A pro painter friend of mine had a great way to determine which colour to paint. She went to an art supply store and bought three canvases for a couple of dollars - think 9x12" or so to get a good idea of the colour. She would then hang these with masking tape to avoid damaging the walls. These colours can be moved around the room to experience bright spots, darker corners, all times of day and evening. You can buy three flat board canvases for about $10 each and bingo, baby, you're all set! (as Lisa would say!)
There are about a gazillion people out there painting kitchen cabinets. I am not handy or a diy person. When I discovered how simple it really could be I was able to transform my 1988 honey oak kitchen to modern black. A contractor who was doing other work at my house could not believe that I had done this all by myself with no experience.
I also repainted my cabinets to a shade of white and it lasted at least 10+ years. It takes a lot of time and the right process ( sanding, primer, and the right paint). Once in a lifetime is ok, but I would not do it again.
@@melbadorton6679 I love this - I've been fumbling about what approach is realistic for me. I am a new owner of orange oak, everything I never wanted lol -- I understand that there are paints with primer built in, and I also understand that spraying is a thing. Then I thought maybe just try and work with the orange and modernize around it and focus, say, on the floors and lighting and backsplash. Can you enlighten me on a little of what helped your process to make the cabinets happen?
@@humminahumminatake it from me I don’t think you can modernize the orange oak!! This is coming from one who resisted painting forever. What enlightened me to taking the plunge was when I updated the rest of my house the 1988 honey oak had to go. It was a totally disconnect. My original idea what’s to paint some wood and leave some oak as the cabinets were in perfect condition and that was even worse. I now have all updated everything which was far from my original intention!! Google Heirloom Traditions paint. I do not want to use the link as it may not be allowed on Lisa’s channel. No sanding (unless damaged areas) and no priming. I used a brush and painted with the doors on but some are using sprayers too. There is also a Facebook group where the paint DIY’ers will give you suggestions and tips.
We had a professional painting company paint our cabinets. We also had all the hinges replaced with soft close hinges. They took all the doors and drawer fronts off to be painted in their workshop. Cabinet boxes were painted with a roller. They used a water based alkyd paint in white. Everything was sanded and primed. Our old "pickled pine" cabinets look so much better now as they had begun to discolor. We used brushed nickel hardware. Check out new home construction to see what colors are being used. It is still gray and white! We painted our kitchen cabinets white and our walls are dove gray. I know a lot of folks hate gray but I think it is here to stay. Having your cabinets painted is very disruptive! We had no use of our kitchen for about a week. We had to empty all the drawers and cabinets then put everything back. Talk about a lot of work! And stuff sitting around everywhere! But we love them now and are so happy!
New home construction shouldn't be indicative of good design. If that were the case, everyone would still have boob lights and most of us know that's not a cute look. If you like Grey then you should use it, but yes, it is going out of style. I'm sure it'll be back in a other 10 years though.
''do the research'' are you sure, this current crew just want to be told what to do and have someone else do it all for them, research included, thank the maker for ARTificial Intelligence. just ask it and it tells you, if you ask, ''what's my style'' an expected come back would be ''eclectic modern traditional'' LOL robot talk LOL oops.
Thank you for reminding us once again to get an area rug big enough to anchor the furniture arrangement! Our eyes have been trained incorrectly because so many people, including designers, make this mistake.
I often wondered does it end up costing you less if you hire an interior designer because they are able to purchase items at a discount? How do most interior desinger charge for their services?
Yes. I wonder about that too. If they don’t charge a commission on purchases do they buy lesser quality to increase their margins? On their fixed fee? If they do charge commission on purchases do they buy more expensive goods to increase the margins? Hard to say. I guess that’s why people go by referrals. But frankly most people do not have a referral system. I didn’t. I had to do it all myself for three major gut reno jobs and an extension on the house. The designers I used were not working in my self interest and some were incompetent. It’s a dangerous business.
Lisa offers what's called "Inner Circle", which is where you explain your ideas or challenges to her and she and her team walk you through the process. As a member of her DezignSpace community, I've heard a lot of people say that because of Lisa's advice, they've definitely stopped themselves from making expensive mistakes and ultimately saved money. But I agree with the other comment that if you do hire a designer who doesn't have the experience you need, it won't be worth it.
My neighbour hired an Interior decorator and she charged her 15% of the project. She also had to pay time on top of that, like a lawyer bills. I still think it’s worth it but at least you’re armed with everything you’ve learned from Lisa.
In my experience it varies by designer. Some charge an hourly rate, some a percentage of the project. Some pass on the discounts they get, some don't. In picking a designer it is important to understand how and what they charge (if hourly an estimate of what they think their hours will be), get references, see examples of their work and make sure it is someone you are comfortable working with
I've worked with a designer before. Their approach to purchasing for their client can run the gamit, so just ask up front when you're choosing who to work with. However, it is usually worth the expense if you have a good designer, they can come up with "clever" approaches to your room that you would never have considered. Many ID's have a signature look that transcends style and what color to paint a room. they also consider more practical issues that I personally tend to not think of.
LOL! I said, "Bigger!" for the size of rug too! 2700k for lighting throughout. I wonder...how can I know when buying an outdoor rug online, if the pattern will be repeated more or if they just blow-up the pattern? I got the latter on one I purchased (3 years ago) and it looks stupid.
Honestly, those area rugs where only front furniture legs are on them give off Jake and Rose vibe. As for the questions, Lisa already answered most of them. I'm just not sure if there's a video on including the furry family members into the space in an aesthetic and sustainable way.
I have these (almost) exact same kitchen cabinets shown at 6:03 in my home and I wouldn't even think of painting them. Too hard to clean if they get dirty and they would look terrible if you're not on top of the cleaning ritual all the time. What's the deal with all this white in a kitchen, anyway? It's an assault on my eyes.
Maybe because carpet isn't necessarily decor, it's like walls. Rugs are decorative and used as an accent and you can have multiple differnt ones in a space to define sections whereas carpet doesn't allow you to do that. Rugs shouldn't be wall to wall though, I think they say you should have at least 12 in of space away from walls with a rug.
That "define the sections" idea is also the reason for an otherwise puzzling recommendation that you'll see often: if your room has a wall-to-wall rug that is clean and in good condition, and you are NOT prepared to tackle the project of ripping it out and replacing it with something else (even if that "something else" is a pre-existing hardwood floor that the wall-to-wall rug was installed on top of in the first place), buy one or more area rugs to put ON TOP OF the wall-to-wall rug. The area rugs are decorative, and perform the "define the section" function, e.g. the sofa/loveseat/coffee-table arrangement is a cozy, intimate conversation area separate from the rest of the living room; the wall-to-wall rug then is mere background, like the would-be hardwood floor. The idea of a rug-on-top-of-a-rug does seem odd and counter-intuitive (they're too similar); this is the reason for the suggestion that the area rug could be a contrasting material/texture/feel, such as jute. An interesting intermediate case is office/commercial-style carpet tiles, like FLOR. This can create a soft, safe, carpeted surface for small children's playrooms, or for a family recreation room that the adults of the house share with small children most days and adult friends when hosting social gatherings. Different-colored carpet tiles can be laid out in color blocks that VISUALLY perform the "define the sections" function, yet the ENTIRE FLOOR is in effect one single solid wall-to-wall carpet, e.g.: blue and black for the sofa/loveseat/coffee-table conversation grouping, green and white under and around a gaming table / dining table with chairs, black/white/gray everywhere else. Individual carpet tiles can be replaced if they become stained or damaged or simply worn out by being in the traffic pattern, WITHOUT replacing the entire roomful; also, the "define the sections" color blocks can be changed or resized by moving some of the carpet tiles around.
Currently I am looking at upgrading my small home so that I can "age in place". I want a modern style, not country. I already know not have rugs, or any glass tables. I have some stylish grab bar in the bathroom, but what about other areas? I don't want my home to look like I have moved into a nursing home. Built in the '50 my theme in my home is mostly Coastal. Turquoise and white in the bathroom and kitchen. Livingroom and dining room are Tropical (think Tommy Bahama style). I just want to be safe in my home. Any ideas?
A walk-in bathtub, perhaps? I used to think this was a dumb idea until I got into my senior years myself. After suffering from heavy arthritis a walk-in tub doesn't seem to be a bad idea after all.
(1) Older houses sometimes have narrow hallways or doors that CANNOT be widened, and small bathrooms that CANNOT be enlarged, short of a major demolition/remodeling. These are NOT problems for able-bodied people, because until relatively recently, ALL houses were designed and built with measurements specifically chosen for able-bodied people; NO thought was given to "aging in place". That's a problem if you end up living in a wheelchair. The best way to test for this problem NOW, before an emergency or health crisis forces your hand: borrow a wheelchair from someone, or rent one from a medical-supply house, and try simply LIVING as a full-time wheelchair user in your current home, as-is, for two weeks. Your biggest questions to watch for: (1) do I *ever* find myself barking my knuckles on too-narrow doorways? (knuckles are on the OUTSIDE of the wheels, propelling them) (2) can I successfully AND EASILY turn 360 degrees in my wheelchair in the bathroom WITHOUT banging into anything and WITHOUT having to pay a lot of attention to what I'm doing? (2) In the kitchen, you'll need some counter space or work space that is at wheelchair height (which is the same as dining-table height), NOT countertop-height (which is STANDING height). Even if you aren't actually in a wheelchair, the work is still easier if you're sitting down in an ordinary armless office chair with wheels ("secretary chair"). Easiest way for dining-table-height work space: add a fair-sized work-table, if there's enough floor space for it. Harder: create a dining-table-height kitchen island, or replace an existing countertop-height kitchen island with a dining-table-height kitchen island. Hardest: replace SOME (not all) of the existing countertops (and cabinets underneath) with dining-table-height versions. You probably do NOT want to use the actual dining table as a work surface, because of all the scrapes/stains/drips/spills/burns/knife-marks etc. that the countertop inevitably suffers, and that have to be cleaned up before you serve yourself a meal on the dining-table-that's-your-work-surface. (3) Replace stoves with controls at the back (i.e. BEHIND the burners) with stoves with controls at the front. This eliminates the danger of you reaching OVER the flames/burners to the controls, from a wheelchair, with your sleeve dangling dangerously into the flames/burners. (4) In the bathroom, if the sink is on a vanity with an enclosed cabinet underneath, replace it with a sink that is mounted on the wall and has NOTHING underneath. You need ALL the space underneath the sink for your knees/lap to protrude into, when you are in a wheelchair (or even just an ordinary chair). Whatever cleaning supplies or other supplies you used to store under the bathroom sink, you will have to find a place to store them somewhere else. (5) A low-height toilet is easier to use for its intended biological purpose, but harder for a body with elderly legs and knees to get down onto and up off of. A high-height toilet (sometimes advertised as "comfort-height") is easier to get down onto and up off of, but harder to use for its biological purpose. It's a trade-off: NO height of toilet is best for BOTH purposes. As you age, legs and knees trend towards working less well and sometimes more painfully, therefore at some point you may be obliged to replace a more ordinary standard-height toilet with a "comfort-height" toilet. "Toilet-seat raiser" gadgets can help for a while, but they only go so far for helping with this. "Comfort-height" toilets are sometimes troublesome to obtain; one effective alternative is a wall-mounted toilet, which can be mounted at whatever height you specify. (6) In the shower, you will definitely need at some point a bath bench that fits into whatever tub or shower that you have (or end up with). You will also need a hand-held shower head; a single wall-mounted shower head just WON'T be enough. Shower heads nowadays come in many convenient designs at reasonable prices; these include: a hand-held shower head (on a hose) that also fits into a wall-mounted holder to become a wall-mounted shower head; a dual-head version with both a wall-mounted shower head AND a hand-held one on a hose, with a switch to choose which one is active; and a hand-held shower head on a hose that can mount to the wall AND slide up and down to various heights AND rotate back and forth to various angles. (7) Check to see if wall-mounted light switches, thermostats, and other controls/gadgets can be EASILY AND COMFORTABLY operated from a wheelchair. ("I can do it if I stretch really hard" isn't good enough.) The surest way to test this: borrow (or rent) a wheelchair to test from. A partial test: test from an ordinary armless office chair with wheels ("secretary chair").
@@davidteleki7300 You are absolutely right. Those are all major problems. I do have a wheelchair and can not access the bathroom with it. But I also have a "deluxe walker" that has a seat that can be use to enter the area and it does have a way of rising up. I also have transfer bathtub bench, "toilet rails" and a 4 inch commode seat for the toilet for future uses.
I lived in my home a decade bf I chose my next paint color. When I moved in I had it painted white. Never again. The next color I chose was a neutral color I call mud. It’s a light taupy brown custom color from bm. I used a bm color but it was too mauvy so I changed it to a custom color mix they did for me. I have had the house painted twice since with this color. ❤❤❤never shows the dirt always looks great! Good questions!
Please do a video on Curtains. I live in an all electric home, with baseboard heat. Curtains must be 12 inches from the floor. HELP. But hey, what is in with curtains these days? I am currently just going curtain free and have wood blinds. It is a nice clean look but maybe curtains would look better
Yes. Lisa’s rule of 3s for paint is invaluable. After I narrow it down to 3, I buy a pack of Sure Swatch (don’t work for them; don’t know anyone that does), and 3 sample paint pots. Basically, I get the 3 pack of 8”x12” blank, ready-to-be painted ‘stickers’. Then, I paint one color on each ‘sticker’. Peel the back off, and place it on the wall. Move it around: morning, noon, night. I avoid putting 2 or 3 colors side-by-side because it *confuses* my amateur eyes. I also avoid painting samples directly on the wall. Not only does it prevent me from moving my paint swatch around, but I have been to people’s houses (including a Realtor’s open house), and you could “see” the paint swatches that had been tested on the wall, and then painted over. One friend even used 2 coats of primer, and she could still “see” one of the test swatches.
I have three questions. 1 on the entry-level of my home all the rooms are black and white. What is the best complementary flooring? Could I use black? I want each bedroom to happen different color, how do I unify the look? Lastly what is the best flooring?
