost effective way to add that perfect design element to your home. You have seen them in magazines and in catalogues. And with a little planning and a few tips, you can create one of your own or have your decorator help you design one. As a southwest Florida interior decorator, they are one of my favorite design elements to create.

Blues, whites and natural elements are the theme of this tablescape from Williams and Sonoma Home. Photo: Williams and Sonoma Home.

What are tablescapes?

Creatively designed table arrangements that showcase a specific object or collection. In addition to tabletops, items such as bookshelves, coffee tables and mantles can be transformed into a unique tablescape. In addition, tablescaping can include the placement of tables to create an appealing focal point within a given area, which is a great way to add interest to a room.

They can be themed, dazzling, all one color scheme or varied colors, subtle or nature-oriented. They should reflect your personality and decorating style. You can do one for every holiday and change them for each season. The sky is the limit in terms of creativity. They are a work of art. Your art.

Tablescaping emphasizes your personal touch through the use of favorite collections or themes. Finding the perfect theme for your tablescape depends on personal preference as well as the current style of your décor. Objects in tablescapes do not have to match perfectly but they should complement each other to achieve balance.

Where to create a tablescape or vignette ?

You may have a dining room table that is just sitting vacant now that all of the major holiday are over. Perfect for a tablescape. Or a coffee table or end table thathas been gathering odds and ends. Or a buffet that is waiting for its next party. A fireplace mantle or a bookcase that needs a little pizzazz. Perfect for a bit of rearranging into a vignette. And don‘t forget the nightstands in your bedrooms...each one should be styled with the objects that you love. A few books and a couple of your favorite (small) things. Voila! It makes all the difference.

Coffee table bench from Pottery Barn is tablescaped with collections on a tray. Photo: Pottery Barn.

Tips for creating a tablescape or vignette

• Pick a location and measure the space that you will be designing.

• The location might be a table top that combines a piece of art on the wall with the elements on the table.

• Need ideas? Go through magazines and online catalogues. My favorites: Williams and Sonoma Home, RalphLauren Home, Ballard Designs.

• Gather elements that you already have and arrange them. Take a photo.

• Come up with a theme based on objects that you love.

• Select different objects of varying heights. These can include: lamp, mirror, piece of art, books, collections, photos, vase of flowers, a beautiful tray.

• Leave some space on the surface. Don’t let it become too cluttered.

• Less is more. Like jewelry, take off the last piece that you put on.

• Decide what you need and go shopping (with your photo and measurements).

• Finalize your arrangement. Take a photo and send it to me. I will select a few and post them on my blog!

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator. Her column, Home Inspirations appears the first Saturday of each month. Visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 949-1808 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

April 06, 2013

Shedding light on illuminating a home

April 06, 2013/ Wrenda

Need some help sorting out your lighting needs and how it all fits into your decor? Check out these tips in my Home Inspirations column in the Fort Myers News-Press.

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press• April 6, 2013

"How to" books have been written about the proper way to light a home.

And yet, if you are like most homeowners, you have rooms filled with lamps, sconces, ceiling lights and chandeliers. Still, it doesn't seem to be quite right.

Photo of Addie Pendant from Ballard Designs

Addie pendants from Ballard Designs

The generously sized shade of this mouth-blown glass pedant light was inspired by a vintage jar. Hang it above an island, breakfast bar or work area for casual style.

Lighting is much more than functional. It has become a major design element in our homes. It can add the pop that you need to accent a room or it can fade into the background. Done well, lighting can totally change a room. Either way, some basic tips will help to select the type of lighting that is needed and to make it part of your decorating plan.

What every room needs:

March 03, 2013

These houses are for the birds!

March 03, 2013/ Wrenda

Photo of artist's creative birdhouse Long before I was an interior decorator I loved houses.

It was always so interesting to me to see how they were decorated, how the furniture was arranged and how the owner lived. I have collected small houses for years and have them displayed on a antique post office where I can study them with all of their little details.

And I have been collecting birdhouses for the past few years. I find them to be very sweet and the perfect accessory for almost any style home or outdoor space. I find them at flea markets and I even journeyed to North Carolina where I found a birdhouse builder with acres and acres of these miniature homes. I returned home with a car full.

But as a believer in using what you have whenever possible, and in repurposing when it makes sense, I especially love birdhouses that use local materials that mean something. And as a southwest Florida interior decorator, I am surrounded by beautiful driftwood, shells, treasures that wash up on the beaches and more.

November 27, 2012

Accessories: Maximize with minimum

November 27, 2012/ Wrenda

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press• Nov. 17, 2012

World map printed canvases reproduced from an actual 1937 map. Photo: Ballard Designs.

Accessories for the home are the most important part of interior decorating. They are the icing on the cake. The finishing touch.

Done well, they reflect our tastes, our style, our travels, our dreams, what we love. They are the soul of our home.

Photo of repurposed vintage table with shell and glass collections Repurposed vintage table is used for shell and glass collection.Done not so well, they create visual overload and just look like a bunch of stuff that was purchased to fill empty spaces. Meaningless bits that in a year will be thrown out. But a grouping that has been thought out allows you to relax and makes you feel calm.

Coco Chanel knew a lot about accessories.

She said that “simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”

She knew that the simplest possessions in our homes, just like in jewelry or fashion, are often the most meaningful. And so it is with accessories. Less is usually more.

Accessories are often the most difficult part of interior decorating. Not because we don’t have enough of them but because they are often not properly displayed. Just as we do when deciding on paint colors, furniture purchases, window treatments, flooring and fabric, a plan is needed to make accessories work for the home.

April 07, 2012

Spring forward with these tips to refresh your home

April 07, 2012/ Wrenda

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press• April 7, 2012

Since this is a close to spring as we get in Southwest Florida, most of us are looking for ways to give our homes a little freshening up! Some decluttering. And maybe a couple of home projects that we have been thinking about since the holidays. Something about spring, wherever we live, always gives us a nudge to shake things up a little. And even if budgets are tight, you can still do a little decorating to make an impact.

Add spring color with vintage glass pickling jars from Pottery Barn.10 tips for putting a little spring into your home:

• Say goodbye to clutter. Spring is the perfect time to get rid of anything that you don’t love. Go room by room and drawer by drawer. Closet by closet. I find that tackling one room at a time works best. Don’t aim for perfection. Just try to make a dent. And don’t forget to dump all of the piles of magazines that you have not read in the past two years. Too many collectibles? Put some away and rotate them back in the fall.

• Don’t try to redo the entire house but pick one room and give it a makeover. Maybe the family room or the bedroom. Make changes that you have been thinking about. Spend some time and plan it out like a decorator. Find photos in magazines or on the internet. Make a vision board. Establish a budget. Set some priorities. Have fun.

• Add some color for the biggest change. Try some pops of that Tangerine Tango that you have heard so much about. Pantone’s Color of the Year is cheerful and bright. Try new throw pillows, a throw, picture frames. It goes with almost anything when used as an accent and is a very happy color!

• Give the kitchen a facelift. Not a remodel but some small changes that will make you love your kitchen again. Take all appliances off the counters (you will have room in your cabinets or pantry that you have decluttered). Okay, leave the coffee maker. But seriously, remove everything else. Now you have room for a vase of beautiful spring flowers. Now…replace the drawer pulls and any other outdated hardware. Then add a fresh coat of paint.

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