Infloormation

Once your home office is ready to furnish, several factors help make it a comfortable work space. Ergonomics, the study of fitting the workspace to an individual person, allows you to create the ideal working relationship between you and your computer.

First, find the right chair. Look for one that lets you to keep your feet flat on the floor when you’re working. Make sure the chair allows you to keep your back against the back of the chair without the front of the chair hitting you at the back of the knees. This helps reduce both back and circulation problems after long sessions at the computer.

Your mouse and keyboard should be at elbow height. If your desk is too high, purchase a keyboard drawer that will fit your needs. Finally, the top of the monitor is supposed to be at your eye level. With today’s larger monitors, this may not be possible, but set it as close to that height as you can.

Lighting is your next goal. You will want both task lighting and ambient light. Task lighting helps your work go smoother. Ambient light is to create a warm feeling in your office. Often a ceiling light takes care of your task lighting needs. If not, you may want to consider a desk lamp. Make sure your lighting choices don’t create a glare on your monitor.

Finally, determine what types of storage you need. File cabinets and bookshelves can warm up a room if you choose wood. Make sure your desk arrangement allows you a work space beyond the computer for other work requirements. Office furniture doesn’t have to match – just like bedroom furniture, a well-planned combination can make a space inviting without looking too contrived.

When it comes to the environment, our extensive use of wood and wood products can directly affect our planet’s forests. Only a few decades ago, consumers could never know if their wood floors were built from lumber that damaged this valuable global resource. Because of this, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was started in 1993 to set and certify standards of responsible harvesting of our world’s wood. Today, the organization is recognized in over 50 countries and by every major environmental group.

Now you can quickly assure yourself that your wood purchase is environmentally sound by buying only FSC-certified products. This will not limit your options. Many manufacturers and distributors proudly display their certification.

Wood with the FSC certification has not been cut in natural forests or other habitats around the world, has not been exposed to hazardous pesticides, and has not caused damage to any indigenous peoples. The United States Green Building Council relies on the FSC certification to ensure that wood products meet their standards.

It’s the small steps we make every day that will help protect our planet through the generations. You can be part of making the earth continue as a rich and healthy resource for all of us for generations to come by looking for wood floors, and other wood products, that have the FSC certification.

The last tip from Rita Wilson’s wardrobe suggestions to convert to home advice: “Be grateful.” It’s a good one to end with, and one we often forget in the daily challenges of our lives. It’s particularly valuable when fixing up a new home or renovating your current one.

We know that making choices, finishing up paperwork, and dealing with all the details of our homes can be challenging and frustrating. That’s why it’s particularly important now to take a step back and spend a moment appreciating what you have.

First, just be grateful to have a home. For many people across the globe, that’s an impossible dream. Next let’s appreciate all of the people who are working to make your home happen. From the builder and installers to the salespeople and designers who help you make good choices, it takes some version of a village to get you settled in your new place or fix up your current one. Finally, how about looking at the amazing range of options the manufacturers give you for making your home uniquely your own. Twenty years ago, many of your choices were simply not available, or only for the highest-end custom homes.

So don’t compare your budget to others – that way lays certain disappointment. Instead, revel in the options you do have, and enjoy the amazing privilege of making your home work for you. Be grateful for the opportunity, and enjoy every minute of it!

To see the other tips in this series, click here.

Let’s combine two of Rita Wilson’s wardrobe tips in this blog, because from our perspective in home décor, they focus on the same issue. “If you travel a lot, have a packed toiletries bag ready to go,” and “There are one thousand stylish things you can wear while traveling…” How do we connect travel and our homes? When it’s time to travel to another home, we want to be able to sell this one easily.

Now don’t get up in arms when we talk about selling your home. Hopefully,  right now it’s the last thing on your mind, and it should be. Your focus needs to be on creating just the right combination of elements to make your home perfect for you. All we’re saying is put it in a corner of your mind as you make your decisions.

The average homeowner stays in a home for five years. Life changes can lead to the need for a new home. When that happens, choosing a fixture or permanent home product that would not appeal to the majority of people may inhibit your ability to sell.

Love blue? That’s just great. However, choosing a bright blue countertop in your kitchen may not be the best idea. How about letting paint and accessories satisfy that color need instead? When making these choices, your salesperson is a great resource for balancing your unique preferences with your potential resale goals later.

Make your home work well for you – both while your living in it and later if you want to sell.

To see the other tips in this series, click here.

It’s been fairly easy to make the connection between Rita Wilson’s wardrobe tips and our homes so far in our previous posts. Our next tip is a little tougher, but I think we’re up to the challenge. “Enjoy new bedclothes at least once a year,” concerns refreshing our PJ’s or whatever we like to wear at night. Well, our homes can get as tired as our wardrobes if we’re not alert.

First off, do you regularly maintain your home finishes as the manufacturer recommended, or are those instructions filed away never to be looked at again? Put another coat of polyurethane on your wood floors, clean your carpets twice a year, and seal your granite and these valuable products will last longer and look better.

The other factor is regular home updates. This needs to be done much less often than your wardrobe, but it’s an important part of maintaining an inviting home. Have you ever spent time touring open houses of older homes? So often the finishes are original, even if the house is 20 or 30 years old. People moved in and never changed anything again. Setting aside a regular budget amount, no matter how small, will give you the opportunity to redo or replace any home finishings or furnishings as they start getting tired or worn.

Whether we’re talking about PJ’s or plush carpet – pay attention to maintenance and keep your home special and inviting, now and for years to come.

To see the other tips in this series, click here.

Rita Wilson’s sixth fashion tip focuses on your face: “simplify your makeup if you wear makeup.” When you meet someone wearing too much makeup, it can distract from the face, and the person, underneath. In the same way too much furniture and too many accessories can distract from the wonderful bones of your home.

Is your fireplace hidden behind a chair and a mantel covered with knick knacks? Do you have windows with nice views that are blocked with too much furniture in the way? Does your collection of snow globes cover your tables to the distraction of the rest of the space?

To determine whether simplifying would be useful for you, stand in front of one of your rooms and see where your eyes go. Do they pause at certain focal points, or travel all over the room, never having a place to rest? Too much decoration can move your space from designed to cluttered. If you think you may be too Victorian in your choices, try removing pieces one at a time until your rooms start feeling relaxing and spacious. Maybe you don’t need three shades of eye shadow. Maybe for you, just a touch of blush and lip gloss and you’re ready to go. Find the same balance in your home.

To see the other tips in this series, click here.

Trying to make your home as exciting as your fashion choices? For a bit of help, we’re looking at some of Rita Wilson’s fashion tips for looking fabulous at any age. On a recent episode of “Oprah,” these tips were used to transform women in their 30’s to 60’s. Let’s see what we can do with some of them when applied to your home.

Tip five, “it’s normal to fear altercations, but not alterations,” talks about having your clothes altered to make off-the-rack fashions truly yours. Have you thought about doing the same thing when finishing your home?

At first glance, flooring may seem to be flooring, but there are so many little touches that can make your home stand out. Take a look at your tile options. Something as simple as placing your tile on a diagonal down a hall can make the space different and interesting. Borders and combining tiles of different sizes can create a feel that belongs only to you and your home. Stretch your carpet options by considering the sculptured choices. A subtle leaf pattern can take a neutral to a whole new level. And don’t neglect the medallions available both in stone and wood. You don’t have to go off the deep end with your choices, just discover those little touches that take your home from standard to unique.

To see the other tips in this series, click here.

Actor and producer Rita Wilson has a strong affinity for fashion that led her to work as a columnist for Harper’s Bazaar. In a recent appearance on Oprah, Rita provided ten techniques for improving your wardrobe to look great at any age. Interestingly, many of those tips can be translated to your home décor with just a bit of tweaking. We’ve looked at the first three in previous posts. Let’s take a glance at number four.

4: “Wear comfortable shoes.” Comfort is as important, possibly more important, than style in your home. Think about it. When you get home from a long day, is it more important to see a beautiful home or collapse into a comfy chair? Good news, you can have both. Just make sure you don’t ignore comfort in your quest for style. Before you invest in dining room chairs, sit down for more than a minute. Will those chairs invite conversations around the table that last long after dinner is finished? If you like to take your shoes off the minute you get home, do you have a bench and maybe even shoe storage in your entryway? Decorate your home for the way you live as well as your style.

To see the other tips in this series, click here.

When Rita Wilson appeared on Oprah recently, eight of her ten techniques for our wardrobes also apply to our homes. In this blog, let’s take a look at tip three.

“Your haircut and color tell people a lot about you.” One point Rita stressed with this tip is the value of spending money on your hair, because it’s part of your picture no matter what you’re wearing. A good cut and color lasts for weeks, and is worth the investment. This is even more true with your home. Flooring, cabinets and even window treatments become an almost permanent part of your home, and are the hardest and most expensive to change. So when it’s time to decorate or redecorate, spend your money on getting the best quality you can afford. Furniture and accessories cost less and don’t last as long. They’re easier to upgrade later.

Buying furniture and accessories is shopping, buying permanent elements such as flooring and cabinetry is investing!

To see the other tips in this series, click here.