Posted by PC Design on Feb 1, 2011 in
design Ever notice that everyone gathers in your kitchen when you’re cooking? Modern kitchens feature energy efficient and time saving appliances as well as beautiful textures and surfaces. Is your kitchen outdated?
Updating your kitchen can be rewarding for you and your home. Did you know that in a national study, it was found that 70 percent of those kitchen remodeling costs are recouped upon resale?!
Maybe you’re an aspiring chef or you just love cooking? Maybe you just need more space and looking to update your home! Kitchen remodeling and kitchen renovation with modern kitchen appliances and faucets, clean, beautiful countertops, a new sink or backsplash! Redesign your kitchen layout and organization by adding an island or more cabinets.
In order to remodel your kitchen space without having to spend so much, you might want to consider these helpful tips: identify existing needs; set your priorities; work on a specific budget; decide on whether to hire a professional or to do the job yourself.
The kitchen is one of the best places inside your house. It takes a great deal of effort and even money in attaining a kitchen that is superb in functionality and in aesthetics. A renovation or remodeling is a major need in order to maintain the attractiveness and usefulness of your kitchen. However, you shouldn’t worry much on the costs that might be incurred during the process. You can minimize repair and remodeling expense by simply following these advices:
Identify existing needs
First and foremost, assess the condition of your kitchen for you to be able to identify its current and most pressing needs. Check on your cupboards, drawers, and cabinets for any repair requirement. Check on your wall too if it needs some repainting. Consider also the condition of your kitchen appliances and tools. Another important aspect of your kitchen are the fixtures such as your plumbing system particularly your sink. Check on that one too. Basically, you need to be very meticulous in making an assessment of every detail as well as the entirety of your kitchen. Doing so would make things easy for you in setting your priorities.
Set your priorities
After evaluating on the status of your kitchen, come up with a priority outline. This will aid you in coming to a decision as to the extent of your project. Figure out which part of the kitchen would need a complete makeover. And, which items that need some replacement or just some minor repair.
Work on a specific budget
Match your needs and priorities with your available budget. Carefully go over your budget to make sure that before pushing through with the remodeling, you won’t go beyond the funds that you prepared for this particular project.
Decide on whether to hire a professional or to simply do the job yourself
After going over the financial side, decide whether your budget as well as the remodeling scope of your kitchen would need a professional or would doing it yourself be enough for you to complete everything. Employing the services of a professional entails higher cost, yet, if the remodeling need is a major one, then might as well go for it. Rather than doing the job yourself that might turn out to be a mess later on. But, if the renovation requirement is but minimal, then you can perform the redecoration, cleaning and repair yourself. Maybe get some help from family members and friends too.
Doing a kitchen remodeling is exciting and fun. But, it requires a lot of planning. The kitchen is a vital part of your house and it deserves your best care.
For help on your kitchen remodeling needs, contact PC Design llc to set up an appointment today!
PC Design LLC
Tags: Advice, Budget Design, design trends, Home Improvements, Home makeover, ideas for kitchens, Interior Design Tips
A home looks beautiful when it is constructed and decorated tastefully, keeping in mind all the minor details, which if overlooked, can visually annoy you while living in that house. Therefore, it is up to you to put in some effort and common sense while furnishing and shopping for your home. Continue reading to hear some interior design ideas for what to do and not to do in your home!
For a novice homeowner, it is quite difficult to decide what to do and what not to buy. Understanding the dynamics of your house and selecting proper furniture for your habitat is surely not rocket science. Anybody who wishes to live in a beautiful home can easily manage it by avoiding some very common mistakes that can ruin the collective look of the house.
DON’TS of Interior Designing
- The most common mistake that people might end up making is cluttering their house with tons of furniture. Always try not to crowd any of your rooms. Crowding the room will not allow you to enjoy a broad vision, and it wonít leave you with ample walking space. Always remember the popular rule of ìLess is Moreî – the lesser you stuff your home with fixtures and furniture, the more sophisticated your dÈcor will appear.
- Avoid dark paints for your walls. Many people believe that colors like black and purple add character to their rooms. Wrong! Dark colors will only make your room appear smaller in size and inadequate lighting will always remain an issue. You can use dark shades on one of the four walls in a room to make it appear trendy.
- The worst mistake you can make while decorating your house is getting furniture without keeping room dimensions in mind. If you end up buying huge furniture items for a relatively small room, it will look packed and cheap. The same is the case with getting compact furniture set for a huge room. The whole appearance will turn dull and shabby, and your house might earn a lot of critical comments instead of praises.
- Every room can appear good in the dark, but what happens when you turn the lights on? As you design your interior, donít forget to keep in mind one of the most important features of a room. Lighting is the cause of sensation of the room. You donít want the room to be so bright that youíd feel like youíre stuck in a lightning bolt, but at the same time little lighting will cause the area to have a depressing feel. There is a grand variety of lighting fixtures to choose from like chandeliers, pendant lighting, wall sconces, and more so donít be afraid of a little exploration.
Do’s of Interior Designing
- Windows can be one of the best things to enhance the beauty of any room. French design in windows has been quite popular. If you have a lot of windows in the house, you will be getting a lot of natural light and some fresh air during summers. Windows can also make your rooms appear big and lively by helping you bring in the outside sights and sounds.
- Pay a lot of attention to your flooring. Clean and shiny floors can earn you a lot of praises. Try to get marble or wooden flooring for the living area at your place and completely ditch carpets. The flooring should match with the aura of room and must not appear uneven.
- Pick a particular style or theme for every room.†Gather a few kitchen design ideas or†bedroom design ideas first.†If you are buying a vintage bed set, you must not simply pair a very contemporary set of chairs with it. This will make your room look unorganized and uncomfortable. Also choose the lighting according to the theme. Remember, everything should match!
Making your house a habitat of dreams is not a very tough or tricky job. Just keep in mind the above mentioned tips and your house will turn into an ultimate destination.
Content provided by Design Shuffle which is a social media site filled with interior design ideas from top tier design talent around the world. Best of all, registration is completely free.
Guest Blogger……
Tags: Advice, cincinnati, design shuffle, Design Styles, Do's & Don'ts, Home makeover, Interior Design, Interior Design Tips, paige castellini, pc design llc
Posted by PC Design on Dec 28, 2010 in
design Check out my about.me profile!
Tags: about.me
Posted by PC Design on Jul 12, 2010 in
design http://cincychic.com/content/view/2771/10044/
Select the link above to read this recent Cincy Chic article by PC Design
or
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Tags: Advice, affordable interior design, Budget Design, Decorate on a budget, Home makeover, Interior Design, wouldurather
Posted by PC Design on Jun 3, 2010 in
Interior Design Trends 2010,
design,
styles Old meets New……AGAIN!
Many styles are reworked every few decades. Does the 80’s sound familiar? Think; ruffled “Pirate” shirts (or Seinfeld’s “Puffy Shirt” episode). What was popular 30 years ago…. is back again, in a more updated form.
The same goes with Designing around the Home.
Today’s popular home decorating style is Baroque. According to Wikipedia…. Italian Baroque interior design refers to high-style furnishing and interior decorating carried out in Italy, during the Baroque period, which lasted from the early 17th to the mid 18th century. Rococo (less commonly roccoco; pronounced /rəˈkoʊkoʊ/, /roʊkəˈkoʊ/) also referred to as “Late Baroque” is an 18th century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly more ornate, florid, and playful. Rococo rooms were designed as total works of art with elegant and ornate furniture, small sculptures, ornamental mirrors, and tapestry complementing architecture, reliefs, and wall paintings.
Modern, Baroque furnishings, design elements and accessories are available everywhere and you might even find that you have something in your home and didn’t know it.
Target, has a whole line DwellStudio at Target geared towards this style; affordable for everyone.
Rugs
Mirrors
Fabric
Lighting
Feminine Baroque
Create a soft feminine bedroom with this combination of Modern and antique Baroque style.
Traditional style Baroque Design
Traditional style Living Room with gilding and heavily ornate furnishings (characteristic of the Italian Baroque style)
Modern Style Baroque Design
Hard graphic prints designed with classic Baroque style and clean edges.
Baroque With a Southwest Flair
Mixing in traditional southwest colors with the classic yet simple Baroque style shown below.
For more information on this and any other style or design….
Contact PC Design llc or email pcdesign@mac.com.
Tags: Budget Design, decorating styles, home decorating, Home makeover, Interior design style, pc design, styles
Posted by PC Design on May 11, 2010 in
Bookcases,
Bookshelves,
Furniture,
Home Office,
Interior Design...D.I.Y,
Remodeling,
design,
hidden storage,
kitchen storage,
styles Bookcases come in all shapes, sizes AND uses….
Built-in, Custom and Free-standing bookcases are multi-functional pieces of furniture; and aren’t just for books anymore!
Bookcases anymore should be considered a visual piece of art unto themselves. They create atmosphere, personality, contrast, and visual pleasure; amongst other things.
From wall mounted bookshelves
To Free-standing bookshelves
To Custom-built-in’s
Bookshelves give the ability to represent past, present and even….future.
They offer harmony to a room’s decor, character in an old home, and function in modern design. Bookshelves can also act as a piece of ART…
Whether you color coordinate your books…
add a Modern Flair….
Incorporate…
Or use a traditional item…. in a non-traditional way.
Styles range from Modern…
To transitional…
To traditional…
You can use a bookshelf as a station for your home office.
As a piece of furniture to sit back and read.
In your Living Room as an entertainment storage bookcase with a 2-in-1 fabric cover/projection screen.
and…Bookshelves can be used to for traditional purposes such as displaying; art, photograph’s, collectibles, lighting and foliage.
For more information on how to incorporate bookcases into YOUR design…. Contact pcdesign@mac.com.
If someone asked you to name the kind of decor you like, could you do it? Or would you stumble and mumble, mention a few stores, and look off into the distance in search of the right adjectives? You’re not alone.
But the thing is, articulating your style is the key to creating a room that really reflects it. If this sounds esoteric, have no fear: We’ve have some simple steps to help you identify the look you crave, a few visual tutorials to make you a mini expert on design, and dozens of sources to let you shop your style and bring it home. So whether you’re overhauling a mishmash of furniture bit by bit or doing a rapid-fire redecoration, you’ll learn how to make great choices and get cohesive results that you’ll love.
3 STEPS TO NAMING YOUR STYLE
Decorating is an extension of your personal style, but so much better, because it comes without the concerns of sizing and fit. That should make it fun, but for a lot of us it’s incredibly stressful — a too-blank canvas that involves big commitments and potentially pricey mistakes. Aside from the money part, choosing a sofa is not all that different from picking a pair of shoes: It’s all about who you are and what you like on a gut level.
Finding your decorating groove depends on getting in touch with that; We’ve created a plan geared toward home decorating. Here’s what to do.
1. Tour your home, and really look at your furniture.
With a pad in hand, walk from room to room examining your belongings and make two truthful lists: “Love It” and “Wish I Could Replace It. Catalog everything you can, including art — and be real, even if it’s difficult. It’s all based on how things make you feel. Maybe you come across a piece of art that bugs you, but you’ve kept it around because it was your grandmother’s. Pay attention to that — and categorize accordingly. You can also photograph the room, print out a copy of the photo and cross out what you don’t like and circle what you do. You can think of that photo, as a bouncing off point and use it as reference when shopping or getting advice.
2. Pull together small items you love, including clothes.
Check the top of your dresser, your mantel, your bookshelves, your china cabinet. Sift through collections and mementos. Make a pile of favorites on your bed. Then pull special clothes from your closet. Focus on the items that make you feel beautiful and joyful, the ones that inspire you to stand tall. Take the same eye to your jewelry and accessories. Open your closet doors and see what colors pop out the most. You can see which color dominates and use that as a reference point for the “colors” that you are drawn to.
3. Tap your memory and your imagination.
Get comfortable, then close your eyes and think about places you love to be and why you love them — from a local cafe to a faraway beach. Recall paintings, movies, and books that have stuck with you for some reason. Then go into fantasy mode. Imagine that real-world constraints don’t apply. Picture your dream home. If you could live anywhere in the world, would you choose a loft in New York? An English manor? A tree house in the tropics? Then think outside of home: If you were invited to the Oscars, what would you wear? Include jewelry and shoes. This moves you beyond the limitations of your own lifestyle and budget and into a new realm of creativity. Jot down your answers.
Now for the hard part. Look for common threads — design, colors, shapes, materials, vibe — among the things you love. You may find yourself attracted to a blend of styles rather than just one. Notice which features appeal to you and which don’t. This will help you translate your taste into smart decorating choices.
4. When all else fails, call an Interior Designer.
“Style Samples”
SOPHISTICATED CLASSIC
An elegant blend of refined traditional furniture, jewelry-like accessories, and pale hues. Patrician old-world elements pair with cleaner Art Deco shapes. The look evokes a more formal lifestyle. Think Grace Kelly, Tiffany & Co., and Charlotte from “Sex and the City”.
FEATURES
Delicate furniture pieces with feminine lines and tapered legs.
A palette of neutrals and soft colors.
Grand chandeliers.
Luxurious fabrics, like silk and velvet.
Rich dark woods with polished veneers.
Luxe accent materials, including metal, marble, and glass.
Symmetrical floor plans.
COZY CASUAL
A warm, traditional look made for relaxing with family and friends. Draws on English and early-American furniture designs, as well as laid-back country, cottage, and farmhouse styles. Weathered, low-maintenance furnishings are easy, inviting, and built for daily life. Think golden retrievers, fuzzy slippers, and just about any movie by Nancy Meyers.
FEATURES
Plush upholstery, often slip-covered, with roll or square arms and skirts or ball feet.
Indestructible tables with turned legs, trestles, or substantial pedestal bases.
Warm wood tones with rustic or distressed finishes.
Natural fabrics, like cotton and wool.
Solid textiles, simple stripes, or unfussy floral’s in muted colors.
MODERN GRAPHIC
A fresh, fun, contemporary look that combines urban styling (imagine a downtown loft) with edgy, colorful elements and mid-century design. Simple furniture forms balance out bold accents and patterns. Think the Museum of Modern Art, Frank Lloyd Wright, a Rubik’s Cube.
FEATURES
Furniture with clean lines and no extra adornment.
Blocks of saturated color.
Boxy upholstery with plain legs or skirt-less bases.
Lacquered finishes and a mix of woods, both light (birch, oak) and dark (walnut, mahogany).
Geometric or abstract patterns and Pop Art–inspired accessories.
VINTAGE ECLECTIC
A rich, layered look combining flea-market finds, furniture designs from various time periods (including Victorian pieces and 18th-century French styles), and a diverse collection of accessories and artwork. Dusty colors, timeworn or handmade textiles, and collected objects create a lived-in feel. Think Paris flea markets, Granny’s teacups, the film Grey Gardens.
FEATURES
Furniture with shapely, feminine silhouettes, intricate detailing, and weathered finishes.
Jewel tones mixed with washed-out, chalky shades.
Antique and vintage elements interspersed with newer, offbeat items.
A varied mix of fabrics (on pillows, upholstery, and window treatments), including Jacquards, paisleys, ethnic tapestries, folk motifs, botanicals, and florals.
Crystal chandeliers and embellished lamps.
Abundant art and decorative accents on walls and surfaces.
For more information regarding these and other styles, contact pcdesign@mac.com.
Tags: affordable interior design, decorate, decorating styles, design blog, Design Styles, eclectic, Home, Home makeover, interior decorating, Interior Design, Interior design style, Interior Design Tips, modern, msn, paige castellini, pc design, vintage
Posted by PC Design on Mar 1, 2010 in
Coupons,
Discounts,
Ebates,
Internet savings I’m going to stray from my TYPICAL Design Blog this week and let you in on a little internet secret called “EBATES“… If you don’t already know about it!
I’m a huge fan of saving money for my clients…. as well as myself.
I fell upon Ebates a couple of years ago and fell in love. I purchase everything through this site, that links to other sites and gives you great cash back offers as well as a significant discounts through those direct sites.
Plain & Simple….. I love this site!
I’m not going to give you copies of my checks, a run-down of my personal account, or a in-depth explanation of how this works… JUST THAT IT DOES!
Click here to check out Ebates on your own
Here are some examples of “Cash Back” offers (that are a percentage of your purchase….
Barnes & Noble: 8% Cash Back
Ace Hardware: 5% Cash Back
Art.com: 8% Cash Back
Brookstone: 6% Cash Back
Choice Hotels: 5% Cash Back
Design within Reach: 3% Cash Back
DSW: 6% Cash Back
Famous Footwear: 9% Cash Back
Lamps Plus: 6% Cash Back
Magazines.com: 21% Cash Back
PetCareRx: 12% Cash Back
Restaurant.com: 15% Cash Back
Snapfish: 7.5% Cash Back
Starbucks: 2.5-7.5% Cash Back
Walgreens: 4% Cash Back
These are places that people shop on a regular basis; and these aren’t even some of the biggest “Cash Back” offers. I use this when I purchase items for my clients (Art.com, Blinds.com), when I’m ordering business marketing materials through Vistaprint, and even when I’m ordering my little dog “Ollie’s” grooming items.
I have recommended this site to numerous friends and clients (and yes, I get a referral credit) who have been so grateful just to save money on items they HAVE to purchase. It also encourages them to feel better when spending their money, knowing they are getting a “deal” in return.
Taken From the Ebates site:
Here’s How it Works:
Shop through Ebates, and earn up to 25% cash back at your favorite stores. How? Our stores pay us a fee when you shop. We then share the fee directly with you – it’s just that simple.
Incredible deals don’t end with cash back. We hunt down cut-rate coupons and exclusive offers plus amazing deals on hot products. Unlike any other savings site on the internet, you can layer the deals. Save big by using coupons and getting cash back at the same time! With deal layering, you really stack up the savings.
Best of all, we never charge a membership fee or require mail-in rebate forms. We just send you your cash, no strings attached.
Purchases you make at Ebates stores are only credited if you start your shopping session at Ebates.com or another Ebates service (like the Ebates toolbar) and click to a store via an Ebates link. As much as we’d like to give you cash back even if you do not start shopping via an Ebates link, we have no way of proving you are our member to the store without your click.
If you click through Ebates and make a purchase, then surf elsewhere on the Web and return to that store and make a second purchase, your second purchase will not earn a cash back reward. (You must click through an Ebates link every time you shop at a store site.) If you use multiple windows on your browser, the window in which you shop at the store must have come from an Ebates link.
Spread the word! Tell your friends and family about how easy it is to save big by shopping through Ebates. When someone you refer makes their first qualified purchase, we’ll reward both of you!. Please remember we only allow one account per person, so you can’t refer yourself. Go to our Tell-A-Friend Page for further information.
Every 3 months, we send you a cash back payment for purchases posted during the previous quarter based on the schedule below. But if you’ve earned less than $5.01 cash back, we’ll carry over your money to the next check. Bonus Rewards do not count toward the $5.01 minimum. The term “Bonus Rewards” includes monies earned as a Sign-up Reward or Tell-A-Friend Bonus.
Ebates offers several ways to receive payment and is constantly working on ways to pay you faster. Visit My Ebates to view your cash back setting or go to Cash Back Method to change your setting. Note that you must sign-in to change your cash back method.
| Purchases Posted Between |
Big Fat Check Sent |
| Jan 1-Mar 31 |
May 15 |
| Apr 1-June 30 |
Aug 15 |
| July 1-Sept 30 |
Nov 15 |
| Oct 1-Dec 31 |
Feb 15
|
If you still aren’t convinced…. then I’m convinced, you don’t like to save money. For those of you who need the last push to check it out…… Here is the link:
**HAPPY SHOPPING!
Tags: Coupons, Discounts, Ebates, Online, pc design, Savings
After reading a recent article Benjamin Moore published on their website, I began to think how many homes I’ve been in that had “Ceiling White” on the Forgotten 5th Wall.
Too often, little thought is given to a ceiling’s contribution to the overall room design, which is typically just coated in some ubiquitous white paint.
Look at your ceilings from a new perspective. Color, sheen, pattern, and texture (not the stipple or popcorn texture that contractor’s use because they are too lazy to finish a ceiling properly) on the ceiling can transform the entire look and feel of a room.
Create a warm… cozy environment…
If you have a large room with high ceilings, consider using a darker, deeper color up there. Use this theory if you have a lot of darker furniture and need to balance out the “bottom” of the room – considered the floor, with the top, so it creates a balanced effect.Take a look at all the furniture that occupies the floor and the fact that there is nothing to draw your eye upwards. By creating a darker ceiling effect, you are giving your eye a smooth transition from top to bottom.
Adding Jewelry….
Most women won’t leave the house without their “face” on. Why would you leave the ceiling, or the “5th wall” bare as well? Just because the 5th wall is located up from the other’s doesn’t make it any less important. Remember…. you want to consider the whole room from TOP to bottom!
When you add a chandelier, think about adding architectural details around like a double crown moulding,
or add a ceiling medallion situated around the chandelier mount that is proportionate to the size of the chandelier and the room.
Keep in mind that these can be painted to match or coordinate as well.
When choosing a paint for the ceiling, keep in mind the finishes that are offered. Most paint companies offer: Glossy, Semi-gloss, Satin/Eggshell/Pearl, and Matte.
Typically a “Satin” finish is used on the walls and a semi-gloss on the trim, if it’s painted.
Try using a a glaze mixed with the ceiling paint.
You can create a metallic/pearlescent finish and a nice design element by adding this to the paint and a little bit of “Sheen” to the ceiling as well (which will also draw your eye upward).
Plaster is also something you could add, but consult a professional before trying this yourself, the experiment could turn out horribly wrong if not applied correctly.
Some other options:
Wallpaper
Tin
Fabric
Mirrors (venetian, colored, distorted)
And lastly…..If you are looking to “Open Up” the ceiling… consider using a lighter tone of the wall color on the ceiling (think of a sunrise).
(Waterborne Ceiling paint has been specially formulated for an ultra flat finish. It absorbs light, and has the lowest reflective quality of any ceiling paint on the market, so it hides imperfections and prevents light from bouncing off in distracting directions, leaving you nothing but pure, beautiful color overhead.)
Contact pcdesign@mac.com to address the ceiling in YOUR Home.
Tags: Benjamin Moore, Ceiling Finishes, Ceiling paint, Ceilings, Decorative ceilings, hgtv, interior ceiling, Interior Design, Interior Design Tips, Jewelry for the home, Mirrored ceilings, Paint, Painted ceilings, Plaster ceilings, tin
