7 Important Details to Consider Before your Kitchen Remodel

There are 7 important details to consider before your kitchen remodel. Renovating a kitchen is a major undertaking for a homeowner to take on alone. It requires strategic planning both, financially and aesthetically. Based on my experience, I recently completed a kitchen renovation through my online interior design services, many of these points were brought up during the project and I thought it would be beneficial to share.

From Outdated to Updated Modern Master Bathroom

When new homeowners called on me for help with their modern master bathroom, I saw the potential beyond the outdated interior and cracked ceramic tiles. The young couple had style and their current bathroom didn't reflect their minimalist modern inspiration photos. Through the process of my edesign services, I came up with a proposed design concept for the space. I was inspired by the client's bright and crisp design inspiration photos plus the natural lighting that they already had beaming into the bathroom. One of the items on the client's "wish list" was a rainfall shower head.

How to Use Pantone "Greenery" at Home

The 2017 Color of the Year is Pantone "Greenery" which is a citrus green hue. You might have already started to notice this shade in magazines and in stores. As I stare at gray skies and nearly melted snow, I am craving color in my life and can't wait to spruce up my home with this shade. Today, I will be sharing my tips on how to use Pantone Greenery at home. This shade of green is a refreshing and revitalizing zesty yellow-green. It is a color that will spice up and add vitality to any interior. You can incorporate the color of the year into your home in many ways without committing to painting your walls. Here's how:

The One Thing you Need for a Successful Room

The one thing you need to have a successful room, in my opinion, is the furniture layout.  You can have beautiful furniture and a great color scheme, but if the furniture isn't arranged correctly - it can make or break the room. Arranging your furniture in a way that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. A furniture layout that is designed correctly will make you feel invited into the space and also doesn't hinder your entertaining aspects and how you use the space itself.

My First Time Traveling Abroad

I have a list of destinations that I want to travel to. First destination on my bucket list was Italy to explore my culture and get back to my roots. I went on a tour for a week (wish it was longer) and I spent 2 nights in Venice, 2 nights in Florence, and 2 nights in Rome. I wanted to share some of my favorite highlights from the trip. Since I have returned, I have received a lot of questions asking, "Which city was your favorite?" That is such a difficult question to answer because each city has a different vibe and atmosphere. Venice was romantic. Florence had great places to shop and pizza. Rome had great history. Well, all three cities had history but ... the Colosseum and the Pantheon had me mesmerized.

New Year, New Beginnings

It's been a while since I have posted but I will fill you in on all the juicy details. This year started off with a BIG surprise.. but before, I get into the details, let me give you the background. For about 6 months, I had planned a trip to Italy with my boyfriend. I have never been abroad before and it was on my bucket list to visit Italy. I wanted to experience my culture and go back to my "roots". My trip was planned the week of Christmas and New Year's Eve, so that means I would be away from family and friends for the holidays. Being away for Christmas is a big deal, especially for an Italian household where Christmas Eve and the seven fishes is a big deal, a really big deal.

So to make it up to my family, I had promised to get the family together for a pre-holiday celebration dinner before I went away on vacation. We got my boyfriends family and my family together for a big meal hosted at my boyfriend's brother's house. To my surprise, my boyfriend had other ideas in store.

6 Easy Holiday Decorating Tips

If you are anything like me, you may be looking for easy holiday decorating tips because this time of year is always so hectic! As much as I would have liked to full-out decorate, I didn't have time to deck the halls. Between holiday shopping, gift exchanges, parties, worrying about what to cook/bring to the party, weddings, client meetings, packing, and traveling.. my head was spinning! Hence why, I wanted to keep the decor simple! Today, I will be sharing my 6 decorating tips to recreate my simple yet elegant look. The theme of my decor this year is: silver, gold, and mirrored accents. With a few key pieces, you can recreate the look with these 6 easy holiday decorating tips.

6 Easy Holiday Decorating Tips

  1. Decorative Trays: Why I love them? Because they are super versatile and create groupings for collections. I love these pair of brass and mirror trays from 33rd Floor Decor (great price too!). I dressed up my buffet with two drays; one for decor and the other to display drinks and champagne flutes.

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2. Festive Mirrors: I love incorporating mirror into my holiday decor because when the holiday lights are twinkling, and it reflects in the mirror it creates a whimsical effect. I got this lovely starburst mirror from 33rd Floor Decor.

3. Natural Elements: A simple faux tabletop tree sits on top of my buffet this year. I like to incorporate greenery and natural elements into my designs for a pop of color and texture. I didn't have a chance to get my tree yet, but the tree clippings are good to save and display in a vase.  For a more natural look, you can sprinkle pinecones on your table or mantle (love the cinnamon scented cones).

4. Candles: This almost goes without saying, but candles are key for setting the mood. I placed candles on decorative mirrored trays to reflect the light. When the lights are dimmed, it almost feels magical.

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5. Mercury Glass: Mercury glass candles holders or hurricane vases look beautiful when candles are on or off. The reflective antique mirror-esque sheen creates an elegant touch to any area of the home.

6. Garland: Garland is essential for holiday decorating. Whether you are using real garland or faux (like I did), it completes the entire look. I am loving these silverleaf berry branches that I got from Target. They are wire branches so they can bend and twist as you wish.

I hope you have enjoyed these easy holiday decorating tips. How will you decorate for the holidays? If you have used my tips, please post a photo and tag @byamadesigns .. I would love to see your creativity!

Want more decorating tips?