Improvement Projects to Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays

 

Home For The Holidays 

As the weather slowly changes and the fall season starts peeking around the corner, your thoughts may turn to the upcoming winter holidays. If you enjoy having parties for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve or other holidays, then you want your home to look its best. Here are a few home improvement projects to invest in now so you can be ready for the holidays later.

Give the Kitchen a Facelift

You don’t have to invest in a whole new kitchen to enjoy a fresh look. If you have wood cabinets that feature a dated color, then consider refinishing them with a fresh coat of stain or paint. The mild weather of fall gives you the perfect time because you can leave the windows open to help dissipate fumes. Finish the look with a fresh color on the walls, new hardware on the doors and updated décor.

Improve the Look with Lighting

Change the lighting around your home to give it a fresh look that’s sure to impress. Dated ceiling fans can be replaced with chandeliers or more modern fans. Consider making the upgrade to wall sconces to spread the light out across the room and make it more attractive.

Consider Natural Lighting

As the days shorten, you lose natural light in the home. Take advantage of the sunlight as much as possible by adding skylights. Tubular skylights make this a relatively easy and affordable home improvement. Special reflective tubes connect a roof skylight with a smaller opening inside your interior ceiling. The natural light floods this tube during the day and can effectively brighten a dark hallway or interior bathroom.

Update Doors and Windows

Nothing draws attention to your doors and windows like holiday decorations. Wreaths guarantee that visitors to your home will take a good look at the front door, so you want it to look great. Inside the home, there are countless ways to dress up your doors and add a festive touch, but you don’t want to do this on a damaged or dated door. Make your home interior more attractive by replacing your doors with modern, raised-panel options that look great. When you go with energy efficient doors and windows, you’ll make the house look great even as you lower your energy bills.

The Best Time for New Flooring

With holiday parties looming, this is the best time to replace your worn carpet. Go with carpeting that has stain preventers built in so that you won’t have to worry as much about accidental spills. A better option is hardwood flooring that looks incredible, adds value to your home and is easy to care for.

All of these improvement projects can easily be done during the fall season, and most of them are surprisingly affordable. You’ll give your home a fresh look that will have it ready for your holiday décor. Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner or considering a big bash for the New Year, you’ll love how the house looks once the renovations are done and your decorations are in place.

Contributed by Tim Smith 

Tim Smith writes for Modernize.

Traditional Holiday Decorating

                                                Traditional Holidays

 

Holiday Decorating Traditional Style

Tin-Ceiling Tree Planter

Using a tin ceiling tile as inspiration, This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers created a holiday planter box to hold the tabletop tree.

Punched-Tin Star

A red tin Christmas tree topper mirrors the tin at the bottom of the assembly. 

Decorate Traditional Holiday Medallion Wreaths

Two lightweight, plaster-coated foam ceiling medallions hang in front of the windows like Christmas wreaths. They've been painted on the cheap by mixing sample jars of traditional green paint into glaze to create the look of pine boughs. 

Reds, Greens, and Flickering Candles

A bay-leaf wreath and faux wood berries bring Christmas color to a plain hurricane-glass candle holder. A flameless LED candle flickers like real but is safe to be left alone in a room—historic or not.

Fireplace Adorned

Natural garlands, Magnolia-leaf, pine-cone garland and embroidered stockings turn the mantel into a Christmas centerpiece.

Glass Ornaments

Vintage-style glass ornaments emulate the colorful bangles that were popular in the 1950s.

Affordable Residential and Commercial Holiday Decorating Services

Charlotte NC - SC Interior and Exterior Christmas - Seasonal - Holiday Event Decorating

Schedule your  appointment with a Holiday Decorator today for Holiday Decorating -Seasonal Decorating - Christmas Decorating - New Years Event Decorating and Event Decorating Services

Charlotte NC Professional Decorating Company - providing Residential - Commercial Interior Design, Redesign, Home Staging, Color Consulting, Seasonal Holiday- Event Decorating, Decor Shopping Services. Mecklenburg – Iredell – Catawba – Cabarrus – Gaston – Forsyth – Union NC – York SC

Fall Home Decorating Ideas

  

  Fall Home Decorating Ideas

 

Enlighten your home with pops of fall color. Here are some of our favorite fall colors  for your walls or simply bring in fall colors using accent pieces. Buttery yellows, browns and warm greens create a fall color palette for any room in your home.

Tigereye By Sherwin Williams

  

Make a statement this fall and pair this color with dark colors like charcoal, dark gray, black and a pop of turquoise.

Dandelion Wish by Behr Paints 

 

In the fall leaves will turn the most vibrant colors. Get inspired to paint a furniture piece, an accent wall or maybe a guest room. This color will keep your space open and bright its a great neutral color.

Woodlawn Music Room by Valspar Paints 

 

Simple color choices combined with basic accessories can create room unity. Welcome your guest into your home this fall season with colorful - decorating accents in deep rich brown and warm shades of green.

Gilded Shores by Dutchboy Paints 

 

Simple color choices combined with basic accessories can create room unity. Welcome your guest into your home this fall season with colorful - decorating accents in deep rich brown and warm shades of green.

Mustard Seed by Benjamin Moore Paints 

 

Your rooms in your home will feel warm and ready for the fall season. Go large and paint your favorite room or go small and decorate using real or store bought fall accents like these spiced cake candles from

 

Give your home an outdoor fall makeover. Paint trim and siding in warm outdoor colors this offers a welcoming and cozy curb appeal. Add fall blooming mums and pansies all around to finish your outdoor fall makeover. Check out lowes.com for inspiration on fall plants.

Anjou Pear Sherwin Williams 

Give your home an outdoor fall makeover. Paint trim and siding in warm outdoor colors this offers a welcoming and cozy curb appeal. Add fall blooming mums and pansies all around to finish your outdoor fall makeover. Check out lowes.com for inspiration on fall plants.

Schedule your appointment with a Holiday Seasonal Decorator

Affordable Residential and Commercial Holiday Decorating Services

Charlotte NC - SC Interior and Exterior Christmas - Seasonal Fall Decorating - Holiday Event Decorating Services

Charlotte NC Professional Decorating Company - providing Residential - Commercial Interior Design, Redesign, Home Staging, Color Consulting, Seasonal Holiday- Event Decorating, Decor Shopping Services. Mecklenburg – Iredell – Catawba – Cabarrus – Gaston – Forsyth – Union NC – York SC

Spring Forward with Simple Ideas to keep your House on Trend

Simple Ideas to Keep your House on Trend in 2014

Not everyone has the time, money or patience to do a complete overhaul on their whole house just to follow the fashions of interior design every year, but with a few straightforward additions/changes it can be simple for anyone to create a new, fresh feel to any living space.

There are a few key trends which are the focus of 2014 for interior design, and here are the main ones set to make an impact this year:

Painterly pastels

Painterly pastels are vital this year, and with the injection of soft blush pinks, hints of copper and pale petrol blues it’s easy to completely transform a space. Changing a few feature points is a great way to introduce 2014 trends. Invest in a high-quality bold-printed pastel rug to act as a focal point to begin the transformation. Warm up the colors of this trend which can sometimes appear quite cold, with natural oak and pine furniture. Incorporate soft shades in water-color art to act as a focal point, and remain minimal with accessories to create a chic, stylish environment for your living area.

Hollywood Glamour

Another big style this year to get inspiration from is Hollywood Glamour. Any form of glamour in fact this year is set to remain massive, and with such a quintessential theme this is a trend that will just last and last. Grey, mustard yellow and turquoise colors are vital when following this style. Timeless furniture is also essential for this trend, therefore it’s a great idea to concentrate on what type of sofa you need to suit this and complement your chosen color theme. It’s an idea to purchase your perfect furniture pieces first and build out from this. In order to re-work this style year after year, consider a grey, simple box sofa and add themed colors of Hollywood Glamour, to create a dateless living room space.

Ethnic Prints

Adding either authentic or mock ethnic fabrics, upholstery and prints to your living space will definitely add a fresh vibe and will complement existing furniture in classic materials and fabrics, such as quality leather. This is a great easy but effective way to completely transform an area without having to redecorate or invest in any expensive alterations. If you can get your hands on authentic then all the better as these will not only provide wonderful conversation pieces, but also little tokens of memorable times from travelling abroad. Go for quite a simple decoration that will be able to stand up to these prints, which could get lost in an overly fussy room. So even though beige colors are not as hot this season, this will act as a great base for incorporating bold prints to match this theme.

Victorian Frenzy

If vintage is your thing, Victorian style is set to be massive this year. Be that parquet-style laminate flooring, dark-stained flooring or anything else of this dramatic nature. There are far less imposing ways to still revamp a room into a Victorian dream, though. Eccentric Victorian trinkets and ornaments are a great place to start, but consider also branching out into a staple couch and armchairs. Don’t be wary of introducing Victorian imagery to really enhance the theme. Flea markets can be a source that’s great to pick up authentic pieces; watch out for globes, quirky printing blocks and old-fashioned telephones. According to Independent Mail the best time to hit flea markets is in winter and early spring. This trend really is one to have fun with and the possibilities are quite endless. Another great focus for this style is to bring through literature inspired artwork and collectible copies of classic novels.

Flower Power

An interesting new trend that has begun to take form already this year, and is set to come into its own over the summer is to merge the outdoors with the in. This is going to mean getting creative with flower displays. The flower vase on the mantel piece simple isn't going to cut it this year. It’s really worth visiting a local flower show or event to get an idea of what you think you can realistically accommodate into your living space. Conservatories are a really good place to first introduce this theme, but why not be adventurous and see where you can take it in the rest of your house, too?

So this year why not try your hand at reinventing your living space to create a whole new feel with these trended inspirations. It really is that simple.

"Contributed by Jenni Ollerton" 

Remodeling and Organizing Tips Charlotte NC

Remodeling Tips for a Better Organized Home By Brad Little, owner, Case Remodeling of Charlotte NC

The time for spring cleaning and organizing projects is just around the corner. A home improvement project can help keep your home clean and organized as your household transitions into the year’s warmer months. Consider a few of these home organizing ideas and modifications to create a less cluttered, more organized household this spring. 

Kitchen islands. Imagine the possibility of twice as much cabinet storage space in your kitchen. An island can double your kitchen’s capacity by adding countertop space, cabinet storage, and optional bar seating. Moving the sink or cook station to an island can improve a kitchen’s work triangle and efficiency.

 Case Remodeling of Charlotte kitchen pictures 

Kitchen pantry. Every kitchen needs a pantry, yet many kitchens don’t have one. Not every home has room for a walk-in pantry, but many kitchens can integrate a separate pantry into the cabinet system, which keeps perishable items together and can be more convenient than a walk-in when preparing meals.

                                                  Courtesy of Case Design’s Houzz photos

Adding a kitchen island often frees up the wall cabinet space needed for a custom kitchen pantry. During kitchen remodeling Charlotte homeowners may combine these two projects to get more bang for their buck.

Custom shelving. The beauty of custom shelving is that it can be added anywhere you need additional organizing options, or if you need a place to display home décor. Consider adding custom shelving to an unused nook or other unique space.

 Case Remodeling of Charlotte renovation pictures

Closet systems. Closets hold more and are much easier to use when they’re well organized. Compartmentalizing the contents of any closet will limit your time getting dressed in the morning, in addition to your time spent on future closet organization projects.

Image from Case Design Houzz account

Office spaces. Offices tend to collect a lot of odds and ends and can become cluttered very quickly. An office organization system, or even a simple shelving system, can dramatically improve the functionality of an in-home workspace.

Image courtesy of Hill Mitchell Berry Architects

Bathroom storage. Larger vanities, wall cabinets, and custom shelving are bringing the linen closet and medicine cabinet together inside the bathroom to hold and organize all our bath and body essentials. Custom organizational units inside drawers and cabinets can further coordinate an array of small bathroom items.

                                    Image from Case Remodeling of Charlotte’s bath gallery

Laundry and mudrooms. If you’re replacing your kitchen or bathroom cabinets during a remodel, consider refinishing the old cabinets for use in another room in the home. Removing the cabinet doors can create easily accessible shelves in a laundry or mudroom. Cabinets can also be reused “as is” in a garage or basement.   

                                      Image from Case Design/Remodeling Houzz account

About the author: Brad Little blogs about combining home remodeling and household organizing, as the owner of Case Remodeling of Charlotte. Case Charlotte specializes in custom interior designs for home, bath, and kitchen remodeling Charlotte style.

Kitchen Countertop Options

Select the right countertop material for your next kitchen makeover

Countertops must be useful and meet your needs and fit your décor. It is appropriate to mix materials – stone for an island where guests gather and laminate at the kid’s snack and homework zone. When comparing prices, consider durability and maintenance. In addition note whether each material is priced by the linear or square foot.

Bamboo – This replacement grass can be assembled using food-safe adhesives.

Butcher Block – Made from laminated wood, this is most excellent for baking areas and island tops. Seal with oil to increase moisture resistance. Allow knife marks to create a patina, or sand the surface for a smooth appearance.

Concrete – Cast in place or installed as preformed slabs, sealed concrete resists burns, stains, and scratches but is labor-intensive to install. Customize by adding in tints, texture, or inset shells, glass or other items.

Glass – Sleek and dramatic. Tempered glass comes in clear or translucent forms with a smooth or textured surface. Recycled composites glass is also an option. Glass is waterproof and heat-tolerant: use a cutting board to avoid scratches.

Granite – Today’s most popular choice offers a variety of colors and patterns. Shopping at a stone yard costs more than ordering from a sample but lets you buy the exact piece you want. You may reduce the cost by using granite tiles or remnants instead of a single slab. Granite is durable and impervious to heat but requires professional installation and periodic sealing to repel stains.

Laminate – Laminate is affordable and comes preformed as a one-piece counter and backsplash in limited color choices. Custom ordering from a home center or kitchen dealer, and you will find hundreds of colors and patterns, some that even mimic stone, metal, or wood. Shaped edges or textured finishes are available as well. This material is easy to install but it has visible seams.

Marble / Limestone – These stones are classic and luxurious, they’re softer and more porous than granite, and they are most likely to scratch or stain.

Quartz-Surfacing – Also called engineered stone. This blend of ground quartz, resins and pigments produced consistent stone like patterns. It is nonporous, heat and scratch- resistant.

Soapstone – Soft and silky, soapstone chips more easily than granite. Like other stones it resists heat. Treat with mineral oil to repel moisture.

Solid –Surfacing – Shop for panels and veneers made of plastic resins in many colors and patterns. The nonporous material resists stains and scratches can be sanded out. Solid – surfacing sinks create a seamless installation.

Stainless Steel – Sanitary and stain proof. This surface complements a stainless steel sink and perfects a pro-style kitchen. Steel is heatproof, waterproof, with a shiny finish that shows scratches and fingerprints. Ready- made sections fit standard counter sizes and custom installations fit others.

Tile – Glazed ceramic or porcelain tiles come in many shapes, sizes, colors and are water – heat resistant. If they chip they are easy to replace. Every few years you may need to re grout.

Charlotte NC Professional Decorating Company - providing Residential - Commercial Interior Design, Redesign, Home Staging, Color Consulting, Seasonal Holiday- Event Decorating, Decor Shopping Services. Mecklenburg – Iredell – Catawba – Cabarrus – Gaston – Forsyth – Union NC – York SC

Holiday Houseguests Checklist - Charlotte NC

Make a List and Check it at Least Twice to Help Prepare for Holiday Houseguests

By Guest Contributor Brad Little

 

Hosting houseguests for the holidays can be hectic to say the least. Houseguests can create undue stress during the busiest time of year. But there are some things you can do in advance to help get a head start on your holiday task list so you can enjoy time with your friends and family while they’re in your home for the holidays. 

If you’re preparing for overnight guests in your home. . .

You've got your work cut out for you, but you can pull it off with the help of some holiday magic. Put your little elves to work baking cookies and cleaning the house, and work on these five things in advance of your guests’ arrival.

    1.   Hang holiday décor. This one may require a separate checklist, depending on how far out your household goes when it comes to holiday décor. Trees, wreaths, lights, arrangements, and other decorations are best accomplished first because they add festivity to the air, plus you can enjoy them longer.

      2.    Make up the beds and baths. Deep clean your guest rooms and baths and put fresh linens on the beds and new bars of soap in the showers. The day before guests arrive you can do a light cleaning and add fresh towels. Voila!      

3.    Declutter the house. You may have to check this item off before you prepare your guest rooms, if they’re a place where you hastily store miscellaneous household items, as is common practice in many homes. Whether your clutter collects in unused rooms or simply anywhere there’s room, this is another task that’s better accomplished sooner than later to help make room for the holiday madness.

     4.     Create a meal plan. The most difficult part of houseguests for many holiday hosts is feeding everyone three meals a day plus snacks. You need a meal plan not only for a holiday dinner, but also for each day and each meal you’ll be serving your guests. Try to order takeout or go out to eat with your houseguests at least once while they’re in town, to give yourself a well-earned break. 

5.    Buy and wrap guest gifts. Perhaps you plan to do some last-minute holiday shopping with your guests while they’re in town, something nearly everyone needs to do. Make sure you buy and wrap gifts for house guests in advance, if you want to keep things a surprise.

If you’re hosting a holiday dinner. . .

Timing is everything. You’ll need help from little elves for this one as the meal comes together at the last minute. A word of advice: let your houseguests help you. It’s physically impossible to cook, heat, and serve dozens of dishes to twice as many people, so don’t even try to go it alone. As the clock ticks down, let extra hands take on odd jobs to help expedite the meal.

1.  Set your holiday table now. The holiday dinner table takes time and should be prepared in advance. Prepare your centerpiece first. Polish silver and wine glasses ahead of time. Run stored china through the dishwasher and return to the china cabinet. Try integrating your place settings into your holiday table décor.

     2.    Plan the menu and assign dishes. Plan your menu and make a list of ingredients that you can stock up on now. If your holiday dinner is pot-luck style, have guests sign up for the dishes they want to bring so you don’t end up with three green bean casseroles. If you’re preparing the main course, order your meat in advance from your local market.

     3.      Create a cooking calendar. If you’re cooking a main course and several side dishes for the holiday meal, you’ll need to spread the work out over the course of one or more days. Make a list of the items you will cook in the order that you’ll cook them. Then assign each dish a day and time when you’ll prepare it. Write down a way to store and reheat the dish if you have to make it more than a few hours before the holiday meal. 

       4.   Clean out the fridge. Dig back there and remove any wayward leftovers or items past the expiration date. You’re going to need all the room you can get. You may be able to store some items on ice inside coolers in a garage or mudroom if you run out of room in your fridge. 

5.   Recruit elves. If you have children in the house, put them to work before the dinner, setting the table and carrying dishes and other items from the kitchen to the table. If the kids will be eating at a separate table, have them set and decorate their own table as a pre-dinner activity by giving them arts and crafts supplies for creating holiday placeholders and centerpieces.

Author Bio: Brad Little, owner of Case Design/Remodeling of Charlotte NC, writes about redesigning homes and interior decorating ideas as a guest blogger and for his home improvement company. He recently added a  holiday checklist to his own company blog at Case Design / Remodeling Charlotte NC  

 Holiday Houseguests Checklist - Charlotte NC