Thursday, April 30, 2020

How accessorizing can complete your design

How accessorizing can complete your design


Most people don't realize just how vital accessorizing can be. I always say, "the devil is in the details," and the details are the accessories!! Without proper accessories, it's just an unfinished room.

As a designer, this is the part most of my clients have problems. You see, it's not as easy as it seems. You need to know the proper scale, take into consideration color, and make sure it pulls the design together. This is what completes the space.

 This is a room I recently designed for a client. All the items I chose are in the space. However, the space seems incomplete because it hasn't been accessorized yet.

Take a look at the before and after photos and see for yourself.
You can see there is no centerpiece to accent the table.


This wall seems so empty and vast without wall art.


The server is bare and has no charm!!


Now to add all the accessories and bring some much need charm!







As you can see, it's so much better when the room has been accessorized. It completes the space. Adding warmth and charm.
#AbellaHomeStaging



Thursday, April 16, 2020

Painting my bathroom cabinet

Painting my bathroom cabinet


About six months, I painted my bathroom a beautiful blue. I decided I wanted to paint the bathroom cabinet the same value but much darker.



But before I could paint, I  needed to make sure I fixed any issues the cabinet may have. It is very old and peeling in some areas. I'm not ready to redo the bathroom just yet, but I do want to make it as appealing as possible.


In a way, it's good that it's old because the melamine came right off. As you can see from the picture, I just peeled it off all the doors. That made it so easy!!


As with any job you undertake, the prep work is the most crucial part. If you skip on the prep work, most likely, it won't last as long, or it won't turn out well. So I had to prime the doors. I didn't sand since it was on MDF. If I were painting on Melamine, then I would have sanded. I used this primer, which worked very well. I only needed one coat.



Then I went to work and started painting. I took off the doors to make it easier to paint.



It took four coats to cover the cabinet completely. Something you should know, the darker the color, the more coverage you will need!! It doesn't look beautiful right now, but I knew it would once it's was done.



Well it's all done and I couldn't be happier. I love the color and as it dries it becomes darker. I used Sherwin William Duration 6230 Rainstorm







So what do you think? Not bad, right?!! Changes the whole bathroom. And it looks brand new!!


#AbellaHomeStaging

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Ceiling treatments

Ceiling Treatments



For many years, the ceiling has been traditionally painted white. But lately, I've seen a trend in ceilings treatments. No longer are they just painted white? Instead, they are now painted in different colors and been given special attention.

I love the many different options now available. Here is some example to consider when you're redesigning your space.
Coffered Ceiling



Medallion Ceiling



Wallpaper Ceiling


Tin Ceiling



As you can see there are many ways to treat a ceiling, some are more expensive than others. But the options are there. Some say the ceiling is your 5th wall. Depending on what you chose, it can make a room seem more traditional, classic, funky or very high end. Your choice!!

Thursday, April 2, 2020

Adding to my Ikea bookcase

Adding to my Ikea bookcase



I've wanted to add to my Ikea bookcase in my office. It was nice, but I wanted more storage for my books, and I wanted to make it look a bit more upscale. 

I had some electrical work done, and I was now able to add to the bookcase I had. It's something that I wanted to do for a while. 

Here is how the project unfolded.

This is how it looked before. Not bad, but I wanted something a little bit more upscale in design. You can see in the photo that the outlet was an issue.




eliminated the outlet, and that allowed me to move the bookcase. Giving me the space I needed to add to it. I used an electrical cover plate.


As you can see here, it didn't leave me with a huge space (don't mind that I'm in the picture!!).



I did check Ikea first to see if they had a bookcase that I could use in that space. Unfortunately, they had a 15" size bookcase I need a 10.5" size bookcase. It was not going to work. I was going to have to build it.

So off to Home Depot I went to get the materials I needed. Here it is, although it's not entirely done yet. I need to add the backing to it.



I added a masonite board. That allowed it to have a backing without adding weight since it's only about 1/8" thick.


I used finishing nails and made sure I didn't go through the board!!


There was also an issue of the bookcase not being flushed against the wall. Because walls are rarely straight!! There were some gaps. I used a 2x2 and glued it to the bookcase, but there was a small gap at the bottom, so I had to be creative, and I used shims to fill in the gaps. It worked out beautifully!!




Once I had all the pieces I needed, the last on the agenda was to install crown molding. You can see I used finishing nails again, but some holes needed to be filled. 


First, I use this tool ( I have no idea what's called). But you use it to pushed the nails in so that it's easier to fill in the hole. It gives you a nice clean look.



I also filled in all the gaps between the bookcase and the walls. 




I am delighted with the way it turned out, as you can see from the before and after photos. It looks so much better.




#AbellaHomeStaging