Easy DIY Key Picture Frame

One of our designers made this easy DIY key frame and we wanted to share it with you guys! Its cute, fun, unique and very inexpensive!

Step 1) Find some old skeleton keys (Hobby Lobby, Garden Ridge, Craft Stores etc)

Step 2) Find/Buy an empty frame

Step 3) Choose a background color you want for the frame and paint it. In this case we chose a gray color but your options are endless!

Step 4) Cover 3 (not limited to) canvas boards. We chose a burlap fabric but again you can choose whatever you like and whatever would look best with your decor

Step 5) Frame keys and you're all done!

The Power of White

The Decorating and Staging Academy recently shared their own mini-mag with us. We found an awesome article on "The Power of White" and we thought we would share some key points!

White has many attributes which include a clean look, neutral highlights, and adds interest and freshness to your home and wardrobe! In a room with an abundance of elements white keeps the space from feeling overwhelmed. It provides a relief from the visually heavy wall color while creating a great contrast. White provides spaces with a visual resting place. For a potential home buyer white can encourage a buyer to linger in the space, appreciate it view, notice the square footage, and bond with the space. Adding white to a room creates a balance and a sense of calmness. The key here is to blend whites with similar undertones so they enhance and not compete.

2013 Neutral Gray

Mega Griege by Sherwin Williams remains a strong contender for 2013'a Neutral Gray Color of they Year!


SW 7031

2013 Color of the Year

2013 color of the year according to Pantone is Emerald Green.

Sherwin Williams version is Aloe (SW 6464).


The newer trends are towards a richer more saturated color, balanced with lighter versions and greyish undertones

Tara Biller

Our very talented designer Tara Biller has received an awesome review and we wanted to share it with you guys!

To whom it may concern,
I purchased a two hour interior redesign/consultation from Transformed Interior Design and was very impresses.  Tara Biller was excellent!  My primary need was positioning of artwork around my house to make sure it was properly placed and flowed through out the house.  She did a great job, and even hung them all for me!  But she did not stop there!  She went above and beyond giving me ideas for paint colors for our dining room, furniture ideas (we need a new couch for our family room) and great ideas for her future visit.  Once I complete my homework, I am looking forward having Tara come back to continue to the transformation!
Thanks Tara, for your attention to detail, bubble personality and vision that I only wish I had!

A Happy Customer,

Kelly

Decorating Trends for Spring and Sumbber 2013

Here are some decorating trends for Spring and Summber 2013!

-Geometric shapes (can be transitional)

-Graphic patterns (Herring bone most popular)

-Embellishments on furniture fabrics, kitchen cabinets, window treatments (Think fringe, embroidered details, and texture)

-Wallpaper is back but more stylized, more textured, and includes deeper colors

23 Expert Tips Continued

Continuing with our previous post, here are the rest of the expert tips for choosing and using livable colors!

-When choosing wall colors, find versions of your favorite colors that are muted with gray.

-Choose the best paint you can afford. Good paint has better pigments and a more livable finish.

-Look at paint colors in the morning and at night, and put them near your furniture.

-For a cohesive look, flow two or three of the same colors in each room. An accent wall in the family room is reflected in the master bedroom bedding, for example.

-Choose colors based on the use of a room. Morning rooms can be brighter; Rooms used at night can go dark.

-You can take just about anything to the paint store and ask the associate to mix a paint that's a perfect matching using the store's color reader.

- Give yourself permission to use a bold color. You don't have to love it everywhere-one throw or pillow might be just enough.

-Colors close together on the color wheel are analogous and will make a calm room. Colors that are farther apart are complementary and add drama.

-Play with intensity. I love monochromatic rooms that use a single hue in a variety of ways.

-Your home is made up of more than walls-ceilings, floors, stairs, and doors are also great places to have fun with paint.

-When rooms open to one another, avoid choosing radically different colors, or the space will look choppy and small.

Expert Tips for Choosing Livable Colors

Taken from Better Homes and Garden Magazine, here are some expert tips for choosing and using livable colors!

- Start with a color you love. Even if it's not a trend at the moment, it will always be on trend in a space that resonates with you.

-Save strong wall colors for statement rooms that are smaller and visited less-a library, guest room, or a powder room.

-When you shop for paint, take along an existing pillow, a piece of drapery fabric, or a photo of your space. You'll make informed color decisions.

-Think of places and spaces you love for inspiration. For example, I love the cream color stucco walls I see in Italian churches, and I try to match that feeling.

-Choose your favorite color, but watch that its not too bright.

-If you find a color that you love but you're afraid it might be too dark, ask the person mixing the paint to do a 50% tint of the color.

-Warm colors like red, yellow, and orange have an energizing effect. Blue, green, and gray are calming.

-Always sample paint colors. Paint a sample board so you can move it around a room.

We will be posting more tips, make sure you check back in a few days!

Counter Tops

Angie Hicks, owner of Angie's List, wrote a wonderful article on January 19,2013 in the Cincinnati Enquirer about counter tops. Below we have summarized some of the important points that were made.

Quartz is becoming the number 1 choice by homeowners for kitchen counter tops. Why? Prices have come down and has become more in line with mid-range granite and solid surface acrylic counter tops. Granite is in the number 2 spot for popularity among homeowners due to it's recently affordable price. Laminate and solid surface still remain the most affordable options.

Differences between Quartz and Granite: Quartz provides a unique look. It offers a lot of colors to choose from and its very consistent in its appearance. Granite has a lot more depth.

Counter tops can be pricey so its important to research the company and the product first. Ask for large samples over smaller samples so you can get a feel for how the product will look. Bring in a sketch of your kitchen cabinet as well as cabinet samples so you can see how each will go together.

Types of Counter tops:

Quartz: Engineered stone that has a non-porous surface. Can handle heat and resist stains and scratches

Tile: Available in variety of materials including ceramic tile, natural stone, recycled glass, even hand made porcelain. Cost varies depending on size, shape, and material. The grout can even be stained.

Concrete:  Extremely durable and customizable according to color and design. Cost per square footage can be pricey.

Granite:  Natural stone offering dramatic appearance of movement and depth in colors and patterns. Just like a snowflake, no two slabs are the same, adding uniqueness to each piece. Needs to be sealed every couple of years to keep bacteria from penetrating the surface

Laminate and Solid Surface Acrylic:  Easy to maintain and non-porous, but are prone to scratching. However if the counter top does get scratched it is possible to have it refinished to look brand new. Laminate counter tops cannot be refinished however are inexpensive compared to Solid Surface Acrylic.

Butcher Block: A wooden butcher block. They run about $40-$60 per square foot. Any scratches or burns can be sanded down but dents are harder and unlikely to get rid of.

Newest Mini Mag

Click Here to see Transformed Interiors newest mini-mag!

Bookcase Decorating Tips

Decorating bookcases can be a fun but difficult process. Use these tips to help ease your frustation and turn it into a fun project!

1) Take everything off the shelves (yes everything!).  If it helps ease your stress, take a before picture just so you have it to look at after if you are not happy with the end results (do not look at the picture until you are done decorating though).

2) Next decide what you want to put on your bookshelves.. Books? Accessories? Family Pictures? Vases? YOU decide! Remember to keep in mind color, shape, size, and texture when choosing these items.

3) Begin placing items back onto the bookshelves starting with the shelf you can see eye-to-eye with. Depending on how tall the bookcase is you may start with the top shelf.

4) How do you know what to place on the bookshelf first? Easy! Start with the item you have the most of or the largest item you have. This becomes your focal point.

5) Larger items need to be balanced with smaller items and vice versa. Grouping items together allows you to fill the space without using only one item. Think about the differen sizes and shapes of the items you are using.

6) Remember to evenly disperse color throughout the bookshelves. If you don't have much green, move the green around. If you want to color block books or accessories remember to balance warm and cool colors on each shelf. If you don't have a lot of color to work with thats when texture can come into play. Its important to pair opposite items together. A safe bet idea is greenery including plants or flowers!

Happy decorating!

Match Made in Heaven

This is an old window frame that was being thrown out and an old wreath from Restoration Hardware. It's a very simple do it yourself project, and the end result looks awesome! You could use this for the holidays or even year round because of the simple frame.

Top 10 Paint Colors

I have done an analysis based on all the paint I have used for customers so far this year. Below are the Top 10 most popular colors.

Sherwin Williams Mega Greige




Sherwin Williams Hopsack




Sherwin Williams Nomadic Desert




Sherwin Williams Tony Taupe





Sherwin Williams Silver Strand




Sherwin Williams Balanced Beige



Sherwin Williams Compatible Cream



Sherwin Williams Aurora Brown



Sherwin Williams Basket Beige


Sherwin Williams Honest Blue

Holiday Edition Mini Mag

The holidays are going to be here before we know it.

Click here to check out our holiday edition mini mag!

Continuing the Neutral Fall Trend Colors

Another continuing trend for neutral colors this fall is grey.

Grey too can be warm or cool. Most people perceive grays as a cooler, more bland, and cold color. However today's newer grays are warm, rich, and sophisticated.

Try deeper tones as a whole house color.

Sherwin Williams Mega Griege


Sherwin Williams Sticks and Stones





Lighter grays can be paired with almost any color in place of white.

Try Sherwin Williams Grayish




Think of grey as the new white. Be bold and have fun with color!

Try Sherwin Williams Agreeable Grey

Yellow: One of Falls Neutral Colors

One of this falls newer neutrals is yellow. Yellow can be warm or cool.

Brighter yellows with grayish undertones can be cooler and are best used in room with lots of natural light.

Sherwin Williams Jersey Cream


Sherwin Williams Napery


Browner beigeish yellows are typically safe neutrals and can be paired with many other colors, especially browner reds, avocado greens, blacks or whites

Sherwin Williams Interactive Cream


Sherwin Williams Ivoire




Have fun as yellow is typically perceived as a bright, sunny, and happy color!

2012 Design Award

On Friday our owner/lead designer Diana Fruechtemeyer was awarded the 2012 John Chesteen Design Award! We are so proud of her. We would also like to thank our customers for the continued support!

Exterior Paint Make-over

For an easy yet amazing exterior makeover, paint your front door a bright or dramatic color!

Reds are always an attention getter.
Try Sherwin Williams Roycroft Copper Red (Pictured below)


Or Sherwin Williams Red Boy.


Greens are always a safe classic cjoice but trying a different hue can make a greater visual impact.
Try Sherwin Williams Andiron (Pictured below)


Or Sherwin Williams Clary Sage



If you really want to be bold and daring try a plum color which was 2012s hottest fall color trend.
Try Sherwin Williams Chinchilla (Pictured Below)


Or Sherwin Williams Mink

If you're Putting your House on the Market..

A good friend of ours, Diana Agricola wrote an article for the Cincinnati Enquirer about selling your home. I'd like to share with you some key points from her article.

"If you're putting your house on the market, here are a few things you should know"
      There are five key factors in a home that can impact a sale. Think of the letters H-O-U-S-E:

House vs home:
Your house needs to promote its best features, and to do that, anything that shows the personality and identity of the existing homeowners needs to be minimized so that your house takes on the most model-like appearance. Buyers want your home, not your style.

Odor and cleanliness:
Any unpleasant odors, especially those resulting from smoke or pets must be neutralized. Clean your house completely  while paying close attention to detail. Try to put yourself in the buyers shoes: Would you feel comfortable in an unfamiliar space if it looked and smelled like your home?

Updated and fresh:
A well staged house needs to look like it has been decorated in the past five years. Pay special attention to current trends in paint colors, appliances, window treatments, and furnishings.

Space and flow:
Rooms must feel open and spacious, with clear pathways for potential buyers to move easily from room to room. This will give buyers the sense that the spaces are bigger than they really are.

Emotion:
It takes most potential buyers about 45 seconds to make a decision about a house; buyers will both connect with it and feel at home, or they will not. When a home is properly staged, the buyers will stand in the door, feel welcomed and get an immediate sense that they are home. If your house can connect emoitional this way, it's as good as sold.

How to Maximize a Small Space and Make it Look Bigger

These are just a few simple ideas to enhance a small space. Remember that just because it's a small space does not mean it can't have a grand design, just use your creativity.

(Perfect for dorm rooms parents!)

1) Using bed risers allows for more storage underneath the bed.

2) Build upward using vertical wall space. Use tall shelving units to keep more precious square footage available.

3) Use mirrors paired with wall art. Mirrors reflect light and visually expand the space.

4) Use large prints on bedding, window treatments, pillows etc. This distracts the eye from the small size of the space. Make sure to keep prints simple and do not mix a lot of different patterns.

5) Have furniture custom built for spaces. This way you can have furniture made that's comfortable and suitable for the space, rather than buying smaller furniture that isn't cozy.

6) Don't be afraid to use color and do paint the ceiling, it fools the eye into thinking the space is larger because the eye will not stop at the ceiling line.

7) Use lots of light! There are many choices: ceiling lights, table lamps, task lighting, sconces and even floor lamps can do wonders for a space.