house – Designing Goldilocks

Home repairs in the age of Covid

So you’ve been staying home as much as possible, taking all of the necessary precautions to keep yourself and your family safe from the coronavirus.

You only leave the house when it’s absolutely necessary. You wear a mask in public. You have most everything delivered. You’ve done good.

But a few months have passed, and while locking yourself in your house is working, life isn’t stopping. Situations where you’ll need to interact with other people are cropping up.

What do you do?

Home inspection

John and I had to face this situation recently. We were coming up on a year of being in the new house and wanted to provide the builder with a list of potential fixes.

There were minor things we were aware of, such as a door not closing properly. But to uncover problems we could not see or were not qualified to detect, we had to hire a home inspector.

This meant someone would be in our home – in our personal space – for a couple of hours touching doorknobs, window treatments, and more.

There wasn’t much discussion about it. John and I knew it had to be done. If we thought we would live in this house forever, we may have chosen to accept whatever issues existed and forgo the home inspection.

But because we plan to sell the house in a few years, we knew it would be better to have the builder make the fixes now rather than hope the coronavirus would let up and pay for the fixes ourselves for a prospective buyer later.

Even if it meant allowing a stranger to come into the house at the height of the pandemic.

Establish safety guidelines

Shortly after I started working from home, I had a conversation with a co-worker who was still grocery-shopping in person. I asked her if she was scared. She said yes, but that she wears a mask, shops in the early hours when the store isn’t as crowded, and prays.

John made some phone calls to home inspectors and found one he liked. The home inspector agreed to wear a mask and gloves while in the house and practice social distancing. We set up the appointment.

Because I still work from home, I took the day off. I wanted to be available for any questions or concerns the home inspector might have. But I also wanted him to feel free to inspect the house thoroughly, and not short shrift my work area in order to keep his distance from me.

The process was painless. The inspector wore protection as agreed upon and kept a safe distance during conversations. He wrote up his report at home and e-mailed it to us later to limit the time he spent in our house.

Build up courage, again

The home inspection was behind us, but it was only the first step in the process. Now we had to submit the report to the builder, and meet with the contractor to go over the details.

This meant establishing safety guidelines again and opening our house to another stranger. I took another day off.

Similar to the home inspector, the contractor wore protection and kept a safe distance as he walked through the house, reviewing what the inspector had documented.

He even scheduled some of the exterior work to be done that day to get the ball rolling. For the interior items, the contractor established a schedule that would cause the least amount of disruption to our lives.

But he left it up to us.

Did we want as many tradesmen in the house at one time in order to get the work done quicker?

Or did we prefer limiting the number of tradesmen in the house at a time but schedule the repairs over the course of several days?

We chose the latter, even though it meant building up the courage again and again to open our house to strangers.

The contractor also promised to let the companies know to send their people out with masks and gloves. But as a commitment to our health and well-being, he would leave protection behind for anyone who showed up unprepared.

John had a stroke a few years back and falls into the high-risk category. Because we share a home, I too must take every precaution necessary so as not to pass anything on to him.

Open house

The first few days of repairs went off without a hitch. The tradesmen were punctual, professional and showed up with their own protection.

We had men fixing seals around doors, blowing insulation into the attic, patching and painting stucco, and filling in grout lines.

People were coming and going with John serving as the foreman. It was like that scene in the 1980’s comedy-drama Mr. Mom, but without the steamy shower.

One worker showed up without a mask, but was happy to oblige when John handed him one.

Ongoing work

And no I did not take additional time off. The room in which I work only needed one fix, which took about five minutes. It was quick and easy. Plus, I didn’t want to chance taking the day off and not have a tradesman show up.

In fact, one of the companies did have to cancel, which leaves a few repairs undone. But with the Covid-19 cases at an all-time-high right now, we took it as a sign to hold off.

And so we wait. And pray. Knowing we will have to work up the courage yet again to open our house to strangers to finish the work.

*Even in the pandemic, it may be necessary to allow a stranger to come into your home to make* repairs. The best you can do is require they wear masks and gloves, and then pray. Photo by Cindy Hernandez.

What’s your interior-design style?

Do you know your interior-design style? Or better yet, do you have a design style?

Or maybe you don’t have a design style but want to aspire to one.

I can relate with you.

Glitz and glamour

When I planned the style for my new home, I envisioned Hollywood Regency.

The glamorous lifestyle from Southern California, circa 1920s through 1950s. Think movie stars sipping cocktails in luxurious loungewear. The style is opulent and rich.

My love for this style started several years ago when I discovered the Hayworth Collection at Pier 1 Imports, smoky mirrored furniture pieces that pack a stark punch in my living room and master bedroom.

Rich textures and bold colors round out the look with black-and-white striped rugs, throws and accent pieces.

Declutter

But as time has gone on, I’ve evolved into a mix of Hollywood Regency and Minimalist. I still love the glitz and glamour of the furniture, but I have held back on flashy wall mirrors and velvet finishes.

Besides a few crystal pieces I keep in a curio cabinet, the decor items I go for now are faux plants to add some nature to the mix. Some green to the sea of grey. I have found affordable plants at Target and have had fun setting them around the house.

Find your style

But back to my original questions. How would you find your style? Well, it’s easier than you think.

Let’s start with furniture and home-decor stores that sell the items you’re drawn to. If you said Ikea, your style may be Scandinavian. Simple and functional furniture pieces.

If you said Ethan Allen, you may be modern or contemporary. Heavy wood or metal furniture, matching rugs and throw pillows, and sensible artwork.

If you said Pottery Barn, you may be coastal. Tall lanterns on the porch and patio. A sea foam color palette. Nautical decorations.

If you shop online at Wayfair, Bohemian may be your style. Colorful area rugs, furry throw pillows and white-upholstered sofas.

Other ways to find your style include flipping through design magazines or replicating the sets you see in movies or on TV shows.

If you have friends or family members whose styles rock, you may resonate with one of their themes.

And while decor is all about the visual, it also should be about the feeling. In other words, how do you want to feel in your home? If you say relaxed, Zen could be your vibe.

This and that

But to be honest, homeowners these days are gravitating toward a mix of styles. I rarely see a staunch French Country or a true Modern in real life. These looks only exist on TV or in magazines.

This may be because most everyone I know cannot afford to execute one style from floor to ceiling. The main components of a look may be there, such as stainless steel appliances and exposed ductwork for the Industrial loft.

But the sofa, dining table and artwork may be contemporary pieces from the popular furniture warehouse down the street.

If you’re following my instagram account, @designing_goldilocks, you’ll notice that my account name is Farmhouse Glam.

I came up with that name because the exterior of my house resembles a farmhouse, which happened to be the elevation the builder pre-selected for the lot I chose. But the interior of my house has the glam furniture from Pier 1.

Farmhouse craze

While farmhouse ends at my front door, the farmhouse style is arguably the most popular design style today. Think white kitchen cabinetry, shiplapped walls and wooden signs with comforting messages like, “Blessed,” and “Home Sweet Home.”

The style is light and bright with virtually every flat surface decked out with hydrangeas in vases, stacks of books, and baskets upon baskets. Farmhouse homes are cozy and inviting with the upkeep to match.

So what design style are you?

I’ve provided you a lot to think about. Whether you know your style or not, interior design is always evolving. Like me, you start with one vision and morph into a mix of them. Or maybe you’re one style through and through. But whatever it is, the discovery phase can be as fun as the execution.

My interior design style is Hollywood Regency with minimalist finishes. Photo by Cindy Hernandez

One year in the new house

This weekend marks 1 year in the new house.

Where has the time gone?

I swear, the year it took to build the house didn’t pass this quickly. OK, maybe it didn’t take a year to build the house. It took about 10 months.

But you get my point. Life has not stopped. And that’s how it goes when you own a house. You go, go, go.

Even a new house has its list of chores, from buying new furniture and decor to working with the builder to repair chipped stucco and nail pops. And the list never ends, it grows.

While this isn’t the first house I’ve owned, I’m also older, wiser and more financially stable now, and view home ownership in a whole new light.

So to mark the occasion, I thought it appropriate to share what I’ve learned as a seasoned home owner.

A house does not change who you are. It’s just four walls.

Sure, the house can be new, beautiful, a point of pride. But it doesn’t change your personality, improve your relationships or alter your outlook on life.

You’re still the same person you were the day before you moved in.

A house is an investment. And with that realization comes a greater focus on the economy and the impact on home values.

On a micro level, you never want to become complacent. When something breaks, fix it. When styles change, change with them. And never stop cleaning. All of this work will pay dividends when it comes time to sell.

And you will sell.

A “forever home” is a myth. John and I have had fun putting our mark on the house like turning the front room into a bar room.

But we were careful to pick upgrades and layout options that would appeal to a wider audience.

Because let’s face it, John and I will not be living here forever. The day will come when we hand the keys over to new happy owners.

Colors and countertops are just part of home ownership. It’s an investment that can pay dividends when you put in the work. Photo by Cindy Hernandez

How do you pick an area rug?

I’m stumped.

I need an area rug in the living room, and I don’t know which way to go.

I want something with a pattern and some color, but I don’t want the design to be so busy that it draws the eye downward.

The main purpose of this rug is to extend the life of the carpet, particularly the high-traffic areas on each side of the sofa and the sliver between the sofa and the ottoman.

The main colors in the room are grey and silver, which some would argue provide no real color at all. The walls, ottoman and throw pillows are brown. In accent pieces, I have black-and-white stripes and the green-leaf motif.

I thought about going with the popular black-and-white striped rug, but I’m afraid the room is too monochromatic already. I’m drawn to green, but given the leaf motif throughout the room, a green rug might be too predictable.

I could play it safe with brown. But if I’m going to spend the time and money on a rug, shouldn’t it add some pizzazz to the room?

Now you see my dilemma.

What are your thoughts? Check out the living room in the photo below and offer your ideas in the comments section.

This room needs an area rug that adds color without being the focal point. Photo by Cindy Hernandez

When to splurge on decor

So you’ve bought some decor on sale. You’ve shopped the clearance section. You even found some pieces at a garage sale.

But there’s a piece you just gotta have and it’s not going down in price anytime soon.

What do you do?

The rule of thumb I use is, if I’m still thinking about the piece the next day, the next week, the next month, I buy it.

Or if there’s nothing like this piece anywhere and it’s unique, a statement piece, a conversation starter, a head-turner and the presence of this piece will elevate the space, I buy it.

Take, for example, the ottoman with leaf motif from At Home Stores.

The price: $30.

Did I need it? Nope.

Did I want it? Yup.

I saw it on a shopping trip one Saturday, stayed thinking about it all week, and bought it the next Saturday. It can be used as an ottoman or as extra seating.

The fabric has a leaf motif that goes perfect with the C-table I bought at Pier 1 Imports. It adds color to the sea of grey and silver that’s running throughout the room. It’ll round out the nature look I’m going as I bring in more faux plants and succulents.

When you think of all that it does for the space, the ottoman was a steal at $30.

*The ottoman with leaf motif adds color, style and function to the room,* making it a steal at $30.
Photo by Cindy Hernandez

Shop the clearance section

A favorite piece in my house is the buffet from the Hayworth Collection at Pier 1 Imports.

I had been eyeing the piece for years, picturing dinner parties with charcuterie boards set out for guests to enjoy. A glass of wine in one hand and an appetizer plate of meats, cheeses and nuts in the other.

The problem was I lived in a 1,000-square-foot condo with absolutely no space for the buffet, let alone guests. In the new house, space was not a problem.

The hurdle now was the buffet’s $1,000 price tag. The Hayworth Collection is not inexpensive. Even on sale, the prices can be steep, which is why I always headed for the clearance section.

Even before ground broke on the house, I shopped for Hayworth pieces in the hopes of finding a bargain. My persistence paid off when I found a buffet for $200.

The piece had minor scratches I could live with and a loose foot that John and my Dad easily fixed. The buffet moved straight into storage where it waited a year for the house to be done.

Today it serves as a sofa table on the main floor between the living and dining areas. It’s the first piece I see when I come downstairs in the morning. It’s the first piece I see when I walk in the front door. It’s the first piece I see when I come in from the garage.

But what I love more than the buffet itself is the deal I got just by shopping the clearance section.

The buffet from the Hayworth Collection at Pier 1 Imports was only $200 in the clearance section, a savings of $800 because of minor scratches and a loose foot. Photo by Cindy Hernandez

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?