Sara Greenwood Real Estate

First things first – you don’t have to compromise your personal aesthetic in order to decorate sustainably at home. The trick to designing green is to use natural materials and to reclaim what you’ve already got! Here are some quick tips to get your started:

In the Kitchen

If you’re looking to install new counter-tops, one option could be to choose natural surfaces (marble, granite, slate etc) as you are less likely to see these materials in a landfill. As an alternative to stone, check out some additional green counter-top options which include materials such as icestone, eco-top, paperstone and others.

If you are ready to replace your entire cabinet unit, you can either find reclaimed or salvaged woods or use sustainable woods such as bamboo or eucalyptus. Unlike most other hard woods that take decades to grow and mature, bamboo and eucalyptus are sustainable because they grow quickly and can therefore replace themselves quickly. If you’re looking for a simple face lift for your cabinets, one option could be to update only the fronts of your cabinet doors as this is a good money (and wood) saver.

In the Bathroom

The same rule of thumb can apply to the bathroom as far as cabinets, but some updates you can make immediately include installing water-saving toilets, shower heads and repair any leaky tub or sink faucets. Since the fall and winter seasons are upon us, to cut back on turning up your thermostat, buy a cozy, lush (and washable) area rug to protect your feet from the cold bathroom floor ( same goes for any carpet-free living spaces). Of course green personal care and cleaning products can easily swap out the standard fare. Click here for more sustainable ideas for your bathroom.

In the Bedroom

The two main areas of focus for today – furniture and window coverings. For furniture, if you’re looking to buy new, look for items made from reclaimed, Poly, or FSC certified wood. The Sierra Club has some great suggestions for energy saving window treatments to help keep your home warm in winter and cool in summer.

For Pets

For those interested in creating a sustainable house for their favorite companions equipped with an eco-roof and reclaimed materials, check out these green dog-house tips.

There is absolutely nothing sexy about a kitchen that is engulfed by chunky neutral tile countertops coated with dark grout; supporting these outdated tiles is large overbearing dark oak wood cabinetry, sitting on a surface of laminate fake-wood. The look and feel is dreary and over-dramatized by the yellowing shadows of the florescent lighting boxes and floral kitchen curtains. Sorry to say it, but you have an ugly kitchen that lacks any sort of appeal. I can only conjure what meals are being prepared in this sort of kitchen … lots of casseroles, I can only guess.

It’s time to spice it up! The new sexy kitchen can make even the smallest galley kitchen look patented and textured with glitter and sheen and can make a large open kitchen look fresh and clean enough for the messiest of chores.

The newest allure for the modern kitchen is focusing on surface materials that are sleek and flat and cabinetry that has clean lines; bamboo is the new wood floor of the millennium. Recessed lighting and under cabinet accent lighting is a great way to show off that new sexy kitchen.

You don’t have to deplete your entire investment portfolio to get an exciting kitchen. By just updating the surface areas and finishing with fresh paint and hardware, you can have a gorgeous kitchen that will turn heads. The kitchen is truly the heart of every home and it is money well spent to make your nucleus appealing. Not to mention how much more fun it will be to create meals in a shiny new space. You might even get some added affection for cooking up a new recipe or two, inspired by the new space.

If you can squeeze some extra money, the modular look is sexy! Appliances should be built-in and flushed with the cabinetry. Stainless steel is the perfect choice for a sexy kitchen as it creates shine and reflection.

Don’t forget the details. Finish off your kitchen with an attractive backsplash: Glass, mosaic tiles is a gorgeous new trend. I’ve seen pebbletile that really works well for an earthier look, or a simple stone surface such as granite is always timeless. Simple hardware and sink appliances will finish off the look.

I’d love to see your sexy kitchen! Send me some before and after photos of your recent kitchen remodel and I’ll share them. The best sexy remodel will be posted online and the winner will get a complementary delicious, full-bodied alluring wine from the Grapevine, Willow Glen.

One of the first projects that a new homebuyer will take on is painting the interior of their home. There is nothing that personalizes a home better than a fresh, inviting color scheme. Don’t rely on last year’s bland matte paint palette … 2010 is the year to be bold and intriguing.

The top color choice this year is PURPLE. I’ve walked with several of my home buyers through their newly acquired homes and the color that I consistently hear on the paint wish list is Purple. Purple is a color which catches the attention of many color enthusiasts but too much bleeding off the walls will be obnoxious and feel very dark. A soft heather purple saturated with creamy off-white trim will make a living area look royal and very elegant, especially paired with antique silver and pearlesque accents. The softer colors have a soothing tendency, but too much will look cool and icy. Try using your curtain fabric as a starting point for your color connections but certainly don’t overdo it … there’s a fine line between aristocratic ambiance and gaudy.

I love CORAL; I painted my boudoir a Marrakesh Coral a few years ago before it was ‘in style’. I wanted my room to explode with exotic allure but also be complementary with my dark cherry furniture; I added bursts of red and amber accent pieces to bring it all together. This year’s fiery coral is especially hot when embellished by slate grey and china white – this combination is the color combination of the year. Grey is a color which is soft and soothing in its basic nature. Grey is best used as accessory pieces as it presents itself as relaxed and modern; it is dreadful as a wall color, and will make your room look worn-out and boring. When grey is in sync with bright coral and flourishes of white, the room will pop! It is a statement of sophistication and freshness.
Duck-egg blue is a classic color of pure beauty. In years back, duck-egg blue has been paired with chocolate browns and paisley textures which is absolutely stunning. 2010 brings pink to the palette. When this cool blue is layered with pink, it suggests oneness with nature; it’s like a breath of fresh air. Duck-egg blue and sweet rose pink presents a creamy mingling of soft hues which elevates a sensation of being on cloud nine. Again, don’t overdo this color scheme or your room may turn out looking shabby chic and over the edge vintage. Duck-egg blue colored walls with dark wood floors and dark wood accent pieces will make your room look elegant; layer with neutral-colored sofas and light textured rugs and Voila! It’s the pink in this combination that makes the room work, and creates the sensation of grandeur.

Have fun with your paint. Explore and don’t be afraid of color. Pick a palette that is soothing to you and stick with it. Enjoy!

One way to really dress up a room and try your hand at some different decorating techniques is to consider wainscoting. There are a number of ways to combine materials to create some very attractive wainscoting effects, and the cost doesn’t need to be prohibitive.

Traditionally, wainscoting is tongue and groove boards or raised or flat paneling sections that are applied to the lower part of a wall. The wainscoting extends from the top of the baseboard up to a height of usually between 3 and 5 feet off the floor, and is topped off with a horizontal molding. In addition to its decorative appeal, wainscoting had the very practical advantage of protecting the lower portion of the wall from wear and tear.

Today, however, wainscoting has taken on a somewhat less specific definition. It can be just about any combination of materials, including paint, wood, wallpaper and even fabric.

A wainscoting application consists of three elements: the lower portion of the wall, the upper portion of the wall, and the dividing line between the two. How you mix and match those three elements is up to your individual taste and budget.

Splitting Up the Wall

One of the first things to decide for any wainscoting project is where the dividing line will be between the two different materials. For a room with an 8-foot-high ceiling, a division of approximately 3 feet on the lower half and 5 feet on the upper half tends to give the best balance. Many Craftsman-style homes used the reverse of that, with about 5 feet of paneling on the lower half, capped with a wider molding that was suitable for shallow storage. For best appearance, the dividing line should not be exactly half way up the wall.

To get a better idea of how different proportions will work, tape some newspaper or other material on the wall at a couple of different heights. This will give you a better representation of how the two halves will balance out, and you can adjust them accordingly.

Installing Traditional Wainscoting

To achieve the look of a board wainscoting, you can install individual narrow, tongue and groove boards; you can install wider boards that are milled on the face to look like two or three narrower boards, which simplifies installation; or you can install 4-foot-wide beaded paneling, which again replicates the look of individual boards but installs faster. With any of these methods, finish off the top of the boards with a horizontal molding such as a wainscot cap or a chair rail.

For a paneled look, there are kits available that include a routed base molding, a routed top molding, routed vertical strips, and the panels themselves. The pieces all interlock with one another, and as long as you take some time with the layout to ensure that the panels are balanced to the width of the wall, you can achieve a beautiful, traditional paneled wainscoting in a relatively short time. If you are an avid woodworker, there are specialized router bits that help you cut the individual pieces yourself and save some money.

With wood, you have the choice of painting or staining the material to get the look you want. For painting, the boards and paneling are available in medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which paints nicely and is less expensive than solid wood. For stained wainscoting, you can select from pine, fir, oak, cherry, maple and other woods.

Wood strips, paneling and moldings can all be found at most home centers and lumberyards, along with all the installation materials you need. Some larger stores also carry the paneling kits, or they can order them for you. You will also find a wide selection of wainscoting paneling kits online.

Other Wainscoting Materials

In addition to traditional wood, there are lots of other material combinations that will work very well together. You can experiment with different combinations of materials to achieve the exact look that works for your décor. In general, heavier materials such as wood and fabric look best on the lower half of the wall. Also, darker paint colors and darker, more heavily patterned wallpapers look best on the bottom.

Your wainscoting choice may be something as simple as two different colors of paint. You can also use a solid paint on one section of the wall, and some type of textured paint effect on the other section.

Another easy wainscoting can be achieved with two different wallpapers. Select a lighter paper with a more open pattern for the upper half of the wall, and a darker paper or one with a vertical stripe or heavy pattern for the bottom. You can also combine the two materials by using paint on one section of the wall and wallpaper on the other.

With any of these combinations, separate the two sections of wall with a painted or stained wood molding. To really accent the installation, finish everything off with a crown molding as well.