So you may wonder why on earth you would ever need to know how to read a floor plan. You got me. I cannot guarantee this skill will benefit you. However, if you ever remodel your home, look at design magazines, or simply want to use a simple floor plan to rearrange a room in your home, this skill can come in very handy. And learning new things is always good. And think of all the other ways you probably spend part of your time…seen any cat videos lately? Case closed. Read on to get the low-down on floor plans!

Quick: What’s the purpose of accessories? Believe it or not, they do much more than make a space look pretty, although they certainly do that. For example, baskets or decorative containers can function as extra storage. Large pillows, throws, and rugs can add comfort and warmth. Candles, accent lights, and floor lamps not only help you to see better but they can also visually impact a space by making it feel cozy, warm, and intimate. In this blog, I will give you some tips when it comes to choosing those accessories.

Chalk paint can be a magical tool to help you refinish a piece of furniture that has seen better days. Unfamiliar with chalk paint? It provides a hard finish that will cover a lot of imperfections and simply make them disappear. Many brands are available online, in a home improvement center paint department or even in your favorite craft store. While there are lots of good choices, they can be quite expensive. The simple solution to that is to make your own. Today, I will share three different chalk paint recipes I have tried and let you know which is my favorite and why.

Are you a “set it and forget it” person when it comes to furniture arrangement? If the answer is yes and you don’t THINK you have options, politely, you’re wrong. If you’re inexperienced or lack confidence, this blog is just what you need. Rearranging furniture is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to make a room feel new. It’s a core concept of redesign and one of my great pleasures in life. I’ve got six quick tips to help give your home a fresh look for the total cost of zero dollars. You don’t find bargains like that often, so stick around and let’s get our arrangement mojo in high gear!

It won’t always be like this, but lately I’ve been on a thrift store streak. I scored a sweet little bench with a cushioned top and front drawer for storage for less than 10 bucks! As is my habit, a few Saturdays ago, I checked my local Goodwill to see if they had anything I couldn’t live without. Apparently, my survival depended on a cheap bench. It wasn’t much to look at, but I could see its potential and the price was too tempting to resist. While I gave in to impulse, my motivation was about sharing with you. Okay, a little about replacing the bench I’d grown tired of in my primary bedroom, but also the sharing thing. Read on to follow the steps I took to create a cute piece for a killer price.

Do you have a room in your home that you walk by all the time and think to yourself, “If only I could use this room for blank.” No judging on what your “blank” may be – that’s up to you. Or, maybe you have a related challenge: you have a specific blank you want to pursue and no “blanking” space to do it in. I’m beginning to appreciate the multiple uses of the word “blank” through this blog, which is highly fitting since the topic we’ll explore today is making your home more valuable through multi-purpose rooms.

Before I go down the rabbit hole of what colors aren’t as popular as they once were, let me share that you should always make choices based on what you love, the look you want, and the activities you will be doing in that room. I have a great post to help you choose the perfect color palette by asking yourself five simple questions. If you haven’t read that, you can find it here. In my opinion, the only reason to choose colors for others and not yourself is if you’re painting to put your house up for sale or have a rental property to rent. In those cases, you would want to choose colors with wide appeal.

Disclaimer complete. Now, just for fun, let’s take a little look-see at what the paint manufacturers are noting as colors that the masses once made popular but now…not so much.

I’m starting to refinish a furniture piece I got a couple of weeks ago for just five bucks! It’s a hutch, and did I mention I got it for five bucks? Obviously, it’s used, but it has great potential. Flaws? Yup, plenty. Imperfections? You bet. Does that make it less desirable? I believe the opposite is true and here’s why…

Some people are all in when it comes to buying new versus used furniture. They can’t imagine why anyone would take the time to “save” a piece just to save a few bucks. If you’re on Team New, I respect that. However, in this blog I’ll make a pitch for refinishing—even if you’ve never refinished a piece before. I view refinished pieces like the rescue dogs of interior design. True, they may take more effort, and you may have to look past some initial flaws, but they have the potential to bring great fulfillment and joy to your life.

Summer is officially here! Results may vary, depending on your location. Here in Southern California it finally feels like summer has arrived. We are lovin’ those epic rays! And warmer weather means more outdoor time, so read on to learn five tips to help you make your outdoor space even more enjoyable. No rocket science here, just a few simple ideas you may not have considered lately to make your outdoors become the “great” outdoors.

Whether you’re seeking a specific item for a planned project, or hoping the perfect item finds you and slyly whispers an idea for a new project into your mind, thrifting is the answer. While not all thrifting trips may be productive, each presents the promise of grand adventure. People who fish know sometimes the best days on the lake end with a nearly empty bucket. No big catches, but maybe a great story: You should have seen the one that got away! So you keep returning to the water for the experience, and because you know if you’re patient, when you least expect it, a “big one” will leap out and practically land in your boat. On my most recent thrifting outing I had barely dropped my line in the water when I reeled in two of my very best catches.

Bees play a vital role in the life cycle of flowers that make our outdoor spaces lovely and more enjoyable. Unfortunately, bees are facing a rising threat of population loss, so many advocates are shouting “Save the bees!” Since redesign is all about eco-friendly design, I began researching the best ways to keep bees away from the areas where my family and pets hang out. If you share this problem, read on for a more bee-friendly solution.