Archive for the ‘Decorating Tip’ Category

Deck the Halls – Daly’s Tips for Creating an Easy Guest Room

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

‘Tis the Season!

Get Ready for Guests!!

Holidays give us opportunities to connect with distant friends and family – but not everyone has a dedicated guest room to accommodate out-of-town visitors. What can you do to create a sense of privacy and warmth when your “guest room” a convertible sofa bed or inflatable bed that’s tucked into the corner of your home office?

Anyone brave enough to spend more than a single night on a sofa bed, not matter how comfortable, deserves a little special attention!

If you are feeling particularly crafty you can purchase an inexpensive wood frame screen and recover it with a fabric that coordinates with the room. All you need is a staple gun, batting, fabric and TIME! Daly’s has a full library of unique fabric choices you can explore. If you are short on time, we offer professional resources to upholster that folding frame, recover an old chair or create new window treatments.

If you’d like to create a room-within-a-room, consider mounting cup hooks into the ceiling and hanging a ready-made indoor/outdoor shade. Some actually come in natural fibers and can look pretty good! I prefer the bamboo shades for this very reason. Ramp it up a notch by using a prefabricated roman shade and hang it in the same manner. Your only limitation is the standard sizes offered. Both of these options store easily when not in use and would most likely fit under a bed or in the back of the closet.

Let’s Address Comfort

You may want to add an extra layer to the standard sofa bed matress. Consider a feather bed or memory foam topper.

Some additional niceties to create a wonderful guest experience: feather and/or down pillows and comforters, 100% cotton high thread-count sheets, a lamp for reading, current magazines, locally-made chocolate for the pillow!

Even if your “guest room” is in the middle of the living rom, a few thoughtful embellishments will offer you and your guest some  privacy and comfort and create an experience that’s merry and bright for all.

 

 

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Design with Purpose

Monday, September 13th, 2010

When undertaking a home improvement project, whether it’s painting a wall in the dining room or ripping out an old kitchen, it helps to have a vision in mind of what you are trying to achieve. In the case of the relatively easy change-up in the dining room, even adding a single element like a new wall color can throw the dynamic of the whole room. And then that room affects the dynamic of the entire living space.

Whew!

And while we like to say you get the biggest bang from the cost of a gallon of paint – you want to do it thoughtfully and with awareness of the consequences. Our advice? Do it, but do it with the big picture in mind.

Some Helpful Hints:

1) Take a ‘walk-thru’ of your space. Imagine it’s the first time you are visiting, and see your home with a stangers’ eyes. What do you notice? Oftentimes, we no longer ‘see’ what others do because we aren’t usually paying attention in our everyday hustle-and-bustle. So step back, walk through and observe.

2) Wow! I bet you saw a few things in the house differently! Maybe it inspires you to move a table to a better location or devise a new solution for all those kid shoes… Taking the time to observe is the first step towards insight.

3) Make a list of projects. Prioritize.

4) Start with one project. Don’t feel overwhelmed by the number of projects on your list, just focus on one thing.

5) Enjoy the fruits of your labors!

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Facebook | Daly’s Paint & Decorating – Quick spruce-up Tip from Daly’s

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Here’s a quick spruce-up tip from our Daly’s Facebook page:

Facebook Daly’s Paint & Decorating: ” In-laws coming? Uninspiring guest room? Blah bathroom? Here’s my favorite spruce-up trick…The Feature Wall. Instead of repainting an entire room, find a lovely color and paint it on one wall only. This is a great way to create a focal point (and a favored trick to redierect the eye from flaws in the room) and it adds… a fresh look without too much effort. (I’m all about avoiding TOO MUCH EFFORT during the holidays!)”

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