COSMETIC SURGERY FOR THE HOME

5/18/2005 5:09:25 PM

It seems like yesterday when we were young and foolish, no cares in the world, and certainly not thinking about tomorrow or growing “old” or old-er! But time does march on, and we do wake up to the fact that we are aging - - for good or for bad.

The same can be said for our houses. We tend to move in, get things looking pretty good, and then proceed with our hectic lives without really looking at the statement we made when we first moved in.

Look at your houses in the same critical way you look at yourself in the mirror each day. We strive to always put our best face forward - - - now, let’s do that in our homes.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is the house functioning in the way it should for our ever-changing life styles?
• Are the colors and styles still fashionable today?
• Would I want my body to look like this?

There are so many ways a house can be cosmetically changed with little effort and money. Take a house that has the living room/dining room combination and has a kitchen/family room. Does that work or would it work better to have the family room become the dining room and the living room/dining room becomes a “great room”? An eating area off the kitchen can become a nice little seating area with a couple of comfortable chairs, a good reading lamp, and an ottoman.

If you almost NEVER use your living room, use that space in another way. Turn it into a multi-function room with a computer station built into an entertainment wall. A small table for cards or games with nicely upholstered, comfortable chairs can serve double-duty. Maybe you’ve always wanted a pool table - - the living room could be a great place for it!

Turn a little used closet into a nifty office area, a seldom-used bedroom into a den and open it into the living room, dining room, or one of your public areas if possible. Open this seldom-used bedroom into the bedroom next to it to create a master suite. So many of the new homes have two master suites.

Now that you’re going to be changing room purposes, look at your furniture in this same way. Maybe you have a bedroom chest that could be used in the dining room or living room with a fresh coat of paint. Red is such a wonderful accent color and goes with practically every color scheme.

The distressed wood finish is so popular with its rustic charm and quite easy to achieve. It requires some sanding, and then flat paint, a paste wax over that, and finally the Distressed Wood Glaze over that. Sand off the areas that you want the flat paint to show through, and you will have a charming accent piece to go almost anywhere.

Did you know that re-facing your old Oak cabinets is about half of what the same new ones would be? What a face lift this is for the kitchen! There are so many choices of styles, wood tones, and colors that you’re sure to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Lighting is such an important factor in a home and can age the home if not kept current. Recessed lighting on dimmer switches is such great subtle lighting. Pendant lighting over center islands can made a real statement in a kitchen, and by all means use lamps that bring a design element to the area as well as good task lighting.

Every home needs its “yearly exam” just as we do! Make a checklist of the things that need cosmetic surgery and get going. They will not cure themselves and the effort you put into redoing and updating will certainly be worth it in the long run. We know it’s good value to put the best face forward on your house.