Tag Archives: Home Selling

13 Storage Solutions to Banish the Clutter

“It’s amazing all the ‘stuff’ we accumulate over time. And then you realize you have no place to put anything any more and your home is looking cluttered. It might be time to get creative.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell you to throw out your stuff or give it away. And I’m not going to give you advice on how to part with it. Instead, I’m going to give you design tips on how to get it out of sight, quickly and easily. The trick to living without clutter is to make it super easy for you and your family to clean up fast. Follow these tips, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your home can go from chaotic to calm in no time.

WORKSTEAD

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1. Closed storage. Everyone likes the look of open shelving when everything is lined up just so, but the truth is, it’s not always practical to keep everything in perfect order. Closed storage can look just as great, when it’s well thought out. If you have lots of stuff, stay away from open shelving whenever you can, and conceal your stuff behind doors and drawers.

Bunker Workshop

2. Kitchen. Keep your counters clear. Dedicate a space for small appliances that’s easy for you to access. Pullout shelves make it easy to store heavier appliances, like blenders and coffee makers.

Discover more kitchen storage solutions

JACK ROSEN CUSTOM KITCHENS

If you don’t have the luxury of space for a dedicated appliance cabinet, consider creating an appliance nook or an appliance garage on your counter to tuck them out of the way and out of sight.

Ben Herzog

3. Stairs. Under the stairs is always a great place to hide stuff, but it’s easy for that space to turn into a black hole if it’s just an open area. Use pullouts to organize and make that space easy to access.

Browse more clever uses for the space under the stairs

Affecting Spaces

4. Foyer. This is the one space where open shelving really makes sense, so shoes and boots can properly air out. Stinky shoes that share storage with coats will inevitably make the coats smell a little funky.

Wende Woodworking LLC

5. Bathroom. The same rules apply for the bathroom as for the kitchen. Keep your counters clear of stuff. Use a vanity with drawers. Don’t even consider a pedestal sink or a vanity with doors if you tend to be a hoarder. Get the most convenient, easy-to-use storage with drawers. (The drawers can even be organized.)

Bill Fry Construction – Wm. H. Fry Const. Co.

And don’t stop at vanity storage. Maximize your storage by using your mirror as a medicine cabinet as well. If you don’t like the feel of a bulky medicine cabinet at your sink, recess it into the wall. This can often create even deeper storage.

Should you go with a recessed or wall-mounted bathroom mirror?

Scott Weston Architecture Design PL

6. Kids’ room. You may have to remind your children a hundred times that they actually have storage under their bed, but a bed with built-in drawers can help them clean up after themselves.

Patrick Perez Architect

7. Living room. Even if you try to keep stuff out of the living room, it will eventually migrate back to your more commonly used spaces. Build or buy storage (at least 24 inches deep) with large doors and deep drawers. It’s all about the ease of throwing stuff in there quickly.

Closet Factory

8. Garage. If your house is designed to be accessed from the garage, this is a great idea for keeping more stuff from entering the house. Invest in a well-constructed storage unit to make the most of this space.

S.A.N Design Group, Inc.

9. Bay window. As a designer, I’m always struggling with how to best deal with a bay window when I’m laying out a space. I love this idea of squaring off the wall and using that space as trunk-style storage.

Note: It’s really important that your window storage has locking hardware to keep the lid open. It makes it much easier to clean up faster.

Ogawa Fisher Architects

10. Indoor furniture. It’s such a bonus when furniture does double duty. If you are having a bench built for seating, I recommend you ask the millworker to build drawers into the face of the bench. It’s a really easy and clean way to add more storage.

C.O.S Design

11. Outdoor furniture. When planning your outdoor space, always create a storage space that is large and waterproof. You don’t want to have to bring all your outdoor stuff indoors when the weather changes.

How to keep your outdoor furniture looking new

Case Design & Remodeling Indy

12. Basement. This is another area that doesn’t always need closed storage, especially if it’s a space dedicated to storage. Stock up on budget racks and store everything you don’t want to part with but don’t actually use. If you apply the Pareto principle, you probably use only 20 percent of your stuff. So that means you can store the other 80 percent.

C3 Design

If you want to use your basement as living space, then use the closed-storage method to hide that other 80 percent of your stuff.

Organized Living

13. Final tip. If you are working on decluttering, don’t let the state of the inside of your cabinets or drawers deter you from clearing the stuff out of your living space. Once you get a sense of what it’s like to live without clutter all around you, the urge to organize your closets and drawers will come. The first step to clutter-free living is to get the stuff out of sight.

Originally posted on HOUZZ, by Gillian Lazanik

Lifespan of Modern Home Appliances

“Wondering if it’s time to fix or replace your appliance. Here are some average lifespans of 7 major appliances.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Homeowners often assume that with an increase in technology comes an improvement of everyday life. So it can come as a surprise that when appliance manufactures add tech, like sensors and displays, they are actually shortening the product’s lifespan.

home matters Photo by: American Home Shield

Major home appliances like washers, stoves and even refrigerators have plugged into the digital revolution thanks to the introduction of smart appliances by brands like LG and Samsung. You can now do things like scan food items into your fridge, and it will then make recipe recommendations based off of the current contents — that’s one less excuse for ordering takeout.

Unfortunately, the added bells and whistles have overshadowed the fact that appliances just don’t last as long as they use to. The current average lifespan of major home appliances is around 10-15 years — compared to roughly 20-30 years when appliances were mostly mechanical in nature. That’s why your mom’s avocado-green washing machine lasted so long.

Today, the presence of LCD screens, Wi-Fi and even load-sensitive sensors have increased the vulnerability of our modern appliances — the more gadgets, the more things that can fail. This, coupled with thinner plastic parts replacing the more durable porcelain and copper parts of the past means more calls to the repairman. Just like our cars, home appliances were once bulky behemoths made of heavier, more resilient materials.

However, there are two simple recommendations on how to avoid premature breakdowns with modern appliances. First, simply reading through the manual and getting a sense of how to properly clean and maintain your appliance is highly recommended to preserve its lifespan. Second, when problems do arise, don’t jump the gun and swap it for a new one. If the appliance has not yet exceeded the average lifespan, chances are fixing the specific problem and keeping it for its full lifespan will save you more in the long-run.

Click here to download graphic

Although the lifespan of major appliances has decreased over the years, the added technology has greatly improved our lives. For what they now lack in years, these modern machines make up for in energy efficiency and technological versatility. It’s a small price to pay for managing more productive lives in our fast-paced digital age.

Originally appearing on American Home Shield

Wandering Paths That Take Joy in the Journey

“Even if you don’t have a large area to work with a path can add texture and visual interest to your yard and landscape.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

The best aspects of life are sometimes off the beaten path, and the same could be said about your garden. While brick paths and concrete driveways are certainly functional, necessary and expected, don’t overlook the possibility of creating or rejuvenating secondary paths that forge a strong organic relationship with the land and tell its story. With innovative design and proper planting, any backyard can provide the place and the experience, even if the path leads to that secret spot behind the garage, or simply to nowhere in particular.

Blasen Landscape Architecture

1. “Not all those who wander are lost,” J.R.R. Tolkien wrote. Wandering is good for the soul. Paths play a crucial role in the art and process of wandering. While major paths and sidewalks need to be paved to be safely navigated, secondary paths need not be. These paths may not be lit at night, as their usefulness may be limited to daylight, or they may be navigated by flashlight or candle after dusk. They may flirt more with curves and shrubs than the average path, but flirting evokes emotion. This is what makes these paths special and worthwhile.

The path shown here embraces its sense of place and begs to be explored. The best paths embrace their environment. With its curves and unknown destination, this path calls to those who dare to wander far enough to discover its hidden story.

PermaScapes Unlimited Inc

2. There are times when the suggestion of a path is all that is necessary. In the landscape shown here, strategically placed groups of flagstone hint at a pathway through a lawn. This works because they lead the eye; where the eye goes, the body follows and the journey commences.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

3. Wanderers know that a path doesn’t have to lead to anywhere in particular. This free-form gravel path, barely 25 feet long, has a Japanese maple at its end and could easily fit into an average suburban yard. For those who walk there in the late afternoon, this path partners with the setting sun to offer a 15-minute light show that is nothing short of spectacular. And for the wanderer, that is more than enough.

Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC

4. In this landscape, the honed stone stair treads bring an element of antiquity to a very modern home. Their rhythmic placement has a meditative quality that makes the act of ascending this hillside path almost ritualistic. The depression in the center of each step gives the garden visitor both sensual and comforting feelings.

Rebecca Smith Garden Design

5. Paths can be mown through meadows. Additionally, many types of sedge (Carex spp., USDA zones 4 to 10; find your zone) can be planted, mowed and walked on. Some sedges are extremely drought-tolerant, an important concern in many parts of the U.S. The path’s configurations are easily changed. Paths of this type can trigger memories of childhood exploration.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

6. Unused secondary paths can be rejuvenated. This all-but-forgotten path was given new life with the introduction of five ceramic spheres, placed rhythmically along its curves. In a garden, pattern can establish a rhythm that sparks a connection with our internal rhythm, whether it be our pulse or that song that plays nonstop in our mind. This is the reason you feel so comfortable in certain gardens: their rhythms speak to yours.

MTLA- Mark Tessier Landscape Architecture

7. This Los Angeles garden could be found in any large city where land and privacy are precious commodities. A path such as this could wrap around any building, leading to that small private garden forged from a useless space behind a garage. Multitextured plants spilling over into an organic path create the sense of a journey.

Classic Nursery & Landscape Co. / Alan Burke, asla

8. An ascending path formed with raw stones that are partially obscured by ground covers begs to tell its story; perhaps this one leads to a sitting area on the highest point of the property. The highest point is a place of power, and sitting there after a hard day at work is a perfect opportunity to recharge. In the animal kingdom, the leader of the flock always sits highest in the tree.

Erik Block Design Build LLC

9. Rustic bridges always kindle feelings of mystery and exploration, and they frequently transport us mentally back to the simpler times of childhood. The bridge shown here is no exception. An impromptu path leads to the bridge, continuing on the other side of the creek.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

10. The path shown here is mulched with commercially available double-hammered hardwood. The serpentine stacked-stone wall, somewhat reminiscent of Andy Goldsworthy’s installation at Storm King Art Center in New York’s Hudson Valley, provides order similar to how a hard margin provides structure to a paragraph. The pathway’s right-hand side playfully flirts with the surrounding woodland while embracing its negative space.

Prassas Landscape Studio LLC

11. This paver pathway leads to a postage stamp-sized patio between buildings, then continues on the far side. A tight planting scheme creates the illusion of a forest right in Chicago. Two chairs may not be enough for a party, but they’re certainly enough for a memorable conversation.

Rebecca Smith Garden Design

12. The rustic, almost primitive placement of these steppingstones lends an air of antiquity to this secondary path. Their offset pattern is contemplative, giving the path a mystical sense similar to a labyrinth.

Princeton Design Collaborative

13. A tree trunk intersects and interrupts this Philadelphia path. Its unexpected placement and sculptural form elevate it to the status of living art, and the thoughtfully placed nearby bench offers the perfect place for brief contemplation.

Helen Rose Wilson Garden Design

14. Who says paths can’t be fun and gardens are not for children? This raised path made of cut logs is a thoughtful way to engage those children who don’t seem to mind an occasional skinned knee. The vertical flower inflorescences add to this garden’s jubilant nature in a way that prostrate ground covers and weeping conifers couldn’t.

Aaron G. Edwards Landscape Architect

15. Here we see another raised path, this time taking the form of a narrow boardwalk. It’s in an open space between a forest canopy and undergrowth, and the visitor is suspended so as to appreciate the fullness of the forest. This path’s narrow width forces visitors to walk singly. On a philosophical level, this speaks to the fact that we enter and leave this life alone and that our journey is, in reality, our own.

www.KarlGercens.com

16. This New York garden path incorporates the best aspects of the former two gardens. Made of vertical logs, it leads to a simple, narrow bridge. The palette of large and colorful foliage creates a sensory experience for those who take the challenge. The best gardens are cognizant of their audience and immerse their visitors in an unforgettable experience.

Island Gardens Company

17. This narrow path deliberately slows visitors and forces them to interact with the plants. Don’t underestimate the immense value of that branch that grows just a little too low or long and extends into the personal space that a path generally provides. A good gardener recognizes its tactile importance and purposefully leaves it in place. It only looks serendipitous, and looks can be deceiving.

Originally appearing on HOUZZ, by Jay Sifford

10 Ways to Use Ornamental Grasses

“Want some plantings that are easier to maintain? Ornamental Grasses might be a perfect solution for you.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Originally published on HOUZZ, by Laura Gaskill

Water-wise, low-maintenance and available in an impressive range of colors and heights, ornamental grasses have a lot to offer in the landscape. It is critical to choose the right variety for your region (native is best), because some ornamental grasses can be invasive. A good local nursery with knowledgable staff should be able to point you in the right direction. Whether you want to replace the front lawn, create a privacy screen or simply add beautiful texture, here are 10 ways to use these versatile plants around your garden.

Paul Davis Architects

1. Enhance an urban outdoor space with a mini-meadow. Just because you live in the city doesn’t mean you must do without greenery. Create your own small-scale meadow with a custom planter filled with an abundance of lush, fluffy ornamental grasses — it makes a stunning backdrop to an outdoor seating area, and is sure to be a favorite of furry friends.

MB DESIGN & BUILD

2. Soften sounds and breezes. The breeze riffling through long, reedy grasses creates a relaxing auditory backdrop for an urban patio. A bank of tall grasses positioned around an outdoor seating area can also provide a windbreak, making time spent on the patio more comfortable and appealing.

Wagner Hodgson

3. Create a privacy screen. Choose a vertical-growing type, like feather reed grass, above, for the best results. While grasses will not provide the complete privacy of a tall fence, a bed of tall grasses during blooming season can give a patio, deck or pool some privacy while still letting in light.

Grass: Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
Need to know: Feather reed grass does well in most areas (USDA zones 3 to 9; find your zone), and grows tall rather than wide, making it a good choice for small spaces.

Rollin Landscape Design

4. Use as a low-maintenance border. Long driveway or sidewalk borders can be taxing to maintain. Use a single variety of ornamental grass to fill the length of the bed instead of mixed perennials and annuals for an easy-care (and handsome-looking) solution.

Grass: Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima)
Need to know: Mexican feather grass is extremely drought-tolerant and hardy in zones 6 to 10, but is identified as a highly invasive species in California and Oregon. Mexican feather grass reseeds, so it may need to be pulled out in places you don’t want it to spread. If you live in California, the University of California Master Gardener Programrecommends as alternatives California native blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’), California native prairie dropseed (Sporobolus airoides), Mexican deer grass (Muhlenbergia dubia) or pink muhly grass(Muhlenbergia capillaris, especially ‘White Cloud’).

Andrew Mann Architecture

5. Replace the front lawn. Replacing the front lawn with lush ornamental grasses cuts down on work (no more mowing!) and saves water. When you choose a variety of colors and heights, they can add more interest that a traditional lawn, to boot.

Davis Landscape Design LLC

6. Boost front-porch privacy. Taller varieties of ornamental grasses, like little bluestem, above, can create privacy on the front porch or patio without fencing. For year-round appeal, be sure to ask at your local nursery how the variety you choose will look in each season.

Grass: Little bluestem
Need to know: Little bluestem is an incredibly hardy (zones 2a to 9b) and easy-to-care-for plant, native to all of North America except Alaska, Oregon, Nevada, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and the Canadian territories. Little bluestem is very drought-tolerant and grows well from seed.

Addison Landscape & Maintenance, Inc.

7. Complement rustic character. Have a barn, farmhouse or rustic shed on your property? Tall grasses with some visual similarity to wheat, like Pennisetum ‘Fairy Tails’, the noninvasive variety of purple fountain grassshown here, look at once rustic and up-to-date.

Grass: Pennisetum ‘Fairy Tails’
Need to know: Unlike other varieties of purple fountain grass, Pennisetum ‘Fairy Tails’ does not seed, and so is not considered invasive in California (two other noninvasive varieties ofPennisetum are ‘Rubrum’ and ‘Fireworks’). Purple fountain grass is perennial in zones 8b to 11.

Andrew Mann Architecture

8. Gain textural contrast. The fluffy, feathery fronds of ornamental grass provide softness amid hardscaping like fences, pathways and walls. Allowing the grass to spill over the edge of the planting area is a great way to soften the edges of a path or sidewalk, as shown here.

Shirley Bovshow

9. Add vibrant color — without flowers. Some grasses, like the pink muhly grass shown here, erupt in colorful, feathery fronds from late summer to fall. This is a wonderful way to bring color to a water-wise garden where flowers are sparingly used.

Grass: Pink muhly grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris
Need to know: Native to the East Coast of the United States, pink muhly grass clumps, so it will not invade other planting beds. Hardy in zones 7 to 9.

Christopher Yates Landscape Architecture

10. Grow a backyard meadow. Native sedges, when chosen properly for the region, make excellent, low-maintenance (often mow-free) lawn alternatives, perfect for covering large expanses of yard. The Carexspecies, such as Carex pansa, shown here, are particularly good for this purpose.

Grass: California meadow sedge (Carex pansa)
Need to know: Carex pansa is a species of sedge native to the west coast of North America, spanning from California to British Columbia, and thrives in that area. For other parts of the U.S., the Brooklyn Botanic Garden recommends Texas native Carex perdentata; Catlin sedge (Carex texensis), hardy to Zone 6; Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica, native to the eastern and central United States; and Carex senta, known as Baltimore sedge, native to the eastern United States.

Can You Spot the TV?

“Where to put the TV? You’re going to have one, but you don’t want it to dominate the room. These creations offer up lots of new options you may not have considered.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

By Grace Chamia, originally published on HOUZZ

Sometimes a room design doesn’t seem to allow for a 60-inch television — maybe it disrupts the aesthetic flow and clean lines the designer worked so hard to achieve. Cue these now-you-see-me, now-you-don’t entertainment systems that blend in with their surroundings so well, they rival chameleons with their camouflage.

Eoin Lyons Interiors

Winston Churchill has my attention … so much so that I almost missed the TV behind him. Slidable artwork is a striking way to conceal a flush-mount TV.

Here’s Looking at You: Supersize Portraiture at Home

Wolveridge Architects

Where you don’t want to make a feature of a wall-mounted TV, a sliding floor-to-ceiling panel that blends in with the wall is clever at discreetly concealing it. In this Melbourne, Australia, living room by Wolveridge Architects, the good looks of the lower-level cabinetry, which can double as a bench seat, further distracts the eye away from the panel and, just as a magician never reveals secrets, physically distances the viewer from getting a peek at its nuts and bolts.

Howden Homes

You can minimize the impact of a TV simply by surrounding it with framed prints.

How High Should Your TV Be?

Kurt Krueger Architect

The custom wall unit in this Los Angeles living room has a certain je ne sais quoi, with sleek white glossy cabinetry set against dapper walnut wood. The TV goes unnoticed behind the cabinet above the fireplace, with its sliding cover.

Walnut Wows in Traditional and Modern Settings

Kurt Krueger Architect

Tom Stringer Design Partners

This cozy cabin might look like the type of place in which you’d shut out the outside world — no phones, computers or television. But it boasts a huge TV screen that rivals the stone fireplace. Hidden beside the chimney, it is out of eyesight when not in use, and slides out to cover the windows when the mood for a movie kicks in.

Tom Stringer Design Partners

Corben Architects

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In this Sydney home, by Corben Architects, a black wall in open cabinetry camouflages a free-standing TV and fireplace set in front of it. Integrated this way, the high-shine TV screen acts almost as a lustrous finish.

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Despina Design

A TV that doubles as a multifunctional room divider — how’s that for state of the art? This timber structure, which features an ethanol-burning fireplace and a rotating TV, divides an open kitchen-dining-living area and allows the homeowners to enjoy the warmth of the fire and a view of the TV from any part of the room.

The transparency of the fireplace and stunted height of the structure keep the piece from intruding on the space or blocking the flow of light.

C O N T E N T Architecture

Sometimes you just want to be able to pack away your television like you would a PlayStation. Cue this Houston loft and its custom wall unit with tempered glass sliding doors in a satin finish. When the doors are closed, the eye shifts to all of the homeowner’s interesting pieces — artifacts from her travels and a book collection.

Sandkamp Woodworks

That is indeed a rooftop hot tub with what must be a weatherproof television. The industrial steel frame mimics the silver in the skyline, blurring the line between the city view and what’s on TV.

Ad-Notam Miami

Here we have a TV unit that can seem to vanish into thin air. One minute the viewer is staring at his or her reflection in a mirror, and the next it’s replaced by a live stream of the Grand Prix.

TV mirrors like this have come on the market as consumers look for entertainment systems that won’t disrupt their room designs. You simply select a frame that suits your decor or choose no frame at all. Just think, now you won’t have to worry about getting your laptop or tablet wet when watching a movie in the bath. Just direct your attention to your bathroom vanity mirror, sink in deeper and say, “Ahhh.”

Bacic Group

Mastering minimalist design, this built-in TV floats above a frameless fireplace and completes the floor-to-ceiling wall feature without affecting the simplicity of the space.

Patrick Meneguzzi Interiors

A luxe piece of cabinetry can elevate a space, and this one in particular has a highly effective multifunctional purpose: Not only does it create a feature, lining the wall with something that catches your gaze, but it also stores and displays items and subtly accommodates the TV.

Forsythe General Contractors, Inc.

Who needs a dedicated media room when you can combine it so beautifully with a library? This San Francisco home nails the combo with a mammoth built-in floor-to-ceiling bookcase that sets aside just enough space for a flush wall-mount TV, which can disappear with a simple sliding panel. Should you tire of anything else on display with a unit like this …

Forsythe General Contractors, Inc.

… you know what to do!

V6B Design Group – Kitchens & Fine Cabinetry

A TV in the kitchen is quite a treat, especially when it has its very own cupboard. Guests in search of a drinking glass will be particularly taken aback.

14 Ways to Put a TV in the Kitchen

Frame My TV

You might not believe me when I tell you this, but that framed piece above the fireplace … yeah, that’s the TV, disguised by what is called a TV art cover. With the simple push of a button, the canvas painting rolls up into the decorative frame to reveal the relatively large, can’t-miss-it TV.

Canvas Gallery

A windowless bedroom shouldn’t be denied a view. Here, the designers cleverly created a sense of an outlook with pseudo curtains, which open to reveal a flat-screen TV.

Eclectic Living Room Eclectic Living Room

You can’t fit much in cupboards this size, surely …

Oh, but you can. How about your DVD collection and a flat-screen TV that swivels on a panel and slides into a cavity when not in use? That’s media storage, display and TV viewing all in one.

Lindy Donnelly

Like something straight out of a Nancy Drew novel, the middle section of this custom-made bookcase swivels to reveal a built-in TV, so as not to disrupt the cozy, scholarly vibe of the room.

Lindy Donnelly

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5 Container Gardens for Fall and Beyond

“We love container gardening. It’s perfect for patios and decks and gives you more versatility. Here are some ideas that will carry you through the whole year.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

By Karen Chapman, originally appearing on HOUZZ

Whoever suggested we “deck the halls with boughs of holly” clearly wasn’t also trying to cook a turkey, wrap gifts and bake dozens of cookies. Planting a container garden is rarely on the holiday to-do list, yet it is such a perfect way to welcome friends and family to a home.

With a little creativity you can quickly transform any container gardens you may already have, and with some extra planning you can ensure that they continue to shine year-round. By starting with a backbone of great foliage and then adding a few seasonal highlights, you can have your container gardens mark each season with style while still having enough time to enjoy the festivities.

Here are five easy container garden designs and ideas on how to change them up for each season.

Le jardinet

1. Fall Container Garden

Fall shades are the starting point for a Thanksgiving design that can easily be given mini makeovers to look great all year.

Year-round interest:
• Dwarf vine maple tree (Acer circinatum ‘Little Gem’)
• ‘Spellbound’ coral bells (Heuchera hybrid), with gorgeous purple foliage
• Dwarf evergreen conifer
• Orange grass-like ‘Goldfinger’ New Zealand iris (Libertia ixioides)
• Trailing ‘Wojo’s gem’ periwinkle (Vinca maculata)

Fall interest (shown):
• Add deep red pansies.

Thanksgiving accents:
• The orange pot itself sets the scene.
• Nestle orange and yellow gourds among the purple foliage.

Christmas cheer:
• The bare red stems of the maple add height and Christmas color.
• Replace gourds you added in fall with gold accents, such as weatherproof ornaments.

Le jardinet

Spring interest (shown):
• Orange ‘Princess Irene’ tulips will repeat the color of the container and can be planted in fall with the pansies.
• Forgot to add bulbs? You can purchase pots of flowering spring bulbs and simply tuck them in.
• The pansies will be in full bloom.Summer interest:
• Replace the pansies and tulips with deep burgundy ‘Black Magic’ ivy geraniums.

Le jardinet

2. Quick Summer-to-Fall Pot

I often have leftover plants at the end of summer — this container idea is an easy way to put them to good use. These plants are still in their nursery pots and simply nestled into a decorative container. Milk cartons and empty pots are stacked inside the brown container to get the plants to the right height. You can always plant them properly when you have more time.

Le jardinet

Year-round interest:
• Big leafy coral bells (Heuchera)
• Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora)
• Andromeda (Pieris japonica)Fall and Thanksgiving accents (shown):
• A large pumpkin easily fills in space.
• Colorful vines provide instant trailing accents.

Christmas cheer:
• Replace the pumpkin with faux gifts wrapped and beribboned in festive colors.

Spring interest:
• Add a basket of pretty primroses, still in nursery pots and surrounded by Spanish moss to hide the evidence!

Summer interest:
• This is a good time to plant everything properly, as it will make watering easier.
• Replace primroses with shade-tolerant annuals, such as begonias or impatiens.

Le jardinet

3. The Little Black Dress

Black never goes out of fashion, and with a few new accessories this artistic container can easily be ready for a party.

Year-round interest:
• Gardenia

Fall interest:
• White Japanese anemones (Anemone japonica) planted behind the gardenia

Thanksgiving accents:
• Add a couple of mini white pumpkins around the base of the gardenia.

Christmas cheer (shown):
• Add everlasting accents and stems, such as silk magnolia, white berries and clusters of cones dusted with silver.
• Insert evergreens from the garden — such as cedar, juniper and fir — into the moist soil; they will keep fresh for weeks.

Hanukkah highlights: This elegant, monochromatic design could easily be enhanced with silver and blue glass baubles.

Le jardinet

Spring interest:
• Hide pots of flowering white daffodils behind the gardenia.Summer interest (shown):
• Replace spring bulbs with white cosmos or wand flower (Gaura lindheimeri).

Le jardinet

4. Holly Isn’t Just for the Holidays

Keep holly (Ilex sp.) in your container and you have a jump start for every season.

Year-round interest:
• ‘Gold Coast’ holly (Ilex aquifolium)
• Black mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus nigrescens)
• Leatherleaf sedge (Carex buchananii)

Fall and Thanksgiving accents:
• Add colorful pumpkins.
• Add stems of yellow and orange bittersweet(Celastrus scandens)

Christmas cheer (shown):
• Add pinecones, stems with berries and silver balls
• Insert lengths of evergreens from the garden, such as fir and spruce.

Le jardinet

Spring interest:
• Pots of flowering spring bulbs or primroses can replace the Christmas accents.Summer interest (shown):
• Switch out the spring flowers with redimpatiens and bright green trailing ‘Margeurite’ sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) for summer color.

Le jardinet

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5. Nontraditional Colors

The color scheme for this container garden is blue, white and silver but that doesn’t mean it can’t work for fall holidays and springtime too.

Year-round interest:
• Korean fir (Abies koreana)
• ‘Baby Blue’ boulevard cypress(Chamaecyparis pisifera)
• Trailing ivy

Fall interest:
• Cyclamen offer wonderful fall color on a protected porch. Keep them in their nursery pots for ease of watering. Simply remove the plant in its container and stand it on a saucer of water for a few minutes before tucking back it into the planter.
• The felted silver foliage of dusty miller(Senecio cineraria) is winter hardy.
• Blue and white pansies

Christmas cheer (shown):
• Hang silver ornaments from the tree branches.
• Add larger silver and white balls at the base.
• Insert a few stems of blue spruce around the container’s edges.
• Consider just a single splash of bright color, such as this little red cardinal.

Spring interest:
• White crocus
• White hyacinths
• The pansies will be in full bloom.

Summer interest:
• Replace the pansies with white million bells (Calibrachoa).

Le jardinet

Just a few minutes of your time can transform those container gardens from frumpy to fabulous.

Happy holidays

Healthy Home: 8 Ways to Add a Standing Desk

“We’ve all heard that sitting all day is not good for us, but how do you add a standing desk at home? Here are some interesting ideas….”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

By Becky Harris, originally published on HOUZZ

Studies showing that sedentary lifestyles are killing us have launched a thousand headlines. By now you’ve probably heard the catchphrase that “sitting is the new smoking,” in terms of danger to our health. The notion has even invaded pop culture. On sitcoms, the forceful corporate female character has swapped her power suit’s shoulder pads for a treadmill desk.

Switching things up from sitting to standing keeps the blood flowing and, according to studies, can help prevent illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Here’s how to incorporate some standing room in your office space at home.

Howells Architecture + Design, LLC

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1. Think like an architect. As anyone who’s attended architecture school knows, drafting tables give you great options for standing and sitting. While most occupations don’t require a Mayline, electric eraser and tilting desk, the option of sliding over on a drafting stool or standing up helps you switch things around while you work. Frankly, I’ve never found a drafting stool that was at all comfortable, so they always inspired me to stand after about 20 minutes of sitting.

See the rest of this writer’s studio and garden

Incorporated

2. Place the standing desk outside the home office space. If you can do the bulk of your work on a laptop, there’s no need to clutter up your stand-up station. You can easily integrate it into a room outside of your office — and it’s nice to shake up your environment during the day and get in those extra steps while you’re moving between spaces. Also, you may be able to take advantage of a view you don’t get from your office, motivating you to get up, move around and stand more.

The Tiny Project

3. Think like a tiny-house owner. This simple flip-down surface tucks right up against the wall when not in use.

Nanette Wong

4. If you’re short on space but not into a flip desk, mount a desk to the wall. This makes adding a second desk possible in a small space. I recommend using adjustable brackets so you can get the height of the desk just right.

Speaking of which, it can be tricky to fine-tune a standing desk’s height. There are online calculators to help you figure out what’s best ergonomically based on your body measurements. Be sure to wear shoes that give good support when standing and factor those into your height measurement. You may also decide to add a supportive mat, like the ones commonly used in kitchens in front of the sink. If you do, you’ll need to factor this into your height measurement as well. If more than one member of the household will be using the desk, you’ll want one that is height-adjustable.

Jeffers Design Group

5. Incorporate a bilevel solution. I don’t know many people who want to stand all the time; having a place to sit when the mood strikes is a good solution. This high credenza shelf doubles as a standing work surface, but a more traditional built-in desk allows for seated work.

Zuri Custom Homes & Renovations

This home office arranges the traditional desk and the standing desk in an L-shaped configuration.

ZeroEnergy Design

6. Create a perch with a view. In this Boston loft, a desk cantilevers off a railing, providing a view down to the main living space and out the windows to the city. The spot draws the family over for some stand-up work.

See the rest of this loft

Emily Winters

7. Go for a mad-professor look. The mix of wood and iron on the tall French table, the anatomical chart, the lamp and the other accessories all give this home workspace vintage academia-style appeal. No doubt the discomfort of sitting on that stool boosts the user right out of his or her seat and into a standing position.

See the rest of this home

Emily Griffin Design

8. Incorporate standing for craft time too. Big, messy projects often require spreading out and standing up. This clever station has sitting and standing options thanks to the tall stools. Placing the island in the middle of the room leaves space all around it for working and spreading out. I’d even be tempted to hoist my foot right up there and stretch like I was at a barre. Whatever gets you lunging, squatting or doing a plié is a good thing. Throw in a few as you transition from standing to sitting.

11 Smart Decorating Ideas for Wall Niches

“Do you have an interesting little cubby or niche and not sure what to do with it? Here are some ideas that just might help you out.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Originally published on HOUZZ, by Yanic Simard

Sometimes a wall niche has an obvious purpose — a cubby for firewood, for example. Other times, not so much. Either way, if you’re not sure what to do with your functional niche or awkward alcove, here are foolproof ways to fill, conceal, feature and otherwise turn that negative space into a positive.

Two Ellie

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1. Firewood. A classic, and obvious, use for a niche near a fireplace is to store clean, uniformly cut firewood, which creates a beautiful rustic effect even if you don’t actually burn logs in your fireplace. Generally small logs can fill any shape of niche, turning a rounded edge or an odd angle into a fun feature.

See more on firewood storage

ACRE Goods + Services

2. Firewood and art. The look of stacked wood works even in a modern setting. Feel free to get creative with it and add some art, or paint the ends of some logs in a bright shade to add graphic pops of color.

Contemporary Living Room Contemporary Living Room

3. Plants. For an organic touch similar to wood, use a hardy live plant (one that can survive away from sunlight), and let the leaves softly spill out of the niche to play against the hard lines.

See 10 of the top plants to grow indoors

MPD London

4. Shelves. Spanning shelves across a shallow wall niche is one of the most efficient uses of these spaces. It gives you extra storage and display space, and can turn what seems like an awkward area into something that looks planned and organized.

Shift Interiors

The horizontal lines of shelves can also visually correct awkwardly uneven walls (narrow or wide). Meanwhile, painting the backdrop elevates the niche to an architectural feature instead of a problem.

See 8 ideas for floating shelves

Paint by Benjamin Moore: Street Chic CSP-45 (backdrop); Balboa Mist 1549 (walls)

Regan Baker Design

5. Bright hues. Of course, an alcove doesn’t have to be shy. Consider making one the center of attention with a coat of bright paint. If a niche doesn’t have a physical border, simply tape off a 1- to 2-inch edge before painting to give it a stronger physical presence.

See more bold colors for niches, nooks and crannies

Similar paint color: Rumba Orange 2014-20, Benjamin Moore; bike racks: CB2

6. Mirrors and glass. Filling an alcove with glass shelves and a mirrored back adds a lot of layered depth, making the niche feel almost like a window or a passageway into a distant room. Here, the overall effect extends the apparent eaye line so the niche and room feel bigger.

Toronto Interior Design Group | Yanic Simard

7. Grating. Rather than filling the unusual niche between this front room and the adjacent foyer with drywall, I added decorative faux wrought iron grating to add structure while keeping the open feeling. Now the spaces are better defined without the foyer’s being closed in.

Light: Yves, Nuevo; sconces: Elte

Gayle Wainwright

8. Carved panels. Similarly, the designer of this bathroom filled the pass-throughs between the shower and main space with decorative panels, but in a more opaque way that preserves a sense of privacy.

Found Associates

9. Built-ins. Sometimes the best way to deal with a really unusually shaped niche or bulkhead is to build it out to make a flat wall. Here, the built-in storage also acts as an interesting headboard, giving the room a more structured feeling without wasting space.

Nova Tayona Architects

A similar effect has been achieved here, in a more minimalist modern look, with built-ins used at multiple depths to turn the whole wall into a subtle feature.

Case Design/Remodeling, Inc.

10. Reading nooks and open storage. The alcove under a stairway is often turned into closed storage due to the unusual shape, but it can also make a great reading nook or open storage for attractive coats, bags and other accessories that don’t need to be stashed behind closed doors.

See 8 clever ideas for the space under the stairs

Cabinets: Crystal Cabinets

Kelly Rogers Interiors

11. Furniture. When filling a niche with a furniture piece, you can opt for something subtle that blends in with the walls, or take the opportunity to make the furniture a feature, like a jewel in a case.

Chest: Butler Specialty Co.; wall paint: Cool Breeze, Benjamin Moore; carpet: Delmar in Iris Green, Prestige Mills; bed: Pottery Barn

8 Clever Ideas for Under Your Stairs

“There are so many ways to use that space under the stairs…Sitting Area, Bookshelves, indoor door house.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

The proverb “Waste not, want not” applies to many aspects of life, and interior design is no exception. Making the most of every square foot of your home is a great way to gain the most value (both financially and emotionally) from it. If you live in a house with stairs, the space beneath them is a gold mine of creative possibilities. Here are eight ways to make the most of it.

JWT Associates

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1. Reading Nook

The small dimensions of the space under the stairs make it ideal for creating a cozy reading nook. This Los Angles book nook, designed by JWT Associates, is wrapped in tongue-and-groove wood paneling for a down-on-the-farm aesthetic.

Case Design/Remodeling, Inc.

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With its white beadboard walls and storage cabinets underneath, this cozy Washington, D.C., reading nook is a great place to unwind with a good book.

Explore 15 cozy book nooks

Jon R. Sayler, Architect AIA PS

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This reading nook, by architect Jon R. Sayler for a home in Seattle, was designed around a full-size mattress. It’s a comfortable napping spot and overflow guest quarters.

Lynn Donaldson & Associates

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2. Bookshelves

The shape of the space under the stairs also lends itself to built-in bookshelves. Unlike standard shelves or bookcases, under-the-stairs units take up just the right amount of space and can be made in a variety of styles.

This angular built-in bookcase in Calgary, Alberta, includes a bottom row of drawers for extra storage.

Wall paint: Lava Gray, PPG Pittsburgh Paints

Glenn Gissler Design

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A curved staircase, like this grand example in New York, creates the perfect space for a dramatic library wall along the stairs.

Texas Construction Company

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A single-shelf bookcase cut into the bottom of the stairs can be eye-catching, as in this contemporary home in Austin, Texas.

Von Fitz Design

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3. Playspace

While putting a child’s bedroom under the stairs à la Harry Potter might be a little cruel, the space can make for a great play area for the young ones.

A narrow door built into the side of this Los Angeles staircase leads to a private retreat for the homeowners’ children.

Von Fitz Design

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The interior of this playspace under the stairs include vibrant green walls, a shaggy throw pillow, faux-fur rugs and a helpful reminder about the importance of brothers.

Wall sign: Pottery Barn Kids

CplusC Architectural Workshop

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This contemporary nook cut into the stairs is a magical place in which kids can play and dream. CplusC Architectural Workshop designed this space for a home in Sydney.

Risinger Homes

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4. Office

If you don’t have an entire room available for a home office, consider the space under the stairs as a great alternative. The built-in desk and bookshelves of this modern office in Austin, Texas, make for a stylish workspace.

Discover 95 dazzling deskscapes

Andrew Snow Photography

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It’s not necessary to build an entire office under the stairs. Sometimes a desk and chair below an open staircase do the trick, as shown in this industrial loft in Toronto.

Eames aluminum Management Group leather chair: Room & Board

Maison de Reve Builders LLC

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5. Pet Space

The space under the stairs offers a wonderful private spot for a family pet. This doghouse in New Orleans features a custom wrought iron gate made to match the stair railing above.

Candlelight Homes

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Simply adding a water bowl, food bowl and dog bed to an alcove under the stairs also creates a custom and stylish space for your pet.

Electric Mirror

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6. Powder Room

Adding a bathroom, even just a powder room, is a great way to raise the value of your home. The space under the stairs may provide just enough space for a toilet and sink, as seen in the marble-clad powder room above.

My Bespoke Room Ltd

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This London powder room, by My Bespoke Room Ltd., makes good use of the small space under the stairs.

Browse 102 pretty powder rooms

Pinnacle Mountain Homes

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7. Wine Storage

For the wine enthusiast, finding storage space for bottles can be a challenge. Consider the space under the stairs as a prime location to add wine racks or even a walk-in wine cellar, as seen above.

Jeri Koegel Photography

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If you don’t have enough room for a walk-in wine cellar under your stairs, a few stylish wine racks might do the trick. This modern space in Los Angeles can hold up to 33 wine bottles.

Eames molded plastic stacking side chair: Design Within Reach

Keechi Creek Builders

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8. Hybrid

If you’re having a difficult time deciding between one option for your space under the stairs, why not try two? This Houston home, designed by Keechi Creek Builders, has both a doghouse and office space under the stairs.

Feldman Architecture, Inc.

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This San Francisco home, designed byFeldman Architecture Inc., includes a built-in bookshelf under the stairs …

Feldman Architecture, Inc.

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… and the bookshelf is also a secret door that leads to a children’s playspace.

Discover secret doors and hidden passages

John Hannah Architectural Design & Rendering

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Finally, this cleverly designed space under the stairs in a Montreal home has a washing machine and dryer, as well as an alcove where the family cat likes to hang out.

Originally Published on HOUZZ, by Bryan Anthony

Making Your Move Easier for Your Family

“Moving to a new home is both exciting and stressful on everyone. But there are some things that you can do to help everyone through the move.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Moving into a new house is so much more than simply relocating to a different place. When we leave behind a home, especially one we’ve lived in for a long time, we also leave behind all those years spent enjoying it. Children who were tiny when you moved in have grown into strapping teenagers under its roof. Friends have visited, meals have been shared, and the small dramas of everyday life have been played out in it, so it can be emotional to walk away.

Settling into a new home that carries traces of its previous owners also can take time. So in the rush and chaos of moving, take time to celebrate the home you’re leaving and get set to enjoy the place you’re moving into with these tips for easing the transition.

sarah & bendrix

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How to Say Goodbye to Your Old Home

Take photos of it. Before everything is swept up into moving boxes, take photos of your home. Document each room, so you can revisit it later. If you have children, snap pictures of them, too, enjoying the house as usual: drawing at the kitchen table, playing in the garden, chilling in front of the TV. You are aiming to capture an emotional record of your house, as well as images of its beautiful kitchen or big windows.

Blakes London

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Snap it messy! Take pictures of your home on a typical day, when it’s not clean and tidy. This will provide a more meaningful record of your house and how you used it. You could arrange all these images in an album, with the address and the dates you lived there on the front. This will serve as a lovely record of your time there, but also as a realistic account. If you have mixed feelings about moving on, honest images of all the good and bad elements of your last place may help you feel more positive about your new home.

Studio M Interiors

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Leave your mark. Why not leave a little something of yourself behind before you move out? No, that does not mean a sink full of unwashed coffee mugs! Try something subtler. You could go for the classic time capsule, hidden in the attic. Or write a letter to the new owners, welcoming them to the house and explaining what you loved about it. You could even sign your name somewhere and date it, perhaps on the ceiling inside a cupboard or on the rafters in the attic.

Huettl Landscape Architecture

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Hold a goodbye party. Celebrate your home and the life it has given you with a goodbye party. It doesn’t matter if you’ve already started to pack — your guests can happily negotiate a few boxes. String up some lights, play some music and enjoy the house with the family and friends you’ve shared it with over the years.

Pavilion Broadway

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Toast your home. Raise a glass to your home, perhaps during your goodbye party or simply with your family. Moving is stressful and busy, but it’s important to pause, look around and say, “Cheers!”

Born & Bred Studio

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How to Settle Into Your New Home

Clean up. When you arrive in a new home, nothing looks, feels or even smells the same way, which can be unsettling. So start by cleaning surfaces, floors and inside cupboards with some familiar, fresh-scented products to help make the place feel like yours.

Rill Architects

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Get fresh. Fling open the windows on the first day, too, to air out the rooms and freshen up the whole house. In the evening, light a few scented candles.

Inspired Design Ltd

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Grab a few goodies. Piles of moving boxes and empty rooms do not help a house feel like a home, so treat yourself and your new place to a few goodies that will make it feel special. Arrange some fresh flowers, bought at the store on the way to the house or picked from the garden, or buy quality hand soap or a few new towels. When you are facing days of unpacking chaos, these little touches can really cheer you up.

Blakes London

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Don’t forget the pets! Dogs and cats may also take a while to settle into a new home, so try to ease the transition for them, too. When you arrive at your new home, shut the cat in a single room for safety, with water, the litter tray and its bed. You can let your cat out at the end of the day to explore, but confine it to a few rooms so it doesn’t feel overwhelmed. Cats should be kept inside the house for a week or so to prevent them from trying to return to your old home.

Contemporary Exterior Contemporary Exterior

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Do right by your dog. You should introduce your dog to the new house. Keep your dog on a leash and take it around the key rooms, one at a time, allowing it to sniff and explore, but under your supervision. You wouldn’t expect guests to run all over the house, upstairs and down, the moment they arrived, so don’t let your dog. Point out where its bed is and even keep upper floors out of bounds at first, so it doesn’t feel overwhelmed by its new territory.

B&Q

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Personalize the place. Paint a wall, hang photos or buy some new blinds. Even if the rest of the redecorating will take months, a few small tweaks can really help you start to stamp your personality on your new home.

ALVAREZ-DIAZ & VILLALON

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Host a housewarming. Sharing your new home with family and friends can help you bond with it, so host a party — no gifts required. You might like to invite new neighbors, too, as a good chance to get to know them, or simply keep it small and intimate.

Originally published on HOUZZ, by Joanna Simmons

DC Metro Info – Events, Info & Real Estate Trends

Keeping You Informed About Where You Live

Tag Archives: Home Selling

13 Storage Solutions to Banish the Clutter

Lifespan of Modern Home Appliances

Wandering Paths That Take Joy in the Journey

10 Ways to Use Ornamental Grasses

Can You Spot the TV?

5 Container Gardens for Fall and Beyond

Healthy Home: 8 Ways to Add a Standing Desk

11 Smart Decorating Ideas for Wall Niches

8 Clever Ideas for Under Your Stairs

Making Your Move Easier for Your Family

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