Debbie Wiener's Blog

Is your Brady Bunch still turning your home into the Addams family house?  Here are more design tips that will help you keep your home looking like June Cleaver’s!

1.     Consider upholstery styles with an exposed leg instead of a skirt.  Skirts collect pet hairs and stain easily when your kids use the skirt to wipe the backs of dirty shoes. Most sofa and chair manufacturers offer you the option of a skirt or exposed leg. And you can match the leg color to other room furnishings or to the fabric.

2.     If you don’t want your kids sitting on the arms of your sofa, don’t choose styles with oversized arms!  The arm of the sofa is often the first place where fabric thins out and shows wear.  And with abuse, the soft padding wears down and the hard frame can be felt right under the fabric.  Smaller arms also give a little extra seating space. 

3.       Rotate the cushions on your upholstered sofas and chairs.  You’ll extend the life of the seat and back cushions and the fabric covering them.  While you’re at it, give the cushions and seat bench a good vacuum.  You’ll probably find the missing Lego’s and baseball cards that your kids were searching for when they destroyed the rest of the house!

4.       Keeping window coverings off the floor protects them from potential abuse.  Choose window treatments that raise and lower like a blind rather than closing from the sides.  They’ll last longer and look better over time.

5.       Match wood stains and paint finishes to crayon and magic marker colors.  Wonder how the pros re-touch discolorations and marks on tables?  That’s right- with crayons and markers.  As furniture legs and tops get scratched and even gouged from daily family use, you can make simple repairs with crayons and markers that will extend the life and looks of your most heavily used furniture pieces.

With Love,

Debbie

Interior Designer to the Slobs

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