I am overwhelmed: Shedding Light on Light Plans—A 4 Step Plan to Illuminate your Custom Home



EDUCATION

Lighting: it’s one of the most important and often the most overlooked elements of home design.

Lighting is jewelry to a room. When well done—it pops. Quality lighting can set you at ease, lend a unique character to a room, and give you a sense of the person who inhabits the space. 

Quality lighting happens when we manipulate light sources to compensate for the lack of natural light. Simple.

But, how do you get there? How do you create a functional and stylish lighting decor in your home’s interior or exterior space and make every purchase count?

A plan. Your lighting plan will become as important as any flush mount or chandelier.

The Plan

1. What’s your objective? 

The first and most critical part of the plan is to ask yourself: why do I want to change the lighting in a particular space? 

There’s no right or wrong answer here. Are you bored with the old look? Perhaps you need extra light to apply your makeup so want to improve the illumination in the master bathroom. 

Maybe the seasons are changing and the natural light is shifting, so your lighting needs to as well. 

This is a fun, DISCOVERY phase to understand your motivation for change, and to understand why you’re investing time and resources into this residential decor project. This step will provide a baseline to know the direction of your new lighting arrangement.

1. Set Boundaries. 

Decide where you want to change the lighting, and don’t. 

Most home projects become difficult and laborious because we say we want to change the living room lighting, but half way through the project we realize those changes affect the kitchen lighting. So take spaces into consideration, not just rooms. This lets you light your side of the bed that allows you to work while your partner sleeps.

And don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to double your budget, you just have to know the lighting boundaries. 

The opposite is also true. If your boundary is the kitchen countertop, sticking to that space will prevent you from rewiring your entire kitchen. 

Trust me. Be real about your objectives and boundaries during the planning stage to save time, energy, and money in the long run. 

A sketch of your plan is also imperative at this point. You don’t have to be an artist, but it’s necessary to visualize precisely where you want that task light to hit because this will affect where you wire. 

1. Take stock! 

What natural and sourced light do you already have? Make a list of light sources, including natural, that you have within your set boundaries. Where and when does natural light enter into the space? What permanent and moveable light fixtures exist within your boundary? 

Knowing this, you can limit your purchases to what you need and leave the rest on the store shelves. 

1. Theme 

A lighting theme is crucial to your design plan. It simply means you’ve chosen a consistent lighting style where pieces relate to one another, but don’t necessarily match perfectly. Rest assured, the style of your home doesn’t have to limit the lighting theme. 

How to develop a theme—select a statement piece, a lighting centerpiece. Is there a chandelier or pendant that you just can’t get off your mind? Use this as a starting point to select other complementary pieces that are both stylish and functional. 

How do you know it’s functional? It helps you to viably achieve your lighting goal. 

So, if the objective is to add more light to the master bathroom in order to better apply makeup, I suggest a mirror with builtin led light strips. These lit mirrors can act as the centerpiece, an anchor to your bathroom light scheme.

These come in lots of price points and options, including vertical or horizontal lighting stripes that can be adjusted between cool and warm color temperatures. This mirror is designed specifically for bathrooms and illuminates specifically for better makeup application and shaving. 

Another option is the LED bathroom bar light. These versatile and high-power lights can be placed above or along existing mirrors, and adjusted to shed light where you need it most. 

I hope you found this article interesting and helpful.  Wanna keep in touch? Consider joining my weekly newsletter. A weekly newsletter keeping you up to date on the latest of all things real estate, interiors, renovations, and custom home building.

Join our community of over 5000 readers and receive a well curated mix of inspiration, education, and resources on all things related to curating the home of your dreams.

Click here to sign up for this amazing free resource.

I am overwhelmed: Which Kitchen Counters Should I Use?

EDUCATION

We have all been there. A friend or family member runs to a big box store to renovate their kitchen and they are so proud. You show up…and of course….they selected Uba Tuba or Santa Cecilia granite. Yes. This is still happening in 2020. Yes. granite is one of the strongest and most durable options. With advancement is sealants and treatments almost any stone could be a quality canidate for your kitchen renovation.

While countertops are the main work space in the kitchen—the appearance of the stone does impact the overall theme of your kitchen. Do you want solid colors like white, gray and black? Are you looking for bold strong veins? What about pepper flakes of pepper and geodes?

Marble -tends to be heat and stain sensitive. In addition, because of the inconsistencies in the appearance and veining—it is important to map out where you will be placing the stone quite well. It is important to remember to that marble can stain easily and it is important to keep up with the sealing. Wine, oils, and sauces can damage this stone. There are many great slabs of marble to get explored. On a final note marble can have lots of motion and action that may not give you the subtle motions your may be looking for.

Quartz- tends to be very predictable and consistent with its patterns. Quartz tends to be very affordable. On average it can be as much as 50% less in cost compared to many of the marble options. The durability factor for quartz is quite impressive. This is because quartz is referred to as an engineered stone. Typically its 93% limestone and 7% resin. Quartz is both non-porous and anti-bacterial. Don’t put a hot pot on this surface.

Granite- tends to be less porous and it does need to be sealed. In addition, granite is heat resistant. You can literally take a pot of the stove and place directly on the the surface with no risk of damage.

If you are looking for a modern sleek appearance in your kitchen. I highly recommend going with a less vibrant appearing stone. When properly paired with the right cabinets, they will anchor the space and offer the strong architecture needed to ground to space.

Finally, don’t wait until the last minute to select your counter tops. I highly recommend to my clients to make their stone selection as soon we finalize the kitchen floor plan and cabinets have been signed off.

Just because you want gray marble counters…it doesn’t mean the perfect slab will be there waiting. This is a huge investment…don’t settle for what is available only because you didn’t plan properly.

While I rarely use granite. It is a must consider having the stone honed or ever a river wash treatment. This will all a more character to the stone versus what you would typically see.

Every showroom will be able to offer samples of the stones they offer. Don’t purchase off it ever. I highly recommend even if you are purchasing a production home—if the builder will allow you to pick your slab from the yard…do it. Most mid-range builders will have a design center where you finalized your selections. It is true, they will usually have an interior designer working there. If you are going to upgrade your counters….please try to pick your slab in person…not from the small samples.

As you can see, selecting the best counter top for your kitchen should be well planned and thought out. It is important to consider your lifetime and the look you are going for. Currently, I see more people going with clean, simple, refined slabs with less motion.

I hope you found this article interesting and helpful.  Wanna keep in touch? Consider joining my weekly newsletter. A weekly newsletter keeping you up to date on the latest of all things real estate, interiors, renovations, and custom home building.

Join our community of over 5000 readers and receive a well curated mix of inspiration, education, and resources on all things related to curating the home of your dreams.

Click here to sign up for this amazing free resource.



I am overwhelmed: Should I Use Luxury Vinyl Plank

EDUCATION

Everyone is talking about Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring. What is it? Should I use it? Will I regret it long term?

To begin. LVP is a solid vinyl flooring product that can be made to create the look of hardwoods, tile and stone. One of the top qualities of LVP is the fact that it is 100% water proof. This is a solid non-porous product that can have essentially last a lifetime.

Most often homeowners will use this as a substitute for hardwoods in area that have a lot of water and moisture. Bathrooms, kitchens, mudrooms, and laundry are great spaces for using this product. Quite often in “new construction” we see LVP used as a standard or upgraded flooring on the entire moin floor of the home. This creates continuity and flow in your home.

When using luxury vinyl plank flooring, be careful when matching it up with various other flooring materials. Typically LVP will be thinner than carpet and hardwood. Too many flooring options could create the need for various transition strips. This will completely take away from the flow and luxury full you are striving for.

LVP is typically affordable, easy to install and maintain. There many vendors offering various styles, looks, and width of options. Just remember-the product is typically all the same regardless of the brand. Just make sure you are selecting a solid vinyl plank and not vinyl glued to cork board.

Let’s be honest. There is still a prestige associated with having hardwoods in your home. This is a consideration to keep in mind when deciding if LVP is right for your family. Due to the fact the its such an affordable product that installs so easily—you can change it out when ready.

So Timothy, when would you use LVP? What’s your final word? Listen. Ask any of my clients and they will tell you I love marble and solid site stained hardwood floors. Does this mean its right for everyone? Not at all. I think luxury vinyl planks are great for high traffic areas and basements. Hardwoods floors will be sustible to dents and scratches. I think LVP is great for growing families and for home with large pets that are known to scratch and dig while inside. This is a great options for entry level home and mid-level. If you know that this isn’t your dream home and money is an issue—this is a solid option. While working on a budget for a mid level home—I would much rather see my clients have money left to splurge or higher end technology, lighting and other materials in the home. With LVP you can achieve the look hardwoods while potentially saving $10,000 or more depending on the price of the home.

I hope you found this article interesting and helpful.  Wanna keep in touch? Consider joining my weekly newsletter. A weekly newsletter keeping you up to date on the latest of all things real estate, interiors, renovations, and custom home building.

Join our community of over 5000 readers and receive a well curated mix of inspiration, education, and resources on all things related to curating the home of your dreams.

Click here to sign up for this amazing free resource.

I am overwhelmed: How to select carpet.

EDUCATION

Carpet is honestly one of the least expensive flooring options available. With this being said, it doesn’t mean there are few options and its and simple as 1, 2 3…just pick one. While it is most affordable, it is still an investment that should be considered before making a selection. If you opt for wall to wall carpet…just like hardwoods you will see it daily. I have put together a combination of my thoughts homeowners should know about before using carpet in their home.

There are many different material choices for carpet. Natural and man made. I will be speaking on the more common and attainable(synthetic) options.

Nylon is often the first fiber that most consumers think of. Nylon has proven itself over and over again. You’ve heard you get what you pay for? While it is often considered the most desired synthetic fiber…its going to best the most expensive.

Polyester comes next. Less expensive and durable. Because polyester tends to accepts dye very well…you will be able to find bold rich and striking colors. Let’s not forget that polyester is naturally stain resistent.

Olefin (polypropylene) is actually one of the least expensive options. This fiber tends to hold up very well to foot traffic—when used in a level berber loop pattern.

Frieze you say?

There are 2 loops or styles of carpet that tend to be affordable and desirabale.

Berber carpet is offered at lower price points are still fairly durable. Berber often cost less because of the olefin fiber content and the production process. All styles of carpet start out as looped. For cut-piles, the tips of the loops are sheared off. Obviously, Berbers do not need to undergo this step of the process, so they are less costly to produce.

Why are Berbers considered to be so durable? It is because the strongest part of a fiber is the side, rather than the top. When a fiber is looped around, it is the side of the fiber that is exposed to foot traffic (because the “ends” are tucked into the backing). Therefore, you are always walking on the strongest part of the fiber.

Frieze is another hardy style of carpet that will generally offer good durability at a lower price. Friezes consist of longer fibers that feature a high twist level which increases the fiber strength. Additionally, because the fibers are longer, they tend to lean over to the side. This means that much of the foot traffic occurs on the side of the fibers, which, as we just learned, is a good thing.

How can I save a little money? How is your buying power? Will you purchase 1800 square feet this year of 700,000 square feet of carpet? What are you asking? Listen. Buying power is real. Whenever possible buy what is in stock. You will never get better pricing when you special order anything when it comes to renovations, furniture, or design. If you don’t see it on the floor…ask to walk the warehouse. I promise! You will save a lot of money.

Shop local

Don’t assume the large national chains have the best prices or more options…its not always true. I have learned many times that there are many mom and pop flooring companies and carpet stores that can beat the prices and customer service levels of any national big box store. More often, these stores have been in business for a long time and have amazing location relationships with the mills directly. Ready to roll out the “red” carpet? Look around a local carpet showroom.

Upgrade the padding

You want me to pay for what? Yes… I want you to pay more for the padding than the carpet itself. Trust me… you will thank me. Most often, quality padding can make a lower priced carpet perform much better. When you are selecting your padding, I highly suggest that you purchase the best padding you can comfortably afford. Be careful that your big box store isn’t over selling. You don’t have to purchase the most expensive. I highly recommend that you purchase a minimum density of 8 pounds and 3/8” thickness.

This is a very quick overview of carpet as an affordable flooring option an how to maximize your budget.

I hope you found this article interesting and helpful.  Wanna keep in touch? Consider joining my weekly newsletter. A weekly newsletter keeping you up to date on the latest of all things real estate, interiors, renovations, and custom home building.

Join our community of over 5000 readers and receive a well curated mix of inspiration, education, and resources on all things related to curating the home of your dreams.

Click here to sign up for this amazing free resource.