It is tough to save money and get wanted jobs done when needed jobs take precedence.  By rethinking, and reusing what we have we can save a ton of money.  It takes just a little imagination and know how.  If you see a picture in a magazine that you love, take a look at items in your own home.  Try looking at them with a different eye.  Can you change the paint color, change the knobs, change the legs, add a piece of fabric to give it a new look.  Many items may be old and you are tired of looking at them but by thinking of them in a different color, fabric, style you can create an entirely different piece.  Rearranging furniture in your room is a simple solution and will give you a new look.  Freshen it up with a new paint color with some throw pillows and a new piece of art.  Big Lots and Garden Ridge have amazing deals on art work.  Perhaps a new rug, sprucing up the cabinets with some organizing baskets.  You can do all of these items yourself and have a refreshed room while saving money.  If you feel you do not have the vision well that is where I come in, give me a call.  I can help you identify items that can be restored or redesigned by yourself or by me…..I would be happy to lend my expertise on Rethinking, Refreshing, and Reusing.  I have many clients that have pieces that were out of trend.  Simple sanding, priming, changing paint color and a few knobs they now have a piece to put in a freshly painted room that fits todays trendy market.  Below you can see some of the projects for clients that I have completed while saving them money.  The bedroom dresser was a fire rescue for $45.00.  By painting with a silver rub, glass knobs and a new faux marble sink top it is a one of a kind lovely vanity in a master bathroom.  The country-style coffee table and end table, refreshed by painting the bottoms white and the top a darker stain; a new up to trend look.  The dining room chair fabric was cream damask and soiled easily.  Changing the seat fabric is an inexpensive and easy way to refresh your chairs and give an entirely new look to your dining room.  Shopping at second-hand stores and consignment shops will save you money too!  Many items are gently used and with a fresh coat of wax or paint that old item can be renewed.  It brings new meaning to one man’s trash is another man’s treasure…..OR WOMAN”S in my case…..Let me know if I can help find hidden treasures within your home.  757-639-5796 or https://uandihomedecoratingandstaging.com  Deborah

Sam’s room is complete.  After a few days of shopping with my inspiration piece I was able to pull it all together.  I gave Annie a call and we set up a day to get it all done.  Yesterday we spent the entire day painting together, talking about everything under the sun and laughing a lot.  The day goes by quickly when your trying to complete a room in a day.  We were able to pull it off and the results are wonderful.  The walls are painted Behr eggshell 480A-2 Botanical Tint and the trim Behr semi-gloss W-B-500 1850 Ultra Pure White.  It is a beautiful brilliant bright color scheme.  Once we laid the bedspread across the bed everything just popped.  The fabric I purchased at the second-hand store became the valances and add green and pull your eye up when you look in the room….The closet doors received a whimsical treatment from stick on dots in the room colors.  Sam can move them around the room wherever he wants.  A fun addition for him to interact with.  I told Annie she will wake up each day with the dots some else in the room…Sam and Annie are thrilled with the results.  I believe my favorite and best compliment I have ever received when decorating was when Sam’s cousin David said he needed me to come and trick out his bedroom…..Annie I laughed a lot about the new word we learned…I now trick out bedrooms. LOL

Today I will make the valances for Sam’s room from the perfect colored green fabric I found at the same second hand store I purchased the inspiration chenille bedspread. I went shopping at one of my favorite places to shop for accessories Target yesterday and found Sam’s room complete……Every thing I needed and the colors were all there. With paint swatches, bedspread, and fabric in hand it was oh my goodness this is perfect…and oh would you look at that….exactly what I was looking for….and then it was the perfect rug, tables, lamp……I’m telling you Sam’s room is going to be fantastic…..

I spoke with Annie (Sam’s mommy) and she stated that Sam loves bright colors and loves to pull and touch tiny threads on her pillows (trim); she also stated he loves to tear paper into tiny pieces.  I read about that being part of a calming action for their hands while their mind takes a rest.  I can understand, I wish my mind would rest at night when I am ready to sleep.  I am always going over the things I still have on my list and adding to it as I close my eyes.  Most of the articles I have read spoke about keeping the room calm and void of bright colors.  Soft blues, greens and soft whites seem to be the palettes that I kept finding on the internet.  I had decided to go with sea-foam greens and blues in different values trying to keep it masculine at the same time.  After all Sam is a big boy even though his minds age is kindergarden.  I happen to be in one of our local second-hand stores (one of my favorite let’s make a deal kind of place) and found this lovely chenille bedspread with tassel twisted link trim.  The chenille was pulled through the white cotton background in a wave like pattern.  Not to busy in the pattern with perfect colors in the teal blue leaning toward sea foam green and a darker green that reminded me of a dark brussel sprout.  I checked it out carefully looking for stains or missing chenille but it was in perfect condition…..SOLD.  Immediately I noticed the perfect piece of fabric I could use for pillow shams.  It was the exact match to my dark brussel sprout.  Amazing finds price and color (thank you Lord) off I went to checkout.  I headed to the paint store to do some color matching of my treasure.  I chose all different values from light to bright of the blue and green giving Annie and Sam many for a favorite.   I made a phone call to Annie and headed to Green Street with my treasures of the successful hunt to get their approval.  Annie was thrilled with the bedspread and Sam just kept touching it.  He loved the little strings hanging down on the trim.  That will keep his interest for a long time and his smile was my thank you its lovely from him without a word being spoken.  Annie and I made a few selections of paint color that she could live with and then we ask Sam to choose his favorite.  Sam immediately knew his favorite by touch, a large smile and a moan we knew his choice.  Annie and I were thrilled it is the same one we wanted too! I am starting a kitchen, painting cabinets, and dining room job on Monday.  Sam’s room will have to hold for a week.  I will be able to purchase the paints, make the shams, shop for curtains, and a beanbag after that. Deborah

I have been asked to do a child’s room that has autism.  His mother has been ill, has had to have many surgeries this year, and missed quite a bit of work.  What makes the story interesting is her love for this boy…..She started out as a single Foster parent, took Sam into her home as his foster mother/guardian…she quickly fell in love with Sam and has taken on his challenges, and made them hers.  She is now his adopted Mother and continues to support Sam and his autism.  Sam will remain a kindergartener but his mother loves will keep soaring.  She is a dear friend of mine and I am offering my services to her and her son free of charge to help them out and create a space for Sam that he will love to come home too after attending school.  I did not know anything about autism before I started this project but I have been reading everything I can get my hands on to get better acquainted with autism.  I have started a blog about this project and will continue to take notes as I venture deeper into Sam’s world.  I have learned about textures, color finishes, noise, scents, sights…..it has been an experience that is worthy of notes.  I will continue to blog about my experience as the week’s progress.

Deborah Lutz

U & I Home Decorating and Staging

I want to add the subscribe me button on my blogs but how the heck do you do it????? I have read all the subscription stuff but that just tells you how to subscribe to other people….how do you add the widget to your own blog for other people…..HELP!!!!!  Also is anyone getting this….is it syndicated? and what does that mean???? Deborah

I love the way this designer used the choice of green to highlight the back of the cabinets….very clever way to create interest without being to bold.  I did a similar china cabinet for a client by painting it all a darker finish and giving the inside a beautiful lavendar color to accent her platinum ring on the china.

Being an expert in this area….I can certainly say that organization and creativity must play the larger role when inventing space for under 1000 sq. ft.  My husband and I moved from a large home with multi garages and storage buildings to 930 sq.ft. and a small metal shed for storage.  Most of the items we had (I) collected over the years needed to be examined, dissected, and set into take or not to take rows and rows….It was very difficult making the selections that would fit the measured and measured again space that we were filling up very quickly.  It became reality when you are faced with items that you love, love better, and must have won the gamut.  After living in the condo for about 4 years now I am realizing we downsized  just a bit too much but it has been liberating.  The one thing I can advise in downsizing is be sure to decide what it is that you love to do in your home and downsize accordingly.  We love to entertain so our living space needs to be bigger and we always have company coming to the beach for the summer and family visiting on the holidays….we should have picked a place with a guest area separate from my office space.  Now my husband and I in searching for our new adventure place will be sure to get that extra living and entertaining area as well as the additional room for guest and oh yes I forgot to mention A GARAGE.

I am not talking about the weather either honey…..even though it has been brutal hot here the last few days.  I am talking about the new Color Splash Miami show.  I love David Bromstads designs and every time I watch it, I get the urge to paint a painting for my current clients.  He is a true inspiration.  Hope your staying cool where you are.  A fantastic drink to keep you cool in this heat is a large pitcher of water with lots of ice to keep it cold with very thin sliced cucumbers dropped in.  Taste chilling delicious and it is a fantastic summer hydrator.  Deborah