It is not too early to begin planning and decorating your outdoor living space, sun porch or front porch.  The cooler months and beginning of spring are the perfect time to assess what you have, what still works and what you will need to replace for this summer.

Outdoor furniture may need to be replaced more frequently than the furniture inside your home since it is exposed to the elements. Rain and sun can both do damage to outdoor furniture that is made of wood, plastic or painted. Outdoor fabrics are designed to be water resistant and less likely to fade but will eventually show the wear and tear of life outdoors.  Outdoor rugs are similar to outdoor fabric in terms of fading and resistance to water.

Wood and metal furniture can be given a second life with a coat or two of spray paint. Prepping the chair or table to remove any dirt and rust is a must for the paint to adhere. A light sanding can also roughen the surface to accept the new layer of paint. There are even spray paints designed to work on plastic that can be a great option for plastic patio furniture.

Once you know what outdoor furniture and accessories you can still use this coming summer you’ll know what you need to buy new.  Planning your budget and shopping early will help you get the right piece and stay within your budget.

This dining room is a great example of having all the right elements.  The four dining room essentials are all in place: beautiful table; chairs; chandelier; and sideboard. Other dining room design elements like a traditional area rug, art and additional lighting all help create a polished and put together dining room.  Yet the room still lacks a little bit of drama or pizzazz.  A few additions and changes can help create more of a sense of drama in this formal dining room.

Shutters on the windows can control the light during the day and provide privacy at night but do little to add to the formal feeling of the room’s style. Rather than take down the shutters, curtains could be added to the windows. The curtains wouldn’t need to cover the whole expanse of the windows and could even be dummy panels that just frame the window. Hanging the curtain rod closer to the ceiling can also make the windows feel bigger.

Paint color in the walls and ceiling could help make the room feel richer. Deeper colors are nice in a dining room that is used primarily in the evening. Soft light from the chandelier and other lighting creates a dramatic look in the evening.  Coordinating the wall color with the existing rug would pull the two elements together. Adding linen napkins in another color picked up from the rug is another way to enrich the look and feel of the room.  The painting above the sideboard is another good source for color inspiration for accents and wall color.

Wood floors are one of the most popular choices for flooring in the home. Today’s new home construction often boasts of hardwood floors and wood floors which are highlights of older homes and remodels. Wood floors are durable and add a natural beauty to the home. The array of choices of wood, plank size and finish means it is easy to find a wood floor to suit your home’s architecture as well as your décor style.

All these wood floors need basic upkeep to keep them looking beautiful. New wood floors and floors in good condition can be swept and gently mopped to keep them clean. Wood floors should not be soaked in water and any puddles should be promptly wiped up. Harsh chemicals are not good for the finish on wood floors. Gentle cleaners are the best choice. There are cleaning products designed especially for wood floors. If you have a question about cleaning products, you can ask your flooring retailer for suggested products and cleaning methods.

If your wood floors are not in good condition with a peeling or flaking finish, stains or marks, it may be time to have them refinished. Refinishing involves sanding and reapplying a top coat, typically polyurethane. The color of the wood can be changed with stain. Often light scratches can be buffed out before the top coat is applied. Stained boards or boards that are in very poor shape can be individually removed and replaced with the same type of wood and stained to match. Ask your flooring professional for advice on the best way to handle worn or damaged wood flooring.

Neutrals are the workhorse colors in the home. If neutrals were a food, they would be chicken, the versatile meat that can work with a thousand combinations and is liked by nearly everyone. Builders favor neutral walls, tiles and flooring for new construction for a reason. The right neutrals can work with so many colors as well as be layered together to create interesting design.

To create an interesting room design solely in neutrals requires some creativity. Decorating entirely in one neutral can create a flat feeling design. Laying neutral colors with pattern, texture and form on the other hand will make for a stylish and interesting room.

This picture is a good example of layering neutrals. The sofa and carpeting are both soft neutrals in the beige and tan family.  There is a slight variation in color between the carpet and sofa, but nothing too drastic. The lighter carpet has a nice shag texture that nicely contrasts with the smooth upholstery of the sofa, creating visual interest.

The beige sofa is paired with a pattern throw pillow. Pillows are a great place to add pattern and texture and if you choose, color. This pillow adds pattern and two additional colors in addition to the taupe. Camel and grey are both neutrals but add richness to the tan of the sofa and the beige of the carpet.  The throw picks up on the camel color and adds a larger swath of color to the group.  The textures of the pillow and throw also add another level of style to the overall design.

Sewing projects can easily spill all over your home. Extra fabric, notions, and especially unfinished projects seem to multiply every year.

If you love to sew but find it hard to keep the clutter of your projects under control, try these suggestions.

Plan your space. This photo shows a simple but functional sewing corner. Having a sewing machine in a cabinet is nice if you have the room, but any table or desk will also work.

The large basket can hold the pattern, fabric, notions and any tools specific to your project. If you need to stop in the middle, everything can go in the basket until the next time.

Look for light. Notice the nice large window providing light for accurate sewing. if you don’t have enough natural light or end up sewing at night, pick up a good strong full-spectrum desk or floor lamp. Using a full-spectrum bulb allows you to have an accurate evaluation of fabric colors.

Do not multitask. One project can spread enough, without having multiple projects in process. Take out only what you need for a specific project in order. For example, take out the pattern and cut the pieces, make the pattern marks, then put the pattern away again.

Finish projects. That sounds obvious to anyone but an avid sewer, but many find themselves with more than one unfinished sewing project, and these can take up an incredible amount of space. Making a commitment to finish an old project before starting a new one can help reduce those piles of fabric.

Take time to tidy your workspace. Don’t let everything sit and look messy. It can be discouraging to continue if you have to sort through everything before you start sewing again. Instead, at the end of a sewing session, organize and plan for the next time you have a chance to work on the project. It will be much more inviting to dive back in.

Show off. This woman has a good quality dressmaker’s dummy, which allows her to display her finished work for a while before putting it in her closet. Appreciation is a great motivator!

Do you feel like the man in this picture – trying hard to keep lots of plates spinning at the same time, running from one task to another, but never really getting time to relax?

It’s an almost impossible position, because you never seem to have a chance to get more organized and figure out how to finish projects faster or save time and headaches.

When you move into a new home, it’s with lots of good resolutions about finding a place for everything and finally squeezing in some time for yourself. But for many people, instead they never feel like they have time to organize.

Here’s the solution: stop thinking of all the organizational tasks in front of you. Instead, take baby steps. Start with something easy – your silverware drawer for instance. Has it become a catch-all for pencils and pens, paper clips, that weird kitchen gadget someone gave you as a housewarming present? Well, take a good look at the contents. Start by removing anything that really doesn’t belong in a silverware drawer. Then simply remove everything that you never use and put in a give-away box or just toss in the trash.

A silverware drawer is a high-action location, so move any items that are used less than once a week to a low-action drawer. Then take five minutes and put all those odd pens and such where they belong. Now you’re done. Pat yourself on the back and read a magazine article or something. No – don’t feel obliged to start on another drawer – do that tomorrow. Your next step is to encourage your family to help you keep that one island of sanity. Over time, one task at a time, you can spread the joy to other drawers and other rooms.

When we think of natural stone for the home we often think of stone floors. Stone tile floors offer a durable surface that is cool underfoot, great for hot weather climates. Stone floors can be warmed with in-floor heating for cooler climates and bathrooms. Stone floors are durable and stylish choices for both bathrooms and kitchens and can be used throughout the home for a uniform look.

Stone tiles can also be applied to the walls, as seen in this contemporary home that has both stone floors and stone tiles on the walls. Bringing stone up onto the wall works well around a fireplace or focal wall. Stone tiles can also be used in bathrooms, including shower enclosures.  Using stone tiles in the living room or hallway is less typical but can work well with contemporary design as seen in this home.

Combining stone tile floors and stone tile on the walls wraps the room in a uniform pattern and material. Travertine will add texture and a warm cream color to the walls and floors. Grey and white marble has more of a cool look to it. Beyond kitchen backsplashes, stone tiles can be used in mudrooms and entries as well as outdoor living spaces.

Pairing a stone wall with painted or plastered walls can bring texture to a room.   The deep brown on the walls in this space are a good example of color that highlights the stone. When choosing a wall color, choose one that highlights the color of the stone, this will be sure  to bring out the natural beauty of the stone tiles.