Let's Go Outside!

  

Let’s go outside!....... and design your outdoor spaces.

It’s the quiet time of the year for your interiors because we’re all outdoors enjoying the summer fun, the down time from hectic school schedules and, loving the sun and warmth before the snow shows up! Since we’ve “moved” outdoors try to keep your walkways, patios, decks and, landscaping looking beautiful. Your outdoors is a reflection of what is going on in the inside therefore; make your first impression approaching your property inviting and beautiful. Your walkway to the front door should be easy to find, you would be surprised how many old houses have hard to find pathways. Create direction by outlining and defining your front walkway with shrubbery and/or flowers. Make sure you have a wide enough area to walk in; approximately 4 ft wide is wonderful for two people to walk side by side. Substantial footing is of course a must, there are a wide range of materials running from stained or stamped concrete pavers, flag stone, brick and, so many more choices. It’s nice to have somewhat of a curve to your sidewalk, feels better visually and gives the home a more comfortable approach as opposed to a straight line, except for short spaces straight is good. If you have the space a small water fountain or sun dial will make the trip to the front door a little more enjoyable. Your visitors will be smiling by the time they knock on your front door.

Flowers and plants are like the accessories for your home when it comes to your patios and decks. Try a few flower pots or as many as you can handle watering during the dry days. Potted plants large and small can help define the different spaces of your patio; conversation areas, dining space, grill and cooking designated spots. I have a large geranium (3-4 years old) that I put up on a stand and it does the perfect job “screening” the conversation area making it feel cozy and comfortable. The flowers and patio furniture should somewhat reflect the color palette of the inside of your house so there is a nice flow from indoors to outside. Since the patios and decks are usually in the back of the house they don’t always have to compliment the outside color of your home, the landscaping of shrubs and flowers in the front fulfills that job. If you’ve never had potted plants start out easy with geraniums and petunias for sunny areas and impatiens for shade, these plants are fairly easy to take care of.

Candles are a must have for those warm romantic nights of watching fire flies…..hurricane lanterns are the best for beating the wind blowing out the candles, an inexpensive idea is mason jars with votives . For fun try a string of white holiday lights, these can make your outdoor space magical.

Lastly have ample seating and plenty of side and coffee tables to put drinks on, magazines or, perch your feet upon. Your patio or deck becomes a whole other room for you, your family and friends (who found your front walkway)to gather, so make it comfortable and inviting then everyone will enjoy visiting you during the most wonderful time of the year, summer…….. Let’s Go Outside!



Terri Reilly ASID allied

Business on a Budget Presentation-Designing your Office


HOME and OFFICE-2 MOST IMPORTANT PLACES WORLD

• Paint-

  Important for inspiration, calmness and an overall good feeling in the room. Your office is your blank canvas so put some paint on it. Don’t be afraid of color and don’t paint it white unless you’re a designer-interior, graphic, lighting etc. even architects can paint a beautiful grey.

  If you have clients that visit your office a nice paint color will make them feel more comfortable and relaxed so they can listen to you and hear about what products or services you provide.

  Stay away from reds especially in conference areas…too passionate

  If you have several rooms are areas use various degrees of the same color or coordinate with a mutual color. Play with it, have fun. Use foam core board with 2 coats of paint for samples and look at them for at least 3 days. Then go for it!



• Organization-

  IMPORTANT important and more importantly is your organization. A productive company only can operate and perform at a top level with good organization

    ease to find everything

  Saves times

  You will feel more professional therefore look more professional

  Bang out jobs faster and easier

  KEY IS TO WORK SMARTER =good organization

  File cabinets-can’t afford right away try baskets or cardboard file boxes-inexpensive

  Folders-try color coded ones –I have red and purple- can’t help it LOVE color

  Bulletin Board- I love the 12” square brown cork you can hang right onto walls with heavy duty two sided tape. The advantage is you can make them any size or. White eraser boards.. can be ordered from any good office store. Look on line too.

 Computers, ipads, iphones keep us very organized today-make sure they’re all sinct with one another.

  INTERNS-depending on your business-high school or college interns are extremely motivated, smart, willing to help especially in this economy-they can help you with a lot of organization on the computers, filing, etc. I have had 6 over the past years and the ideas that they have come up with have been a great asset to my business. Example –external hard drive for photos.

Lighting

 You need a mix of incandescent and a little fluorescent. I am not a big fan of fluorescent but it is necessary to keep the shadowing happening. Incandescent is on its way out and LED s are coming in like gang busters….there still not perfect but look for the most amount of lumens rather than watts per ea bulb that will give you the most amount of light. Of course you’re paying the electric bill so look at the most energy efficient.

  A great inexpensive source is IKEA wonderful track lighting that has good design and functions for an office perfectly.

Most are easy to install

Incandescent lamps….look around the house and Home Goods is a great source.

Furniture

  Desk is obvious. If you can’t afford to buy one right away look around your house you would be surprised what is not being used and viola…instant desk….maybe your kids have moved on….snag theirs

  I used a very metal sewing machine base with a piece of marble on it…..let me tell you it worked!

  TAG sales are a great place to find desks..and remember you can always paint them if not in great condition.

  SIZE of desk..Remember to have enough desk surface so can easily work without feeling crowded. You want enough space so you can create comfortably.

  Extra surfaces for printer, fax(although may on the way out)

  BOOK CASES for storage-be sure to get well made ones that will stand the test of time….you may need to put a little more money into these. Much older book cases were very well made so look around for these and they can be easily painted.

Chair

  obviously you need one for the desk I highly recommend buying a brand new office chair with proper back support it will make your day much more productive and happier.

  you still we need maybe 1 to 2 other chairs for your assistant or for a client’s meeting. Look around your house and tag sales. Be sure they’re the same chair or matching looks more professional.

Area Rug

  You’ll need a rug for comfort, sound proofing and it helps with the cold weather. You can pick up small area rugs at the many rug distributors. Home Goods again is an excellent source. And don’t always select a commercial looking one…..have some fun or elegance with it……Remember also if client’s are coming to your office there is always a first impression on your professionalism. Weather too…..have a place for people to drop an umbrella into or maybe even a rubber mat for boots and a place to hang coats….either a closet or a coat hanger.

Window Treatment

  Ready Mades-look on line

  Canvas drop cloths as panels. The oatmeal color is great and you can paint on them-maybe big blue horizontal stripes or whatever you like.

  Woven Shades-sharp and clean looking good for privacy and sun

Accessories

  Plants…please put plants in your office. Will make you feel better visually and will help visiting clients to comfortable.

  ART WORK or wall accessories are the icing on the cake. Please make sure your walls are not blank, a room is not finished until the icing on the cake is place

  Frame any Awards, Degrees, or special accomplishments and display nicely and uniformly. You can either practice placement with blue tape on wall or on the floor first.


  IF ALL ELSE FAILS……HIRE A PROFESSIONAL INTERIOR DESIGNE

Home Office Inspiration by TR Design in Dedham,MA

Art Walk

People tend to overlook how important accessories are to a home. This past week I attended Art About Town in Westport, where I saw countless pieces of art. There were fantastic pieces ranging from Elise Black making abstract art on the sidewalk, to a sculpture of a man hanging upside down with his head in a flower pot (I do love humor)!! Needless to say I saw some more traditional works of art as well! My friend Antonio Muñoz who was displaying a paintings at William Sonoma, as well as Allison Meyler who had her art shown at Kate Spade.

Speaking of stunning pieces of art, I had an art associate stop by the studio yesterday. She showed the TR design crew and me some truly immaculate pieces of art for the home. Not to mention prices start at a mere $400! If you are feeling that a room in your house is bare or undecorated, furnish it with a fine piece of art! It can truly make any room lavish and truly one of a kind!