Love your home, keep it warm!

As the cold temps are upon us here in Maine it’s a good day to check your home for air infiltration. Cold air leaking into your home or business is one your biggest sources of heat loss. Make a list of these areas and fix them. If you place your hand need the walls your will feel where the coldest spots are that need fixing. Common area’s to find leaks are as you know are around windows and doors. Area’s we don’t often think about leaking are along floor and ceiling lines on outside walls. Electrical switches and outlets on exterior walls are another great spot to check for heat loss. So take a few minutes to walk around the interior perimeter to find these money sucking areas of your place. Remember just because the building is relatively new doesn’t mean it’s not leaky!

So what to do about these areas? If you’re a do it you’re self-er than take a trip to your local hardware store get a cocking gun, some cocking, door sweeps, and switch and outlet insulators. You may need to remove the trim carefully to get at these areas around the windows and door to do the job right. Your efforts will be rewarded with lower fuel bills in the future. If you have an older home with older window treatments such as cellular blinds will help with the heat loss. This is a good option even if your windows are newer; the “R” value which determines the insulting quality of your window is much less than that of your wall. Your fuel bill will be less if you cover your windows up for the winter or at least for the evenings when it is typically the coldest. If the windows are really bad consider replacing them. So show your home you love it by keeping it warm this winter and keep the cold air out.

Not handy, consider hiring a handyman to do it for you. If your house is really leaky it won’t take long for you to get the pay back on your investment. Also helping to keep others employed is good for the economy. Not to mention the improvements in the comfort of these spaces when they stay a bit warmer.

So take advantage of these single digit days to easily find the leaks and plug them up from the inside so you can pocket that fuels savings for more important things in life! Remember good interior design is about more than just looking good it’s about functionality and comfort, looking good is just a sweet bonus!

If you have questions or comment please let me know, I'd love to hear form you! Or if you know someone who can use these tips feel free to forward them a link to this site!

Home renovation that give you’re the best return on your investment

If you’ve made a new year’s resolution to be wiser with your money for your home here’s a few things to consider for the best return on your dollar.


• Universal Design - One of the best investments you can make to your home today is Universal Design. So what is universal design? It is a design principle that makes a home or business functional for all people including, all handicaps and the elderly. With baby boomers grower older homes designed to accommodate the handicap and aging population are in a higher and higher in demand. When the front steps need to be replace change them out to a nicely designed ramp. Make open spaces for easier wheelchair access. These renovations are easy to do little by little over time. If you don’t plan on moving when you retire your house will be useable if you should be come unable to handle stairs which allows you to stay in your home longer depending on your health.

• Kitchens-Kitchen updates are an important to maintain top dollar for your home. How we cook and prepare food has changed drastically, along with the tools we use to prepare them. New technology in the kitchen often can save us in both time and energy cost. Not to mention making our everyday life more convenient. Remember when remodeling a kitchen it is good to make universal changes for your future use. Sinks can be plumbed for accessibility with removable cabinet front for a more stand look till you may need it. This is a very minimal cost that will allow you to be independent at home for a much longer period of time.

• Bathrooms- Bathrooms are much like kitchens have changed drastically upgrade are both good to save on energy cost and conservation efforts. Similar accessibility items can be added for your bathroom for universal design. Planning for future grab bars when renovating will make save lots of money in the future for a modest amount of money.

• Changing non bearing walls- This is a great way to make a home feel more spacious without a large investment. If a house is small, but you can’t remove walls add window openings so you can see through parts of the wall to make the space feel larger.

• Exterior Space- Creating rooms to enjoy outside is a great way to expand your living space and can be created for almost no money.

Talk to your designer and contractor for your specific on the cost to insure you don’t over invest in your home. Make your home into your dream home not a nightmare. Know your home’s value before you start so you don’t over invest.

Educating business owner on the benefits of good interior design practices.

I am writing you today to let you know with this New Year I’m making some changes in my business. The first as many of you already know is I am now working under my own name, LaRochelle Interior Design so it’s out with InEx Interior Design.

Another change is I hope to educate as many business’s as possible on how good design can save you money.

• Did you know your business’s interior reflects your brand and shows your clientele what is important to you? If brand marketing is important to your business so is your interior.

• Maybe your inefficient use of space is requiring you to lease more or less space than you need for optimal efficiency and cost per square foot?

• Or the color of your facility is under stimulating your employees or worse over stimulating them creating an adverse work environment.

• Did you know color can affect your appetite; does your business serve food?

Stay tune for more details and blogs to come on this subject and much more. If you know a business that could use a bit of educating please forward this information to them as well! And as always if you have design questions feel free to post them in your comments and I’ll be sure to answer them.

Out with the Old and In with the New

InEx Interior Design has a new Name, LaRochelle Interior Design. Every business needs the occasional shake up. This year I plan on shaking up something new each month. The economy is on a path to improvement and now it's time for the rest of us to add some improvements to our lives. May be it will be making our home or office a bit healthier place to live or just a colorful face lift. What every it might be I will be here to help you solve your design issues all year long. If you have an interior design issue you'd like to ask about, post your question here in the comments and I will be sure to give you my recommendation. If you have a problem there is bound to be others with the same questions answered. So let's shake up this new year and get the ball rolling on this year new years resolution to improve our home and work environments! I'm looking forward to hearing from you all soon!

Happy New Year!
Lori

A Dressing Room Closet Built For Two

With master bedroom closets being all the rage. I thought I would share this article with you by Lori Glider.

Planning the perfect closet is never an easy task particularly when you have to share with your spouse.  Often one partner has more "inventory" shall we say than the other and rarely are they willing to give up an inch of linear space. 

In one of my projects the layout of the master bedroom - simply said just doesn't make sense.  Currently the original dark, dingy and window-less walk-in closet is located on an exterior wall, which faces the beautiful lush back yard. The single windowed master bath looks directly onto the neighbor's house.  From a planning perspective it only makes sense to flip the master bath/closet layout in order to maximize the lovely view to the lush yard from a new master bath - and plan for the new closet/dressing room where the old bath was located. 

Gutting and shifting the walls to create a bright and spacious master bath and his-and-her closet and dressing area will take this master suite from the ordinary to the extraordinary.  It's about creating a perfect blend of practicality and luxury in the master bedroom suite.

Keep these ideas in mind when planning the perfect closet for two:

• Don't feel you need to use up every inch of wall space by sacrificing natural light.  Adding windows or skylights will display your wardrobe clearly.
• Strategically position full-length mirrors to reflect some of that natural light - and to catch a good glimpse of yourself.
• Keep as much inventory as possible in plain sight.  Make sure it's well organized, color coded and easily accessible.
• Separate the his from hers - and provide enough space to meander through the shelves and racks.
• If space allows provide an island for plenty of extra storage.  It's also a terrific surface area for changing out your handbags and organizing accessories.
• Provide a make-up vanity area preferably near a window for natural lighting.
• Don't forget good general lighting coupled with recessed lighting to highlight your hanging wardrobe.  Using dimmers will add that extra touch of ambiance as well.

Whether you're planning a closet/dressing room that takes your breath away or a highly practical well-organized closet for two - use these principles to help guide you through the planning process.  

 

Lori Gilder, is an Award winning Interior Designer specializing in high-end residential renovations and additions. Lori is the CEO and Founder of Interior Makeovers Inc. and LoriGilder.com. She is dedicated to providing accessible design expertise and guidance, tailored to fit each individual homeowners lifestyle.  Sign Up Now to receive your FREE copy of "15 Money Saving Strategies When Planning Your Home Renovation" LoriGilder.com  

©2010 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc.

Designing Maine: I found this photo of a cute bathroom. I am a tru...

Designing Maine: I found this photo of a cute bathroom. I am a tru...: "I found this photo of a cute bathroom on HGTV. I am a true lover of the use of wood and all things natural they bring warmth warmth to any ..."

I found this photo of a cute bathroom. I am a true lover of the use of wood and the natural warmth it bring to any room. But when it comes to bath rooms it’s a no go for me. Life today is crazy enough; we don’t need to be introducing material in a room that adds to our workload. Teak is one of a few woods that can handle the moisture, but to keeping it looking like it does in this picture will take a lot of work. One of my many goals when working with my clients to design their space to be low maintenance so they can enjoy it after a hard day at work, not come to see more work! So when choosing materials for a project make sure that they enhance the space without add to you stress pool!

I found this photo of a cute bathroom on HGTV.  I am a true lover of the use of wood and all things natural they bring warmth warmth to any room. But when it comes to bathrooms it’s a no go for me. Life today is crazy enough; we don’t need to be introducing material in a room that adds to our workload. Teak is one of a few woods that can handle the moisture, but to keeping it looking like it does in this picture will take a lot of work and each year as the finish wears it will take more time. One of my many goals when working with a client is to design their space to be low maintenance so they can enjoy it after a hard day at work, not come to see more work!

So when choosing materials for a project make sure that they enhance the space without add to you stress pool!