When it comes to your own home – where to begin can be overwhelming. Here are some tips that may help the task be a little less daunting. Before you do anything- grab a pen and pad of paper. Start at the top floor and work your way down. You may want to divide this into several days so you can tackle these projects without getting overwhelmed- one floor for each day.
The upstairs rooms are typically the bedrooms and bathrooms. Analyze what needs to be done in terms of work to the room. Look at the walls- do they need touch ups or complete repainting? How about the windows? Are they functional- or do you need to call someone to fix them? Try turning on the lights and lamps- do any need bulbs replaced or is it a case of calling the electrician? Now open those drawers and purge! Ask yourself these questions: Has this been worn in the last two years? If the answer is no- then donate it!! There are many foundations that will come right to your home and pick it up. Take a look at your closet – turn the hangers backwards on the clothes you haven’t worn in a while- if you don’t wear them in the next four months and the hangers are still backwards – time to get rid of this too! Assess your shoes are they worn out- send them to the shoemaker, but don’t waste the money if they are out of style. Getting rid of all this will help you find that much needed extra space in your closet. With organized drawers and a spacious closet; getting dressed will no longer be a stress factor. One of my favorite closet companies is http://www.affordableclosetsplus.com
Next tackle the bathrooms- same concerns as the bedrooms- is the paint peeling off the walls? Try contacting www.stevespaintinginc.com. Are the towels fraying? Do the bath rugs seems to have lost their fluffiness? Invest in good linens. Not only will they last longer, but nothing compares to the luxurious feel. Leron linens www.leron.com are excellent quality. I just used them on the bed in the Designer Showhouse of NJ. See the bed for yourself by clicking http://www.artdetriomphe.net/portfoilo/view/id/3/showhouses
Time to hit the ground floor. Survey your entertaining rooms (dining room, living room, great room, etc.)Do the carpets need cleaning? Before you do that-wipe all the moldings down. Clean the tops of bookcases, take the contents off the shelves, and wipe the shelves down. Another design tip when you put the items back on the shelves, assess what really works and what doesn’t. Keep in mind that often “less is more”. Maybe you can stack the books horizontally or group items together so it forms a collection. Rearranging accessories can give a room a lift.
Now hone in on the floors used more on a regular basis. The bathrooms and kitchen are always the rooms with the heaviest traffic. Does the grout need to be cleaned or your counters re polished? Then contact Amalfi, he’s the best in the business www.gilbertoamalfi.com
Sometimes freshening up a space could be as simple as creating new pillows. Check out this website www.window25.com.
Last place to tackle is the basement. Many people use this as “their dumping ground”. Try to consolidate what you really need and place like things together. It would be ideal to have a storage closet with shelving –contact www.closetsbydesign.com For example if you keep holiday accessories make a shelf with all your holiday accessories (which should be organized and in good condition- if you read my last blog). Label the edge of the shelf “Holiday” so you can easily identify it. The same idea could be used for seasonal items except your label on that shelf should be labeled “Seasonal” etc. Try and do this approach for everything else whether it’s toys or luggage and you will soon find you are a lot more organized. Now not only is your home free and clear so is your conscience to enjoy the great outdoors!
