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In Blog

Wall Clocks: 3 Fun Ways to Enhance Your Wall Decor

Are your walls plain and boring? If so, it’s time to get creative and add some personality to your space! Wall clocks are a great way to do just that. You may be wondering why you should add one? After all, most of us check the time on our phones or watches these days. Well, wall clocks can do more than just tell time – they can also enhance your wall decor in many fun and interesting ways! Wondering how? Keep reading.

Reasons Why Wall Clocks Are a Perfect Addition

A study shows that the decor in your home plays a significant role in your moods. Wall clocks offer endless possibilities when it comes to wall decor. You can choose a clock that matches your existing decor or go for something completely different to create a bold new look. Whichever route you decide to take, here are three reasons why wall clocks are a perfect addition.

They Complement Any Decor

Whether you have a contemporary, modern, or traditional style home, there is a wall clock to suit your needs. Wall clocks come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, so you are sure to find one that compliments your existing decor. If you want something different and unique, the Modena or Andria Wall clock, for example, are perfect choices.

They Make a Statement

Wall clocks are a great way to add some personality to your space. They can be used to make a bold statement or add a touch of whimsy. Whatever your style, there is a clock out there that will reflect it. If you are an animal lover, check out the Modern Poodle Frameless wall clock, Modern dog lover wall clock, or the modern jack Russell Terrier wall clock.

They Are Functional

In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, wall clocks are also functional. As mentioned earlier, they can be used to tell time. But they can also be used as a conversation starter or to help keep track of time when working on a project.

How to Enhance Your Wall Decor Using Wall Clocks

So, how can you enhance your wall decor using wall clocks? Here are fun ways to do it:

As a Focal Point 

A focal point is the first thing your eyes are drawn to when you enter a room. It is typically an object that is both eye-catching and unique. To create this look, choose a large clock with an interesting design. Hang it on a wall that is visible from the entrance of the room. A Modern Dachshund Frameless Wall clock, for instance, can make an excellent focal point!

As Part of a Gallery Wall 

Gallery walls are all the rage these days – and for a good reason! They are a great way to display photos, artwork, and other mementos. And they can be customized to suit any style. To add a clock to your gallery wall, simply find one that coordinates with the other pieces in the collection.

As an Accent Piece 

An accent piece is a small item used to add interest or contrast to a room. Wall clocks make great accent pieces! Hang it on a wall that is adjacent to another object, such as a piece of furniture or a window. This, however, should not limit you as you can also go for a Modern Frenchie wall clock which is an excellent way to make a statement.

Bottom Line

As you can see, wall clocks offer endless possibilities. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. So, there is sure to be one that will suit your needs! With so many options available, you can up your wall game by shopping now for our wall clock collection! For more information on interior design, check out our website or get in touch with us.

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In Blog

Renovation Time: How to Plan the Duration of Your Home Improvement Project

How much time should you allocate for a new home renovation?

Home renovations are each a unique project to the space and the changes you want to make. Naturally, renovating a small bathroom will take less time than the same depth of renovations in the kitchen. Repainting your cabinetry will take less time than rebuilding the whole cabinet set.  No matter how big or small your renovations, it is vital to know the real time estimate for the duration

Time Your Renovation in Stages

How long will your renovation take? This is easiest to answer in stages. Consider each state necessary, from ripping out the old features to building brand new features – each stage takes time. Roughly, you can allot 2 hours of time per day per team reliably and up to 6 hours of rotating shifts. The number of tasks, in total, that make up your renovation project will determine how long it will take to complete. 

You can also look up each type of renovation task to determine how much must be built before other features are built around it.

Example Renovation Stages 8-20 weeks

  • Planning & Design Stage – 2-4 weeks
  • Supply Delivery – 2-8 weeks
  • Tear-Out Stage – 1-2 weeks
  • Utility Line Stage – 1-2 weeks
  • Fixtures and Features – 1 week
  • Structures, Cabinets, and Countertops – 1-4 weeks
  • Paints, Finishes, and Sealcoat – 2-5 days

It can be as small as a quick bathroom renovation, to the whole gut renovation, which could be 6 months long!

Make Plans to Stay Somewhere Else

Most home renovations are less than enjoyable to live next to. Homes are often open with sheets of plastic and privacy is not guaranteed. Once you have determined how long your home renovation is likely to be, you can make plans to safely stay elsewhere. Pack up the family and catch a stay-cation at a local resort, visit relatives, or stay with a nearby friend. You can also book a vacation rental – temporarily renting a vacation-style home in the suburbs for comfort and convenience without the complexity of living in a hotel for a few weeks or months.

Causes for Home Renovation Delays

  • Design changes
  • Supplier shortages
  • Shipping delays
  • Poor weather (outdoor work)

Another serious consideration is that delays happen. Most contractors will advise you to add a few extra days to your schedule to account for delays.  Project delays can come from a variety of sources. If you have a project exposed to the outside, then weather plays a role. Lately, we’ve faced widespread manufacturing and transport shortages, leading to supply and shipping delays. If the homeowner makes a design change, this can also result in a delay as plans change.

Calculate and plan for delays so that a late shipment or poor weather doesn’t throw off your entire estimated schedule for completion.

Ordering Furniture for Your Renovated Home

When your work experiences no delays and contractors can arrive throughout the week, often deliveries are the one thing you have to plan furthest ahead. Special ordered building materials can take weeks or months to arrive.

Home renovations also tend to pair with redecoration and new furniture. Ordering new furniture for your home can take 6-8 weeks for delivery. This is part of the reason why it’s important to have a complete design plan before you begin. By ordering your furniture and building materials early, you can optimize their delivery time for when your renovation project is ready to put them to use. Ordering furniture early ensures the furniture is available when the work on your house is done and you’re ready to redecorate.

How long does a home improvement project take? It depends on the stages of home improvement and the shipment times for the materials, fixtures, and furniture your project needs. Work with your contractors (or DIY your plan) to order your goods early. You can choose to start work when your materials arrive or time their arrival as you move through the stages of your home renovation project.

Looking for trendy, beautiful furniture for your new home design? Contact us today.

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In Blog

4 Home Interior Design Tips for Cozy Living

Nothing is as inviting, heavenly, and comfortable as a well-decorated home with a cozy living area. Maybe it’s how the furniture is arranged or how the lighting casts a warm and welcoming glow. Whatever it is, there’s just something about a perfectly decorated home that makes you want to curl up with a good book and never leave. 

Picking a home interior design style is your thin line between an inviting and comfortable home and a cold, sterile one. It’s essential to choose a style that reflects your personality and allows you to feel comfortable in your home. 

While the process can be daunting, we’ve compiled a few tips to help you smoothen your interior design process for your home.

What to Prepare Before Meeting with Your Interior Designer

Like any other important meeting in your life, there are a few things you should do before meeting with your interior designer for the first time. Prior preparation will make the session more productive and allow you to get to know your designer and see if they’re a good fit for your project. Here are a few key things you should do before meeting with your interior designer.

1. Define your project scope

The first step is to define the scope of your project clearly. Are you renovating your whole home or just one room? What is your budget? When do you need the project to be completed? These are all important questions that need to be answered before meeting with your designer.

2. Gather inspiration boards

Inspiration boards are an excellent way to communicate your design preferences to your designer. Collect images of rooms or designs you like and compile them into a board. 

This will give your designer a better understanding of your style and help them to better cater to your needs. Pinterest is a great place to start when looking for inspiration images. Create a board and start saving images that inspire you.

3. Know your design style and aesthetic preferences

Design styles vary significantly from one person to the next. What kind of look are you going for? Classic, modern, or eclectic? Be sure to have a good understanding of your design style before meeting with your designer. 

Your aesthetic preference is also an important factor to consider. Do you prefer a minimalist look, or are you more drawn to traditional designs? Be detailed in your descriptions to ensure that your designer knows exactly what you’re looking for.

4. What’s Your Budget

How much are you willing to spend on your home interior design project? This is an important question to ask before meeting with your designer. They will be able to give you a better idea of what is possible within your budget and help you to make the most of your money. Be realistic in your expectations, and don’t be afraid to ask for discounts.

What Files and Documents Do You Need?  

You’ll need to have a few key documents and files before your interior designer can start working on your project. These include:

  • A floor plan of your home (or the room you’re renovating)
  • Measurements of all the rooms in your home
  • Photos of your home (or the room you’re renovating)
  • Samples of materials you’d like to use in your project (e.g., paint, flooring, color scheme, furniture, etc.)
  • Any design preferences or inspiration boards you’ve created
  • Any sketches or ideas you have for the project

Ensure to have all of these documents ready and organized before meeting with your designer. This will help them better understand your project and make the design process much smoother.

The Value of Good Interior Design

A well-designed home looks good and reflects your personality, allowing you to feel comfortable in your home. Investing in quality interior design can also increase the value of your home, making it a wise investment for the future. 

While choosing an interior designer can be daunting, it’s important to remember that their job is to make your dreams a reality. You can rest assured that they will deliver a stunning finished product by providing them with a clear vision and all the necessary information.

How Working with a Designer will Save You Money

Interior design can be a costly affair – especially if you’re not familiar with the process. Besides the many benefits of working with an experienced interior designer, they can help you save money in the long run. How do they do this? You may ask.

  • They will help you avoid bad contractors who can do more harm than good, resulting in more costs for repairing and fixing stuff.
  • Interior designers know where to find quality materials at a fraction price as they are well connected with suppliers.
  • An interior designer can also be a great asset in helping you stay on budget. They will work with you to choose finishes and materials that fit your budget and meet your needs.
  • Designers also have a keen eye for detail and can spot potential problems before they become costly.

Let OPENUU Help You Design Your Next Project

Partnering with a reliable and experienced interior designer will help you create a beautiful and functional space that you will love for years to come. They will help you stay on budget, navigate the design process, and avoid costly mistakes. 

At OPENUU, we understand that each project is unique and take the time to get to know our clients so that we can create a space that reflects their individual styles. With us, you’re guaranteed a finished product that is stylish and practical.

Contact us for a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you with your next project!

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In Blog

Essential Baby Nursery Decor for Fashion and Function

There is nothing that compares to the magic of having a new baby in the home. From the second they cross through the threshold into the house, you want them to know that it is a safe, comfortable, and inviting space for them for the rest of their lives. Baby nurseries are a challenge because you want them to have decor that is aesthetically appealing to your little one but at the same time functional for midnight feedings. These baby nursery decor ideas are a combination of fun and functional for everyone involved. 

Comfortable Arm Chair

Any mom will tell you that if there is one piece of furniture you want in a nursery other than the crib, it is a comfortable armchair, preferably one that reclines a little. This chair will grow with your needs from midnight feedings to mid-day naps to storytime when they get a little older. Choose a fabric and color that is relatively neutral, so the chair will fit your decor no matter how your taste changes over the years. 

Changing Table

A changing table may seem like a luxury, but it is well worth the investment, especially if you are changing a lot of diapers in the middle of the night. A changing table saves a lot of time and energy from changing your baby on the ground, and it is a lot easier to clean than the carpet if an accident happens. A dresser with a built-in changing table on top is excellent even if you already have a dresser because babies always need extra storage for toys, blankets, and other baby stuff.  Again, it is an excellent idea to get one in a neutral color or one that you can paint to always fit in well with your decor. 

Soft Rug

Having a soft rug is a good idea even if you have carpet in the room because some carpets can be rough on a baby’s sensitive skin. A rug is great to pull a room together and give you traction on smooth wood surfaces in the middle of the night. It is also great to be able to put your baby down and let them explore their world without worrying about them hurting themselves on hard surfaces. The nice thing about a rug is that if it is well-maintained, it will last a long time and can even be moved to a different room if it’s no longer needed in the nursery. 

Wall Art

Babies’ minds develop at a crazy pace, and they are always looking for new stimuli in every form.- so give them something to focus on and decode with colorful wall art. A few other ideas are going big with a lively wallpaper and customizing the baby’s room by putting their name over their crib. Pro tip: get some wall art that you’ll like too, because there will be plenty of sleepless nights where you can’t do anything but stare at the wall. 

Night Light/Noise Machine 

As your baby gets a little older and transitions to their own room, you will savor the few-hour stretches of sleep you start to get. Squeeze the most time you can by getting a white noise machine that will help to soothe your baby to sleep and hopefully keep them sleeping longer. There are plenty of options out there but you may find the best ones for you to be ones specifically made for babies as they often mimic the sounds of being in the womb.

Time to Play

If you are planning for a baby, congratulations! Now is the time to start playing with ideas to make your baby’s room as accessible and cozy as possible for them and you.

Contact us for design ideas and furniture to furnish your baby’s new room and make it not just a place to sleep but a place where the whole family makes memories. 

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In Blog

8 Bathroom Designs to Create a Relaxing Bath Time Escape

There is nothing quite like a long hot bath to relax at the end of the day. Soaking in hot water releases tension in your muscles and the quiet escape can ease the stress from your mind. Every private bathroom should be a peaceful oasis. You can always redesign your bathroom to be more relaxing with just a few thoughtful design changes. A little bit of decoration, new shelves, and soft lighting can help to transform your bathroom into a private steamy retreat from the outside world.

Adults today rarely bathe partly because our bathrooms aren’t designed for a comfortable soak. Tubs are too small and cramped in by walls on three sides. The edge of the bathtub may be too sharp or slippery for comfortable lounging. There may be nowhere to put your drink, and the only lights are brilliant vanity bulbs. A bathroom with steps leading to a comfortable soaking tub will naturally inspire you to take more baths, and to make the most of each bath you take. 

DIY Bathroom Decorations for Bath Ambiance

Decorate with Jars of Candles, Oils, and Bath Salts

Make the space around your bathtub beautiful and relaxing. One of the best ways is to decorate with your bath supplies. Bath oils and salts are often lovely in jars and will look perfect next to your scented candles and votives. Some bath candles melt into bath oil you can add to your bath.  

Relax Into a Bath Neck Pillow

Change the shape of your tub with inflatable pillows and pads. The right neck pillow or bath insert can transform your bath experience. You can make it both easy and safer to doze off in the warm water.

Set the Lights to Your Favorite Color

Swap out a few bulbs for smart light bulbs and take control of your bathroom color. It’s easy to turn a standard light fixture (but not a specialty-size fixture) into a smart light. Then dim the lights and set them to your favorite color at voice command when it’s time to take a relaxing soak.

Place a Smart Speaker for Relaxing Music

Mount a smart speaker on the wall of your bathroom. You can set it to play you anything from relaxing spa music to news and podcasts, as well as setting your smart lights from the path without lifting a finger.

Bathroom Renovations for the Bath Experience

Install a Soaker Tub

The single biggest bath obstacle for most adults is an enclosed 5-foot tub. That’s just not enough space to soak. If you are taking on a major bathroom renovation, consider installing a soaker tub, maybe even spaced out from the wall so you have room to soak or to sprawl.

Install Shelves or Niches Near Your Bathtub

Baths are so much better when you can set down a drink and tip in bath oils at your leisure.  A few extra shelves or an installed bath niche can give you that extra space you need to stretch out and relax.

Design Layered Lighting

Give yourself more than bright vanity lighting or a shadowy overhead light. Layered lighting is ideal in the bathroom to give you both full illumination coverage and relaxing mood lighting options.

Install a Towel Warming Rack for Toasty Warm Towels

Towel warming is a simple yet luxurious bathroom upgrade. These lightly powered towel bars warm your towels while you are in the bath or shower. When you step out, a toasty towel or two await you.

Top-Up With an On-Demand Heater

One powerful bathroom upgrade is an on-demand heater. This is an enclosed set of heating coils that warm water as it passes through the pipes. You can take a long hot shower. For longer bathing, you can top up your hot water without the extra seconds of cold water clearing the tap, or taxing your tank water heater.

A bathroom designed for bathing is helpful for stress, muscle recovery, medical soaking, and private escape. Fill the tub, dim the lights, and enjoy a truly relaxing soak. For more bathroom renovation ideas and a great selection of beautiful decoration pieces, shop with us today.

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In Blog

What Makes an Interior Designer Fee Worth It?

Why hire an interior designer instead of decorating DIY? Homeowners have been working with interior designers for centuries, combining vision with talent to create beautiful spaces. You may have a vision for you living room that only a professional designer could bring to life. But many people have a few questions about why interior design works the way it does, especially when it comes to cost.

Interior designers are often paid in addition to the cost of any new furniture and decor. Why are interior designers’ fees set where they are and, you may be asking yourself, is it worth it? Just what services, value, and final result will you see in return for investing in an interior designer’s expertise? And how can you maximize that value, hiring an interior designer for the best result when it matters most?

These are exactly the questions we will help you answer today.

The Design Itself

First, let’s not underestimate the value of the design itself. To make the design, an interior designer listens to the homeowners and gets a feel for their personality and preferences. They walk through your house and take into account the architecture and the rest of your home decor. The final design is personalized not just to the house, but to you and your vision of a beautiful home as well. No number of magazine and Pinterest images of designs will give you a design as precise, perfect, and personalized as the one your interior designers creates to start your project rolling.

Discounted Furniture and Design Pieces

Another overlooked value is that interior designers often have the scoop on amazing prices for beautiful furniture and pieces of art that will transform your space. The OPENUU team typically saves between 10% and 15% of the total purchase-cost of your interior design in furniture discounts alone. DIY-ing your home design could actually cost more without these decorator insider deals.

Your interior designer likely also has a few contacts with trustworthy local trades and may know how to get you the best deals on structural work as well.

Project Planning and Coordination

When you hire an interior designer, you don’t have to be the ringleader for the project planning and execution. You don’t have to be the one in charge of scheduling the painters and the electricians at the right time in your project because your interior designer will handle it for you.

Homeowners are often very busy people with full-time jobs and family obligations. Your time is valuable, so we aim to take on that stress and time-consuming oversight when making your home more beautiful

An interior architect is not just your designer, they are the central manager of your entire design project. Your interior designer, and possibly their team, take on the responsibility of coordinating the transformation of the room.

Contractor Hiring and Management

Your interior designer also handles the contractors who may do work on you home as part of the design. Contractor management is a delicate but necessary part of any home renovation. We know great quality contractors that we have worked with many times over years of partnership. You need trustworthy teams and well-organized oversight that your interior designer can provide, so you don’t have to.

Dedicated Concierge Service

Your interior designer is also your liaison, the one person in the project who is fully answerable to you and responsible for your happiness.  Interior design is often a concierge service where your designer is available to call any time during the project and they will do their best to make you happy. Having someone on-call to help make your design perfect, handle emergencies, and manage the project for you has value so you don’t need to deal with it.

Delivering Final Results

Finally, your interior designer is responsible for delivering final results. Why do we pay the interior decorator fee instead of DIY decorating each room? It’s for the results. In the long run, we save you time, money, and headache.

Contact us today to explore interior design and renovation with more bang for your buck.

OPENUU
In Blog, Renovation Resources

How to Style Your Home’s Interior Design for Long-term Use

When you want to update your home decor, you may be tempted to jump in and redesign for the current trends and your most recent preferences. However, if you’re looking to stay in your living space for a while, and get the most return on your efforts, you’ll want to upgrade your interior design to get the best long-term investment. Follow these time-tested tips to create a space that will become a long-term haven:

  • Vary dimensions. Create a room with flow, one that keeps the eye moving naturally through the space. To do this, you must be aware of the size and shape of your furnishings; they can’t all be the same. Be sure to have a variety of heights and shapes to your lamps, photos, and more, while sticking to a complementary color/design theme to tie the look together. The varying heights and shapes will create negative space (the area where there’s no embellishment), which is just as important as the areas where you add decor: it will keep from cluttering your room and keep focus on the important design aspects. Being aware of your decor dimensions and heights will create a cohesive, but visually intriguing, look that you’ll never grow tired of.
  • Display embellishments and unique decor in arrangements. Your brightly colored accessories and small decor items shouldn’t be scattered throughout your room; what you may not realize is that similar small items and colors will look best grouped together. For a timeless layout, group similar pieces together to create one dynamic display area. If you haven’t heard the “rule of thirds,” consider this: items will appear balanced and appealing in odd numbers. Group your light-hued candles in one spot on a side table, or place three small photo frames together on a shelf.
  • Create focal points. Each room should be anchored by a focal point to draw the eye immediately in right away; use your statement furniture as the center of the room to design around, or, if in an open-concept floor plan, define your spaces by creating a layout originating from your chosen focal point (or decor item). Typically, in a segmented room, your focal point will be across from the entry, so consider hanging a stunning piece of artwork on the wall, or placing your statement furniture at that end of the room.
  • Design for light. Lighting can make or break a room. Choose the level of lighting and ambiance that you want for each room in advance, and move forward with your lighting choices from there. Natural light is a widely appealing feature, so in rooms with plenty, create a layout for maximum exposure, seating, and views of the light. In other rooms, experiment with layering lamps to vary your decor heights, and to provide multiple options for actual room usage. In living rooms, for example, you’ll want to have various heights of lamps (floors, tables, side-tables), to light the majority of the room while allowing for reading or enjoyment in a variety of ways. Use chandeliers or hanging lights to point to your focal pieces, and watch as your space becomes a classically enjoyable interior.
  • Decorate for your personality. No matter what, you’ll want to love your space. Do you have a photograph you love? A statement piece that speaks to you? Include it! You’ll need an inspiration and mood for each room, so design for your own style and life preferences (for example–inspiration: an exotic elephant statue; mood: worldly, whimsical).

For more expert tips on home interior design and renovations, contact us today.

OPENUU
In Blog, Renovation Resources

Your Home’s Renovation Fee: How do you figure it out?

Your home is your biggest investment, and naturally, if you want it to maintain its value, you’re going to have to renovate it periodically.

So, you meet with an interior designer — or a construction company — and they give you a quote for their services. There’s just one problem: you don’t know if the quote is too high, not high enough, or just right. So, how do you determine the right renovation fee for your home? Here’s our list of things to keep in mind before determining if you’ve been quoted a fair price:

  1. Make a list of all of the materials you need. For example, if you’re renovating your kitchen, list the amount of tile you’ll need, any appliances, the amount of drywall, etc. Be sure to take accurate measurements of the room (or of the entire home, if you’re doing a complete home remodel).
  2. After you get a complete list of the materials, get a few price quotes — don’t just settle for the first quote that was given to you. You may even want to get some of the prices yourself — many “big box” home improvement stores periodically have clearance sales that can save you hundreds of dollars!
  3. Next, calculate the amount of labor hours that will be needed to renovate the room in question. Again, be realistic, and be aware that when drywall is removed, especially in high-moisture places like kitchens and bathrooms, other problems with plumbing, mold, and faulty wiring may be uncovered, which will cause an increase in labor and materials costs.
  4. When factoring in the cost of materials, be sure to bear in mind that materials will vary in price, as well, and this variance is dependent on the quality of the materials procured. While a typical porcelain or ceramic tile in a “big box” store can be relatively inexpensive (sometimes as low at 99 cents per square foot!), a tile made from travertine or imported Italian marble can be significantly more expensive. Travertine tiles start at approximately $10 per square foot; Italian marble tiles start at double that price!
  5. When getting a quote from a contractor or designer, be sure to ask about the quality and type of materials they’ll be providing for their price as well.
  6. Once you get all the costs of the renovation together (materials and labor) that you then compare it to the price that a designer, or contractor, gives you. Again — don’t go with the first price that’s given to you. Compare a few quotes, and go with the one that provides the most reasonable price for the proper amount of work.
  7. In comparing prices, be careful of the designer or contractor giving you the lowest prices. Sometimes the cheapest is not always the best, as their experience, quality, and speed of construction may be lacking, which can cost more in the long run.
  8. To that end, too, you’ll need to set aside a contingency budget (better known as an “emergency funds” reserve) that’s equal to about 15% of your total renovation budget to account for problems that may be uncovered during the renovation process.

Contact us today to discuss your home’s renovation project.