Water-jet technology cuts precise shapes with a single blade, twice the thickness of a human hair. We can use it for floor design, mural design, and backsplashes–shapes and patterns that would be unthinkable with a traditional cutting tool. Yet it is cost competitive with other cutting techniques, and often able to cut designs not otherwise economically achievable.

Like most computer-generated design, you get a representative drawing before creating the real thing. Is it for your next project? If you think you may be relocating in 5-7 years, create a general enough pattern that other’s can live with the design as well. (Vs. your family crest!)

Remember, your home needs to fit YOU and YOUR living style, like your favorite shoe fits. Ask yourself, “Does the Shoe …..FIT?” If not, contact us. We help you create the environment that says who you are, not what magazines currently feature that may NOT be your living style!

        ***Sorry I missed you the end of December; I unexpectantly had to go back in the hospital, but am now looking toward a GREAT 2012 for us all!!–Sharon

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.

Actually, eclectic is NOT a little of “everything,” or it would never look great together! It is a difficult achievement when it does happen. However, we can create the look by combining several nationalities of furniture and art that are all of the same character. Country French, old Polish, and USA country can be combined because they are all a folk look. Andy Warhol has created some very original (and now valuable) works of art, but his famous repetion of soup cans, perhaps in a chrome frame, would not fit in with the folk furniture we’ve collected.

Notice I mentioned the frame as well. The frame of an artwork can often be a big help in transitioning the art to the style of the room. In the case above, the chrome frame might look well in a city loft or a modern home, but is too sleek to fit into the crafty look of the furniture. The right piece of modern art,however,  in the right frame, might look nice with this folk-art furniture. And an antique furniture piece, surrounded by modern, can give an area a spark of warmth, and originality. Picture a very modern room with an antique desk.

So where do you find such things? Antique shops, second hand shops, and garage sales can all carry unusual and well-built furniture and accessories, Good prints of art are far more desireable on a fixed budget than poor originals. Look for limited editions of a well-known artist whom you admire, as the value may appreciate over time. However, there is no enjoyment  in buying a well known artist’s work that you don’t care for.  Go to local and vacation artfairs and see what appeals to you. There will be many choices, all at reasonable prices.

Remember, your surroundings need to fit your personality and lifestyle like your favorite shoe fits you. Ask yourself, “Does the Shoe…..FIT?” If you need some help, contact us, the total space specialists.

You may want solid information to solve a problem. You realize the “trends” seldom relate to your personal lives and budgets. You can “see through” the entertaining, staged television shows on design. You know that pretty pictures don’t answer your questions. For these reasons I became a designer and professional speaker on design. Audiences have gone wild with my informative workshops; you may enjoy the same interchange here.

This blog is fashioned after my speaking presentations by the same name, “Does the Shoe….FIT?” Your homes ought to fit your personal ways of living, your style, and your home’s architecture, the way a favorite shoe fits. Would you think of wearing steel toed construction shoes with a formal gown? Would you try to get into a shoe 4 sizes too small? The shoe has to fit the activity in order to perform well. So too, must your homes, in order to give you peace, functionality, beauty, and a place that works well for the way you entertain.

Here’s an example of what I mean: I live in a mountain canyon in Colorado. Up here, you wouldn’t wear spike high-heeled shoes when mountain climbing—even though some advertising touts a particular high-heeled shoe as the “shoe of the year.” Even though you’ve seen a gorgeous movie star wear this shoe for such feats as walking through the desert for a week, climbing up the mast of a sailing ship, and running away from a hungry lion! The fact remains, the shoe isn’t appropriate for mountain climbing! Just as the right shoe fits your activity and personality, so too your homes must fit. You deserve to have them fit your lifestyle, personality, and the architecture that you live in….not vice versa.

I am not a professional writer, and may not even have all the answers! But with decades of design experiences, awards, and recognitions behind me, I intend to give you a new slant or viewpoint to deal with the areas you live and work in. Feel free to send me your comments and topic suggestions.

I look forward to meeting again December 30^th, or shortly thereafter!

Sharon Breay, ASID