Halloween tidings

Halloween is right around the corner, kicking off the start of the back-to-back holiday season.  Myself, I’ve always been fond of Halloween.  We’re a Peanuts-loving household, and no Halloween is complete without a viewing of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, with the ambient lighting of a jack-o’-lantern and a selection of trick-or-treat candies.  Halloween is a big holiday for me – my mom was a consummate designer of costumes and spooky decorations, and one of the great joys of my life was always helping my daughter put together her Halloween costumes.  It’s an opportunity for us all to embrace our inner creativity and showcase our wildest notions and designs – and get a little spooky, if we’re so inclined.

Since my next blog post would fall right smack on the holiday itself, I’ll be taking a day off to enjoy some homemade pumpkin cookies and some Jack-o-lantern carving.  Our neighborhood has its fair share of trick-or-treaters, and I expect our doorbell will be ringing from dusk onward.  I just wanted to drop a letter into your inbox to wish you good holiday tidings!

Part of our Halloween tradition includes decorating our home in the spirit of the season.  Your home should be versatile in that way – when it’s time to get festive, don’t be afraid to toss in some timely extra decor to match your living space to the holiday!  A few painted pumpkins, a ghost or two in the window, and your home can be tasteful and appropriately haunting.  Your home should always match your needs, even if those needs are just having a little extra space to put up your favorite Halloween candles.

And with the long holiday season upon us, there’s no better time to start considering your space more thoughtfully.  Interested in reworking your home, making it yours?  Drop me a line – I’m always here to chat.

That’s all from me, folks.  Happy Halloween!  

Windows to the soul

There is little that defines a space so readily as window treatments.  On a recent visit to a client’s new home to take some measurements and get started on their full home design plan, I saw this phenomenon in action.  They’ve just purchased a beautiful new home, perfect for their family and their lifestyle, and the previous owner had left behind their old window treatments.  The problem was, these window treatments weren’t well done – some were too short, some too long, and the fabrics were dissonant with the tone of the space.  In such a lovely house, the wrong window treatments stuck out like a very sore thumb.

It may be tempting to get shades or drapes right from the store – after all, a shade is a shade, right?  So why go custom?  Today, I want to tell you a little bit about how custom window treatments work, and just what makes them so important.

Custom window treatments doesn’t just mean well-sized blinds – it means your choice in styles and shapes of custom drapery panels (functional, or simply dressing), valances, cornices, lambrequins, Roman shades, shutters, wood and faux blinds, you name it.  Sound like a lot?  That’s okay – one of our jobs, here at Woodside, is to help you sort through those options and figure out not just what works for your space, but what it is you really want.  This bounty of options means that whatever your space is like, there’s the right fit for you and your windows.

When you get custom window treatments, the first step is the measurements – we want to make sure we get the exact specs of your window, so your treatments fit perfectly.  The second step is a conversation with you about what you’re looking for!  Based on what your space’s main use is going to be, and the style you’re most fond of, I’ll then put together a window treatment design plan that combines your needs, your style, and our best vendor offerings, so we can get your windows looking spic and span.

So, why go with custom window treatments?  Well, there are a myriad of reasons.  First off, every window in your home is different.  If you settle for mass-produced shades, you’re going to end up with a bevy of poor fits and inconsistencies that won’t do your home any favors.  Precise window measurements, afforded by custom treatments, ensure your dressings and shades are the perfect fit.

Custom treatments also come with higher quality materials and a more professional level of craftsmanship.  Custom pieces are produced in smaller, more detail-oriented workrooms – you’ll be getting draperies built to last.  Plus, we can offer you a wider range of fabrics in colors and patterns uniquely suited to your home and your design aesthetic. Top-quality window treatments, curated to the style of your home and built to last, can draw your whole space together in a beautiful, effortless way.

On top of elevating your style and enhancing your home’s beauty, custom window treatments are energy efficient!  About 30% of your home’s heating energy is lost through your windows – and when you run your AC in the summer months, 76% of the sunlight that comes through your window turns into heat, which means your appliances have to work harder and your home heats up faster.

Perfectly fit custom treatments can both help reduce your energy losses and keep your home at a more comfortable temperature.  Being able to adjust the amount of light that enters your space allows you to better regulate temperature and energy usage.  Different types of window treatments offer different benefits – horizontal or vertical shades allow you to let mixed amounts of light into the room, while curtain drapes are good for blocking out the hot sun when the weather gets toasty (like it tends to, here in Baltimore).

When you get custom window treatments through Woodside Home, we set up professional installers to get your treatments installed just right.  Your custom treatments will last longer – and be more you – than the options available off-the-shelf.

If you’re looking to get custom treatments for your home, shoot us an email!  We have extensive experience working with our custom window treatment vendors, and we can get your windows dressed to the nines in no time.

Whether it’s your living room or your whole house, choosing custom treatments is never the wrong move.  Your windows say a lot about your space and your home – make sure they’re the perfect fit for you!

Why go with custom furniture?

We live in a world of mass-market, ready-made products – it’s no surprise, of course, given how convenient it is to manufacture swiftly constructed one-size-fits-all items, and how convenient this access to products is for our day to day lives.  After all, so much is just a click away on marketplaces like Amazon, and household basics and necessities tend to get cheaper and more accessible by the day.  Sometimes the mass-market is perfect for what we need in the moment – a generic light bulb or phone charger is functional and affordable, and that’s all we’re really asking of products like that.  

But when it comes to more personal, individual products, sometimes the mass-market just doesn’t work for us.  Sometimes that mass-produced pair of jeans is too snug here and too loose there, even if it’s labeled as your usual size.  It’s to be expected, really – things as personal to us as our bodies are unique, and have, in turn, unique needs.  The same thing applies to your home furnishings.  All of our lives are different – a couch in a bachelor pad lives a different life than a couch in the home of a family with four young children – and because of this, our furniture has to be prepared to meet those needs.  Plus, there are a wide range of benefits to custom furniture!  Today, I just want to take a minute to share some of those myriad benefits with you.

First off, custom furniture is entirely unique, which means you get what you want, no holds barred.  Let’s say you’re purchasing a new coffee table for your living room.  Sure, you could go for a generic coffee table that looks alright – but maybe the color isn’t quite what you really want, or the shape doesn’t fit your space in that seamless way.  With custom furniture, you don’t have to settle.  You can get that table in just the right proportion to suit your loveseat and your rug, without cutting corners and just taking what you can get.

Speaking of colors – a custom piece really gives you flexibility in terms of color and fabric.  Are you a fan of bold jewel tones?  Or beachy prints?  Maybe you prefer velvets, or earthy browns and greens, or a certain sort of stripe.  Opting for a custom piece allows you to make those specific aesthetic choices, so your furniture is right to your taste.  And when your furniture reflects who you are, your home can do the same!

Moreover, custom furniture lasts longer, and is easier to maintain.  A custom piece is built with a greater level of detailed care and attention than an off-the-shelf item, so you can expect better construction, better finishes, and better durability.  A piece right off the internet isn’t often manufactured with the same high-quality materials as a custom item, nor is it crafted with the level of investment a custom manufacturer can provide.  Plus, custom furniture typically comes with care instructions direct from the manufacturer, so you’ll always know the right way to take care of your new pieces.

Custom furniture is also a smart investment when it comes to the value of your home.  A custom piece, taken care of and maintained, will appreciate in value over time.  It’s a one-of-a-kind, craftsman item – when you buy custom furniture, you’re also buying an heirloom piece that will sustain its value as the years go by.  Custom furniture isn’t just good for you in the moment, though of course it’s always wonderful to see your new, unique piece in your home, and get to use it day to day.  It’s also a smart choice for your future!

Here at Woodside, we’re always ready to help you get that perfect custom piece.  We’re all about making your home about you – who you are, what you do, and what you love – and there’s nothing better for that than having a house full of items that speak to you, uniquely.  

While it may seem like a more involved process than just picking an item up off the shelf, there’s nothing more worth it than custom furnishings in your home.  At Woodside, we’ll help you make that process seamless, stress-free, and fun!  If you’re ready to chat about make your space yours, shoot us an email anytime.

The bottom line is: custom furniture is worth it.  Make your home a reflection of you – we guarantee you won’t regret it.

Changes in the sweater weather

Can you feel it – that first chill in the air?  Well, here in Baltimore, maybe not.  Our hot weather tends to hold out to the bitter end, sometime in late September.  But even now, here and there, you can catch a breeze with a little bit of frost on its back.  The first intimations of winter, foretold in the subtle reddening of the oak leaves and the gentle turns in the weather.  There’s a vast expanse of ochre-yellow treetops and holiday festivities between now and those cold December months, and I say enjoy them!  There’s nothing I love more than venturing out into the autumnal afternoon for a walk in Wyman Park Dell, or the excuse to bust out a good knit scarf.  

With the days getting shorter, we’re beginning to turn back towards our indoor spaces.  There’s plenty of daylight for corn mazes and pumpkin patches, but sooner or later we always find ourselves leaning back towards our homes, ready to get comfy on the couch and watch the show of the week with a good cup of tea (and maybe some pumpkin bread).  Now that we’re heading back home, it's a good time for us to really think about how that home is curated.  Is it as comfortable and inviting as we always want our home to be?  Does it work for us?  Does it reflect who we are?

Bearing that in mind, I’d like to offer up some tips on some easy ways to make your house as cozy as can be for this fall season!

One of the things that sometimes slips under our radar is thoughtful lighting.  Once dusk gets earlier and those cloudy skies start to descend, our interior lighting starts to do a lot more heavy lifting.  Now is the time to start showing some love to your lamps – a lamp turned on in your living room, even during the day, adds a pocket of glow to soften the edges of your space.  And consider incorporating a candle or two!  A good candle contributes that perfect, gentle light – plus, depending on your candle of choice, a cinnamon or clove scent can summon up the baked goods smell of the season.

Bring some natural elements into your home decor!  Fall is rich with nature’s lovely bounty – pinecones, acorns, orange-gold leaves, evergreens, and twigs abound in your local parks and outdoor spaces.  Pick up your favorite bits and bobs and display them artfully in a table centerpiece or a good vase.  There’s no harm in bringing the outdoors indoors.  (Of course, be sure to give your pinecones a little cleaning before you let them live in your home!)

What’s better, when the weather gets chilly, than settling into your favorite armchair and wrapping a soft blanket around your shoulders?  It’s the season of throw pillows and comfy quilts, and there’s no better time to pick up some warm flannels and autumn cushions.  These elements can bring in those ochres and reds and seasonal tones, while also enhancing the coziness of your living spaces.  And don’t limit yourself to autumn additions to your sofas and seats – the right fabric for a table runner can really warm up your dining space, too.

Personally, I love to bake, and nothing says cozy to me more than something fresh out of the oven, whether it be a loaf of bread or an apple pie.  Maybe now’s the time to consider your kitchen, especially with some of our more food-centric holidays coming up on the calendar.  Pull in some new baking canisters in autumn tones, or add a little pot of mums to the end of your kitchen counter.

If you’re thinking about overhauling your living spaces – with coziness in mind – I’d love to help!  I’ll always be here to help make your home fit for fall, and for every season the year has to offer.

It’s lovely to watch the colors of the world start shifting.  This is a beautiful, restorative time of year.  Take the time to withdraw a little – rest up for the coming winter.  I hope your September brings with it warm mugs and crisp walks, and that those early dusks make way for your coziest evenings in.

Back to school – and back to fabrics

It’s the last full week of August – the tail-end of summer, with those long, slow dusks and cold drinks on the front stoop.  I’ve always been fond of this time of year.  The summer, with all that fun in the sun, is a wonderful time to express our energy and leap into the world – but it’s nice to take a breath, on the back end, and just enjoy the hum of cicadas, the little melodies of frogs and Carolina wrens, with the sky going purple behind the silhouettes of trees.  That’s what August has always been, to me.  Leaning into the humidity, just for a moment, and watching the last of the fireflies.

As a mom, this time of year has always had a second, and very special, significance: back to school.  Right around now, my daughter and I – before the start of her new school year, from elementary all the way through college – would head on over to the Target, or the Staples, to pick out binders and spiral notebooks, folders and stacks of paper, crayons and craft supplies (for those early days).  Kids can be such a joy.  Through them, we get to relive all those wonderful experiences of being little, like picking out your new pack of pencils for the start of your new year.  

When you’re designing your home with your kids in mind, you have to factor in a certain amount of youthful wear-and-tear when thinking about your furnishings – and the wear-and-tear from any beloved pets that might also be members of the family.  But this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice fashion in the name of function!  In fact, there’s a whole line of high quality, ultra-durable, stylish fabrics, ready to meet your aesthetic – and your durability – needs.

Several of our Woodside Home vendors offer perfect solutions when it comes to adding endurance without losing good looks.  Crypton, Sunbrella, and Revolution represent the standard of excellence for livable luxury.  

Crypton fabrics are stain-repellent, odor-resistant, and highly durable, which makes their products ideal choices for kid-proof and pet-proof upholstery.  Plus, they’re GREENGUARD Gold Certified for their excellent sustainability and low chemical emissions, and help the indoor air quality of your home higher.  Crypton fabrics also include a liquid barrier to protect against both oil- and water-based stains!  

Sunbrella, originally an outdoor furniture brand, has expanded their existing range into interior spaces, and offer the same top-quality endurance as they always have.  Sunbrella fabrics are resistant to sun fading and chemical exposure, and promise long-lasting performance endurance.  And more, these fabrics are water-repellent, which makes them doubly resistant to stains.

Revolution, equally durable, is also made from recycled fibers, and offers a lower carbon footprint, keeping your home furnishing eco-friendly.  These fabrics are sun resistant, soft, strong, and easy to clean.  Because their fibers are dyed before weaving, Revolution fabrics also offer a great deal of resistance to fading, so your patterns and colors stay fresh! 

These fabrics all come in a broad range of colors and patterns – whether you want a neutral living room couch or a funky accent chair, these lines come backed with substance and style.  And, if used as slipcovers for your furniture, these fabrics can go right in the wash!  If someone spills some orange juice on your new loveseat, it’s just a matter of a spin cycle to clear that stain right up – and even without a pressing stain issue, periodic washing can keep your furniture looking as fresh as the day it came off the truck and into your home.

Outside of brand names, some fabric types – like microfibers, polys, and performance velvets – can give you the same function without losing out on looking spot-on.  Whatever your home decor needs are, there’s a fabric out there that can meet them!  If you’re ready to upgrade your decor to match your lifestyle – and the lifestyle of your kids and pets – shoot us an email so we can chat!

Even as the summer ends, something else is already beginning.  I, for one, am looking forward to getting cozied up in my favorite sweaters and sipping a mug of hot cider.  For those of you with kids headed off to school, here’s to the start of their next academic adventure!  And here’s to the autumnal horizon!  

In the meantime, though, I think I’ll bask in the tail end of summer just a little while longer.