With the controversy of Global Warming, whether you believe it or not, it certainly shouldn’t prevent you from reusing goods in the home. I recall in the eye popping book by Aldous Huxley, A Brave New World, one of the main concepts in the “New World” was to never recycle anything. It gives one the idea of a stratosphere of rubbish floating around in outer space, so much for starry nights…
I know I have said it before, but I always donate anything of value to a local charity rather than putting into the trash.
Recently, I started a design project for an office renovation and I discovered beautiful old wood behind walls that needed to be removed to make way for other things. My contractor and I, both having an eye for the art of reclamation put our heads together and decided to reuse some of that old timber.
We saved a substantial amount of wood from the early 1900′s. And the best part? We saved the client hundreds of dollars that he would have had to spend to get what we gave him out of his old walls!
I realized that there are things that don’t really get factored into reusing the old until you really look at it. So I thought I would give the savings of the reusable goods: the cost of wood, the cost of transporting the wood, the cost of the people to stock the wood, the cost of the drive to the store to procure the wood, the cost of the dump run to remove the wood from the property… I mean it goes on and on, not to mention the eco-footprint one saves in reclamation!
Also, the grade of wood from the early 1900′s is truly incomparable. It is magnificent to look at and feel! When it is all done I will post a picture.
It is a growing trend to use recycled materials, I hope it is a trend that lasts to the end of time! Not like big hair or neon t-shirts!
Make Pretty Happen!
Posted in Blog
Tagged aldous huxley, beautiful interiors, brave new world, Design concepts, design on a budget, eco design, eco friendly design, finishes, Global warming, grades of wood, Home Design, Interior Design, melinda Brownstone, reclaimed wood, recycled materials, reuse, used furniture, wood
This year I went with an unusual palette for Christmas.
My wrapping and decor is lime green, turquoise, red, pink, white, and silver. I have to say I LOVE IT!
In doing this, I realized people sometimes feel if there isn’t exact traditional coloring it isn’t as valid or workable, but really, decor for the season is about what makes you feel good! The one thing that IS tradition for us is to use our MANY homemade Christmas ornaments no matter what colors we do the house and tree in. That will always be a mainstay in our home.
I snapped a shot of the wrapping and a vase with some balls that I like to display. It is not a great shot – photography is not my expertise – but it does show how very festive even an unusual color can be!
Back Camera
For my labels, I despise the way gift tags look, I printed B&W photos of each person (several for kids who will get more than one gift), onto round labels and affixed them to the hang tags, then I added an inexpensive ornament to finish the package. You can see one of them that says “Joy” in this photo.
I like to take normal items for the season, like pine cones, or plastic icicles, and spray paint them in the same color scheme that I have going to keep the traditional nostalgia, but give it an updated fun twist.
Holidays can be a great way to make your home feel different with decorating and it doesn’t have to be thousands of dollars to make it fantastic or unique!
Make Pretty Happen!
Posted in Blog
Tagged beautiful interiors, christmas, Design concepts, design on a budget, gift wrapping, hand crafted christmas, Holiday, holiday decor, holiday decorating, home decor, Interior Design, pink christmas, unique holiday color scheme
I have been asked lately by clients “Do you think I should keep the ____ or should I throw it out?”
Well, first, I am a die hard believer in throwing out only actual TRASH, the old addage, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure is a mantra of mine. So, especially in these times, don’t can it, Goodwill it! The Goodwill, or Salvation Army not only helps to save the planet by recycling our used goods, but they also provide jobs for people who might otherwise be in the Welfare system.
I digress, so, here is the rule: If you don’t A. Love it B. Have a sentimental attachment to it or C. Need it for a specific purpose, get rid of it!
A kludgey house is a messy house. Pare things down when possible, because if it doesn’t fall into one of the above categories it likely doesn’t contribute to your design aesthetic and therefore doesn’t need to be a part of your world.
If you have a piece that is a necessity in your life, but you don’t love it, do yourself a favor and add it to your “Dreality” binder (see blog #1) as an item you want to replace with something as useful, but more to your taste. Then, in your travels you can pick up something that is cost friendly and something you love!
Make Pretty Happen!
Melinda Brownstone
