Spring Brings Fresh Home Renovation

 

As we enter the spring and summer home design and decorating season, there are a number of things homeowners and home buyers should consider as they plan for and make their design decisions and purchases.


Here are some helpful tips from our team of experts at Design Studio Interior Solutions:

1. The sun in Colorado is strong and it can heat up a room and fade furniture and flooring. Rooms that are south- and west-facing need window treatments to tame those powerful rays. Protect your space with draperies, shutters, or programmable roller shades.

2. Considering Colorado’s unpredictable weather, outdoor furniture must be heavy weight. Hailstorms and 60 mph winds happen often, so opt for outdoor furniture that has the weight to withstand the wind.

3. Hardwood flooring is beautiful but needs humidity to avoid buckling, splintering, and splitting. Go for a whole-house humidifier.

Or better yet, consider engineered hardwood. It is built to withstand 85 degrees one day and 30 degrees and snow the next, and is a beautiful alternative.

4. Performance fabrics are your friend. They come in every color and texture imaginable now and most stains will come out with ordinary soap and water. When shopping, be sure to ask for these fabrics.

5. Your family will sit on your sofa every day, so make sure it is well made (and covered in a performance fabric). Great accent pieces are available for a variety of prices. We recommend splurging on the sofa and saving on the cocktail tables.

6. The budget of a kitchen remodel can run up to approximately 10 percent of the current value of your house. So, do some shopping around and planning ahead of time for this bigger-ticket item.

7. With plumbing and lighting fixtures, what you don’t see is as important as what is visible to you and your guests.

Rough-in valves for plumbing fixtures should be made of solid metal and durable materials. Same for lighting. Since we can’t always see these things, we don’t always consider how important they are.

8. Wallpaper is back, and it is not your grandmother’s wallpaper anymore. The colors, patterns, and styles will inspire you to try it in a powder bathroom, a dressing room, or a dining room.

9. Ottomans are the hardest working pieces of furniture in your house. They can prop up your feet, hold trays full of drinks, or serve as extra seating when needed. We never met an ottoman that we did not like.

10. Work with an interior designer — they know all the great new products, they understand the logistics of putting together your home, and they will not let you make mistakes. They are worth every penny!

 

Photo Judy Goldman

Judy Goldman is the CEO and Founder of Front Range Design Center, Design Studio Interior Solutions, LLC Architecture and Design, in Boulder. Goldman has been one of ColoradoBiz Magazine’s Women to Watch, including Rising Star and Top Woman-Owned Companies. Goldman can be reached at [email protected] or (303) 652-1727.