Breay Design Associates Blog

Let’s Reduce Bathroom Accidents from Slipping

Saturday 15 Oct 2011 by Sharon Breay | No Comments
Filed under: Barrier Free Design, Bathroom Design, Bathrooms, DOES THE SHOE.....FIT?, Small Space, Space Design Tags: Bathroom Design, functional home, healing spaces, interior design

What is an Accessible Bathtub or Safety Bathtub? These are tubs that reduce the risk of slipping, the major cause of bathroom accidents, particularly for the elderly, but for everyone. An accessible tub does not have to be stepped into over an( approx) 18″ side of the tub. The user walks in, closes the side, self-sealing door, and then fills the tub.

Do they work? You bet! And many are sleek and modern looking. There are accessible tubs for compact spaces, as well as full lie-down bathtubs. Some models for wheelchair users allow the user to slide in. Doors can swing outward, inward, or slide up and down. Features can include a power lift seat, jets (my mom loves this), a seat, grab bars, and rails. The compact models are sit in, and fit a smaller space than a traditional tub. Others fit the standard tub opening.

The drawbacks? Very few. The biggest hurdle is that you need to empty the tub before you can get out–but even that has been worked out with tubs that empy in less than 30 seconds. Please send in your comments for others to read & share as this is something many of us haven’t considered before.

Remember, our homes need to fit us like our favorite shoe. Ask yourself…..Does the Shoe FIT? Is it both attractive to YOU (regardless of magazine photos) and functional to YOUR lifestyle? If you need help, give us a call. We’ve been helping people just like you with their homes for over 20 years.

How Strong is Your Flush?

Sunday 2 Oct 2011 by Sharon Breay | No Comments
Filed under: DOES THE SHOE.....FIT? Tags: Bathrooms, DOES THE SHOE... FIT?, functional home, home design, interior designer

So OK–we’re talking about the commode! But all homes have them. In a typical household, a toilet consumes the most water, about 27% of total water consumption, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

However, dual flush models cut the water consumption by providing full flushes to dispose of solid waste and half flushes for liquids. A new dual flush toilet runs approximately $300, but I’m told there is a conversion kit for your existing toilet that only costs $99.00 and is available at major retailers. It is called the Perfect Flush, and it works with a top-mounted push-botton box.

It is said the conversion only takes about 30 minutes to install, and can save a familyof four about $100 a year in water costs–so you recoup your initial expenditure right away. Other similar products are Select A Flush and Aquanotion’s Two Flush.

Although interior design doesn’t always address commodes, they are part of our interiors. Want a quiet flush? Toto is the brand for you. Want a standard toilet with a strong (no pun intended) reputation? American Standard is one of the brands to look at. You probably already know there are many styles, colors, and heights available in toilets. There are also self flushing models (for homeowners), warm seat models, and oh my, what else!

Even when discussing a commode, you have options on what is best for you, your life, and your budget. Remember, your home should fit you like your favorite shoe. If not, give us a call. We help people just like you with your home interior and yard problems every day, making them happy people.

Simple Steps to Curb Appeal–Part 2

Thursday 15 Sep 2011 by Sharon Breay | No Comments
Filed under: Color, Curb Appeal, DOES THE SHOE.....FIT?, Entry Lighting, exterior design, Garden Design, Surface Finishes Tags: accent lighting, exterior design, exteriors, garden, healing spaces, home decoration, home entries, Landscape Design, light fixtures, Psychology of Design, trends, yard lighting

The last post was on curb appeal–bigger items your home might need. This post, let’s discuss those smaller items. These are tips from Money Magazine, the people who know what is worth while and what isn’t. (And I’ve added some details) This is a good time to handle curb appeal–before the snow begins!

1) What about exterior lighting? We’ve written about it before, but what do YOU have? Shiny brass or solid black isn’t as “today” as finishes like antiqued copper, bronze or brushed nickel.

2) Your house numbers and other hardware may also need an updated finish, as those suggested above.

3) Have blooming flowers as long as your locale allows–and then tasteful winter landscape looks with interesting bare shapes, textures, and colors. (Think of some things like Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick, tall grasses that don’t droop in the snow like switchgrass, and color like redtwig dogwood–something similar for your yard.)

4) Paint your home in subdued colors of nature, muted greens, deep reds, pale yellows–for a peaceful look. Bright high-contrast colors exaggerate a house’s flaws.

Remember, you want the home to be appealing, but it can also reflect YOU. Our homes should fit us like our favorite shoes. Ask yourself, “Does the Shoe….FIT?” If you need some help, contact us. We are the interior/exterior design experts.

When did you last check Curb Appeal?

Tuesday 30 Aug 2011 by Sharon Breay | No Comments
Filed under: Curb Appeal, DOES THE SHOE.....FIT?, exterior design Tags: DOES THE SHOE... FIT?, exterior design, home decoration, home design, home entries

Let’s admit it; we all get so busy, we often don’t take a good, hard look at the street view of our home. Autumn is barely around the corner; our canyon nights are getting chilly–and the darn robins have beat me to the quince berries once again! With summer activities waning, and life getting into a more routine schedule–this is a good time to really analyze your home’s curb appeal……before the snowfall sends you into the house. If you are thinking of selling your home, autumn has always been a good season to do so, with everyone settled into new surroundings before the holiday season. Here’s some tips from Money Magazine:

Let’s consider a few often overlooked components that affect curb appeal. First we’ll take the bigger items, in later blogs the smaller things. First, realize the garage door is ofen the most prominent feature of a home’s front. They are often flat, lackluster slabs of steel or vinyl. Trade these for doors with mouldings, windows, or a carriage house look.

Second, is the siding dreary aluminum, vinyl, or asbestos siding. Often under it, you’ll find well-preserved wood clap boards that could be repaired and painted for a much improved image. Today, fiber cement siding, with high fire resistance, is available that resembles real wood and require no work.

Third, the front door is the focal point of your house–or should be. Replace the door with perhaps a mission style oak door, or a six panel colonial with blown glass windows, ar arc top French doors. Achitectural salvage yards are great places to begin a search.

Invasive procedures aren’t always necessary. Next blog, we’ll discuss the accents that can transform your home’s exterior appearance.

And let’s hear from you readers what you’ve done to improve curb appeal of your home. Your home needs to fit you like your favorite shoe. Ask yourself—DOES the shoe fit? If not, contact us, we’re the licensed and awarded design company that handles interior and exterior spaces based on YOUR life style.

What’s Going on in European Kitchen Decor?

Monday 15 Aug 2011 by Sharon Breay | No Comments
Filed under: DOES THE SHOE.....FIT?, Furniture Arrangement, Small Space, Surface Finishes Tags: decorating, DOES THE SHOE... FIT?, functional home, home decoration, home design, interior design, room balance

Many of us like to follow the European look in design and decoration, and apply the look in our own homes. K&BB magazine has a few items you might be interested in. The stream-lined look is still very much in vogue. Minimalism is the word, no excessive ornamentation. Extra thick counter tops continue to enhance this look and add weight to the kitchen counters. They are often straight edged, in white with black cabinets. Stone has been losing ground to solid surface for the last few years.

Power strips are hidden. Sinks and ranges are integral to the counter. Allmilmo makes a counter top that slides open to reveal the sink and cooktop below. Berloni’s 2-in-1 kitchen furniture contains the functional needs of cooking and cleaning on one side, while the other side functions as a work desk and for relaxation. (This concept works particularly well with open-plan homes.) Poggenpohl has a walk-in professional kitchen with decorative panels that conceal the kitchen when not in use.

Stainless steel appliances continue to be a favorite, as they integrate so wellwith a variety of cabinet finishes. Ariston’s ovens feature controls designed right in the handles. Ellea has a series of extremely compact, jewel-like ventilation systems.

Many of these concepts are available in American products, but all can be obtained in America, regardless of where it was manufactured.

Remember, your surroundings need to fit you like a favorite shoe. Ask yourself, “Does the Shoe …FIT?” If not, give us a call. We are the licensed, awarded design company that specializes in creating surroundings to fit YOU.

Paint Yourself a Rug

Sunday 31 Jul 2011 by Sharon Breay | No Comments
Filed under: Barrier Free Design, Color, DOES THE SHOE.....FIT?, Small Space, Surface Finishes, Textiles & Fabrics Tags: Barrier Free Design, decorating, DOES THE SHOE... FIT?, home decoration, home design, home entries

Painted rugs are quite popular today, although originally a colonial and pioneer decorating touch. But why not today again? They are environmental, barrier free by their flatness, inexpensive, and allow you to create something uniquely you. They are great for small spaces, like entries, but look equally good in larger spaces, too.

The rug itself can be either painter’s canvas with two coats of gesso or the backside of a piece of vinyl flooring. Here are some instructional steps from Sherwin Williams paint company on making one, using the back of a piece of vinyl flooring.

1 Purchase a 10′x12″ piece of vinyl flooring.

2. Map out the design by using painter’s tape. Design can be your own or a copy of a piece of art perhaps blocked in square by square from a grid you draw over the original design or art that you admire.

3. Apply the paint, tinted with floor enamel. If you take your artwork to a paint store, they can help you get the proper paint and color(s). After the artwork is painted on the rug, allow it to dry

4. “Antique” with one coat of faux finishing glazing liquid tinted brown. This liquid is made by major paint companies.

5. Top the dry rug with 2 coats of polyurethane so the clost can be damp-mopped.

And there you are! These “rugs” look great over hardwood flooring, tile, vinyl. Be sure to choose a style and colors that fit your design scheme to give everything a consistent look. Remember, your surroundings need to fit you like your favorite shoes. Ask yourself…..”Does the Shoe FIT?” If not, give us a call. We are awarded in interior and exterior design, and have helped many hundreds of clients just like you.

How about a Labyrinth in your Back Yard?

Friday 15 Jul 2011 by Sharon Breay | No Comments
Filed under: DOES THE SHOE.....FIT?, Exterior Lighting, Garden Design, Space Design Tags: accent lighting, DOES THE SHOE... FIT?, exterior design, garden, garden at night, healing spaces, home retreats, night garden, sacred spaces, yard lighting

Ever heard of a Labyrinth? Webster defines it as an intricate structure of interconnecting passages which are difficult to find your way through. But for this blog post, I’m speaking of a garden labyrinth– interconnecting paths, that create a bit of a maze. Notice I said a “bit” of a maze. Nothing too difficult; this is a maze to allow us to relax and enjoy nature.

Recently, a client asked for some type of meditational garden space in their back landscaping. It was to be its own entity, but blend into the yard. We didn’t have hundreds of feet to devote on the labyrith. But we had enough to create a small version in approximately 30- 35 sq. ft. .

The whole idea is a bit like Zen, as you travel the paths of a labyrinth, walking in circles, or in this case, curved, organically shaped paths, you are to appreciate the beauty along the paths that take you to the center. By the time you reach the center, you are refreshed of mind and body.

In this narrow-pathed personal labyrinth, we still had space to create along the way a shady garden strip, a hummingbird garden strip, a trellis garden strip, a water feature, a butterfly garden strip, a zen stone garden, and a small sculpture. Both client and I loved creating it.

The labyrinth idea would not need to be circular in nature, but by doing so, it adds to the feeling of “getting away,” as you walk within the circle. To be really effective, give it some low level night lighting.

Remember, your surroundings need to fit you like a favorite shoe fits you. Ask yourself, “Does the shoe….FIT?” If you need some help; contact us, Breay Design, the Space Specialists.

Having a few BLIPS with your Garden?

Thursday 30 Jun 2011 by Sharon Breay | No Comments
Filed under: DOES THE SHOE.....FIT?, exterior design, Garden Design, Plant Problems Tags: exterior design, garden

Landscaping & Gardens make alot of sense for our yards. The Homebuying Guide has stated that spending just $500 – 600 on fresh landscaping can boost your home’s value by $1600 in a decent economy. The economy may not be there yet, but we can see how people respond to nice looking yards.

However, you may have put in some new plants that aren’t doing so well now that summer has arrived. What happened? My biggest guess is that you didn’t heed the little tags in the pots when you bought the plant. These tags tell you the amount of sun & water, and often soil type this particular plant requires. If you looked at it, do you know what type of soil you planted it in?

And then there is “Catch 22 of Gardening”–You can’t always believe those tags!! If a plant supposedly will grow in “any” soil–take that with a BIG grain of salt. If you have clay or sand, that plant is going to have problems no matter what its name is. My advice is to till in LOTS of compost and well rotten manure–to amend the soil.

Secondly, although the plant tag may say to establish the plant in Sun or Part Shade—if you are near or in the Rocky Mountains–you might “bake” the plant in our strong sun. When we first moved here, I did bake some nice rose blossoms. They never wilted, just dried and preserved on the stem. Then I learned that many of the plants growing in Eastern US sun, prefer semi-shade around the Rocky Mountains, because of our strong sun.

Our last garden tip for this blog has to do with a plant being “deer resistant.” Deer Resistant is NOT Deer Proof; Some plants are better than others in resisting deer appetites though. Last autumn, the deer never ate one flower off of my black eyed susan (rudbeckia) plants, a plant that is “deer resistant. BUT–THEY ATE OFF EVERY SINGLE LEAF OF EVERY SINGLE BLACK EYED SUSAN! The poor plants looked really stange! Luckily, that was in October, and this year the plants look good as new. This isn’t always the case.

Remember your spaces need to fit your life like your favorite shoe. Ask yourself, “Does the Shoe…..FIT? If not, contact us, the interior/exterior space specialists. Hundreds of others have. —Sharon Breay

Architectural Details Don’t Align???

Wednesday 15 Jun 2011 by Sharon Breay | No Comments
Filed under: Art & Accessories, Color, DOES THE SHOE.....FIT?, Furniture Arrangement, Space Design Tags: design workshops, DOES THE SHOE... FIT?, healing spaces, home design, interior design, light fixtures, professional speaker on design, Psychology of Design, room balance

How many times homeowners move into this lovely home, but become more aggrevated with time because an architectural detail doesn’t align with other things! Here’s an example, and some solutions. The shallow niche in this dining room wall did not align with the center of the room. The chandelier and the bay window were aligned. So as you sat at the dining room table, the niche seemed oddly placed & disturbing.

Typically, the table would be centered along the axis of the room, but this emphasized the misalignment. So I suggested some alternatives. The first was to break up the niche by adding both a high boy cabinet as well as a lower small serving table or buffet, or even an easy chair or rocker.

The second suggestion was to move the table perpendicular to the window and niche, to somewhat camoflauge the line of axis by the strong table line going in the opposite direction.

The third solution, our preference, was to put the table on a diagonal in the room. A strong diagonal line will always take attention from other things, in this case visually obliterating the axis line of the architectural elements. The accent paint was taken off the niche wall, as we didn’t want to call attention to it; accent paint was put on the large wall across from the entry so upon entering the home, one’s attention would be drawn across the room, with the diagonal table pointing in the same direction. This accent wall would be a good place for artwork.

Good space arrangement will always improve a problem. Remember your interiors need to fit YOU like your favorite shoe. Ask yourself, “Does the Shoe….FIT? If you need some help, contact us. We are the interior and exterior space specialists that have helped hundreds of homeowners, and given hundreds of workshops and programs on design.

Wow! You readers are great!!

Tuesday 31 May 2011 by Sharon Breay | No Comments
Filed under: DOES THE SHOE.....FIT?

Dear Readers–I tell no secret when I say I am uneducated in much electronic technology. Somehow, tonight I decided to glance through my spam. One in four comments weren’t spam! There were many, many, many of you I didn’t know to answer! You left several dozens of compliments and questions. Those on design, I’ve answered and acknowledged your kind comments. Those of you having problems with the rss and the apps, I’ve written my web-master to help me with. I apologize for missing your comments, and wonder how many other nice comments went into the Spam file in the past, that I may have just deleted without investigating. Hopefully, we can all just laugh at this, and go on enjoying each other, and learning from each other.

For today’s post–it’s already tomorrow–let’s get this straightened out for you. Know that I always am ready to help you with your design issues. If you’ve been looked over in previous months, it may have gone to those unchecked spam files. Feel free to resend your questions and issues.

For those of you I’ve answere tonight, it appears I replied incorrectly, as all of my replies to each of you are lumped after all of the comments from each of you! My webmaster will take care of this and train me, so it won’t continue.

Thank you very much for enjoying my blog on interior and landscape design. –Sharon Breay

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