Deb Corning Interiors

Distinctive Designs & Renovations

An Award Winning Design/Build Firm

Area Rug Cleaning and Care

2010 July 05

tags: rug, stains, cleaning

Regular vacuuming will help rugs retain their beauty and will extend the life of the rug. Clean food and beverage spills immediately by removing the excess and then use a stain and soil remover, or use a solution of clear, non-bleach dish washing detergent (1/4 tsp detergent to 32 oz water). Gently agitate and blot with white paper towels until no transfer of the spill. Rinse by spraying with clean water and blot dry.

Invest in Your Home with Color

2010 June 20

tags: color pallette, emotions, color

Within 30 seconds, the human eye and human brain make a decision to purchase a product, any product, based on color alone. This being said, it is easy to understand that color suggest feelings of comfort, happiness, sadness, fulfillment and even hunger. That is why specialists are constantly traveling and researching to provide the best of the best color palettes from which to choose. Although beige is an easy choice for anyone, dramatic reds, dark rich chocolates, contemporary grays or serene blues can set the scene for whatever you'd like your room to become. Revitalizing your home or business to reflect your personality and lifestyle will improve the attitude of your space and catch the eye of others.

Five Timely Considerations

2010 June 03

tags: curb appeal, home maintenance, spring

The good news is people are starting to take hold of that dream again. A really cool note about that is so many of those new homes were for 1st time home buyers. It’s very exciting to think back to the joy of walking into your first home for the first time. This Spring existing home sales were up almost 30 percent in response to tax credit incentives. Our phone has been ringing steadily for new projects too!

“According to a survey from American Express, 49 percent of homeowners are making improvements to their house. Nineteen percent are making repairs that can’t be put off, while 11 percent want to increase home value, and 5 percent are fixing up to sell.”

The new activity is different though. Projects have been focused on making practical changes to beautiful custom homes versus making homes glitzy. Project design has also become very personal for our clients who want to fix up versus trade up. The clients who feel “trapped” by the recent housing market are using our expertise to wait out the market and we’re advising them in these ways.

What NOT To Do:

1) Don’t over improve for the neighborhood. This is one of those universal real estate laws like, “Location, Location, Location!”

2) Please do not try to remodel to make up lost equity.

Very few types of projects give an immediate dollar for dollar return on investment and at the moment market pressures are holding that return down.

What To DO:

1) Remodel to help your home better fit your lifestyle.

2) Make sure your home is clean & well-maintained & well-landscaped. These efforts give you the best return on your investment. It also makes your home much more appealing to potential buyers whenever that time may be. This is the elbow grease of remodeling. Easy to do, easy to hire it done. We can help you with a checklist of items to have done.

3) Curb appeal – building on the previous point – is your house attractive from the curb?

4) Is your home missing amenities for your neighborhood? Does everyone have a deck but you? Does your home only have 1 full-bathroom? Well, if your family would benefit from another bathroom today then adding a bathroom may make a lot of sense. Do you have a mudroom?

5) His, Her & Kids Spaces – if your kids are already in high school then maybe it’s worth it to consider finishing the basement to keep those young adults as close as possible for these next few years before they’re off to college. Also, most people have enough square footage in their homes, it just feels like they’re cramped because of poorly utilized space. Repurposing existing space is the most high value design help we give our clients. If everyone in a household has a space that reflects their unique needs, everyone’s happiness goes up. That may mean a truly functional mudroom, home office, kitchen, master suite, or closet. It’s sometimes just one pinched area of a house that can be addressed to make everyone’s enjoyment so much greater.

There you go, five considerations for a time like this. Happy home improving!

Acknowledgments: I’d like to cite this blog to Ben Thompson/Thompson Remodeling, Inc., Brian J O’Connor / Detroit News Finance Editor whose story, “Home Fix-ups on the rise, but experts urge caution” was the take off point for this blog post and radio interview on West Michigan Morning News with Gary Allen & Steve Kelly on WOOD 1300.

Site: www.ajsdesigns.net