Kit Davey, Interior Designer
18 Years in business - Over 2,600 homes transformed!
Tips From Kit - August 2006
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Give Your Utility Room A Makeover
By Kit Davey
Most utility rooms are drab, cluttered pits somewhere in the darkest corner of a home.
With just a little creativity and energy you can improve the function and appearance of your utility room, and make your chores more enjoyable.
Here are a few simple changes that require elbow grease:
- Get organized. Set aside several hours to go through every cabinet and drawer. Remove any papers tacked to walls or items stacked on top of cabinets or stashed in corners. Get rid of broken, seldom-used or expired items and retain only things you actually use.
When returning things to the shelves and cabinetry keep like objects together (carpentry tools on one shelf, detergents on another, etc.) and place the most often used items next to where you do the work or on easily reached shelves. You might even want to use a label maker to create labels indicating where things should get stashed.
- Increase storage. Invest in shelf inserts to take advantage of vertical space and pullouts to access the deep recesses of your cabinets. Place hooks on the back of the doors or inside the cabinetry. Use boxes, caddies or bins to keep loose objects together.
- For reasonably priced organizing and storage products, try Target, Home Depot and the catalog company Lilian Vernon.
Add wall-mounted shelving over the washer/dryer. Storing the ironing board is always a problem---why not hang it from the back of the door with a door hook available at your local hardware store?
If you're really handy, you can install a recessed ironing board (available through appliance stores) or recessed wall cabinet. These space-saving units fit between the studs in your wall and come in wood or paint grade finishes.
- Spruce up the cabinets. Repaint dark cabinets white, or use a good furniture oil to restore your old wood cabinet's luster. Change outdated pulls and knobs. Restoration Hardware and Home Depot have nice selections. Why not hang a tassel or charm from one of them?
- Floor coverings. Want to transform that horrid linoleum without ripping it up? Many paint manufacturers offer paint that can be applied onto vinyl or linoleum floors. Apply a checkerboard pattern or paint on a "rug" over your old floor. If you're not handy with a brush, why not just cover the floor with a colorful area rug from Stroud's, Pier One or Cost Plus?
- Window Treatment. If privacy is not an issue, try no window covering at all. Replace outdated curtains with pleated shades, mini-blinds or shutters. Ready-made shades in rice paper and bamboo are available through Pier One and Cost Plus.
Make your own simple cafe curtains by recycling fabric you already have (from an old dress, sheet, dish towels, scarves, etc.). If you're not into sewing, order ready-made window coverings from the Country Curtain catalog (1-800-456-0321). Or, hang an antique stained glass window in front of your old window. For a natural curtain, install a narrow shelf across the window and place three to five potted ivies and let their tendrils trail down over the opening.
- Lighting. Brighten the room by cleaning the overhead fixture and using the maximum wattage bulbs allowed. Add warmth by placing a small table lamp on the countertop or shelf.
- Wall treatment. Enhance a tired paint job by sponging or ragging over it in your favorite color. Or, alternate four to six inch stripes of color with bands of the old paint. Stencil a pattern below the ceiling line or around the door and window frames. Paint over old wall paper (yes, it can be done!) or repaper in a pattern with a light background to reflect more light into the space.
- Decorative touches. Give the room personality and charm by displaying art and accessories that you enjoy. Hang your grandmother's plate collection, your straw hats or masks, or your kid's artwork on the wall, over the window and doorway. Place a pretty bowl with potpourri, beach stones, buttons or marbles in it on the shelf. Hang family photos, or lean them a shelf. Add a live plant or two. Set up a mini TV or radio to keep you company.
Kit Davey, Allied Member, A.S.I.D., is an interior designer specializing in room re-design, design consulting, staging and professional organizing. Call her at (650)367-7370 or write her KitDavey@aol.com You can visit her website at www.AFreshLook.net.
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