How To Make Your Design Dreams Come True!!

 

MAKING YOUR CANT'S INTO CAN DO'S

Dreaming is something we all do , we have to have our dreams, we all need things to look forward to. 

As we get a little older and wiser we realize that sometimes those dreams won't come to fruition and that is okay. 

I have two types of dream list one is just that, a DREAM list. 

DREAM LIST criteria is: If money, time and space were no object, what would I do?!

The other list is my SOMEDAY list, this is a list that I know someday  it will come to fruition.

Sometimes I combine the two list by taking my Dream list and making it a Someday by tweaking the money, time and space!!

Let me show you my process on a couple of  my DREAMS, and maybe, just maybe it might change your way of thinking.

Just look at this beautiful linen closet, now this would be a dream come true wouldn't it? 

Well I know full well this is not ever going to be a reality in my life, but that does not stop me from thinking about the possibility of something similar.

This is where you have to put on your thinking cap!!

We have a new home with the tiniest linen closet I have ever seen. Don't get me wrong I am thankful to have one at all!! So how in the world can I make this little fella look like the Grande Dame in the dream picture???........

It is conveniently placed right next to our guest bathroom, but my oh my is she small. It is 21in. X 8ft tall. Tall and narrow and barely deep enough for a folded towel.

So what can I do to get the look and feel of the dream linen closet?

The first thing I have to do is to figure out what is it that I love about the large linen closet, other than it's size.

I love the glass doors, and the lights with all white linens.

So I already have all white linens ✔ so I am good on that point.

I have a white cabinet with a top door and a bottom door. ✔✔

So basically all I need is a glass front door and lights to get the look and feel of the dream linen closet.

I know I can purchase a new door and have glass put in it and we can get our electrician to install a light or maybe my hubby can do it like he did in my kitchen.

See that wasn't hard at all. 

 Here is another dream that I don't have the time, space, or money for but I can do something else and we actually have a temporary solution already in place until our SOMEDAY arrives.

It is not my ultimate dream closet, but for now it works perfectly well....

It is handy and holds all our essentials!

Lets take a look at something else....

This is one my all time favorite pictures of an entry to a house.  I love the large double doors with windows and the sidelights. Of course the large table is gorgeous with the flowers and the huge basket as well.

In our previous home we had a full French door to let in lots of light and it was one of my favorite features in our home.....

Again! This is a much wider entry door than what we have now.

In our new home we have a single door with a small window that, trust me, I am extremely grateful for that small window.

I might not have the space for the larger doors with windows, but I surely can have a single door that has a window in it, and it is on my someday list to add to our new home.

I am not sure if and when I will get the french door, or even if the HOA will approve it, but the point I am making here is to have dreams and make them a reality.

This next picture has been in my idea files for quite awhile and I just love it......

I absolutely love this bathroom! Will it ever happen in my life? Not likely! Again, timing, space and money!

Besides all of the beautiful marble used in this bathroom, the floor is what really caught my eye.

Obviously I am not going to tear out my brand new master bathroom flooring!! However, what I CAN do is purchase some monogrammed bath mats to put in front of our sinks........

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I just showed you  three of my wishes on my DREAM LIST that I adjusted to put on my SOMEDAY LIST!!

I hope this helps you all rethink your Dreams so they can be come a SOMEDAY!

BTW: If you are interested in seeing some of my all time favorite rooms and decor go HERE!

 

 

The Good-Bad and Ugly Of Ceiling Fans

 

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I have a love hate relationship with ceiling fans. I hate the look, love the feel. We live in California and during the summer months it gets very hot here so ceiling fans help move the air and keep us more comfortable.

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We do have central air, but the movement of the fans keeps the air flow moving and more comfortable. So unfortunately they have become a necessary evil.

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In my looking I have discovered a few things about fans designs that ,to be honest I never really paid too much attention to,this might be  because I did not want to acknowledge their existence. You know the old saying out of sight out of mind.

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Here are some of the details I noticed and that I feel you need to keep in mind when purchasing a ceiling fan......

STYLE

 One of the first things you need to keep in mind is the style of your home, or the room that you will be installing your fan. 

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Try to choose a fan in keeping with the style of your room and also keep in mind the material or the color of the fan and how it will play out in your room. Below are two examples of rooms with fans. One works well and the other does not work with the rooms colors or decor.....

The fan on the left works perfectly in the room. The finish coordinates well and the industrial style fits this room. 

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The fan on the right has nothing that ties it to the room. The room is light and airy with an ocean view. The room is quite traditional in feel and yet the fan is dark, heavy and quite contemporary. 

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Keep the style and colors used in your rooms when choosing your fans.

For our home we need a fan that blends in with the room instead of being a focal point. Since we have white ceilings and walls an all white fan is best for our environment and will blend, or visually disappear more than a metal, or a darker wood fan would.

 (notice how the fan blends into the ceiling because it is the same color as the walls and ceiling)

Let me stop here for a moment and point out, that personally I think white fans tend to look less expensive than the fans that are a combination of metal and wood, or a darker color, but as I mentioned previously white is what works best in our environment.

My style has a more traditional bend with clean lines and uncluttered spaces so I want a fan with the same feel.

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In my looking I discovered there are certain looks I like better than others. Since I am all about the details shall we start from the top down?

CANOPY

In the above image you will see two ceiling fans made out of the same combination of wood and nickel, notice the difference in the size of the canopy. I prefer the smaller. 

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You will also notice one has a rod and the other is a ceiling mount. I like a rod vs. ceiling mount, it looks less chunky to me, a cleaner, finer line.

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Speaking of down rods, it will depend on how high your ceiling is that will determine the length of the extension rod. Here is a chart that will help with that measurement...

THE HOUSING

The housing is what stores the actual motor, it can come in all different shapes and sizes. I found by looking online at many, many styles I tended to gravitate towards one particular shape over the others. Again, it has a traditional curve with nice clean lines.

Notice the clean smooth lines of this fan, it is simple yet it has some traditional/transitional lines to it. I would also like you to look at the way the blades are applied to this fan. Notice there are no brackets or ornamentation. Personally I think this gives the fan a more up to date look.

We all remember the old brackets and the housing grilles that the more dated fans have....

See the differences? The more current is clean, simple and has no ornamentation. 

You will also notice the number of blades and the shape makes a difference in the design. I found that I prefer 4 blades. I did look at some fans with 3 blades but found them to be a bit more contemporary.

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BLADES

Let me point out another detail to think about. How will your fan look when it is not running? This is another reason I like the 4 blades, they look more balanced to my eye than 3 blades. I found that 5 blades is also fine but the 4 looks a bit more current and simple to me.

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CHAIN PULLS

I would also like to point out.... 

the chain pull!= DATED!!! 

You will also see some fans with two chains, one for the fan and one for the light if the fan comes with the light. 

Another element to add to the visual clutter. In this day and age we have so many other options with remotes on the light switch or a hand held remote.

TO LIGHT OR NOT TO LIGHT

The other thing to consider is to have a light or not. If it comes with a light make sure it is dimmable. I have seen some fan lights that literally look as if an airplane might be landing in your room the lights are so bright. I do think that the light cover does give another texture to the fixture and adds a touch of interest. 

 Please don't do this kind of lighting set-up! This poor fan looks like it has developed a tumor. Or this fan can't decide what it wants to be when it grows up, a chandelier or a fan....

Now that I have given you a run down on what to look for let me show you some of the fans that I feel are suitable for our room.

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Our room is our office den. Right now it is all white but eventually it will be white ceilings and wainscoting with navy walls so as I stated before we need a white fan with simple clean lines...

#ONE

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#Two

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# Three

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One of these fans will soon be in our den!!