Tag: home decor

Picking the Right Rug for Your Home

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

It seems to be a cliché of interior design—the right area rug can actually tie a whole room together and allow you to complete the room in a way you couldn’t before.

In many ways, this is totally true. What is worse is that the wrong type of rug can have the opposite effect and totally destroy any sense of unity or flow. This is why it is so important to take your time and find the area rug that is right for you.

You need to look at four areas when you’re picking out the right rug:

  1. First, you want to find the right size for your area rug. Too many people try to buy area rugs that take up most, if not all, of the room. This isn’t the right idea. It’s not for carpeting after all; it’s an accent and cover for the carpet. Instead, measure out the seating area for the room. In a living room or den, it may not be convenient to place all of the furniture completely on the rug. But the coffee table should be able to fit squarely in the center and the surrounding couches and chairs should have their front legs resting on the rug.

 

  1. Next, think about the shape that will best compliment your environment. If your room or the sitting area is square, then you can choose a square rug. But also consider a round one that can offset the room perfectly. If the sitting area is more rectangular, then choose a rectangular rug. (A square or circular one here will look off-kilter.) If you get a rectangular rug, make sure that you place it in the same direction as the flow of the room.

 

  1. Once you have the right size and shape, you will want to look at the texture of your rug. If you have a consistent texture style for all of your furniture, you may wish to pick something complimentary as your rug texture. If you have leather furniture, for example, it will look great with a fluffy area rug that it can kind of sink into. However, keep in mind that such a rug might be a tripping hazard for the elderly and little kids. Pick the texture that is right for you and don’t feel like you have to go with the basic wool that you see with most rugs.

 

  1. Finally, let’s talk color. If your furniture and décor are neutral or earth tones, you may want a rug that provides a pop of color. By contrast, bright furniture works well with neutral colored rugs. You don’t want a rug that just blends in with the carpeting and furniture. Instead, you want something that stands out distinctly.

Today, area rugs can actually be a big investment of money. They may not cost as much as full carpeting, but they aren’t cheap. Because of this, you should look to buy a rug that truly fits your room and your style so that you can create the area that you love.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Prepping Your Household for the Holidays

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

Just like the certainty of death and taxes, the impending arrival of the holiday season is upon us. While many people dread this time of year because of the stress associated with it, it should be a time of celebration and communing with friends and family.

In order to truly enjoy this season without being stressed out, it’s important to get your household in check before the holiday gatherings begin.

Here’s how you can do everything for the holidays while still maintaining your sanity:

  1. Make a list…check it twice — The first thing you need to do is take an inventory of your home and look for the areas that need to be worked on. You don’t need to clean and overhaul every single aspect of your house. Just focus on those areas that need the work and organization before your guests arrive. This would include high-traffic areas that your guests will be visiting, such as the living room, den, dining room, kitchen, and guest bathrooms (and bedrooms if you plan on having overnight guests). Areas like the garage and master suite can probably be put on the back burner until spring cleaning comes around.

 

  1. Go room by room — Once you have an idea of what needs to be tackled, then you should go room by room and take care of cutting out the clutter before you move on to the next room. If you have kids, this is the perfect time to clean out all those unused and/or broken toys before Santa brings a fresh load of stuff. An important thing to teach your child is the importance of generosity during this time of year, so be sure to get them to donate their old toys and clothes to those less fortunate.

 

  1. Clean before you decorate — It doesn’t make sense to put up your giant tree and decorations and then try to clean around it. Instead, get everything cleaned thoroughly before you decorate. This includes getting rid of all the dust, vacuuming, and wiping down walls and baseboards. Sure, these items may not be visible when the decorations are up, but you will have peace of mind knowing that it has been taken care of.

 

  1. Delegate — The holidays come with a whole extra level of cleaning and daily pickup to keep your house looking great for your guests. Don’t try to do all of this alone. Instead, delegate the jobs to all of the members of your household so that you don’t get burned out doing it all. A chore list just for the holiday season is a great idea for staying organized.

One of the biggest things to remember is that a clean home may be important during your holiday season, but it is not the most important part of the holiday. If you spend so much time stressing about cleaning up, then you won’t be able to actually sit back and enjoy time with your friends and family. That is the truly best part of the holidays and one that you don’t want to skimp on just to keep your house clean.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Inspiration for a Stunning Autumn Porch Display

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

With autumn right around the corner, many people are thinking about sprucing up their home’s exterior with a beautiful porch display for the season. Although many people wait until October to do something Halloween themed, you can find a way to express your style and creativity with a variety of porch displays throughout the season.

Here are ideas to get your brain spinning and your creative juices flowing so you can be the envy of your neighbors this fall:

  1. Start with a splash of color — When people think of the fall, they often think of pumpkins. The big color that pops into their mind is orange. This is a great starting point for your porch color scheme. Don’t stick with just orange, instead choose decorations or items that hit an array of fall “earth tones”—brown, gold, yellow, deep crimson, and even a rich purple.If you do want to use pumpkins, consider a variety of gourds that come in a multitude of colors. Make sure that the items are on planters of varying height. This makes the eye move a little more rather than feeling like a static straight line.
  2. It’s not just about pumpkins — Two other big hits with porch displays are hay bales and mums. You can easily find these at any nursery and the hay bales, being rectangular, work perfectly as the bases to put other items on top of.
  3. Don’t forget the seats — Be sure to include an area of your porch for rest and relaxation. These can be comfortable chairs, rockers, or even a porch swing. Whatever you choose, make sure that they are paired closely together so that you can entertain and converse easily. You don’t want two chairs on opposite sides of the porch, where you have to yell at each other to talk. Add warm blankets so you can snuggle underneath them on cool autumn nights!
  4. Get crafty — Another idea for creating unique planters is to use crates of varying sizes. These can give you the height differences that you want while being interesting eye-catchers. To add the fall sensibilities, you can either choose to paint these in fall colors, or you can get stencils from your local craft store and paint fall flowers or other designs on them.

This autumn, spruce up your front yard by adding something new and original to your porch display. If you follow the steps listed above, you can create an inviting and elegant feel that will add warmth and style to your home.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Hot Decorating Tips For Your Home This Winter

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

The holidays have passed but the temperatures are still dipping across the country and for many people snow has already declared the full arrival of winter. If you’re like me, you’ve put away the tree and holiday decorations; you may now be looking for something else to help spruce up your home for the season. If that’s the case, then look at these great decorating ideas for winter. These are guaranteed to keep you warm and cozy all season long.

Wreaths

Wreaths aren’t just for Christmas. Take down the red and green holiday garland and replace it with a wreath featuring pinecones and simple greens. If you want a little splash of something special, consider white flowers that are reminiscent of the snow piling up outside.

DIY Wooden Sign

It’s easy to create your own decorating style with a homemade wooden sign. Just get a reclaimed piece of wood with some paints and stencils and let your imagination go to town. Including an uplifting personal message or inspiration will help warm your heart this winter.

Sweater Pillows 

If you’ve had a bunch of old sweaters lying around that don’t fit anymore, there’s a great way to reuse them to decorate your home. By cutting the sweater material into pillows and then stuffing them, you can have decorative throw pillows for your sofa or bed that will be soft and comfy.

Faux Fur Blankets

One way to dress up your home in the winter and keep yourself warm at the same time is with faux fur blankets. These will add a nice country feel to your home and provide a lot more insulation than a blanket or afghan.

Coffee and Hot Chocolate Nook

If you have a little corner of your kitchen that you can use, create a nook for serving coffee, hot chocolate, or even hot cider. Be sure to include a Keurig or similar coffee maker with plenty of pods/cups to make your hot beverages.

Also stock up on all the accouterments, such as creamer, sugar, and mini-marshmallows for the cocoa. Finally, you can spruce this area up with a rustic sign for coffee or cocoa. This will go a long way to warm you up on cold winter mornings.

Winter Sporting Goods

If you live somewhere that winter sports are played—skiing, skating, hockey, sledding—then you can take some of the old sporting goods and use these for displays either in your home or on the front porch.

The winter is a great time to spruce things up and add some decorative touches to your home. By “bringing the outdoors in” this winter, you can provide a rustic look that will warm your heart and home.

 

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.
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