Energy Conservation Through Window Treatments

Fall & winter will soon be bringing colder weather (of course) and so it's time to think about your own personal energy conservation. A whole lot of your energy & money is going down the drain (or out the windows) if you don't have adequate protection against that transfer of heat & cold. Window treatments can help you so much with your energy costs as well as providing beauty & privacy. There are a variety of window treatments available on the market today but to assure the latest in technology, great new colors & styles & a great warranty you should really check out the latest from Hunter Douglas. http://www.hunterdouglas.com/.

"It's a scientific fact that heat is attracted to cold. In winter months, indoor heating moves toward and escapes through windows to the outdoors, while in summertime, the outside heat flows into your home through these same windows. Many Hunter Douglas window fashions boast high R-values—the measure of a product's ability to resist heat flow—helping reduce energy consumption, save on heating and cooling costs, and creating a more comfortable room setting." quote from Hunter Douglas)

If you have decided that now is the time to look into new or better window treatments Hunter Douglas is offering their Fall & Winter REBATES. I invite you to give me a call for an appointment to see the actual samples in your own home or office.

Call 503-364-4237

Thanks to the "Artisans"

If it were not for the "artisans" of this world, designers would be up a creek. I can have many great ideas in my head but if there is no one who is trained and talented enough to create them I can't continue to dream & to design. I know there are many talented "artisans that I have not yet met. If you are out there, let me know who you are and what you do. I would like to add you to my "artisan" list & give you a mention in my blog.

Currently I have the pleasure of working with several "artisans" that I just have to brag on. One is my son, Jason Swarthout who since he was 12 years old has been creating fabulous wood products beginning with wood toys & graduating to fabulous furniture, cabinets & exquisite finish carpentry. He builds custom doors & windows & & turns pieces of raw wood into whatever I need. He also does a fine job of installing tile & tile projects. His crew including Jeremy Haynes of Salem, OR are the wood workers of choice when I have a project that requires the best in detail, workmanship & custom finishes. He also works on projects for many other fine builders. He is currently building a custom home for his family in Mexico (near Cabo San Lucas.) It will have his beautiful hand made doors, windows & custom tiled tubs & showers. I want him to finish it soon so I can go to visit. He can be reached by email. miniblanco@hotmail.com if you have a project you would like to talk to him about. He "commutes".


Another fine artisan is John Pepples of Bend, OR. He serves as our foreman for Artisan Homes and Design in Bend and does all our stone work in addition to his other duties. He installs tile & is a very good artisan. He accepts outside projects when time permits. You can reach him at 503-932-4891.

I will let you in on some more of my favorite artisans in the future. In the mean time, I used to know an artisan in the Bend area who did antique copper counters & back splashes as well as metal relief work for kitchen vent hoods etc. I don't think he does that type of work anymore so if you know of someone who does that, be sure to let me know. I want to have that person in my "artisan" list for future projects.

Saying Goodbye

Hi Readers,

I just finished a really great project & it is time to say "good bye" to it. Along with their builder, Don Denning of Artisan Homes (my husband) I helped a couple to create the retirement home of their dreams. I so enjoyed working with these clients. We spent a lot of time together creating their vision of "home". It began about a year ago. Since the couple would be sharing their home with their two large dogs, many of the surface selections & design details were selected with the dogs in mind. Starting with the travertine floors that could handle doggy paws & ending with the dog head knobs for the laundry room, it was definitely an animal friendly home. We had a great time researching fans & lights & cabinet knobs & took many trips to see granite slabs. The clients found the "perfect" redwood burls for the fireplace mantle. We labored over the right art pieces & the right bedding & shopped till we dropped for the pieces needed to add to their already existing furnishings. We had a lot of fun doing it. I want to thank them for being such great people to work with.

Many of their friends & neighbors as well as hundreds of complete strangers were invited to visit their home as it was on the annual home builders tour. I guess that people really liked it because many came back for a 2nd visit & brought their friends back to see it. The home also received 4 nice awards from the Home Builders judges. In our price group we won "Best Architecture, Best Kitchen, Best Value & Best of Show. The most valuable reward though was the clients pleasure in their new home.

When working with people on a project like this, they become more than clients, they become friends. Although I am saying goodbye to this project I plan to keep in touch with my new friends. I hope they have many happy years in their new home & that they will invite me to a dinner prepared in their fabulous kitchen . It is a kitchen of dreams.

I will also post all the other pictures on my website later this week so check back. I wish the pics had turned out better. We tried a different way of doing the lighting & it just didn't work out as I had hoped.

Some of my Favorite Books

I love design books & especially Kitchen books. One of my favorite kitchen designers is Johnny Grey. His kitchens give me inspiration to create something unique. There are no boring designs in his portfolio. Unusual shapes, materials & layouts are his trademark. If you are not familiar with him, check out some of his great kitchen books on Amazon.com.

Artisan Homes wins 4 awards

http://coba.org/2009TOHAwards1.5M(New).htm
Hurrah! Our home won 4 of the 7 awards given out for homes in our price range ($1,200,000.-$2,000,000.). We won Best Architecture, Best Kitchen, Best Value & Best of Show. It was a really great project. Pictures coming soon.
http://www.suzannemariesinteriors.com/
http://www.artisanhomesanddesign.com/

Salem Art Fair July 17-19

Beautiful art, ceramics, glass, & all things fun can be experienced at the Salem OR Art fair.

Here is a sampling of the many beautiful items that will be available. I encourage you to support the artists who create these beautiful items that can enrich our lives & add beauty to our homes. Without our support they can not continue to create.

You can click on each piece to see who the artist is.

Staging Your Home to Sell Part 2

Last week I spoke a little about home staging & who should be using this type of design service. I am adding to that information with part 2 this week.

Today’s Real Estate market creates a challenge for all home sellers. Everything you can do to your home to help reflect a vision of someone’s “dream home” is a step in the right direction. Here are the DO'S and DON"Ts for successfull home staging & selling your home..





THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU EVER LIST YOUR HOME

DON'T put your house on the market before it is ready.

This usually happens if the seller is in a hurry or impatient. It may also be that he has procrastinated & is finding himself up against a deadline. The home gets put on market without the necessary repairs, painting, staging etc. being done. Presentation is everything! Get all the work done BEFORE you market the home.
DON'T get emotionally involved in the sale of you house.

This will be one of a homeowner’s greatest challenges. Once you decide to sell your house it is no longer a home but a commodity. It needs to be treated as such. All the personal likes & dislikes you may have are out the door so to speak. You will be selling to the masses & so you will need to present a product that can appeal to the masses. Personal items, unusual color schemes, funky furnishings from your college days, kid’s toys, family photos, refrigerator magnets, worn out rugs, and pet beds & boxes ….they will need to go. Try to depersonalize & make it a home that can appeal to many. You can’t afford to be emotional. You are here to SELL your house.
Let your home stager guide you.

DO enlist the help of a professional home stager.

Your professional home stager is prepared to help you market your house by being truthful in presenting you with the problems & the solutions. We don’t always appreciate the truth, (too emotionally involved) but if it is important to sell your home then you will need to pay attention. Let your stager do the job. Your stager will give you the best professional advice possible. It will usually begin with decluttering, depersonalizing, cleaning, rearranging and discarding. It may include repairing, repainting, & updating. Your stager will give you a MUST DO list. There will also be other lists that will be listed by priority. Cooperation will be the key to the success of your home staging project.

DO discuss the budget openly & honestly.

Your professional home stager is used to working with limited budgets when necessary. The condition of the home, major repairs that are needed, as well as how much of the work can reasonably be done by the homeowners, will determine realistic budget preparation.The realtors advise on pricing of your home for the local market & potential monetary return on remodel & redecorating projects etc will also be taken into consideration. An accurate budget & reliable information as to what funds are available for the project is crucial. Your home stager can not help you prioritize & spend your funds wisely if she is misinformed. A good home stager will not use your funds unwisely or overspend.

DO have realistic expectations

A professional home stager will be one of your best investments as you prepare your home to be sold. The knowledge, resources, training, & experience will be invaluable. A home stager will actually save you money by being quick to save & reuse where possible as well as helping to avoid pitfalls that will waste precious time & money. Some homeowners however may have unrealistic expectations. A home stager will not be able to “fix” everything, especially if there are really limited funds. Be sure to discuss with your stager what realistic costs and time frames might be needed for your successfull project.

DON'T work without a contract.

This is for the protection of both parties & should clearly state fees, any deadlines, budgets & other expectations. There should be included in the contract how any purchases you are making from your home stager are to be paid as well as outlining who will be paying for labor & materials etc. If the homeowner is providing self-labor then it should be stated in the contract. It is also advisable that your Realtor be included in a preliminary meeting once you have selected your home stager. This will be a team effort so be sure the team is together as you start your project.

SMI Home Staging Services

SMI is an award-winning design firm. We specialize in Model Homes & "For-Sale" propertites in Oregon.
Furnishings can be rented or purchased through our resources.
Call 503-364-4237 to discuss your project.

http://www.suzannemariesinteriors.com/