Before & After Reveal - Toss the Tired, Cherish the Charm . . .

COVID-19 UPDATE: We continue to meet with clients in all sorts of ways - virtually over Zoom, outside to review samples or discuss exterior projects, or inside with masks and at a 6 ft distance. Bathrooms, patio furniture, window treatments, paint, flooring, remodeling projects - you name it. A lot can still happen while keeping everyone safe! Thank you for your continued support - the ICA Food Shelf appreciates the donations we made on behalf of all new projects! And thank you to all of the essential workers who work tirelessly each day!

I was recently featured on houzz.com for this Edina bathroom. Check out the interview below:

Homeowners’ request: “The homeowner wanted to modernize the original 1950s bathroom yet still keep it functional for bathing small children,” designer Jane-Marie Bloomberg says. “Due to the size limitations of the bathroom — distance of sink from door, space between toilet and tub — she felt limited in the ways to maximize storage yet still keep some of the original character of the space. This bathroom was the only one in the home with a tub, so it was important to keep that functionality. However, a cumbersome shower rod fought with the sloped ceiling and made the room feel even smaller.”

Main feature: “The tub-shower combo with the hinged glass door is the biggest change from what existed before,” Bloomberg says. “By removing the shower rod and curtain and providing a full view of the tub and shower, we gained needed square footage of viewable space.”

Other special features: Light gray 3-by-12-inch subway tile on walls. Mosaic floor tile. Wood cabinet enameled in Sabre Gray by Benjamin Moore. Recessed medicine cabinet.

Designer tip: “A nice trick we used was to paint the walls and the ceiling in the same color (Horizon by Benjamin Moore), which further gave the illusion of increasing the size of the bathroom overall,” Bloomberg says.

“Uh-oh” moment: “Originally we wanted to line the tub up with the start of the sloped ceiling in order to give more room between the toilet and the corner of the tub,” Bloomberg says. “This meant we would also be able to fit a tiled pony wall on the side of the tub. However, to do so, we would have needed a 54-inch tub instead of a 60-inch tub. The cost of this smaller, less typical tub, since it was a soaker tub with lots of bells and whistles, could have been driven off the lot for the price of a small car. So after we provided a second set of drawings showing how the new tub would work in the space, the owners decided they were fine with a 60-inch tub, no pony wall and a bit less space between the toilet and the tub.”

When you say no to a TV in the living room & almost maim an artist in the process . . .

I was recently featured on houzz.com for my East Isles living room project. Check out the interview below:

Tip:

To maximize the number of pieces of furniture that would actually sit on the rug, we did a custom rug template in order to cut around the fireplace and bring the rug closer to all sides of the room,” Bloomberg says. “This increased our usable space by only about 36 square feet but allowed us to make the piano area and the reading nook as cohesive as possible — [with] no furniture dangling outside the perimeter.

Homeowners’ request: A functional, multipurpose space. “The room was somewhat long and narrow, so they hadn’t landed on a layout that maximized the square footage,” designer Jane-Marie Bloomberg says. “I wanted to break up the space into three distinct areas: the baby grand piano, a spot for reading and drinking the morning coffee, and a place to entertain or enjoy the fire. All could be accomplished by implementing some key strategies to bring everything together.”

Main feature: A palette of pink and orange accented by wood tones. “Somewhere along the way, a previous homeowner had painted the tall baseboards white but left the rest of the beautiful woodwork a warm oak,” Bloomberg says. “The husband was adamant that we not paint any more of the woodwork, so this became our starting point. Of course, the fireplace would stay original as well, complete with its beautiful arched opening. The pink and orange colors set off the wood nicely.”

Other special features: “When breaking a long, narrow room up into useful sections, one item that can help everything tie together is a consistent flooring material,” Bloomberg says. “We opted for a beautiful Argentinian wool rug to anchor the entire space. Then, to give the room some additional whimsy, we utilized two different wallcoverings — a floral print and a textured grasscloth — to keep the eye moving around the space and yet still emphasize the fireplace. New lighting was added, and by increasing the scale of the fixtures, we were able to use these to tie the space together this way as well.”

“Uh-oh” moment: “The custom chairs in the orange chevron fabric were built by a master wood carver in California,” Bloomberg says. “During the creation of these chairs, he injured his hand and did not believe he would be able to complete them due to the intricate nature of the design. We selected another design from him, but the clients had already fallen in love with their original choice. Weeks passed, and I received word from the artist that he had worked through the pain and completed the originally selected chairs for us. My clients were so thrilled and appreciative. I’m happy to report that the artist is doing fine and continues to make beautiful pieces.”

Design Projects During Self-Isolation

As all of us strive to find our “new normal” in the coming weeks, I am compelled to reach out to my client community in order to give you support and information. During this time, I am reminded about how important our home environments are to our mental health and well-being. We will be spending an inordinate amount of time indoors. Our minds will be continually influenced by the colors, objects, clutter and function of (or lack thereof) every part of our homes.  Now is the time to create an environment that supports you. Here are some ideas for projects that can be done while self-isolating or due to the slowdown:

• Tired of your furniture arrangement and needing a tweak?  Let’s chat via Zoom, Skype or Facetime.  Show me your space and we’ll go step by step through it – move a table here, move the sofa there . . .

• Many clients send me items they are considering and ask for my guidance via phone, email or text.  You can shoot over anything you want a second opinion on or have questions about.  I am here for you!  Charged by the minute.

• Let’s reach out to my contractors to see if they have time in their typically busy schedules to begin your next project.  I have a feeling they will be able to fit you in!

• Exterior projects such as house painting, additions and façade upgrades are great options for those who are looking to minimize human contact.

• Although I have yet to “find joy” in certain pairs of socks, I understand the reasoning behind using the konmari method on your spaces.  Deep clean and organize those closets, cupboards and drawers.  And then reach out if you need some design tricks for how to make your clutter look aesthetically pleasing as well.

• Introducing EDesign by EDS!  I now offer flat fee design services for those who are either not in the area or for those self-isolating.  This service includes:

1. Design questionnaire + initial consultation via email/phone

2. Floor plan specific to your space (you provide measurements)

3. Design board (with up to one revision)

4. URL source list to purchase all items listed in the plan (combo of trade & retail sources, depending on budget)

5. Contact me to request flat fee pricing by space

10% of all fees incurred from new projects from 3/16 through 5/4 will be donated to the ICA Food Shelf in Minnetonka.

All interior meetings will be postponed for the time being.  Exterior meetings will still be happening.  We will continue to be vigilant when it comes to hand washing and hand sanitizer use before and after each of these exterior meeting.  I will also be using disinfectant wipes to wipe down my samples and work bags as well as key areas of my vehicle.  Social distancing guidelines will be followed. Since many of you may decide not to entertain any in-person meetings, I have options which exist for continued service:

• Ongoing projects:  We will continue to communicate via phone, text and email.  We can also set up a Zoom meeting if you would like me to see something in your home or just like the idea of face-to-face communication.  If your project warrants the selection of items (i.e., visits to showrooms, etc.), we will discuss timing and access on a case-by-case basis.

• New Projects:  Let’s talk!  Many times, some of the initial conversations can be done via phone or Zoom.  This allows me to determine the scope and prepare documents.  I can send requests for specific items to vendors, order paint samples, draft floor plans (you might have to give me the measurements) and more.  All of my vendors have online catalogs and showrooms have notified the design community that they will be able to service our needs from home offices if necessary.

This is a chance to transform your home into the safe, nurturing haven you need it to be.  Let’s isolate, decorate and stay healthy!