Tag: Tucson

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Las Vegas Market 2019

It’s that wonderful time of year again where I attend the Las Vegas furniture market and come back full of fun, new and creative products to incorporate in my designs. I’m usually there 3 days and walking over 30 miles during that time to find the newest and coolest stuff. This year I dragged my husband around again to help me take pictures and notes…. (it’s a lot to take in by yourself!) This year was yet again all about texture, organic materials and I’m seeing more pops of color then last year. Popular colors this year were emerald green, navy blue and taupey greys. Below are several pictures of some of my favorite finds that I would LOVE to incorporate in my projects this year.

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Extreme transformation on a budget!

In order to flip this house there were major areas that the designer and sub-contractor focused their limited budget and attention on. One of those areas was the master bathroom. What was once a boring and outdated space was transformed into a unique and tranquil master bathroom. This bathroom feels expensive because of the creativity that went into the overall layout of the space. The designer was able to reconfigure the bathroom so much so that there was room for a walk in shower that doubled in size, a beautiful freestanding tub and an accent wall that was centered in the room serving many purposes including creating a focal point upon entering. Finding budget friendly finishes became the easy part once the blueprint of the space was hammered out. Rich wood tones found in the porcelain plank flooring and the floating vanity (which was purchased at a steal through an online vendor), provide a striking contrast to the sparkling glass accents and the crisp whites of the vanity top and tub. Soft highlights of turquoise, cool tans and silver bounce around the room to provide a feeling of calm and freshness. The transformation, while extreme was all done on a budget and became the main selling point of this home’s flip.  Below are the before and after pictures side by side.  To see all the after pictures be sure to check out the portfolio section!

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A Fixer Upper World (Part 1)

Recently I have had at least 4 clients ask for a “Joanna Gaines, Fixer Upper” style design in their space.   I’m just as big of a Gaines fan as the next person but with all these requests  I felt the need to watch as many Fixer Upper episodes as possible for added inspiration.  I now consider myself a Joanna Gaines design expert and due to my intense research, I thought it might be fun to do a Top 10 Fixture Upper Design Ideas blog, this will be a two-parter so check back for part 2!

Season 5, Episode 18: The Americana House  – Chip and Joanna were tasked with designing a music/recording studio space in a portion of this house.  Since this is a music studio it needed to have strong acoustic properties.  In order to do this in an effective yet creative way, they cut cedar block in various depths to create a focal wall that also soaks up sound.  Love this custom dimensional look!

Season 5, Episode 10: The Copp House  – In this episode the Gaines helped a family turn their home into a wheelchair accessible space for their two young boys.  The entire episode was heartwarming, and they were able to create unique spaces that the boys would be able to take advantage of.  My favorite part of the overall design was the bathroom.  Joanna found some antique turquoise lockers which were installed inside a wall to preserve space and add much needed storage while give the entire bathroom a classic locker-esque design.

Season 5, Episode 7: The Baker House – In this home there was a very large space that needed to have two functions with a portion being a laundry room and the other being a home office.  In order to keep the areas separate, but still share window light as well as have the feel of a large open area, Joanna had the idea to build a pony wall and then add opening shelving above all the way to the ceiling.  This added much needed definition to the space without completely framing out a new room.

Season 5, Episode 6: The Safe Gamble House – Two favorites came out of this episode where Chip and Joanna purchased a home that they had planned on flipping to sell, but her sisters family ended up purchasing it instead.

In the kitchen Joanna used the same concept as she did in the Baker House.  She wanted to open up the kitchen to the living room to bring in some light and airiness but she needed to keep it semi separate and still include some storage elements.  They completed this goal by incorporating a metal and glass unit that becomes a huge focal point in the design.


The other area I thought was fun and unique was the master bathroom where Joanna used dry stacked (aka no grout was used between the tiles) handmade tiles for a funky yet vintage look.  You don’t see this done very often as grout is usually necessary in most applications.  This design works well because she didn’t overdo it and the area in which she used it probably will not get daily use (i.e. like shower walls would). 

Hope you enjoyed reading about some of my favorite Joanna Gaines, Fixure Upper Designs.  I’ll continue with Part 2 next time!  Information on all Fixure Upper designs (and lots more!) can be found on their website: https://magnolia.com/

 

 

 

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Design is for the couple with a baby, the girl in her first apartment and even you too!

The biggest myth surrounding the interior design profession and the one that I’m working hard to debunk, is that the average person cannot afford an interior designer. Here are a few reasons why this isn’t true and how a designer can actually SAVE money, time, headaches and maybe even a marriage!

Work with what you have!: Designers are like everyone else, many of us cannot afford the newest trends (even though we dream of them nightly), so we WORK WITH WHAT WE HAVE!  A few simple changes to a layout like placing the sofa here rather than there, using that chair that’s been tucked in the corner of the guest room, hanging a picture a little lower, adding a couple accent lamps, some greenery, an area rug and VOILA!  A complete transformation.  I’m going to have to see if I have a before photo of my fiancés “bachelor pad” before I came around…. Talk about an overnight transformation!

A Room at a Time: More than ever it is quite common for people to complete their home or commercial space in stages.  Spreading out projects over time helps keep finances in check while still making improvements.  If there is not room in the budget to purchase furniture, accessories, rugs or art the designer can provide you a spreadsheet from most important to least along with pictures of appropriate styles, colors and textures, so when the time is right…you can purchase at your leisure!

Designers SAVE Money, Time, Arguments…(fill in the blank!): Yup, I’m ready for my designer hero cape to come in annnny day now!

As a designer I hear all the time, I bought this but I’m not sure what to do with it so it’s just been leaning on my wall…for a year!  Or I have painted this wall about 3x already and I’m still not happy!  Hiring a designer will help you define your space and your goals.  A good designer will help you coordinate your purchases and give you ideas of what you need.  This eliminates unnecessary spending!  When it comes to remodeling….having a designer on board from the start of the project is the smartest thing you can do!

Some Tips: Be transparent with your designer about your goals, budget and timeline.  Most of the designers that I know will take that to heart and be able to tell you that you can’t remodel an entire kitchen with new appliances, cabinetry and slab for $10,000.  They might be able to see the space though and suggest tips to upgrade it within that budget.  Such as: changing out the cabinet hardware, adding a backsplash, adding updated pendent lights and painting the cabinets.  Sometimes just simple changes WITHIN BUDGET will work wonders.

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Histories Mysteries

As a 5th generation Tucsonan I have a lot of stories as well as memorabilia from my families unique history. When I was younger I didn’t quite understand how rare that title was, today I appreciate and even find myself bragging about it (I really am turning into my mom!)

My true love for antique stores really didn’t start until my late teenage years. When I was a kid my mom would drag us through the stores where we couldn’t touch anything and all I could think was, “why do we need MORE old crap?!” As I got older and my interest for design, as well as my families history grew, I really began to appreciate the “old crap” and would often make up stories in my head (and still do!) about the history behind such amazing pieces. “Who owned it?, what trials and tribulations did they suffer?, did they find true love?, was this a piece they treasured?, was it passed to them by a loved one or were they the original owner?…” The beauty and future potential of the pieces excite me just as much as the mystery behind its history.

So jumping ahead to this past weekend, I’m trying to plan for my upcoming wedding in October. I very much want my love for antiques and my family history in the southwest to shine through, therefore I’m on a hunt for vintage jars in various colors, sizes and shapes as well as antique keys. However, being a designer and with my “oh hey…squirrel!” mentality you can guess how this venture to find these two items went…. I found everything BUT wedding decor! I found cabinets galore that I envisioned turning into bathroom vanities, a vintage Knoll chair (that I’m still eyeing for my office), vintage signs that I picture in a man-cave, bar, restaurant or game room, wagon wheels in various sizes that I’d like to layer along a front entry wall, lockers that could literally be used anywhere for functionality while looking oh so cool, car seat springs that could be used as a trellis or to hang pendant lights…my little design imagination ran wild. Needless to say, if you are looking to incorporate a one of a kind or several one of a kind antique pieces into your decor, I just might be your gal! Below are some of my amazing finds from last weekend. I can’t wait to go look for jars and keys again………”oh hey….squirrel!”