Emerging

April showers bring May flowers. Let’s figure out all the possibilities to get you where you want to be!

When you’re looking for a home, you’re also learning more about what you prefer in a home. With all that’s been going on with COVID-19 pandemic, there may also have been some difficulties with trying to go visit a home in-person. This is tough, since going on how you ultimately feel about a home usually means visiting it.

There’s a few solutions while COVID-19 measures are happening to keep our essential workers safe (thank you, essential workers!). One, I could go in an do a virtual tour for you via Facetime or other videochatting software. This way happens a lot if someone is much further away, for example, in another state. However, right now, this option also works. So, that way, you may be able to make a more informed decision before moving toward next steps.

My mentality, is that we’re all in this together, and I’d like to make buying or selling a home as smooth as possible with the last amount of bumps in the road, even during the days a pandemic is happening. Yes, it’s surreal to even type that sentence out, but here we are.

Homes are important, and so is staying healthy. If you ever have any questions about how to go about buying or selling a home, I’m here to try and answer any questions that may arise. I’ve also mastered Zoom quite well in the last month, and due to being adaptable and technologically savvy, I believe we could figure out the best approach to getting you where you want to go.

Nature Design Inspiration

Nature is great design inspiration. When working with my clients, I use my art and design expertise to offer another lens when it comes to selling their own home or potentially being interested in another home. There’s many possibilities out there, and sometimes color makes all the difference in the world.

Take the glorious Painted Hills in Eastern Oregon for instance. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the Painted Hills a couple of times in my life. The different layers showing time and what types of materials are embedded. Red usually indicates copper. I have seen prints on the Painted Hills before. Sometimes human, and other times it looks like deer have traipsed on through. Although sometimes irritating to see human foot prints on these pristine hills, it also creates another texture to the landscape.

The subtle layers that have taken thousands (if not millions) of years to stack up are awe-inspiring. I think that we are in awe of such a place, because within our very being we realize in a second that it has taken that long to create such a place. Nature is a talented force.

When it comes to home design, be it surface or structural, nature may serve as a compass. For example, the gradation of color throughout the Painted Hills, the way in which they are spaced out within the landscape, and also the brilliant contrast that is created between the soft lines of the warm colored hills to the vibrant blue sky. Putting red and orange next to blue actually cause color vibration to the eye. This means, that the colors pop more. Perhaps this is something to think about regarding your home and design inspiration.

Make Your Fur Baby Right at Home

Home is where the heart is, and it may also be where you’re lovely furbaby hangs out, too. If you have a little furry creature in your home that you adore, then you may have also adapted your home a bit so it’s easier for them to get around and make them feel like they have a special place in the house. There are so many ways to incorporate elements you already have in a home to make your fur baby even more at comfortable.

Instagram via @Mod.Homes

Take this fireplace for example. If you have a fire place that is not operating, then this is a super cool idea to not only figure out what to do with it, but also make Fido more at home. Of course, there’s also ways to make the Dog House seem like a luxury hotel, so that way your canine has a place when it’s time for lights out. Cats also have their own ways of feeling more at home. Usually, they like to be up higher, so making something in which they can climb to the top is a great way for your feline to feel like they are king or queen of the castle. I have also known homeowners that do simple fixes like making it so the cat door actually is cut out for the cat to be able to go do their stinky business out in the garage. Ah, the ways in which we love our little furry pals

Instagram via @cafechatlheureux

Whether you’re a dog or cat person (or perhaps an iguana person), there are many options for them to feel at home, and for your home to still be stylin’ and comfortable for you, too!

Your Home Match

You may have heard the term “open plan” home in magazines, blogs, and also when describing homes that are for sale. What exactly does an open plan mean? It essentially means that there aren’t walls separating the various rooms that have different functions within the home. Some might say a lot of people prefer an open plan versus one where there are more walls dividing up space. However, it all depends on how one uses the space. Typically, I have seen open plans mean that the kitchen, dining room, and living room are all in one area with no walls necessarily separating them. Except, perhaps, some shorter walls indicating where one space ends and the other begins.

Gaudi Architecture, Instagram image via @momentsofgregory

A good amount of older homes actually had more walls and specific rooms dedicated to particular uses. That’s why, if you tour a home that’s older, you may also see remnants of where past owners have removed walls. For example, it was common to also have walls divide up the living room and dining room but shorter walls that sometimes included built-in sliding doors. A lot of these types of built-ins have been removed over the years for various reasons, but one of them was possibly to achieve that open plan feel.

So, then the question is more about you and your family. Asking the question, how do I use this space? How do I use it with others in it? How often will we have a dinner party for 12 people? Back in the day, it seems that people used to have more meals together in larger familial settings. Historically, families used to live in multi-generational households. At present day, it seems that there are some that are moving back into the multi-generational household model while others are quite content to be living solo or with a partner.

When I tour with my clients, I pay attention to how they feel about the place. Feeling is a powerful thing, and I believe that it’s coming from all one’s preconceived notions up to that point and being brought to a space that either fits who you are or doesn’t quite match up. That’s why sometimes choosing a home is thought of as choosing to be in a relationship. After all, in theory, you and your family will be residing in the home a majority of the year. So, a feeling is important. Although subjective, it’s something that can be quite the guiding force.

With all that in mind, how do you feel about an open plan home? How do you feel about one that may have walls up between the dining room and kitchen? Perhaps you are somewhere in between. The point is, the more you are clear about your preferences, the easier it will be do choose the home of your dreams.

Let’s chat about those dreams and find a home that makes your heart sing.