Out with the Old

I can tolerate heat but, an attic in Florida in the middle of August is hot! Sweat dripped down my face as I handed box after box of baseball cards down to my husband. “Are we almost done with the baseball cards?” he asked in disbelief that he owned that many. We are getting insulation added to the attic so that the garage will be cooler in the summer and that meant that everything had to come out of the attic. “Yes but now we have all your memorabilia boxes,” I said looking down at him with a Cheshire smile. Our agreement was that whatever comes down from the attic will not go back up in the attic. After twenty-three years of shoving stuff up there it is liberating to get it out and get it gone! I threw out my graduation gown, my cheerleading plaques and my yearbooks. All of it gone! I decided that at most I would look at that stuff every ten years so I took a picture of it and then got rid of it. It is very much like that in the world of decorating when you are ready to get rid of the things that bother you and make the space more finished, you’re ready and you get it done! Let’s take a peek into the living room of a Lantana model in which the homeowner was ready for a change, so it was out with the old and in with the new somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Out with the carpet
The carpet had seen its better day and the homeowner wanted new flooring. She chose engineered hardwood in a light but warm tone. She chose engineered hardwood for two reasons; the first being that this product is glued down to the slab so there will be no squishy feeling underfoot. And secondly, engineered hardwood is the only product that can be abutted to tile with no thresholds leaving a smooth transition from tile to wood. This is great in the Lantana model or any model that has lots of tile and the tile cannot be matched. An engineered hardwood without transitions that can blend or complement the tile is a great way to go.

• Existing wainscot
The homeowner had installed wainscoting already but was not that happy with the look. The wainscot looked busy because it was the wall color and small trim. Many people who install wainscoting think I am buying trim molding so it should pop, however wainscoting does not work that way. The wainscoting only pops when it is all white! Just like the crown molding pops because it is all white. I usually insist that the wainscoting is painted white from the top of the chair rail to the bottom of the baseboard. This nice cohesive layer of white pops the painted wall above it and any furniture that is place against it. Once the busyness of the wainscot left the space it instantly felt more peaceful and pulled together.

• New entertainment unit
The TV sitting on a small console was too small for the space. The solution to the situation was to buy larger console with a hutch to frame and contain the TV. Also, a larger entertainment unit created a strong focal point in the space. We did not the need the big storage towers that could have accompanied this piece, we just needed the finished look that the console and the hutch combined, offered.

• Sofa
The homeowner was tired of her dark sage green sofas and she complained that they were uncomfortable. In a Lantana or any model with sliders where there is a lot of light pouring into the room; the human eye tends to darken things that are sitting in front of the light. All that light coming from the windows made the couch and love seat look darker. The homeowner purchased a new creamy color sofa so that it would maintain its lightness in front of the windows. We decided not to purchase another loveseat but to use two chairs to finish the space. We purchased two bright navy chairs to add to the space. One chair was angled inward toward the sofa and the other matching chair was nestled in beside the new entertainment unit looking back at the sofa. This set up allows the living room to have a comfortable conversation setting as well as TV Watching.

• Rug
We purchased a new rug that pulled all the colors in the space. The rug had a touch of navy blue, green, teal and crème. The pattern on the rug is traditional and the 8×10 fit the space perfectly.

• Side tables and lamps
The homeowner purchased new and lighter looking side tables and lamps to finish off the living room space.

• Window treatments
We purchased 96 inch drapery panels and hung them high on each window. They are stationary and hung on 12 inch rods. The rods are hung about 10 inches outside the window so that they just graze the edge of the window and create a framework that enhances the window. Now that all of the windows are dressed the same, the entrance to the enclosed lanai has visual continuity and a finished pulled together look.

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 or Call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below