Fontanot Exterior Staircases are Both Stylish and Practical

Are you looking for a staircase that blends harmoniously with the exterior of your home, indoors, or in the garden? You should consider a spiral staircase that satisfies your need for practicality and provides a stylish accent at the same time, making it the best choice for your home.

Fontanot has a selection of spiral exterior stairs designed to fit your needs and make your home beautiful. Techne Linear is the spiral staircase for outdoor use. The balusters are 20 mm and round, and the handrail is made of diamond tough PVC with an aluminum core. And best of all – Techne Linear spiral staircases come in colours! Created from technopolymer with colour mixed right in, the staircases can be matched to your exteriors or provide an accent point with a pop of bright colour.

Fontanot spiral staircases are perfect for either indoor or outdoor use. The colour will not wear off with use or fade in the sunlight, so you will be able to enjoy your new staircase for years to come. Wherever you decide to place your new spiral staircase, you will get years of use from this tough, UV resistant material, making it a practical, aesthetically appealing choice for new stairs.

Guest Post written by http://uk.fontanotshop.com/

Top 5 Air Conditioning Tips

If you live in New York, you are no stranger to its brutal heat wave in the summer. We loathe the painful cold winter months, and wish heavily for warmer days. We often forget how hot our summers can get

until we step outside into nature's oven in the middle of August.

Homeowners will be spending an average of almost 20% of their annual energy bill on cooling this year. Though this may be 20% well spent for comfort, it can increase if you are not sensitive to your air conditioner's regular, and required maintenance. If you want your air conditioner to run accordingly during its peak usage, and without any unexpected repair costs, you will want to keep these 5 tips in mind for optimal results.

1. Clean and replace (when needed) the air condition's filter.

Sounds simple enough, and if you read other blogs on tips and maintenance you will see this as a top priority. Guess what? No one ever does it, or if they do, the percentage is below average. The filter collects dust and allergens as they circulate throughout the home. When your filters are neglected they become clogged, forcing your air conditioner to work double the amount of time to give you the same results you. Golden rule is to have your filters changed every 2 to 3 months. 

2. Annual checkup.

If you are lucky enough to have central air, just the same way you have your heating unit inspected annually (so we hope), the same applies to your air conditioning system. Annual maintenance checks for leaks, worn out coils, filters, freon levels, and any inconsistencies with performance goes a long way. Addressing any potential issues can minimize your unit's failure.

3. Thermostat adjustment.

Consider a programmable thermostat to adjust your settings for set times throughout the day. When used efficiently, this is a huge money saver.

4. Sealing cooling ducts.

Air travels from room to room through your ducts. Proper sealing will improve your unit's performance by as much as 20%. Duct sealant, like mastic or foil tape to seal your seams and duct's connectors will prevent any loss of air.

5. Think Energy Star.

Nothing beats the savings of an Energy Star central air system or individual unit. These units deliver less energy consumption and are a much better value.

Always keep your unit protected in a heavy plastic sheeting when it is time to store it, and before doing any kind of work to the air conditioner, be sure the unit is unplugged. Room air conditioners have one or two capacitors, which can be found behind the control panel and by the fan. Capacitors store electricity, and you can receive a severe shock even when the air conditioner is off.

Client's Den Before & After Sneakity Peek

It has been absolute MAYHEM over here lately.  I guess it's kind of good mayhem because were getting lots done on our house, Christian is graduating from kindergarten and work has been great, but I'm definitely feeling a little crazed.

{The good kind of mayhem}

One of my favorite parts of all of the mayhem though- besides my boys-  is always project installations!!  Installations really bring on the pressure... Ours aren't typically as crazy as the ones on TV with the family driving home for the big reveal as the last accessory gets placed, but they can come close to that.  It's the day where so many little details need to fall into place so that your plans can be fully realized.  I want my clients to walk home to "home" and be in love with it.

Last week we installed a couple of rooms in our clients' home and today I wanted to share the husband's den with you.  Before I show you the pictures, I have to tell you what an awesome couple (and parents!) my clients are.  There's just so much love between them and they're just so cool.  Seeing them together is like seeing people you just know are meant to be together.  I don't often work closely with both a husband and a wife (it's usually the wife) so I've really enjoyed getting to know them as a couple.  Anyway, there's a small den off of the foyer that the husband has been dreaming of turning into one of those great old causal, masculine rooms where he can relax, read, have drinks with a friend, etc.  I loooove projects like these because it's different from what we often work on and in this case, we got to really have some fun with it.  Here's what the den looked like before:

We were keeping the sofa and the leather chair (which is a recliner)  but we got to change pretty much everything else:

{an mid-installation pics I snapped}

We wanted the room to be a warm, cozy & darker space that sort of cut you off from the rest of the house when you were in it.  I wanted the walls & ceiling to sort of cocoon you when you were in there.  We started the plan with a plaid wallpaper on the ceiling:

It's hard to see from the above pic but there are actually green lines running through the plaid alongside the light line so we did the walls in a rich green-gray.I love how the blue of the sofa looks against the warm green-gray paneling.  The room is fairly tiny so in lieu of end tables with lamps we did a pair of brass & white glass lamps on either side of the sofa to flank art we'd collected.  The first piece is up...

{An antique hunt print we found soon to be joined by other things my clients collect}...and we've got a few more to go!My client is going to take his time collecting things for the room and I can't wait to see it when it's finished!!  When we go back and photograph it, I'll share the rest of the room with you, but hope you enjoyed the sneakity peek! :)  Have a great day & fingers crossed for us because today is the day we put a fifteen foot wide hole in our house to get ready for the massive window in our upstairs loft!!  It's going to be hot and  really messy for a while here.  I'm in the process of finding more things for our place so we can be DONE.  (As "done" as people like us let things be ;)  I'll keep you posted!!

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Local Furniture Warehouse Sale- DC, MD, VA

If you're local and love to shop, you might want to check out our friends at N Route Delivery's massive warehouse sale:

There will be TONS of stuff at amazing prices!!!  Along with designer returns & showroom samples, there are also a bunch of designers selling items too!!  Hope to see you there!



If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Clients' Traditional Living Room Before & After

Last week we installed a couple of rooms our clients' home so I thought I'd share a few afters (iphone/ instagram  pics) I snapped.  I met our clients years ago when I first started out decorating.  They'd given me a call to do a consultation in their home way back when.  We got along really well and I was so happy to get a call a few years later after they purchased their new home.  My clients are a young (incredibly sweet & happy) family who love a traditional-feeling home that feels fresh and a tad fun.  We usually throw in a little preppy streak too for good measure. Here is their living room when we first started out:

{They had JUST moved in at this point FYI}

They already had a beautiful rug that we all decided should stay, and the paintings over the mantle are actually of my clients' farmhouse on their wedding day.  If you look in the paintings, you can see my clients and their families & friends having a blast.  (There are even fireworks in one painting!!!  Wish I'd known them sooner!! ;) ;)  So, of course, those were staying!!  We also had a tan sofa to work with (not pictured) and we built the room around these things.  

Here it is now:

{We layered the sofa with some of my textiles:  Queen Anne's Bouquet & Pierced Porcelain in Blue}

My clients love green and blue so I used the shades of green & blue that were just barely there in the rug to make the color scheme more to their liking.  We added a seagrass rug to layer under the existing wool rug because it was too small for the room.  (We use this trick in at least half -if not more- of our projects because it allows you to use rugs that might not otherwise fit the space perfectly and it creates another natural layer of interest.)  

Here's the view from the foyer when we started:  

And here it is now:

{The foyer rug also has some green woven into it...  We did a massive family gallery wall going up the stairs.}

The curtains and natural woven roman shades really made this room for me.  They softened it and made it feel lived-in.  We used a little trick to save on the shades:  They're only about 3 feet long even though the windows would have required that they be 70-some inches because my clients don't plan on actually using them.  Instead, they just serve to add a little natural warmth to the room.  

The green & white striped swivel chairs really added the energy we needed to the room.  The slipcovers were fabricated out of a very soft, washed linen which feels more casual than what normally might have gone into a room like this.  We wanted the living room to feel more formal than other rooms in the house so they could host parties & get-togethers with friends, but we still wanted everyone to feel like they could snuggle up, put their feet up, and relax.

It was important to us all that the home feel like it was put together over time and we incorporated some vintage & antique elements, which is really my favorite way to decorate.  We recovered a pair of tall old cane backed chairs with blue seats and placed them in front of the windows on either side of the fireplace...

...which is just the type of age & layering we were after.  

My clients have collected some beautiful oil paintings over the years and I hung two of them on either side of the doorway to the sun room above a pair of mahogany dressers topped with concrete mossy urns.  Here's a photo of one of them: 

I was so excited when my client said she was up for a little animal print in the room (!!)  and so we brought in a leopard bench. (below)  The bench was supposed to be six feet wide but came in at only three feet wide (don't you love it when that happens?! ;) but I did take pics with it in the room because I loved how the fabric looked in there so much.  (A new one is being made now)

For this project, my clients opted for an accessories "package" as we call it, where they gave me an accessories budget and I went shopping with it.  It's so much fun and really yields the best results because I can get great things when I see them without having to get them approved (by the time you often get small things approved, they're already gone) and things look so much better when they're in their intended places so it makes sense once a client sees it.  I also bring more than I use and then get to leave only the things that look best,   (The urns, the antique plaques on the left wall, the fiddle leaf fig, the mantle arrangement and a few of other things are from the accessories package.  The dinosaur on the coffee table- the piece de la resistance in the room- however, was already there. ;) ;)  
I'm off for the day but will be sure to share some more before & afters this week!! Hope you enjoyed!!


If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Garages from LM Concrete Garages

Whether you are selling your home, seeking a way to protect your vehicles and belongings, or simply require extra storage space, you can solve all of your needs with concrete garages. A concrete garage is a great investment for any property owner. These maintenance-free buildings provide homeowners and business owners lasting value for years.

Storage Space

No matter how many cupboards and shelving units are in a home or office, there never seems to be enough storage space. Concrete garages provide ample room to store and secure goods. These weatherproof, durable buildings keep belongings safe from water damage that occurs in many basements, and provide homeowners with an easy way to find what they need quickly. Storing items is simple with prefabricated garages that enclose your space, offering you plenty of room for shelves, totes and other storage bins for your seasonal items, lawn supplies, vehicle gear and anything else you need to store.

Security

Vehicle damage is an unfortunate reality that comes with being a driver. Concrete or prefabricated garages can protect your vehicles from theft, vandalism and weather damage. Cars can be locked up securely at night to provide homeowners with a welcome peace of mind. It also keeps you warm and dry while entering and exiting your vehicle during wet or cool weather. Prefabricated garages also allow owners to lock up and secure other goods, from lawnmowers to gardening supplies. Keep birdseed locked up to deter pests that might dig into it otherwise, and lock up any lawn treatment items to protect children from harm.

Home Value

Prefabricated garages are an excellent way to increase the value of one’s home or office. They add an aesthetically-pleasing appeal, creating a stately, well-rounded appearance that is attractive to many buyers. Concrete garages also supply small homes with the needed storage space and parking area that encourages buyers to take another look. Encourage homebuyers by installing a concrete garage and displaying it partly filled with various items that demonstrate its wide range of usefulness. When doing so, leave plenty of open space to indicate its roominess and how much area they have to fill with their own goods.

Work Space

Carpenters, mechanics and hobbyists in general can get much use out of concrete garages. This protected space allows you to work in comfort and warmth, and it keeps you dry when you’re under the hood or at your workbench. Why work outside in the rain or snow when you can easily create your own cozy workshop to store all of your tools and work in comfort? Every handyman needs a secure workspace to keep tools secure and clean, and especially to ensure that he or she has an area to work in rain or shine. Increase your hobby time or build your business with the addition of prefabricated garages.

When considering any type of home improvement, the addition of prefabricated garages is one of the best investments a person can make. The long-lasting value and appeal of this addition is well worth the cost, and provides the buyer with decades of use and fulfillment. Both beautification and function are ensured with this wise home addition.

For a range of concrete garages, prefabricated garages, workshops and offices visit LM Concrete Garages who are specialists in this area! http://www.lmconcretegarages.co.uk.

June Bloom and a Winner!

My absolute favorite time of year here is May and June.  After enduring months of cold, it is so welcoming to see all of the perennials come up and show their beauty.

These Lupine are stunning!  I love the plant in front with magenta, pink and purple flowers.  (and of course I love the "all pink" one in the back too!)  :)

 

The reflections in the pond look so neat!  The lilies and irises are blooming inside the pond.  The creeping thyme is really filling in around the rocks.

We love to sit here and relax.

The Delphiniums are so pretty in bloom.

 



Oh my gosh, the peonies are in bloom! 

 

 

 

 



 

The milk crate I planted last week is starting to fill in.  I used Wave Petunias and a Wallflower.

 

 

 

 

This clematis is starting to take off. 

 

 

 I'm eager to see this clematis start blooming all around the birdhouse.

 

 

 

Wave Petunias, Dahlias, Cosmos and Snapdragons in a pot on the driveway. 

 

 

What are your favorite flowers?

 

The Winner of the Graco Paint Sprayer is Jessica!  Congratulations to Jessica and thank you to everyone who entered!

 

Thank you for your visit!  

 

Pam

 

 

I am linking to the following parties: