Live In a Small Apartment or House? You Need These 33 Clever Things!

Courtesy of Buzzfeed.com

From Buzzfeed’s article “33 Insanely Clever Things Your Small Apartment Needs”, with thanks to Katy Wolk-Stanley, The Non-Consumer Advocate for pointing it out.  Because sometimes, especially when you live in a really small space, you just need some things to make life easier, and these clever items do exactly that.

Not all of the items shown in this Buzzfeed post are beautiful, but they are all divinely functional and useful, especially in a small home, and wonderfully carry out the “useful” part of the mandate of the fabulous William Morris, who opined that one should “[h]ave nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”  This mantra of the Arts & Crafts movement has been a touchstone for designers and style mavens ever since.  Personally, I believe that as much as possible should be both beautiful and functional.  There’s simply no need to sacrifice style for practicality.

A few prime examples of practicality from this terrific post (that also happen to be beautiful and/or unobtrusive – because this is, after all, a blog about interior design, and aesthetics definitely matter!)  include the following:

Vertical Wine Rack, courtesy of Buzzfeed.com and wayfair.com

Under Cabinet Knife Drawer, courtesy of Buzzfeed.com and americanwoodworker.com

Couch Arm Wrap, via Buzfeed.com and Etsy.com

If you’re ready to create a beautiful home that is also tremendously practical and functional for your lifestyle, whether your style is contemporary or traditional, and you’re not into doing it yourself, please drop me a note to get started!

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Can’t Afford to Remodel? Think Again…

If you’ve put remodelling and redecorating plans on hold because of the economy and thinking you can’t afford to do it right now, it’s definitely time to rethink that position, for a variety of reasons.

If you’re like many people, you’re likely spending more time at home these days instead of out and about, eating out, going to theater and concerts, travelling, etc. So why not be sure the space you’re spending all this additional time in is your dream place to be?

Unlike the money you spend on vacations and the like, which brings fleeting joy, the money you invest into your home may pay back when it comes time to sell, but just as importantly (or even more so), it will also reward you psychically and emotionally every single day you live there by making your home even more comfortable for every day living. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to come home at the end of each day and feel that thrill of being in a space that you love and that nurtures you no matter what else is going on in your world? To have a home that you actually don’t even want to leave?

You don’t have to spend a lot of money, if you don’t want to or really can’t afford to – even just a fresh coat of paint, some new throw pillows, a new painting or area rug, or moving the artwork or furniture you already have around to different locations can give you a facelift and needed boost. New lighting, new fixtures, and new hardware for your doors and cabinetry are other inexpensive upgrades that can pack a lot of punch.

Don’t know quite what to do, and can’t afford to hire a designer to do the whole thing? Most will consult on an hourly basis to give you any needed advice that can help you avoid expensive mistakes, and to get you pointed in the right direction to complete the job yourself.

However, if you can possibly come up with the cash, now is very definitely the time to go ahead those more major remodelling projects you’ve been putting off, or to remodel a home you’d hoped to sell but now find you have to remain in.

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Pet Friendly Interior Design

Cricket looking more disgruntled than she really was at the time

I’m sitting here with Cricket on my lap, my boyfriend’s cat who’s “on loan” for a few days, since I volunteered to cat sit while he’s out of town. It’s been a few years since I had a kitty of my own in the house, my beloved old Standard Poodle Fennel

Fennel (RB) at "summer camp" - where I used to board him when I traveled.

died last fall, and I’m still hunting for my next puppy, so I’ve been completely petless for a little while now – for the first time in 18 years. It’s really weird. Although I live about half time with Cricket and her daddy, it’s really not the same as having one of my own, in my own home all the time. So, while I really miss my guy, I’m really enjoying having Cricket here, and as I deal with the fur and litter box, I’m reminded of all of the fun – and the hassles – of pet ownership – including the implications for interior design.

Anyone who has ever had a pet knows that they pose a challenge to having and maintaining a beautiful home, even when they’re very well trained. Accidents and messes are just a part of life with an animal in the house, which includes vomiting, tracking dirt in, and anything from occasional incontinence to outright bad behavior making them soil anywhere they want, as well as other issues such as cats scratching the furniture, climbing the drapes, etc. The soiling issues also get worse as the pet ages, or if it develops health problems.

People often ask me how they can still have a nice home when they share it with pets, so here are some thoughts.

PREVENTION FIRST

No matter what materials you choose for your home, your first line of defense is obviously to make sure that Fido or Garfield are well-trained so that they do their business where they are supposed to, and use scratching posts, climbing towers designed for the purpose, and their own chewtoys instead of the furniture and drapes to exercise their natural instincts to chew, climb, and scratch. Keeping the critters off of the furniture altogether will help preserve it, but for most people these days, that’s not an option, and you still have to deal with the floors anyways.

Regular bathing and grooming of your pet will also keep it clean and prevent shedding, which will help immensely with maintaining the cleanliness of your home.

WHAT’S UNDERFOOT?

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Florida deregulation will restore your right to practice!

Sick and tired of the state of Florida meddling in your design practice? Learn how to support the growing movement to deregulate the interior design profession, and why it should be deregulated.

Here’s a link to the full article, since this has gotten cut off and I still don’t know how to fix it.

Interior Design Protection Council TAKE ACTION! Florida deregulation will restore your right to practice! Florida Statute 481 is anti-competitive and anti-consumer Members of the Florida design community: The Interior Design Associations Foundation (IDAF), the ASID-supported and funded coalition responsible for the perpetuation of Florida’s monopoly practice law, is mobilizing their licensed designers in a mass letter writing campaign in an attempt to derail the deregulation movement and save their ruthlessly enforced protectionist interior design law. The talking points email that IDAF sent to their members to “remind legislators” is filled with misleading and blatantly false information in what appears on the surface to be an intentional effort to mislead government officials. Click here to read IDAF talking points, 02.10.09 We cannot allow your Florida legislators to be hoodwinked into believing that (1) IDAF’s information is true, or (2) that it reflects the will of the design community. IDPC has written a STRONG REBUTTAL, which factually, statistically and empirical disproves ALL of IDAF’s claims. Click here for IDPC Rebuttal to IDAF Talking Points. The rest is up to you… Do you want to continue to let this cartel restrict you from performing services that you would be perfectly able to provide in 47 other states? Do you want to continue to let this cartel take away your First Amendment Right to accurately describe yourself and what you do? Their lobbyist, Ron Books, is already working behind the scenes and allegedly has $400,000 at his disposal to distribute to legislators as he sees fit. But a strong grassroots movement can trump the pocket-lining! And that’s where you come in….. TAKE ACTION NOW! You must act now to let your Legislators and the Governor know that, especially in this difficult economic climate, the state government should continue no laws which make it more difficult for its citizens to compete in the free and open market unless there is clear and compelling evidence — which is clearly lacking here. IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED: Fax, call, and email the following Legislators (click on committee or legislator link below for contact information): Senate Select Committee on Florida’s Economy Senate Committee on Regulated Industries Senate Policy and Steering Committee on Commerce and Industry Senate Committee on Government Appropriations House Economic Development and Community Affairs Council Full Appropriations Council on Government Affairs & Health Care House General Government Policy Council House Speaker protempore Your senator Your representative Faxes are prefered over emails. Please follow up with a phone call to make sure they received your letter and see if you can answer any questions. If you can’t send a fax or email to every member of each committee, at least send one to the Chair of each committee. It’s very important that at least one person in each committee gets a letter from you! Note: one option is to select 2 or 3 committees to send to each day. Another option is to fax a letter to the Chair, and send one email addressed to the rest of the committee members. Fax, call and email the Governor Rally all students you know to write as well. Licensing HURTS not helps them. (See details in Rebuttal) Ask your clients, vendors, friends, family, and other consumers, to call or write to their legislators, asking them to deregulate the interior design law as it restricts their right to hire whom they choose, serves no ligitimate public good, and is bad for the Florida economy. Designers in other states — If you currently do any kind of design or decorating work in Florida, or if you plan to in the future, then you also need to contact the government officials above to protect your rights. Support our efforts to protect Florida interior designers’ rights and livelihoods. Click here to become a member of IDPC. CONSUMER PROTECTION? Absolutely NOT! Not a shred of evidence has ever been presented to warrant a conclusion that the unregulated practice of interior design places the public in any form of jeopardy. In fact, 12 government agencies have looked into this issue and concluded that interior design licensing does nothing to protect the public beyond the processes already in place. Click here for a list and access to all 12 government reports, including the 1999 Florida report recommending that the profession of interior design be deregulated. DID YOU KNOW THAT…. Interior design practice laws affect more than just interior designers? In Florida, approximately 22 professions have been the subject of disciplinary actions of Statute 481. If you work in any of the following professions, beware — you could be the next victim! *interior designer *interior decorator *office furniture dealer *residential furniture dealer *restaurant equipment dealer *flooring company *wall covering supplier *fabric vendor *builder *real estate stager *real estate developer *realty company *remodeler *accessories retailer *antiques dealer *engineer *drafting services *lighting company *florist *kitchen design *upholstery workroom *carpet retail *art dealer *paint store Even if you are an extremely successful or even a “celebrity” designer, you will not be sheltered from this law. In Florida, even internationally known designers like Kelly Wearsler, Hirsch Bedner Assoc., Juan Montayo, Clive Christian, and Phillip Sides were victims of ruthless disciplinary actions. Click here to see the list of hundreds of Florida disciplinary actions. THIS IS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO RID FLORIDA OF THIS UNNECESSARY AND ANTI-COMPETITIVE LAW! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at legislation@IDPCinfo.org Patti Morrow Executive Director Interior Design Protection Council Join Our Mailing List!

Forward to a friend! Interior Design Protection Council | 91 Reserve Place | Concord | NH | 03301

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New Alabama Practice Act Will Put Most Designers Out of Business – Protect Your Right to Practice!

Here’s a link to the archived version of this post, since it’s gotten cut off here, and I don’t know how to fix it.

Please visit the NoDesignLegislation blog at http://nodesignlegislation.wordpress.com for more information on interior design legislation.

Interior Design Protection Council Protect Your Right to Practice! NEW Alabama Practice Act will PUT YOU OUT OF BUSINESS Senate Bill 344 and House Bill 491 are anti-competitive and anti-consumer! Members of the Alabama design community: As we previously reported, the Alabama State Board of Registration for Interior Designers tried a back-door — and we believe illegal — attempt to reinstate the unconstitutional practice act by simply amending the language and not going through the appropriate legislative process. And it might have worked, if IDPC, ADAD, IJ and NKBA had not thoroughly exposed and thwarted their under-the-radar tactics. So now they have introduced a new practice act in the Senate (SB 344) and in the House (HB 491), and allegedly they are going to try and ram it through both houses within the next two weeks. This even more restrictive and confusing practice act is mislabeled as the Alabama Interior Design Consumer Protection Act, when in fact, the only people protected by this act are the 262 licensed interior designers in the state who will be protected from YOU and your [superior] design abilities. The bill contains a broad, loose definition of interior design which will surely cover the many services you provide. Interior design is defined to include: programming, conducting research, identifying and analyzing the needs and goals of the client or occupant of the space, assessing project resources and limitations, developing project schedules and budgets specifications, studies, and research, reflected ceiling plans, space utilization, furnishings, floor plans, including preliminary space layouts and final planning, construction documents, the fabrication of nonstructural elements within and surrounding interior spaces of buildings, and construction administration to monitor the contractor progress relating to nonstructural interior elements of a building or structure YOU WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO PRACTICE AS YOU HAVE BEEN DOING SINCE THE PREVIOUS PRACTICE ACT WAS DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Although poorly drafted and without actually saying so, under the proposed law, no person may render interior design services without a license. In order to obtain a license, you must: Have an accredited degree in interior design. DO YOU HAVE AN APPROVED DEGREE? Prove, to the satisfaction of NCIDQ, that you have a minimum of 2-4 years of interior design experience under the direct supervision of a registered interior designer or licensed architect. Pass the NCIDQ exam. WILL YOU EVEN BE ELIGIBLE TO SIT FOR THE TEST? PROBABLY NOT. IT REQUIRES A DEGREE IN INTERIOR DESIGN AND BETWEEN 2-4 YEARS OF FULL-TIME, DIVERSIFIED INTERIOR DESIGN EXPERIENCE UNDER THE DIRECT SUPERVISION OF A LICENSED OR NCIDQ CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNER OR ARCHITECT BEFORE YOU CAN TAKE THE TEST. And they determine exactly what “diversified” means! GRANDFATHERING? Only if you already have a license, will you be allowed to continue to practice. EXEMPTIONS? You will be “allowed” to provide consultations, NOT DESIGN. There are other problems with the proposed bill, such as the Board’s ability to suspended or revoke your license if it finds that you violated any standards of professional conduct that they decide and file legal proceedings against you should it be determined that you were practicing interior design without a license. IF THAT HAPPENS, YOUR CLIENTS COULD REFUSE TO PAY YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU PERFORMED AND YOU HAVE NO RECOURSE IN THE COURTS! And of course, the Board has the power to impose fines and sanctions up to $2,000! CONSUMER PROTECTION? Absolutely NOT! Not a shred of evidence has ever been presented to warrant a conclusion that the unregulated practice of interior design places the public in any form of jeopardy. In fact, 12 government agencies have looked into this issue and concluded that interior design licensing does nothing to protect the public beyond the processes already in place. Click here for a list and access to all 12 government reports. DID YOU KNOW THAT…. Practice laws affect more than just interior designers? In Florida, approximately 22 professions have been the subject of disciplinary actions. If you work in any of the following professions, beware — if SB 344 and HB 491 are enacted, you could be fined or even lose your ability to earn a living: *interior designer *interior decorator *office furniture dealer *residential furniture dealer *restaurant equipment dealer *flooring company *wall covering supplier *fabric vendor *builder *real estate stager *real estate developer *realty company *remodeler *accessories retailer *antiques dealer *engineer *drafting services *lighting company *florist *kitchen design *upholstery workroom *carpet retail *art dealer Even if you are an extremely successful or even a “celebrity” designer, you will not be sheltered from this law. In Florida, even internationally known designers like Kelly Wearsler, Hirsch Bedner Assoc., Juan Montayo, Clive Christian, and Phillip Sides were victims of ruthless disciplinary actions. IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED! You must act now to let the members of the BOTH the Senate and House Committees know that, especially in this difficult economic climate, the state government should pass no legislation which would make it more difficult for its citizens to compete in the free and open market unless there is clear and compelling evidence — which is clearly lacking here. IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED: Write to each committee member. A fax is best, followed by email if you don’t have access to a fax machine. Your letter should be no longer than one page. Call each Senate and House committee member, register your name, town, bill number and that you are opposed to it. Rally students to write as well. Licensing HURTS not helps them. Ask your clients, vendors, friends, family, and other consumers, to call or write to the committee on your behalf — especially if they are constituents of the member. If you live in a surrounding state but work or plan to do design work in Alabama, then you also need to contact the Committee to protect your rights. Click here for contact information on SENATE SMALL BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Click here for contact information on HOUSE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS COMMITTEE Click here to read SB 344. Click here to read HB 491. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at legislation@IDPCinfo.org Patti Morrow Executive Director Interior Design Protection Council Support our efforts to protect Minnesota interior designers’ rights and livelihoods. Click here to become a member of IDPC. Join Our Mailing List!

Forward to a friend! Email Marketing by Interior Design Protection Council | 91 Reserve Place | Concord | NH | 03301

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