Designing Goldilocks

My design blog is for you

Are you a Mom with no juice left at the end of the busy day to create a soothing space for yourself?

This blog’s for you.

Are you a career woman who doesn’t want to spend the weekend making more decisions, especially on trivial matters like flowers and succulents?

This blog’s for you.

Are you just design inept?

This blog’s for you. And for anyone you know who may have said yes to any of these questions.

I get it. Decorating your house is stressful. It’s time consuming. There are so many choices, and you don’t know where to begin.

Wallpaper or paint? And if paint, what color paint? And what about the finishes? Flat. Satin. Gloss. High-Gloss.

The decisions are seemingly endless. The process is so tedious, it can make you want to throw in the towel. But are they monogrammed towels? And what about thread count? And I haven’t even mentioned the cost.

I’ve had no formal interior design training. Nor have I worked in the design world. But I’ve owned homes, new and used, and know a thing or two about picking out furniture, settling on colors, choosing artwork, and organizing spaces.

And I have done all of this on a budget. Because I believe interior design and home decor do not have to be expensive to make your home pretty and comfortable.

Don’t get me wrong. If you want to spend one-grand on a club chair, be my guest. My house holds a few pricier items, too. But only because I wanted to spend that kind of money, not because I thought I had to spend that kind of money.

On my blog, you will learn the reasoning behind the design choices I’ve made for my home that you can replicate in yours. I share budget friendly decor options and explain why I splurged on pieces to round out a look.

If the posts don’t address the design challenges you’re facing, reach out to me on my contact page or leave a question in the comments section. You might find your dilemma is the topic of my next design post.

My blog is for the busy, exhausted or uninspired, so send me a design question. Photo by John Hooks

Design with an open mind

Sometimes the house dictates the decor.

Take color, for instance.

Blue is my favorite color, and dominated my design choices in terms of color for years at my condo.

Dinnerware: Dansk Blue Mesa.

Master bathroom accessories: Tommy Hilfiger Elizabeth Anne.

Kitchen motif: Sunflowers with a blue backdrop.

But blue does not work well in the new house. The color that does work?

Green, which comes as a big surprise to me because green is my least favorite color behind pink. But I like it.

It could be that green complements the brown walls and cabinetry. Think tree trunks and leaves. It could be that the house has tons of natural light. Think sunshine and vegetation.

I could have gone with blue if I wanted to. The living room and master bedroom suites are grey and silver, both of which are cool colors. The blue would have fallen in line on the color palette.

But that’s just it. The silver, grey and blue do not provide a colorful range. Once I opened my mind to green, and saw the life it breathed into the decor, my love for the color grew like ivy. Now it’s the color I gravitate to.

Fortunately, the interior decor world is ruled by indoor trees, succulents and fig leaves.

Green is the perfect accent color in this sea of grey and silver. Photo by Cindy Hernandez

Garage sale finds

Don’t underestimate what secondhand items can do for your decor.

Some favorite pieces in my house are secondhand items I got from garage sales, antique stores, and family members (see “The Story of an Accent Table,” April 13, 2020).

I love when decor gets passed around.

This might be part of the reason I struggle to get rid of things. I think I might need them again one day. If I do part with them, I donate them in the hopes they will enhance someone’s home like it once did mine.

Yes, I hoard. I place value in inanimate objects. I admit it. But all of that is a different blog for a different day.

Back to garage sale finds.

Secondhand items are often inexpensive, they can be the items you’ve been searching for, and they help reduce waste.

Case in point:

John and I had been searching for an ice bucket, the kind you would find in a Palm Springs home in the 1950s. We looked high and low at a mid-century antique store in Prescott. We found two buckets on separate trips. They were about $30 each but were not in the greatest condition.

Then one day we shopped around at a community sale in my parents’ neighborhood, and there it was: the ice bucket we had envisioned for the bar room.

Having seen the two in Prescott for $30, we were ready to pay $10 for it. Our jaws about dropped to the ground when the owner said, “One dollar.”

The ice bucket had been a wedding gift and sat at the top of her closet the past 50 years, never having been used.

We told her we were having a new house built with a bar room that needed an ice bucket and about the pricier buckets we had seen in Prescott.

She then told us to leave already before she raised the price on us or changed her mind about selling it.

Today the ice bucket sits on top of our bar with a fabulous story to tell.

*This midcentury ice bucket finishes off our home bar. Photos by Cindy Hernandez*

*The 50-year-old ice bucket had never been used and was a stole at $1.*

Summer vibes

One of the features that sold me on the new house was the front porch. I had the perfect furniture for it: two acacia wood chairs and matching table that I picked up at World Market years ago.

I also had two black-and-white striped lumbar cushions from Target that went perfectly on the chairs. The porch was one of the first spaces I set up after moving in. I loved it. I still do.

But now that we were entering our second summer in the house, I thought the porch needed a refresh. Not a completely different ensemble. But just a few pieces to make the space look new again.

Over the past few weeks I had seen black-and-white striped outdoor rugs on social media. I wasn’t completely sold on outdoor rugs. This town is dusty, especially in the summertime. How would I keep them clean?

But the more I saw the rugs, the more I realized I needed one for the porch. I found the perfect one online at Target.

I am still blown away by the difference. The rug makes a statement. It pops. It draws attention to the ensemble. The rug was the missing piece I didn’t know was missing until I had it.

What do you think?

*The black-and-white striped* outdoor rug makes the ensemble pop. Photo by Cindy Hernandez

Before / after inspiration

If you like before-and-after photos, this post is for you.

The table with the accent lamp in the bar room is nondescript. It has no personality. No life. It is downright boring. But I keep it this way on purpose. I use the tabletop to set my glass when I serve myself wine. It works.

But in the design world, it is nothing but void. So I thought it the perfect space to serve as the before in this before-and-after post.

As I mentioned in a previous post (“Budget Friendly Decor” May 2, 2020), home decor does not have to be expensive. Target has affordable pieces that, when grouped with items you already have, can elevate the space to a whole new level.

It’s easy. Watch.

The first photo below shows the nondescript table with the accent lamp from Target.

John already had the table – a piece his parents bought for the entryway of his condo back in 2006.

The second photo includes a small plant and a wooden tray, both from Target, and two bar books. I kept with the bar theme, but any subject will do.

The lamp and plant are newer but affordable pieces. The table is almost 15 years old and a gift at that — meaning it was free. The books I have had for years. The wooden tray I bought at Target last fall.

Easy, right? So the next time you need to add life to a space, look around your house. You just might already have the items you need to create a whole new look.

Party planning Goldilocks

There’s a birthday coming up in our household. John’s birthday.

I guess you could say it’s a quarantine birthday. But John and I love being home, so it’s not a huge sacrifice to stay in and celebrate.

If the world were normal, we may have traveled to Lake Tahoe for the week or Las Vegas for the weekend, two of John’s favorite destinations.

If stay-at-home orders were not in place, we may have taken a rideshare to one of this favorite Chandler spots that serves a great sazerac. John loves New Orleans, too.

But the world is not normal and we have to stay put until the middle of May. Not a problem. We’ll throw a fiesta at home.

We’ve already placed an order for pre-made margaritas at a nearby liquor store. In the next few days I’ll put in the call for a party platter of Mexican munchies at a local restaurant. If I’m lucky, I’ll find a cake shop that is open. I’m thinking bundt cake.

And just like that, a fiesta is planned, albeit with a guest list of two, and the two includes the birthday boy.

But the concept is the same, whether big or small, under quarantine or not. Order the drinks, food, and dessert. Decorate. Celebrate.

If anyone wants to see the birthday boy, maybe they can do one of those drive-by parades we’ve been seeing a lot on social media lately. I’ll wheel John out onto the balcony where he can wave to the unwashed masses.

Then later, we will nap. Or watch a movie. Or who knows what? There is no game plan, and that is all part of the fun, right?

*Every good fiesta needs margaritas, amirite? Photos by Cindy Hernandez*

*Party platters are perfect for serving crowds, even if it’s just a crowd of two.*

*John* prefers pie over cake, but I’m sure he’ll love any dessert I come up with. He’s sweet like that.

Budget friendly decor

A lot of Americans are struggling financially in this pandemic.

Some Americans are doing okay, but are holding back on buying non-essential items.

Others are frugal, pandemic or not.

The argument could be made that home decor falls into the category of non-essential items.

While I would agree with that, I also believe that home decor doesn’t have to be expensive, pandemic or not.

For those who cannot make such purchases right now, I get it.

I too have been unemployed, or employed but financially strapped. But I never stopped dreaming about how I would decorate my personal spaces once circumstances improved.

If this blog serves as inspiration for your home, that makes me happy. Because the purpose of the blog is not to spend money you don’t have, but to use new or existing items to create calm, functional and happy spaces for you and your family.

Many of the items you will find in my house I have had for years. It’s true that I have splurged on some of the decor. But for the most part, the purchases I have made lately complement any budget.

Below are some examples.

*This Project 62 landscape wall art from Target was under $15. Photos by Cindy* Hernandez

This wooden accent lamp was under $10. It’s also from Target.

This accent plant was about $5. And yes, it’s from Target too.

A home is never done

I was talking to a co-worker recently who had just bought her first house. She was loving her new home, but was surprised that a week off of work was not enough time to get settled.

“You’re never done,” I told her.

I had been in my house for 8 months and still had boxes to unpack, artwork to hang, items to donate.

And I still do. In fact, I always plan to have furniture to arrange, bedding to buy, closets to organize.

That is because a home is never done. There is always something to decorate, refresh, update.

As the house ages, there will always be a repair to make, a major appliance to replace, a bathroom to remodel. And just when you think you’re done with the last room, the first room needs attention again.

It’s a vicious cycle. But a necessary cycle, if you love your home. The best plan of attack it to stay on top of everything as best you can.

Strike a balance between staying stylish and maintaining the major systems, such as the roof and HVAC.

Build routine maintenance into the budget so that you’re not in fix-it mode, which can be more costly in the long run.

If and when the time comes to sell the house, most of the major updates will already be done. I had to pump $7,000 into my condo in order to sell it and never got to enjoy the improvements.

This is the boring stuff, I know, but well worth it. Think of it this way, it’ll give you more money to spend on the fun stuff.

*These items are stashed in the guest bedroom until we decide whether to keep, sel*l or donate them. Photos by Cindy Hernandez

*Staying on top of* the house’s major systems will prove less costly down the road.

Farm-fresh smoothies

So I started a veggie box subscription to a local farm. The subscription is weekly and guarantees I’ll always have fresh vegetables. My order is filled automatically. All I need to do is pick it up at the farm.

I’m on week 5. The boxes have included carrots, beets, turnips, radishes, green onions, and lettuce mixes. Because the farmer chooses vegetables that look best that week, it’s always a surprise when I open the box.

But we are a household of 2. And John isn’t the biggest fan of vegetables. Even if I cooked every night, I still would have leftover vegetables.

Enter the smoothie.

I hate throwing food away, even before the pandemic. So anytime I can use up all the ingredients in my refrigerator, especially in a healthy way, I go for it.

Smoothies are perfect for that. And all I need is a blender, and a little imagination. It helps that I also keep frozen fruits on hand.

Here are 3 recent creations:

Beet It: Beets, frozen mango, frozen pineapple, frozen strawberries, honey and water.

Trinity: Carrots, celery, apple, a dash of ground ginger and water.

Lawnmower Clippings (John named this one): Lettuce, frozen mango, frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, honey and water.

How do you use leftover vegetables? I’m open to ideas.

A veggie box subscription guarantees fresh vegetables for salads, side dishes and smoothies.
Photo by Cindy Hernandez

Statement pieces

You won’t find clutter in my house.

No bric-a-brac on shelves.

No knickknacks.

No trinkets.

This is mostly because I hate to dust. So the fewer items on display, the fewer items to get dusty.

Instead I go for statement pieces. A vase. A plant. A votive.

The pieces are grand. They speak for themselves. They encapsulate my decor. They don’t take center stage, they take the whole stage.

If you’re in the process of organizing your house and want to de-clutter, take these steps to maximize your space without forgoing style:

Pick a cluttered tabletop.

Choose a favorite object that represents your decor. Be sure it is large enough to pack a punch without overtaking the table.

Place it in the center or the corner, wherever it makes sense.

Stand back and evaluate. The piece should be eye-catching. A conversation-starter. It should cause someone to do a double-take and say, “This piece looks like you.”

Here are 3 examples of statement pieces in my house