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It is always such a joy to me when a client that I've worked with before calls me again!
The husband had a terrible accident a few years back and now has a titanium back. He spent a year in the hospital and they almost lost him several times. They gained a new perspective on life and home and have downsized to a one story home since he cannot go up stairs anymore. This is where I come in! They hired me to come in for the day and decorate their new home "using what they have."
Read moreI wanted to share with you a snippet from my book that was published a few months ago. This portion of my chapter truly describes what I am all about.
"My main objective is to create environments that are gathering places for families and friends to do life together.
However, I am about more than that. I believe that the home is a special hub for the best moments in life.
It is the place where you watch your kids dance around the kitchen.
It is where you and your hubby carry your kids to their bed because they fell asleep on the couch.
It's where your daughter brings a boy home for the first time, and where your family laughs around the dinner table so hard that you choke on your food.
Home is where real life happens and sometimes real life is a little bit messy.
That is why I want the homes I decorate to be a place for peace and solitude. Our society is so busy and hurried that spending time AT HOME is almost a lost art.
My goal is to connect these wonderful moments of life to the home through interior design.
I have a different perspective on design in that it isn't totally about a specific look. It's more about finding the soul of the people living in the home, and helping the client find the surroundings that makes them feel good. Decorating is about creating a quality of life, a beauty that nourishes the soul.
Our homes should reflect what we are about, our beliefs, our experiences and family traditions. After all, homes are not just about nice things, they are about a place where you want to spend time.
I'm working on a project at the moment where I get to do exactly what I've described above. I get up each morning, ready to make lives and homes more beautiful!
I love it when a client calls and says "we need some updating to our home and we need your help guiding us through the decision making process so we don't make mistakes"
Yes, that's me! They hired me to assist with remodeling their home within the budget they had set aside. I helped them prioritize what was important to do right now and what could wait.
I thought I'd show you how it all turned out. Let's start with the stairs.
To update the stairscase, on a budget, we decided to paint the spindals white and we stained the banister a rich espresso. It transformed it instantly and made their entry so stylish and inviting.
We added a beautiful patterned carpet and that made the staircase the star of the show when you walk in the front door.
Next up is the kitchen which needed a facelift for sure.
We didn't have the budget to do the floors and we figured they can do that at a different time.
The client really wanted new countertops so that was our priority. We selected a neutral countertop and extended the countertop on the island to give her more prepping room.
We added a gray subway tile backsplash and removed the overhead lighting and added recessed lighting. I just love the mercury glass pendants we chose for above the island, it coordinates beautifully with the new flush mount fixture above the sink.
We painted behind some of the open shelving and staged it with some of the items she already had.
Next was the family room.
We painted this entire room to lighten it up and added new carpet. We took down the drapes (they were too short), hung new artwork and added lamps for a touch of color. The client wanted a fresh, clean look so that's what we did for her.
The couch had too many "matchy" pillows.
Ruthie Tip: When you purchase a couch that comes with all the matching pillows, that really cheapens the look. By taking some of the matching pillows out and adding a few throw pillows to break it up, it gives it an instant makeover and looks more collected, rather than cookie cutter matching set.
Next up was the fireplace.
This fireplace brick was really pink and wasn't modern enough for the client. We decided to paint it a gorgeous gray to give it a makeover. It worked and turned out beautiful.
We took out the ugly fan and added a stunning chandelier that makes this fireplace come alive. Paint covers a multitide of sins! The mantel itself was a little small so we added corbels underneath the mantel and that made it look more to scale.
I absolutely love this kind of transformation. The client wanted their home updated so they could enjoy it more. It doesn't always mean you have to gut the entire place. What I love about my job is that I get to give home owners ideas that can update their homes without breaking the bank.
Of course, I have clients that want to gut the entire house and transform it all because they do have the budget to do so and that is awesome! However, I also love to see families update their homes conservatively too. Some people choose to do nothing because they can't afford it. Don't do nothing, any home can be turned into something wonderful with some good ideas and creativity.
I'm off to Highpoint tomorrow to be a part of the Design Bloggers Tour. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to see behind the scenes. So looking forward to getting to know these fabulous bloggers and seeing all the new trends in design for 2017/2018.
I'm also taking over Interior Design Society's National Instagram account on Friday while I'm at Highpoint. Follow along too for new trends and behind the scenes showroom tours.
It has been a busy few weeks here at the Staalsen home and I've had a wonderful vacation. I'm back to work, but thought I'd give you a little glimpse of what life has looked like over the past month.
We had a special Christmas together with our family! We hosted 18 for dinner on Christmas Day, which was a ton of work but so much fun. Getting all the food on the table hot was a chaotic challenge, but we did it.
Because there were so many of us, I opted to use paper plates which made all the teen dishwashers happy. I found these gorgeous paper gold chargers. I used clear plastic plates for the food and it looked amazing.
My favorite part of hosting is setting up the main table and the buffet tables. This year I used one of my sari's from India on the dessert table.
For bringing in the New Year, we took 20 college kids camping. We were the cooks! I was glad to be in our "home away from home " with my heater, Keurig and shower.
The kids were brave and slept in their hammocks. Brrrrrrrr
Thanks to Kennedy with Perspectives Photography for the pictures below.https://www.facebook.com/perspectivepics/
We brought the New Year in around the fire with sparklers and lots of loud fun.
We made memories and continued our tradition from last year.
Life is about these moments! Community with those we love, even the crazy ones.
There is something about being around a roaring fire that makes us bring life back to the basics. It is the imple things in life that makes it so rich.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH AND EVERY OF YOU.
My 2 words for this year are BE PRESENT.
Life is too short to not be in the moment with those we love. I challenge you to think on these words as you continue with your goals for the year.
I have lots of fun things to announce in the next few weeks so stay tuned!
What a fun few weeks we have had here at DecRenew Interiors by Ruthie Staalsen!
We finished up about 4 big remodels about a month ago so have been doing some photo shoots! Photo shoot days always involve a lot of packing, lugging, wrapping and sweating but it is always worth it!
I thought I'd post this Industrial Farmhouse kitchen first since I just love it! We only have a few before pictures of this kitchen which makes me sad. I met with the client for a walk thru consultation to discuss what they wanted done and how we were going to proceed. It was a fantastic consultation with loads of brainstorming and thinking on our feet with my team. Before I left their house they said they would let me know when they were ready to proceed with the demo.
The next day I got a call from them saying that they were leaving on vacation that week and decided they wanted the demo to go ahead and start while they were gone. Ok then, I love decision makers! So refreshing!
My team got busy but we forgot to take before pictures, urggg! We did get these few!
The kitchen was incredibly un-functional and was closed off to the rest of the house. I suggested we open it all up and create two islands. One in center of the kitchen for their prep work, etc. and the other one where we opened up the space into the family room.
They had a formal living room that they hardly ever used so opening up the space into that room made sense.
They had a round dining table in the kitchen area that they used daily. We made the bar area nice and big so the family can sit and do their homework while mom or dad cooks.
The family room had beams but they were off scale. We widened them and added new beams to the area where we tore down walls.
There are barstools on each side of the island as well because we all know the kitchen is where everybody hangs!
The kitchen was totally gutted and we started from scratch.
The wood floors were the last thing to go in and once they were down it all came together beautifully, just like I saw it in my head during our walk thru consultation :)
I just love the handmade subway tile and the lighting we chose, it really gave the kitchen that industrial farmhouse feel. I think Jo Jo would approve, don't you?
Stay tuned for more before and after from some of our other remodels!