Refresh Your Home on a Budget

As we’re nearing the end of 2008, people are being more frugal than ever. Despite this, some are looking to update their homes, but cannot afford to do so. Rather than completely renovate your home, what better time to simply revise what you have for a fresh look? So, I brought the idea to Emily, a designer in the office and Diane’s right hand woman. After chatting for a while I asked Emily to come up with a few wallet friendly ways to refresh your home. Here are her top five:

PAINT
Painting, without a doubt, is the most inexpensive way to totally change the look of a room. Paint the whole house, paint one room, or paint an accent wall. Either way, your room will feel brand new and your old furniture will pop against the new colors.

REARRANGE
Nothing makes a room look brand new like moving furniture around. Find inspiration from your favorite design magazines and make some moves.

ORGANIZE
Revive your home by getting rid of “junk”. We’ve all got those cluttered rooms (or homes…); now is the best time to get rid of the unnecessary things to provide a brand new look and feel to your home. Moreover, getting rid of clutter will bring peace of mind during these tough times.

COZY UP
If you’re dying for a new couch but can’t afford one right now, spice up your current couch with throw pillows, blankets and other cozy accessories. These small contributions are leaps and bounds cheaper than a new sofa and but will dramatically change the look of a room.

DO-IT-YOURSELF
If you’re handy around the house, think about a “do-it-yourself” project. Put yourself to the task and try things like adding new decorations or reupholstering furniture. If you’re really ambitious, try building a piece of furniture! Not only could it look great, but you’ll have a wonderful trophy and showpiece to add to your décor.

Recycling Plastics

Diane Paparo Studio is a huge advocate of sustainable practices. As part of our goal for a better planet, we work hard to educate our clients about our initiatives. What better place to continue educating than in our new blog – starting with a recycling overview of the symbols you will find on plastics in your home:

Number 1 Plastics

PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) is the most common for single-use bottled beverages, because it is inexpensive, lightweight and easy to recycle. It poses low risk of leaching breakdown products. Recycling rates remain relatively low (around 20%), though the material is in high demand by remanufacturers.

Found in: Soft drink, water and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers; ovenable food trays.

Product Spotlight: Aeon Bench

New York Designer Noel Jeffrey was interviewed for the most recent Decorati news blast. Jeffrey of The Jeffrey Design Group a premier designer whose works focus on the high-luxury. Knowing his designs, dp studio was honored to learn that our Aeon Bench was listed as one of his favorites!

From our slab collection, the Aeon Bench is entirely handmade in our solar-powered workshop in Montana. Featuring both finished and living edges, the bench is available in up to 96” long. As all our pieces are made to order, note that that each bench will be uniquely different depending on the character of each wood slab. The bench can also be customized, choose any solid wood or even specify depth or height and turn the bench into a console.

dp studio is particularly proud of our Slab Collection as it works towards our sustainable initiatives. Alongside being made in a solar-powered workshop, we can source naturally fallen or diseased trees for your bench and provide an eco finish per your requests.

For more information about the Aeon Bench, visit our website or view it on Decorati.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Diane Paparo Studio’s favorite star child, Braeburn Restaurant, has been featured again! Appearing in Food & Wine Magazine, Braeburn pastry chef Katherine Beto offers a decadent looking Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Topping. Visit the website to read more and access the recipe.

Product Spotlight: Wave Tiles

A recent meeting was held to help Diane Paparo Studio begin preparing for ICFF 2009. As we all sat around Diane’s conference table, we threw out some ideas for new products to showcase. The easiest piece to agree on was the Wave Tile.

The Wave Tiles never fail to spark the interest of designers and homeowners. They add instant interest to any space due to the varying sizes, waves, and possibility for customization. Available in high and low frequencies, the tiles feature soft curves and contrasting contours allowing light to play upon the surface and create subtle shadows. Other options include flat panels, which are perfect for mounting light switches, outlets, or even sconces. Tiles can be engraved and lacquered in any color.

Not sure what to do with the wave tiles? They would make a perfect backsplash in an area without standing water – place them in your bar, cover an entire wall, use them as a baseboard, moulding, or a modern chair rail. Visit this post or see below for an image of the wave tiles in place as a backsplash:

Have an idea for how to use the wave tiles? Leave a comment and let us know!