Holiday Prep 101: Entry Halls

Holiday Prep 101

To help you give your home a WOW factor before your holiday guests arrive, we’ll do a series of 3 blog posts with tips on how to whip your house into shape for the holidays.  Our first suggestion:

 *Start at the beginning. Take a good, hard look at your entry hall.  This is the first indoor area your guests will see, so it’s got to be good, right?  A few tips:  Mirrors are always great in these spaces—they reflect light, make it brighter and seem larger.  And--a mirror will allow you and your guests to check yourselves in the mirror on the way in or out.  

A mirror in your entry hall will bring a sense of refreshment and calm to visitors, BUT--make sure the mirror does not directly face the door (that is considered bad Feng Shui).   

For more Feng Shui tips, check out this video.

*Think about scale.  If your entry hall is small, you don’t want your guests to feel cramped.  Make sure that your decor items are a good fit for the space.                                                                                       

*Clear out clutter.  Don’t have an entry hall, but want to spruce up your hallways in general?  Try this:  clear out wall clutter.  Hallways can be narrow spaces, and you want to avoid closing them in.  And…it can be difficult to step back and admire artwork or photographs in a narrow hallway, so chances are that they’d “show” better elsewhere.

To check out more fabulous holiday decor pics, visit Polka Dots and Rosebuds and click on  our Portfolio! 

2013 Holiday Design Tips & Trends: Go Natural!

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors 2013 Holiday Design Tips & Trends--go natural! 

Whether or not you are a do it yourself-er, you're most likely starting to think about your holiday decor--what's in, what's not, and "What can I do to make this year really special?"  Here are a few things to get you going--with bonus DIY tips!

Get earthy. Use natural colors, earth tones—soft blues, mint, light teal greens, grey and chocolate—w/silver as your “bling.”  

DIY Tip:  Do NOT throw older, traditional décor away.  Remember—whatever is old will eventually become new again--and can hopefully be used in a future DIY project!

       Think rustic.  Add rustic charm- with natural materials like tree bark, pine cones mixed with porcelain and throwing in furry woodland creature ornaments for warmth.   

      DIY Tip:  Let your crafty self go crazy--wrap ornaments in twine, kint and/or crochet ornaments, make burlap flowers and metal ribbons.  

Share the joy. 
Use your new earthy, texture driven décor at home—AND as gifts.  Wrap a few extra ornaments in twine, knit or crochet a few more ornaments, and use as gifts. 

       DIY Tip:  You can also use the materials for gift wrapping.

 For more ideas and images, check out the Holiday Decor portfolio on www.polkadotsandrosebuds.com!

How To: Prep for Your First Meeting With an Interior Designer

How To:  Prep for Your First Meeting With an Interior Designer

Have a lot of questions and specific requests for the space you’re decorating?

Unsure about what you should and should not do before you meet with an interior designer?  To help you deal with that, here are a few things to do and consider before your initial meeting with your designer.  With a little prep, you can make the process organized, simple, and stress-free.

Before you meet…

Relax.  Leaving a client feeling accomplished and stress free after any meeting is a goal for every designer, especially the Polka Dots and Rosebuds team.  so take a deep breathe, and know that we’ll do everything we can to make your experience a great one. 

Decide your overall goal(s).  Do you want to improve the use and efficiency of space, including storage and organization?  Do you want to incorporate a particular color into the design?

Think about your needs.  What activities will take place in the space?  For example, if you have children or plan on entertaining, durable furniture would be the way to go. Stain and water repellant fabrics are always a plus as well.  Or do you want to create a bedroom that is a soothing retreat?  Lighting and color will be especially important here.

Make a list of what you like/don’t like about the existing space.  If you are modifying an existing space, what do you currently like about the space? What do you most want to change? Why?

Determine dates.  What is your time frame for completing your design project? Is there a date or impending event by which your project must be finished?

Set your budget.  Having a realistic budget is key to having a successful project.

Pin it!  Pinterest is a wonderful tool to help you gather great ideas and looks that you love.  Check out Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors owner Liz Toombs’ Pinterest page here.  Click to follow, and start a new board for your upcoming project.  You’ll be amazed at all of the cool ideas you’ll find!

Sass and Class: Introducing Guest Blogger Halie!

Hi!  I’m Halie, an aspiring designer and a Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors assistant.  I’ll be guest blogging for the company from time to time, so I thought I’d tell you a bit about myself:

I am currently finishing my degree in Merchandising, Apparel and Textiles at the University of Kentucky, and I recently completed a summer internship at Polka Dots & Rosebuds.  Because design is my passion, I couldn’t ask for a better hands-on experience than working with owner Liz Toombs and her team.   

I am an ambitious twenty-year old who is all about some southern sass and class. I’ve been sewing and creating things since I can remember, and I can’t see myself doing anything else for the rest of my life other than making things beautiful and more enjoyable for those around me. I am a true DIYer; I absolutely adore putting a little elbow grease into a forgotten piece and giving it a new life.

I’ve only just begun my career in the design industry, but in the small amount of time I’ve spent working for Polka Dots and Rosebuds, I have already gained an incredible amount of knowledge, and as I gain more insights, I’m looking forward to sharing them with you.  One thing in particular that I can already share:   There is nothing better than seeing design ideas come to life and have a positive effect on others!

Interior Design Color Trends

And the latest interior design color trends are...

When you close your eyes and imagine the perfect kitchen, are the cabinets in shades of white (true white, off white, cream, etc.)?  You’re not alone.  Even though dark wood cabinets have been all the rage in “in” kitchens for ages, white is making a comeback—and not just on cabinet surfaces, Interior Designer Liz Toombs advised a group of NVON Conference attendees at a recent conference in Frankfort, Kentucky. 

“Bleached wood floors are also big right now—people are wanting to lighten and brighten their living spaces a bit, and lighter flooring and cabinet surfaces are a great way to do that,” Toombs, winner of top design honors in the 2013 Grand Tour of Homes in Lexington, Kentucky, and owner of Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors as well as Out of the Box Room Design, an online interior design service, said. 

Looking for something a bit bolder?  You’ll also be in keeping with upcoming 2014 trends, according to Toombs.  “Some of the trends toward bold colors that we can expect to see a lot of are: bold ethnic print patterns like Indonesian Ikat  and Javanese batik .   Other bold color trends include island-themed rooms and patterns.  “Think of it as throwing open your doors and welcoming designs and colors from cultures around the world,” Toombs explained.

Want more design tips and trends? Follow this Polka Dots &Rosebuds Interiors/ Out of the Box Room Design blog!

First place ROCKS!

We all love to be recognized for our hard work, dedication, and talent—and that’s why we were so THRILLED to hear the news that the house that Polka Dots & Rosebuds designed with builder Mike Childers took first place in ALL categories of the $700K-$900K price range of the 2013 Grand Tour of Homes in Lexington, Kentucky!

The competition categories that were affected by our design included:

• Kitchen
• Master suite
• Interior Features
• Overall design.  

Because many of our readers live in far away locations, and/or were busy with other things during the 2013 Grand Tour of Homes, we thought we’d share a few more Grand Tour pics on our blog. So...with no further ado, except maybe a bit of a drum roll...here they are. Enjoy!

Grand Tour

Take a Grand Tour!
One of the coolest things about designing for a "Tour of Homes" home is that I get to challenge myself to:  #1.  Create a design that blends well with the builder's style and overall vision and #2. Give as many people as possible a "WOW!" moment.  Then, of course, there's goal #3: Design something that the potential home owner will love, love, LOVE! 

Stop by 208 Grassland Park in the Ellerslie subdivision off Richmond Road during the 2013 Grand Tour of Homes in Lexington (July 13-14, 20-21), and you can check out the results of my most recent challenge.  Some things to look for:

*The builder, Mike Childers, is known for creating "homes of distinction"--and each time I made a selection, I kept that in mind. 

*As far as the "WOW!" moment goes--visitors will find plenty of them, but the master bathroom is probably going to be a favorite.  It's so inviting that it will make everyone wish they lived there--just so they could have a long, luxurious soak in the tub!

*I know the future homeowners are going to absolutely love the light fixtures--they're all so interesting--like small works of art (they're from Ferguson's, just in case you see something that you've just GOT to have in your own home!). To see what I mean, check this one out:

Actually, the whole project makes me very proud. I couldn't stop smiling when I walked through it. That's my favorite part about design- seeing a drawing or idea become something you can touch!

In the neighborhood of Lexington, Kentucky and interested in stopping by today?  Here's the info:   http://hbamap.info/lexington/  (you can also see more pics by clicking through and entering the address).  And don't forget--the address of the home designed by Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors is 208 Grassland Park.  Enjoy!