How To Transform your Home Into a Place That Brings you JOY

sitting room design

Home. It’s where we’ve officially spent most of our time in 2020. Our homes are playing new roles this year forcing us to reexamine the function of the spaces around us.

Your home is a representation of you. It should tell your story and be uniquely yours. Even if you’re not in your dream home - maybe you’re in a starter home or in between homes - the interiors of your home can and should service your essential needs and desires. Your home should inspire you, bring you joy, help you feel relaxed, keep you safe, and ultimately showcase your personality - and even your family’s personality.

How do you create this sense of ease and beauty in your home-you maybe asking? Let’s get into some of the practicals of how you can transform your home into a place that brings out your personality while servicing your needs and desires.

Interior Designer, Sabine Guillaume HAyes

1. Evaluate & Prioritize. Before you can rearrange, design or decorate anything you need to ask yourself what’s important. What are the main things you do at home that are important to you? Does cooking bring you joy? Focus on your kitchen. Do you love to entertain? Start with your dining and living room. Is family time essential to you? Start with a family room. Do you crave rest after working long hours? Start with your bedroom. In addition to focusing on the rooms that are important to you, I also recommend starting with a “self-care” space or a “you” space. Somewhere you can pause, retreat, and getaway for a moment. It can be a corner in your bedroom or a bonus room, dedicate a space where you can pause for a moment to read, pray, journal, meditate, exercise, etc.

2. Plan. Every project needs a plan. After you’ve evaluated your important rooms-develop a timeline of which ones you would like to complete first with a budget. You may not be able to complete your entire home at once but I highly recommend completing one room at a time. No matter how tempting, complete one room before starting another room. Why? It’s easy to get discouraged when you see portions of a room completed here and there. Think of design as a puzzle: all the pieces need to come together and fit perfectly to create a complete image. If you only have sixty percent of the puzzle complete, you can’t enjoy the full beauty or clarity of the image.

3. Execute. Once you’ve evaluated the goal of your project, planned a timeline and budget it’s time to design and decorate! This is where you may want to bring in an interior designer to help you put all your needs, desires, and styles together. However, if you are doing-it-yourself here are the steps I recommend taking to complete the design of your room.

   • Break down your plan.

   • Find or create your inspiration.

   • Layout your room - based on the room’s function write down the furnishings you would need.

   • Shop for your items. Invest in your large and most used pieces.

   • Tell your story by pulling all of the room’s components together - color palette, furniture placements, textures and patterns.

before & after of a Sitting Room design in a new construction home

If you are feeling stuck and cannot figure out what to do next, how to pull everything together or need reassurance and validation of your choices (sometimes you need just an additional set of eyes!) reach out to me. I’m here for you, even if it’s a quick question. All you need to do is ASK SABINE!

5 Ways to Personalize your New Construction Home

A new construction home has a polished look and feel to it when you are touring around the newly drywalled rooms for the first time. Everything is brand-new, clean and fresh like a blank canvas. Often times, unless you are working on a custom built, new construction homes are in a development, community or street with other similar models. Though the exterior core of your new construction may have to look similar to your neighbors, the details and the design of the interior can be unique to you.

1. Paint or Upgrade your Front Door. As guests walk up to your house your front door is the first impression they have of your home. It should be welcoming, inviting…overall it should reflect YOU! Unfortunately, most new construction homes have standard fiberglass exterior doors in neutral colors. If your development allows, I suggest painting or changing your front door to a color and style that not only elevates your curb appeal and compliments the architecture of the house but also brings out your personality.

upgrade your front door. this single fiberglass door was changed to a custom wrought iron double door for a grand welcome.

2. Upgrade your Fixtures. Unless you are building a custom home where you can specify all the fixtures and finishes, I suggest upgrading your builder grade fixtures (such as your light fixtures, door hardware, etc.) to your personal style. This can be overwhelming but doesn’t have to be done all at once. My advice is to focus on one room at a time, this will make each room feel complete.

upgrade your fixtures. designed by sharina liverman

3. Add Architectural Features. Architectural features such as fireplaces, molding, ceiling finishes, wall applications can all take your simple blank canvas and transform it to your personal oasis. The key is to know what features to add and where.

add architectural features.

4. Paint your Walls. Painting your walls is the least expensive way to transform a new construction home. If you are purchasing your home while it is under construction some builders are willing to paint using your specified colors instead of the standard flat off-white or beige throughout. This will allow you to move into a freshly painted house that you don’t have to worry about.

5. Add Wallpaper. Add texture, pattern, color, and design to your space by incorporating a wallpaper that compliments the overall decor of your home. Wallpaper is a great way to add your personal style to your new construction. Depending on your design you can use it on an accent wall, in the hallway, on the ceiling, or in a small room. The possibilities are endless.

Do you live in a new construction home? What are some personal changes you made or would like to make to your blank canvas? Share in the comments below!

À la prochaine,

Sabine's Favorite Pins of NFL Players' Homes

Favorite Pins of NFL players' homes

Even if you're not a football fan or even follow the sport, you know that Sunday is one of the biggest games of the year...Super Bowl Sunday!!! This year my Boston Native team The New England Patriots will be playing my husband's Philadelphia Native team The Philadelphia Eagles. For many of these football players, this is the most important game of their career, they worked hard all season and sacrificed time away from their homes and families to get here. Having a home that reflects their personality is extremely important to them. 

"...it can be a lot sometimes, and sometimes it’s just nice to go home and be chill and be away from everything.” -Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

If we look at their homes, we can learn a lot about these athletes. We can see if they like to entertain, cook, read, watch movies, play music, drive luxury cars, or spend time outdoors for example.  Although, their interests off the field may be different the one thing their homes have in common is they call it home.  Their homes are a place they can relax and unwind after a challenging or victorious season. Join me as I go through some of these athletes' homes that stood out to me. 

I love the architecture of this house. The white finished exterior offers a fresh, clean look while contrasting well with the black framed windows and railings. The curb appeal is beautiful and gives an inviting feel. 

The kitchen is usually the hub of the home. I love this open floor plan, eclectic kitchen because of its energy. The lower ceiling height in the kitchen area, is a great way of making the kitchen feel intimate. The exotic grains in the hardwood floors give a warmth to the space. The stainless steel island is balanced well with the modern, slightly distressed leather barstools. Overall this kitchen is a beautiful space for entertaining guests or enjoying solo.

This grand living room takes advantage of its tall ceilings. I love how the beautiful picture windows create a stunning backdrop as you enter the room. The custom, neutral colored window treatments drape the center windows elegantly. This room uses subtle tones but feels very welcoming. I also love the use of light furniture & wall color balanced by a dark area rug and built-ins. 

"We built this house as a sanctuary for our family—a place where we can enjoy being together.” -Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Although this rustic kitchen is large in size, it has a casual and organic approach to its design. The island serves as the kitchen's anchor and is beautifully accented by 3 clear glass bell jar lantern pendants hung from a brick ceiling. The slightly distressed grayish-brown cabinets are topped with elegant white stone countertops to give a clean look. Overall, I love the simplicity and unique design choices in this open kitchen. 

My favorite part of this room is the view, of course. This room is a sophisticated approach to a game space. The pool table looks like a piece of furniture, centered in the space, while an accent square game table with 3 upholstered chairs are placed in the corner of the room near the calming view of the water. 

Our homes are ultimately where we recharge, re-energize, and rest. Just like these football athletes, we have a chance to be ourselves when we enter our homes. As hectic or lonely as our homes are it's still home...and there's nothing like it. 

Share in the comments below, what's the best part about being home?

For more of my favorite NFL players' homes follow me on Pinterest.

À la prochaine,

How to Decorate When You Are Starting From Scratch

Whether you're moving into your first apartment, house, downsizing or upgrading it can be overwhelming to decorate, especially if you have nothing. I remember when I moved into my first apartment by myself 12 years ago I had no furniture except for a mattress, books, my computer, and personal items. Sometimes starting from scratch is a great way to decorate because you have nothing to limit your choices. 

Start Somewhere. When you have little to nothing, it's time to visit the drawing board, look at your home and determine what is the priority. Sometimes the priority is decorating the entire home and sometimes the priority is taking it one room at a time. Once you've made the decision of what the priority is...focus on it. 

"Inspiration is the seed. Design but the flower." - Michael Langham

Be Inspired. Every unique design came from an inspiration. Once you find your inspiration it will transpire into a vision. Together, with an interior designer, that vision will transform into reality. An inspiration can be as simple as using the colors and tones of nature or the style of your favorite restaurant. There are no wrong answers only unique ones.  

Decide What Is Your Investment. Designing and decorating are investments you make. Based on your priority and the vision, finalizing a comfortable total dollar amount is the next important step. Be sure to decide on a realistic budget before starting any work. Keep in mind that emergencies can occur which should reflect in your budget. 

Create a Floor Plan. Once you've determined a budget, focus on your needs for the room or rooms. Having a well-designed floor plan creates a base for your decorating project, especially if you are working in phases over time. A floor plan will allow you to go back and finish the pieces of the design. A floor plan is also a great way to make sure any furniture needed will fit properly in your space, which is especially key in small spaces.

Shopping. Use your floor plan to create a list of furnishings needed to accomplish the design. Always purchase your largest and most important pieces first. When I am designing a room I always like to start with the seating and some important accessories such as lighting. For example, in a living room, I would purchase the sofa and chairs first then tables and lamps with essential wall decor.

A post shared by GEORGETTE MARISE INTERIORS (@georgettemarise) on Sep 14, 2017 at 12:31pm PDT

Decorating is a process. The decor of a space tells a story of those that occupy it, therefore it has to be done with thought and purpose. If you are looking to tell your story in your space but don't know how to, let's work together to create your vision. Email me today at sabine@georgettemarise.com.

À la prochaine,