Bathroom Design

Woven wood bamboo style roman shades add a spa feel to your bathroom

If you want your morning routine to feel more like a spa visit, declutter your bathroom.  Keep the color palette neutral, put all your necessities under the sink or in the medicine cabinet and keep the counters free of excess items.

Udpate a brick fireplace and hide a television

There are so many great designer ideas in this one set of photos of HGTV's new Green Home: 
1. If you are like me and do not like to see electronics including today's huge flat screen TV's, cover it with a set of pictures on gliding tracks.  Voila, a hidden TV when you are not watching it.
2.  If you have a dated brick fireplace and not enough money to invest in ripping it out or covering with tile, try painting it.  I love how they painted this one Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray (along with the walls) to the side so that the element your eye sees now is the floating shelves.

April Showers

If the grey weather has you down, brighten up your living space with a splash of bright yellow.  It will feel as if you have pulled the sunshine into your room.  For a low cost option, try a vase or fresh flowers, a bowl of lemons, a few throw pillows on your sofa, or a set of new towels in the bathroom.  All can be found for less than $20.

Ms Manners

A gentle manners reminder:

If you invite guests to your house and require that they remove their shoes, let them know in advance that you will ask them to do that.  Provide your guest an appropriate seat near the entry way.  A better option, if you are trying to protect your flooring, is to buy a box of shoe covers.
When you ask someone to your home for an estimate on work such as carpet, window coverings, replacing windows, remodeling, etc. always treat them with the same respect as you would any other guest in your home.  Provide them with a comfortable clean space to work and offer them a drink.