This interior redesign took this ho-hum entry/living room from boring to warm and welcoming, all in one day and without buying anything new!

Julianna Hind and Barbi Ford, Roomspinners

Flip through decorating magazines or home improvement websites and collect pictures of things that catch your eye, like a particular sofa style, a really cool lamp, wall color, window treatments, fabric, or maybe just the feeling that the whole room gives you. Make notes right on the pages so you remember why you liked it. At the same time, collect samples of existing fabrics or colors that are going to stay in the room. If it’s a painted piece, you can use paint chips from your local paint store to match it as closely as possible.

You will also want to take measurements of the room and any furniture that is staying. If you can, make a simple floor plan to scale for reference. And finally, take photos of the whole room and close ups of any of the pieces you will be keeping.

As you start to collect a fair amount of samples you will start to see a pattern or similarity in what you like, and a style, that you didn’t think you had, will soon emerge.

By Lori Brasseur, LB Designs

Staging Problem – This is a typical guest bedroom or even master bedroom. All of the extra pieces of furniture go here, then the door gets closed. Potential buyers will of course open that door and be distracted by the furnishings not noticing the room itself.

Staging Solution – We moved out the unnecessary pieces of furniture and angled the bed to suit the slope of the ceiling. We also added drama to the bed with a $50 bed in the bag and created a canopy with a drapery that was hanging in the closet.

Nancy Faust ~ Interiors Redesigned by Nancy

What a great time I had seeing all of my ole' redesigner friends in San Antonio, TX. This annual conference gives redesigners across the country a chance to network, share ideas and frustrations, and learn new techniques.

We had a great list of speakers this year including Lee Snijders, host of the show "Design on a Dime." Lee was very fun and informative as he shared his journey from Disney Imagineer to host of his own television show. He gave us lots of tricks and tips on using what the client already has to design a beautiful room. Come in to the store to see Lee and I arm and arm! :)

Dewey Sadka, author and inventor of the "Dewey Color System" shared his new color theory of using colors to conduct a personality test. Dewey claims that our favorite colors tell a whole story about us. It was a very interesting angle and we all became certified color consultants by taking his course.

We also enjoyed a presentation by Susan Fruit, ASID, who is an award winning Interior Designer that has many of her designs featured in top decorating magazines. Susan shared her marketing techniques as well as giving us some secret decorating ideas. shhh...

It was a really great time and I learned a lot of new ideas just in time for the new store opening. I hope to apply a lot of the ideas very soon.

Do you get nervous when you hear the word "Organization?" Is it one of the tasks that you wait until you have time to do? Is there ever enough time to do this? There is hope for the disorganized. Where do you begin such an overwhelming task?

I have discovered that you can do small tasks and organize a smaller area such as in a bathroom or kitchen one drawer at a time. Put on some music and set your timer for fifteen minutes. Attack that bothersome drawer and see what you can get done. As you take everything out of that drawer ask yourself some questions?

Have I used this item in the last year? If not then give it away. Is it broken or can it be fixed? If not then throw it away. Is this something I need and use? If you answered yes, then put it away.

If you start with a smaller project you will gain confidence to do bigger projects. Before you know it you will be amazed at what you got done and want to do more.

~ Irene Woodworth, One Day Redesigns, Inc.

We are officially in the new location. Our new address is 124 Lafayette Road, Salisbury, MA 01952. Right now we are open by appointment only, but our grand opening dates are May 5th and 6th from 10am - 6pm.

Classes this month

Thursday, May 18th from 6:30 - 8:00 pm
The Ten Mistakes of Furniture Arranging ($25.00 pp)
Join us to uncover the top reasons our furniture arrangements are not working and what to do to fix them.

This is a lecture class complete with visuals and handouts

Thursday, May 25th from 6:30-8:00 pm
Top 10 Accessorizing Rules ($25.00 pp)
Learn how to group your collectibles, arrange your bookcases, and bring items throughout the house together to make a statement.

This is a lecture class with visuals and handouts.

Location:

Room For Improvement
124 Lafayette Road (next to Convienent Music)
Salisbury, MA
(978) 463- 8835

Must register and pay for this class no later than 1 day prior to class by calling the number above or by sign up sheet in the store.

Watch for ads in our local papers, flyers, newsletters, and updates on our website for grand opening information and class schedules. See you soon. Lori Brasseur