Dog Days of Summer

The ancient Greeks and Romans marked the time of the year when the Sirius star, a part of the constellation Canis Major, rises before the sun. The word Sirius translated means “Scorcher” and the word Canis Major translated means “Greater Dog”. The terms have been congealed and modernized through time to become “The Dog Days of Summer”. These are the days that are the hottest from about mid-July to late August, give or take a few days. If you have not noticed we are in “The Dog Days of Summer”. The wonderful thing about the “dog days” in Florida is all the great shopping! Everything everywhere is on sale at deep discounts because autumn is four weeks away. Summer merchandise has to go, so gird your loins, take a water bottle and shop ‘til you drop! Let’s take a peek at two guest rooms that have been transformed with great dog day deals, somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Paint After Image of Bedroom #1
The homeowner’s wanted the room to feel more like Florida and they wanted light bright and beachy and blue. We chose Window Pane 6210 which is a few shades lighter than Rain-washed 6211. The Window pane is very light and adds a touch of blue while keeping the room bright. In the Bridgeport Model the middle guest room tends to be dark so adding a color that would lighten the space naturally is always a good idea.

• Flooring
The guest bedroom was wall to wall carpet but was showing its age.
We installed engineered hardwood into the space and did not use thresholds. The installer was able to abut the tile to the hardwood so the flooring transition is smooth. This put the homeowners mind at ease because abutting the tile to the hardwood eliminates tripping hazards.

• New Furniture
Even though this room is a guest room, the homeowners were tired of the old furniture they brought from up north. They wanted a more coastal looking set and we found one of course, on sale! The headboard is high and has a shuttered look, which looks very coastal. The side tables and chest have a tan top with a hint of grey in the finish. I love the two toned look because the wood on top is reminiscent of drift wood.

• Art
The picture over the bed is titled, “Chairman of the Board”, by Gene Rizzo and is the perfect fit for this room. This scene is played out on beaches everywhere in Florida every day.

• New Bedding
All the bedding was purchased at a local retailer. It was not expensive to begin with and then it was on sale. This bedding is a combination of different sets of bedding. We pulled the colors from the art above the bed. When I shop for bedding I always take a picture of the art on my cell phone and use that as a reference to see how the bedding will coordinate. The cell phone is your best friend when shopping. Also, look up coupons on the phone before you pay at the register because the coupon can be used on your phone.

• Lamps
The lamps are new and a combination of soft gold and white. They look a bit rustic and pull colors from the art as well. The shades are burlap which we loved and if you notice we placed a burlap pillow on the bed to visually tie into the shades.

• DIY
A quick and cute DIY is the basket we used above the chest. The basket is called a gathering basket and it is flat. I hot glued starfish to the basket and it became instant art! It added a unique and natural flare to the space.

• Rug
We angled a 5×8 rug in the space to pull the room together and give feet a soft place to land.

• Room #2
We did not repaint or buy new furniture. This guest room of a Gardenia model was inspired by the art above the bed and the yellow complemented the art very well. We needed new bedding and we found an entire set on sale. We added Euro pillows and a white coverlet to that set. I wanted to play up the teal from the picture above the bed. Once the bedding was changed to the teal the picture stood out so much more.

• New lamps #2
We placed teal green glass lamps on each side of the bed and it reinforced the color in the art. The previous lamps were too small and the new lamps are a much better scale in the space.

• New Rug
We did not have room to angle a rug but we still used a rug. We placed a 5×8 rug straight in front of the bed covering most of the floor space and it pulled the room together visually. Also, the rug provides your guest feet a soft place to land.

P.S. –Attention all club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today. Also, we are on-line check out our web-site at www.ruthdyer.com and you can always e-mail us at ruth@finishingtouchfl.com. Call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below